Little Anita's

After a somewhat disappointing veg tamale experience at the Cherry Creek Fresh Market, I headed to the Little Anita's on South Colorado Boulevard on a tip from a vegetarian co-worker. I wanted to try Little Anita's vegetarian tamale platter, and to put my recent disappointment behind me. However, I was distracted from this purpose on my first visit, by the promise of a calabacítas stuffed sopaipilla ($5, or $6.10 with rice and beans). Filled with sautéed squash, along with mushrooms, tomatoes and corn, and smothered in cheese and a spicy green chili sauce, the stuffed sopaipilla was a flavorful and satisfying lunch. I washed the stuffed sopapilla down with a glass of cinnamon-spiked horchata. (Little Anita's also offers jamaica tea.)

With every order, Little Anita's provides a complimentary plain sopaipilla. The lightly fried pillows of dough are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside - and perfect for drizzling with the honey provided at each table. While I'm generally one to clean my plate, I didn't even touch the rice that accompanied my meal on that first visit because I was so busy with the stuffed sopaipilla, plain sopaipilla and horchata.

This week, I headed back to Little Anita's to try their vegetarian tamale plate ($6.25). Based on my prior visit, I was certain my recent tamale woes would soon be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, this predication proved inaccurate. The masa used in the green chili and cheese tamales seemed grainy, and the tamales seemed to contain a disproportionate amount of masa. While I didn't have room for the rice on my first visit, I ate all my beans and rice, along with an horchata and a plain sopaipilla, on my second visit, while leaving an unfinished heap of veg tamale on my plate.

Although once again disappointed by the veg tamale offerings, I will be heading back to Little Anita's for more calabacítas stuffed sopaipillas and horchata, and to try the calabacítas burrito and jamaica tea.

Little Anita's
Various locations around Denver