The urge to dine on some green chile stew usually referred to as chileverde, was tugging at my chile peper deprived diet. I have driven by ‘Chile Jalapeno Taqueria’ for several years never slowing down. The building is bright and eye catching as you pass by on this busy thoroughfare in Oakland California. I dinned here a decade ago and the restaurant has changed hands numerous times since. It was time to whet my appetite once again on my never ending quest to find the ultimate chileverde.
Parking karma is in limbo because of the convenient parking lot behind the restaurant. Once inside you will come to a colorfully painted counter area. There is a signboard with the menu choices. I scanned the menu briefly only looking for my dish of passion. Chileverde was listed, but it was called ‘Chileverde Carnitas’. This also came with a choice of chicken or pork. I was game and ordered the pork variation. Once paid, you selected a place to dine. The choices were several tables inside or a very nice outdoor patio in the back.
I was issued some complimentary chips and salsa. The salsa was an interesting tomato puree. The tomato’s probably had been roasted and then pureed with oil and spices. There was a slight mild heat that was faint. I could not identify the pepper used. The texture was soupy. In my experience, the salsa is a good indicator of the meal to come. This salsa did not excite this chilehead.
The plate of chileverde carnitas was brought to my table. It looked very appealing. The pork was shredded. There was a nice little salad to accompany my pretty plate. Several wrapped corn tortillas also arrived. I wanted to love this plate of chileverde but alas the pork was under whelming. It lacked seasoning (salt). The meat had a texture like it had been boiled. I have never had carnitas in this form. The green sauce that I love was also a disappointment. Pepper flavor, heat and once again seasoning was lacking. The beans and rice needed some seasoning love. This good looking plate failed in so many ways.
To be fair, Chile Jalapeno Tacqueria has a big menu that I did not really explore. The place looks fun and appealing. The back patio seemed very nice for that summer day. Unfortunately if the chileverde carnitas or any indicator of the rest of the menu, that is enough for me. The quest will continue but I will still pass by Chile Jalapeno on this busy thoroughfare.
Chile Jalapeno Tacqueria
6706 San Pablo Ave
Oakland, CA 94608
6 comments:
Too bad for the disappointment, but please post when you find a great chile verde as I am a big fan.
Big Dude, The quest continues. The journey is a lot of tasty fun.
the search continues! In the summer in park near here I see families making carnitas in large pots over huge propane burners. I always want to buy some.
Greg, You will have to try them and report back. You may be pleasantly surprised.
It looks just a tad on the thin side. I saw a bottled chile verde sauce at the grocery yesterday. I almost pulled the trigger, but thought better of doing so.
Three Dogs BBQ, The sauce was thin but what really put me off was the boiled like texture of the pork. I will try something bottled once in a while. You never know.
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