How many times have I eaten at La Nortenita?  In short, a lot.  Maybe more than most restaurants in Albuquerque, with the exception of my routine lunch spot which right now shall go unnamed.

In the cool of autumn, the dead of winter, the chill of spring, or, hell, ANY old time, I just love La Nortenita’s menudo.  Breaking from appropriate accoutrements, I get corn tortillas instead of bolillo bread and just let all the masa-rich aroma penetrate the lime-spiked zing of the red chile broth.

You could eat this even if you weren’t a fan of tripe if you only could ignore the various bits floating in the bowl.  But typically they are front and center and make no mistake about it, they used to be part of an animal.  Thank you, steer.  You are most delicious when stewed in red chile.