Eats Review

DISH Eats

LOS CUATES

Love or hate their salsa, it has a rich tradition—and so does the food.

After nearly four decades, Los Cuates is defined by a loyal customer base that dates back to its inception. It’s quite common to find that several generations have dined at the popular New Mexican establishment.

“When I first started at Los Cuates about five and a half years ago, I wanted to be engrossed in the Los Cuates experience,” says district manager Amber Carpenter. “So I would just sit in the dining room. What I found is that generations of families would come to Los Cuates.

“In talking to them and listening to their stories, what I found is that they had been coming to Los Cuates for 40 years. Let’s say I was talking to a 30-year-old — they’d been coming with their grandparents for as long as they’d been alive. Los Cuates is this true family experience because it’s been around for so long in this town.”

The restaurant was founded in 1985 by Frank R. Barela and named for his children, Antoinette and Marcus. In the present day, Los Cuates boasts three locations (the last of which opened in 2005) and is run by George Daskalos, Dennis Carpenter and Larry Gutierrez.

The original owner’s influence is still evident with the presence of the popular Combinacion de Frank, which includes a beef or chicken taco, a cheese enchilada and a chile relleno. According to Carpenter, it’s the No. 1 seller on the menu (Antoinette and Marcus also have combination plates named in their honor). While the overall menu might not be exactly the same as it was at the beginning, the approach to all-around quality remains the same.

“Everything is made to order,” Carpenter says. “The guacamole, pico de gallo, the sopapillas. Our cooks come in early in the morning to prepare all those ingredients fresh every single day, so we are serving made-to-order, fresh food with every meal.”

Another thing that has not changed is

MUSICAL GUESTS At the Los Cuates location on Coors, local mariachi group Trio Jalisciense performs twice a week: on Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. “People record them, post them to their timelines, and have their children dancing with them. They roam around the building and are a beautiful group of artists,” Carpenter says.

FLAVOR OF THE MONTH In addition to its regular selection of margaritas, Los Cuates offers a Margarita of the Month program which spotlights a different flavor for $5.99. Some past flavors have included red chile mango, raspberry, and strawberry kiwi, to name a few.

CATERING TO YOU Los Cuates provides a variety of different catering packages along with chile, salsa, beans, rice and green chile stew by the quart or gallon. Prices may vary, and the delivery radius ranges up to 50 miles.

FOR THE KIDS It pays to be a kid. Or to be more accurate, sometimes it requires a little less pay. On Wednesdays, kids eat for half price at the restaurant with the purchase of one adult entree.

the famous Los Cuates salsa, a tasty blend of sweet and hot that tends to elicit a strong reaction from diners. While the restaurant is currently not selling the salsa by the jar — Carpenter says the goal is to resume sometime this fall — it comes complimentary to each table along with a basket of chips.

“That is absolutely the original recipe,” Carpenter says. “It is very unique if you’ve never had it. People either love it or they hate it. I’ve gotten both comments on it. Obviously more people love it, otherwise we probably wouldn’t be in the salsa business.”

While the salsa is renowned even outside of the state, the chile relleno is billed as Los Cuates’ signature dish. Anaheim green chiles, mild peppers about six to 10 inches long, are fried in homemade batter and stuffed with cheese daily on-site.

“They’re deep fried until golden brown on

Los Cuates 4901 Lomas Blvd NE plus 2 other metro locations (505) 255-5079 loscuatesrestaurants.com

all sides and the cheese melts just perfectly on the inside,” Carpenter says.

Meanwhile, the tamale is touted as the biggest of its kind in the Duke City on the restaurant’s website. While Carpenter admits that it’s nearly impossible to verify that claim, it is undoubtedly a generous portion.

“Not (proven) to my knowledge,” she says. “It is a very large tamale though. It weighs six ounces and there is a ton of meat in comparison of meat to masa.”

Creativity is encouraged in the kitchen, as well. Case in point: Out-of-the box items such as the seafood enchiladas and Southwest calamari have established a foothold on the menu. The former is stuffed with shrimp and tilapia, topped with espinaca sauce and fresh avocado and accompanied by calabacitas.

“When we revamp the menus, the owners do like to change out a couple of the dishes to add a new variety of things they’ve tried over the years that have been different and interesting,” Carpenter says.

For those with dietary restrictions, there’s an entirely vegetarian menu featuring a selection of enchiladas, fajitas, chile rellenos, tamales and more. Gluten-free red and green chile sauces are also available.

Diners can wash down their meals with one of Los Cuates’ margaritas — there are seven signature options as well as eight flavors to try. The mix, Carpenter says, is the “perfect ratio of sweet to sour.” To top it all off, patrons will enjoy their meal in a comfortable ambiance attended by specially trained restaurant staff.

“The guest experience is first and foremost,” Carpenter says. “Our staff are trained to have extraordinary customer service skills and have a conversation with our guests and gauge what they need from us. You never know why people are out to dine initially, but the whole guest experience to make it enjoyable is important for us to read our table. We do a lot of training around that to make sure we’re giving the guest the kind of experience that they’re

looking for.” —TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD

FEATURED DISHES

CHILE RELLENO PLATE , $10.50

One green Anaheim chile stuffed with cheddar cheese, dipped in batter and deep-fried to a golden brown, topped with red or green chile and served with refried beans and rice.

ENCHILADA PLATE , $10.25

Two cheese enchiladas topped with red or green chile, served with refried beans and rice.

COMBINACION DE FRANK , $12.95

One ground beef or chicken taco, a cheese enchilada and a chile relleno, topped with shredded cheese with red or green chile. Served with refried beans and rice.

COMBINACION DE CARNE ASADA , $18.95

Marinated grilled steak, two tostadas (one refried bean and one guacamole) and two cheese enchiladas, topped with red or green chile.