Eat Beat Review: Calle Chile

A Silver City couple brings their mothers’ recipes
and New Mexico’s most famous chile to northeast Mesa. 

by Jess Harter | Photography by Mileidi Perez

Calle Chile New Mexico Grill, which quietly opened in a well-worn Mesa strip mall this past January, feels less like a restaurant than a care package from someone’s abuela. Owners Kathy and David Sanchez, both natives of Silver City in southwest New Mexico, built their scratch menu around their mothers’ recipes, grounding every dish in the kind of home-kitchen authenticity that no amount of concept-driven plating can manufacture. 

The long, narrow dining room – mostly black and gray, with a nine-seat marble bar anchoring the back – is decorated with an endearing hodgepodge of horse photographs, Zuni symbols, hanging ristras, mismatched chandeliers and a dramatic Chihuly-esque sculpture just inside the front door. It shouldn’t cohere, and yet it kinda does, in the way that a beloved relative’s living room always feels comfortable.

The complimentary chips arrive with a two-in-one salsa, red and green sharing a single dish, that sets expectations accordingly. Neither includes Hatch chiles (serrano is the culprit here), but they’re worth noting on their own terms: The red is chunkier and punchier; the green, smoothed with avocado, lingers creamily. They’re a warm-up act, not a preview. 

The main event is Hatch-forward comfort food, though spice-wary diners can relax – the heat here runs milder than most Valley New Mexican spots, with the option to dial it up on request. Katie’s Chile Relleno Plate is the standout: two lightly battered chiles luxuriating in molten Velveeta, accompanied by rice and deeply savory beans cooked with ham. The beans alone might justify a return visit. Meanwhile, the stacked chicken enchilada plate, a New Mexican staple, holds its own with a choice of red, green or Christmas-style (red and green) sauces.

The most theatrical dish is the signature Taco Zia – a single taco, no sides – for an eye-raising $12.99. But when it arrives, open-faced and plate-sized, loaded with green chiles, mushrooms, bacon, onions and white cheese, the price makes sense. Less forgivable were the chewy, room-temperature carne asada bites tucked inside, a textural issue echoed in the chile con carne, where the pork could have used a longer braise. These feel like the rough edges of a kitchen still finding its rhythm.

Finish with one of the large sopaipillas, plain or cinnamon with honey, and call it a meal well-traveled.

Calle Chile

Cuisine: New Mexican

Contact: 2860 E. McKellips Rd., Mesa, 602-888-6378, newmexicogrill.com

Hours: T-Th 11 a.m.-8 p.m., F 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sa 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Su 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Highlights: Chile relleno plate ($16.99); chicken enchilada plate ($14.99); chile con carne plate ($17.95); Taco Zia ($12.99); sopaipillas
($3.95 each)