Well, first off I want to thank Dagny for bringing this restaurant to our attention. While its location scares me to an absolute shivery death, the food is most certainly worth the adventure. I had my doubts until the chips & salsa slid ever so carefully on to the table with the red & green. What followed gave my spine carnitas pimples for the next 35 minutes. Yeah, even if we didn’t order carnitas, I knew it was lurking out there to excite.

Oh Biggles, get over yourself. What could make treking to this fine restaurant at 11:30 in the morning, on a Monday, so treacherous?
It’s in the mall. The Hilltop Mall to be exact, shudder. Cazuelas Grill sits right inside Hilltop, next to Sears and across the walkway from 24 hour fitness. They’re family run (not a chain) and been there for nearly 10 years. After Dagny’s suggestion, I contacted RW to see if she had anything to say. She couldn’t find much about it, so she decided to head out on her own. She not only gave it 2 thumbs up, but said the homemade tortillas compare with what she’d had in Mexico City a gajillion times. Homemade tortillas? Time for a visit.
Yesterday was time for such a visit. It looks like a mall restaurant, but once you’re greeted, shown to your seat and the chips arrive? You’re thinking this just may turn out. It’s a full service place, no ordering and waiting for your name to be called. The waitresses all speak Spanish, and as the lunch crowd began to arrive, we were in a gringo minority. I couldn’t have asked for any better signs.

The chips were warm, thin, crispy and looked to be made in-house. If not, there were excellent anyway. The red sauce was thick with good red chilies, good heat too. The green salsa was spritely, tangy and could see the fresh cilantro lolling about. Both salsas had at least 3+ layers of flavors, not an everyday grouping. This chip and salsa combo is hands down one of the best I’ve had, anywhere.
The next sign I look for is that our meal should come before our chips are gone. Done, and done.

I got the chile verde dinner plate, Big D got the colorado version. Oddly enough the green color the verde is that color, kinda creepy. Not only did the verde have the requisite flavors, but there was more to it. My palate isn’t good enough (read here, I was really fricken hungry and didn’t want to spend my time pulling out ingredients) to pull out each ingredient. Trust me when I say, there wasn’t one ingredient that didn’t bring something great to the table. These were chile platters with a purpose. The rice was firm, yet gave easily and had great tomato and chile pepper flavors. The beans were creamy, full of rich meaty, beany action with cheesy love on top. Here’s some of Big D’s rolled up in one of those tortillas.

Oh, and here’s those fancy rigs, right here.

Um, yeah. I don’t know what to say other than these people need to move. I don’t get it. I’ve always enjoyed the fact that the mall holds nothing for me. Now I have 1 good reason to visit. And I will to, you can bet on it.
Both dinners, chips with salsas and never ending water came to about 31 bux with a 6 dollar tip. Too much for a lunch, but right on for a meal. Dagny recommends the soups, posole or whatever tickles your brain. She says if you look around at the regulars, they all have soups before them. Next time? Pozole!
Oh, and Biggles’ recommendation? Please sit in a seat facing inside the restaurant. I neglected this angle and spent my lunch watching male nitwits on weight machines sweating to the oldies. Ain’t malls great?
Biggles
Note: August 7th 2007: I just had a brain terror! Cazuelas totally needs to move in to the Hacienda! A match made in heaven.