Sometimes the simplest meals are the ones we enjoy the best. If you’re Mexican, and even if you don’t, every so often you get tired of eating sandwiches or chowing down complex dishes from local eateries and you just need some arroz con frijoles acompañados by some tortillas. While you can easily prepare that meal on your own at home, hardly any of us know how to make fresh tortillas… that’s when you Google y haces hasta lo imposible por encontrar un changarro that makes fresh tortillas and is graciously waiting to satisfy your apetito feroz. Even though there are several joints in the L.A. area that cater to that kind of crowd, there’s a place in Riverside called “Anchos” that will do that for you and then some more.
Southwest style
Even though the place is tucked away on a rather small side street, “Anchos” is anything but small. From the outside this joint resembles an old glitzy hacienda.
“Anchos Southwest Grill & Bar” looks dazzling from the outside, patio and all, and even more so on the inside. They take the whole hacienda look all the way, thus the décor inside this place is impeccable, it’s simple and not kitschy at all.
Lo más chido de este lugar es que they have a tortilla making machine in the middle of the whole restaurant… that machine is going nonstop since they open until closing time.
Their decorative charm serves also as their best culinary asset: tortillas de harina calientitas, recién hechas. As soon as you’re seated, you’ll be greated by a basket with tortillas, some butter, chips and salsa.
Remember to go easy on the tortillas, they’re so yummy it’s quite easy to go crazy and lose count of how many you devour before your drinks are served.
The tortillas at “Anchos” are a hybrid between a gordita and a regular flour tortilla. The salsa, however, is a little on the bland side… it’s good, but not great… you will definitely have to recur to using the salero.
If you want to start with an appetizer, perhaps the best choice is the queso flameado, which includes la yummy concoction of cheese, chorizo, and chiles jalapeños, which make for great tacos/ quesadillas. Again, you must remember to take it easy, the serving of queso flameado is ginormous and the tortillas keep coming like crazy.
Food for days
Odds are that by the time the server comes back with your main entrée, you might be ready to burst. Sin embargo, no importa que tan lleno estés, es casi imposible el resistir comer más, especially alter being presented with such huge servings and, of course, more tortillas.
One of the most popular items in “Anchos’” menu are their fajitas as well as their chiles relleneos. Fortuanetly, there’s a special combo that allows you to have both.
There’s seriously enough food in one entrée to feed at least two people: it comes with a bunch of your choice of mesquite grilled meat (either chicken or steak), a chile relleno the size of a torta showered in a delicious and spicy tomato sauce, rice, beans, and a side of toppings for your fajitas: pico de gallo, guacamole and shredded lettuce.
The rice and the beans have a nice southwest flavor to them, which go great with the mesquite grilled meat. For some reason the steak is juicier and more flavorful than the chicken, it’s tender and it has a nice texture and zero fat.
“Anchos Southwest Grill & Bar” is definitely the place to go whenever you’re craving homemade flour tortillas along with simple meal with a special flare. Está un poco lejos, pero vale la pena.
Anchos Southwest Grill & Bar10773 Hole Ave
Riverside, CA 92505
951.352.0240
