Nopalito

310 S. Mesquite St., Las Cruces, NM - (505) 524-0003

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Posted By Michael Stern on April 21, 2006 3:12 PM

Nopalito is a family-run restaurant (actually two restaurants; the other is at 2605 Missouri) where you can count on excellent New Mexican food. Not Tex-Mex nor Arizona-Mex nor California-Mex nor Sonoran Mex, but the unique cuisine of New Mexico. That means that chile peppers star and the issue of red and green is one you will confront at every meal. There is no rule about which is hotter. The day we came to Nopalito (which means little cactus), the waitress assured us that green was the hot stuff, but that red was more delicious. What to do? "Christmas!" she replied, which is the term for a dish topped with both.

We had ours on a stacked enchilada with the works, meaning beans and cheese and a fried egg on top and rice and salad on the side. We also savored excellent chiles rellenos, fried to a crisp and oozing warm cheese.

Before the main course, everybody gets crisp, warm tortilla chips and a set of salsas, red and green. The green is served hot (temperature-wise), but is fairly mild. The red is served cool but is very, very hot. We also ordered what the menu lists as avocado salad, but looked and tasted a lot like chunky guacamole.

The broad, airy dining room with its adobe mission style decor is a pleasant place to relax and enjoy native foods. The staff was kind and helpful, seats were comfortable, and we relished the aroma of other people's chilecentric meals – gorditas, con carne, tacos, tamales, rolled as well as stacked enchiladas – wafting past us on their way from the kitchen to tables.

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