Los Cuates Has the Real Stuff
Original and 'new one' share menus, fierce devotion of regulars

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By Charlotte Balcomb Lane
For the Journal
Los Cuates, a pair of sibling Mexican restaurants in Albuquerque's mid-Heights, are a reflection of the city that gave them birth. Like Albuquerque in general, the restaurants are folksy, not fancy. They're family oriented and show a distinct preference for immense portions of New Mexican soul food at teeny-weeny prices.

Los Cuates LOCATION: Original location: 5016-B Lomas NE; 268-0974 New location: 4901 Lomas NE; 255-5079 Non-smoking sections No reservations HOURS: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday Noon-9 p.m. Sunday

Where else but Albuquerque could two branches of the same restaurant stare at each other from across the street? And where else would customers swear fierce allegiance to the "original" or the "new one," although both share identical menus?
In Spanish, cuates means "twins," and these restaurants were named after the twin children of owner Frank Barela. The children grew up, but the idiosyncratic restaurants seem ageless. Customers start lining up before opening or wait for tables during dinner to delve into enormous beef and potato burritos and extraordinary blue corn enchiladas.
Folks, this is the Real Stuff: Red chile as smooth as velvet, green chile that clears your sinuses and tostada chips that shatter when you bite them. The salsa served with the chips is some of the best I've eaten; instead of a chunky combination of tomatoes and chopped chile or jalapeños, this is a satiny sauce of almost pure red chile. It's hot enough to command attention, but won't blow your head off. You get a plastic pot of this distillation and a platter of chips the instant you sit down.
Portions are large at Los Cuates, and so is the selection. The menu covers the traditional bases, including burritos, rolled and flat enchiladas, carne adovada, tamales and tacos, but also has more unusual offerings. One of my favorites is the roast beef burrito for $6.95, because the sliced, lean meat has such delicious, beefy flavor. It's great with green chile. (The green is hotter than the red.) One serving easily makes two meals for most people; even the $5.95 a la carte version without refried beans and Spanish rice is a lot of food.
Some items are suitable for vegetarians, including chiles rellenos and cheese enchiladas. You can request red or green chile without meat.
The most expensive item on the menu -- fajitas -- costs just $8.99. Most full dinners cost between $6.35 and $6.95, and include coffee or tea and two sopaipillas with honey. The food is heavy, rich and satisfying. Guaranteed to produce belches.
Both restaurants also offer a carry-out menu with lower prices, but without the habit-forming sopaipillas.
The original restaurant, on the south side of Lomas, is the favorite of many who claim the food tastes better there. The interior is definitely more native, with red leatherette booths separated by yellow glass dividers and patient servers dashing to and fro. The old restaurant serves beer and wine, but for some reason, most patrons seem to stick to iced tea.
The interior of the new restaurant, on the north side of Lomas, is more upscale Tex-Mex, with colorful serapes and ristras dangling from vigas. I didn't detect a difference in food quality, but did observe more customers ordering from the full bar menu. The new restaurant has different servers, but they're just as patient and swift-moving. Food arrives steaming hot.
Two people can eat for as little as $10, but expect to spend about $15 for two including tip, without alcohol.