511995 Tue Apr 22 15:20:19 -0700 2008 2 6 Southwest 0 3620112 I was in Denver over the weekend and went to Los Carboncitos, El Coyotito, and Taqueria Patcuarao. First time I'd been to Los Carboncitos(went to the one at Pecos & 38th), and I really enjoyed the food there. I had huarache al pastor and my wife had a steak & chorizo huarache, both very good. Nice variation in the 4 very good condiment salsas provided. No chips here. Best food of the weekend was frijoles charros; I would designate this as not to be missed. Sopa azteca was okay but not something I'd order again. The refried beans were also just okay. Looking forward to trying out their other huaraches and getting my own bowl of frijoles charros when I return. Service was matter of fact but I didn't feel any of the unwelcoming vibe(from employees or patrons) that I've seen mentioned. Also my first time to El Coyotito. Just one salsa offered there, and it was good. Bag chips. Guacamole was very good. I had carnitas tacos and abobada tacos. Preferred the adobada. I ordered spicy when asked for a preference, but it wasn't hot. I like cilantro and there was a lot of it on my tacos, might be too much for some people. Better refrieds than Los Carboncitos. My wife got a carnitas plate which she thought was okay, nothing to cheer about which was pretty much my opinion of my carnitas tacos from El Coyotito. Second time to Taqueria Patzcuaro. Good salsa, good guacamole, good chips. I split carnitas and tacos albanil with my wife. Better carnitas there than at El Coyotito. The tacos albanil(grilled steak, potatoes, and jalapenos) were a nice change from what I usually get when I order tacos. Still think the refrieds there are some of the better ones I've had in Denver. Service had a familiar tone similar to that I've gotten at Jack n Grill which I like. Tue Apr 22 15:20:19 -0700 2008 13930 Chimayo Joe 1 3622497 Quite the crawl! Thanks for this. The frijoles charros sound great; I wonder why they do one bean dish well and not another? Who do you think makes the best refrieds in town? Wed Apr 23 10:32:51 -0700 2008 3620112 11106 tatamagouche 2 3622933 Just speculating, I think some places may treat refrieds almost as an afterthought or palate cleanser to knock down heat. The refrieds at Los Carboncitos had a lot of queso fresco crumbled onto them and the salsas there do pack quite a punch. I seem to recall the refrieds at Tacos y Salsas(another joint with hot salsas) not being very good, but I can't remember the quantity of cheese they used. Don't know who makes the best refrieds. I don't get to Denver very often, and I don't have the memory to reliably compare visits spaced several months apart. Some I like are Taqueria Patzcuaro's(these had no cheese at all so the bean flavor is more apparent ), El Coyotito's(the beans themselves were well flavored and there was less of the crumbly cheese), and it seems like Tacos Jaliscos's were decent(seems like these were thinner but tasted good.) The gold standard for refrieds for me is Perea's in Albuquerque. Haven't had refrieds anywhere that are close to as good as theirs. It's a breakfast & lunch only place. I think they're using lots of bacon grease in their refrieds which to my tastes tops even lard. I'd be interested in hearing the board's Denverites' opinions on who has the best refrieds in the Denver area. Wed Apr 23 12:03:57 -0700 2008 3622497 13930 Chimayo Joe