15 OCTOBER 9-15, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | window and a to-go order came on a paper plate that would have another paper plate stapled on top. A professor said there was a new Chubby’s that did exactly that on 86th and something. “Is it a real Chubby’s or one of the off- shoots that aren’t offi cial?” I said, as we all laughed. Mexicans: always squabbling! After lunch, I got to have a one-on-one with Julia Roncoroni. The Argentine im- migrant is a professor for the school’s Mor- gridge College of Education, but she’s also a psychologist by training who leads DU’s Health Disparities Research Lab. She’s also in charge of Cocina Libre, a food collaborative that connects immigrant cooks with train- ing, as well as speaking and catering gigs. As part of that, she just published a new book: Sazón and Liberation, which was released last week. She gave me a Spanish-language copy. I’m glad people in Denver are fi ghting the good fi ght when it comes to supporting immigrants, especially through the prism of food and especially against this demon administration. And I gotta come back to check out a Cocina Libre event — in the meantime, all of you should. My farewell dinner would be at Adelitas. When I asked Calhoun what she thought of it, she hesitated and said, “It’s…different.” Uh-oh. The restaurant was packed when we stopped by, and we were directed to its sister restaurant around the corner, the mezcal bar La Doña. It shares the Adelitas menu, which kinda makes no sense, but whatever. I ordered La Doña’s Tres Elotes cocktail, a hefty pour of three corn-based spirits: mezcal, whiskey and the fabulous Nixta corn liqueur. The drink was strong, earthy and sweet, although it didn’t need a cinnamon rim. I excitedly ordered Adelitas’ tamalitos, an appetizer of two chicken tamales chopped up into bite-sized parts, because I remem- bered Denver tamales being particularly delicious whenever I had them. These were…okay. So okay, in fact, that I didn’t fi nish the dish. At least the company was great. The DU professors were smart and funny and kind. Tony Garcia showed up and suggested I go to Brewery Bar II for its smothered burrito next time I’m in town because “it has the hottest chile.” Someone said Señor Burritos has the best beans. Someone else mentioned El Taco de Mexico, which won a James Beard America’s Classic Award in 2020. “You like the service there?” someone asked Garcia. “Eh…” he said, before comparing the owners to the Soup Nazi of Seinfeld. “¡Que quieres!” he barked, drawing laughter from everyone. “The whole attitude is, like, okay!” Then Garcia brought up Chubby’s again. “I thought I was freaking out because Trump got elected — that son of a bitch was going to kill me!—and then I remember I ate at Chubby’s. The last time I went there was when Trump got elected.” “To Chubby’s?” someone asked. Tony let a beat skip. “Trump didn’t get elected to Chubby’s.” More laughter. That and a legit tres leches cake closed a wonderful time in Denver…so I thought. Friday The Maria Empanada location on the corner between Adelitas and La Doña was closed by the time we left; someone in my party said that Maria Empanada had a loca- tion at the Denver airport. I never like to buy food at airports be- cause it’s inevitably overpriced, but me not fi nishing my tamalitos at Adelitas left a hole in my stomach that needed patching. So before I boarded my fl ight, I looked around for Maria Empanada. And wouldn’t you know: It was right next to my gate. I loved its design — a massive Sol de Mayo (the sun on Argenti- na’s fl ag) on one wall and a photo of soccer god Diego Maradona behind the counter. I dug that the place of- fered a bunch of op- tions and went with an Argentina — steak, bell pepper, green onions — and a Diego, which was chicken, bell peppers and sautéed on- ions. Both were juicy, had the proper fl aky crust and were as good an airport breakfast as I’ve had outside of an Egg McMuffi n. But Maria: Your chimichurri su- uuuuuucked. I knew there was going to be a problem when a worker handed me a small cup of some red-tinged thing that looked like old cough syrup. It didn’t taste like olive oil, it didn’t have any of a chimichurri’s trademark zest. It was just oily nada. Couple that with the fact that the woman at the duty-free store didn’t want to sell me a bottle of Stranahan’s aged in sherry casks, and my fl ight back home was kinda a drag. Thank God I’d saved Maria Empanada’s alfajores, the Argentine shortbread cookie covered in powdered sugar and smeared with cajeta — dulce de leche. The moment I got to my home, I grabbed one. Crunchy, sweeter than it should’ve been, and fi lling. Perfect. Denver: It was awesome to be back. Your Den-Mex remains unbeaten; your other food is good but needs work. See you next year. Where should I eat next time? Email the author at [email protected]. Chile caribe and a chili relleno at La Fiesta. GUSTAVO ARELL ANO
