Chile Verde – Spiciest Dish in Columbus Series

Spicy Stew? We didn’t even realize that was a thing.

Each week when we post these, as folks are commenting in the Reddit threads we like to ask if they have any recommendations. Chile Verde came about as a recommendation because of their Chile Stew and their Hot Salsa, so we were pumped to give it a try. Chile Verde has two locations, both currently open for delivery and takeout, and now serving margaritas (up to 2 per entree ordered) to your door! Crazy times we’re living in.

So symmetrical!

When in quarantine, one MUST get tater tots. We’re pretty sure Dr. Amy Acton mentioned that in one of her press conferences. Nonetheless we snagged some of those, some sopaipillas and the Navajo taco. Opening the Navajo Taco was quite a surprise for the Lady of the Farm due to the gratuitous amount of pickled jalapeños it had (not a bad thing). The taco is “Authentic Navajo flatbread baked with a Traditional filling and Signature sauce topped with jalapenos, black olives, lettuce, pico de gallo, and cheese” and is the first of its kind that we’ve seen. After meticulously pulling off all of the jalapeños she worked through it pretty quickly. The flatbread is definitely an interesting and a unique way to experience a taco.

The names Chimi. Chimichanga.

Up next was the Traditional Chimichanga with Chile Verde Sauce, Black Beans and Rice. Chile Verde also has the option of Chile Rojo, Anasazi BBQ, Ranchero and Queso Salsa when selecting your specialty sauces, but we had been told the Chile Verde was the spiciest and it’s in the name of the restaurant, so it was an easy choice. I gave the sauce a whiff, did the pinky test and not much hit me. Pouring it onto the chimichanga, the Lady of the Farm slapped one of the peppers from the Navajo Taco on “for aesthetics”, but as I dug in, the jalapeño on top was one of the spicier parts. The Chile Verde sauce is tasty, with a nice blend of roasted green chiles. It’s a thicker sauce with some other veggies blended in, unlike the verde sauces you get at similar restaurants (like Cuco’s or Guacho’s). Fun side note, Chile Verde imports fresh roasted green and red chiles from New Mexico for all of their sauces and salsas. No sweat, tingle or nose drips, we left the rest of the chimichanga for the next day and moved on to the stew.

It takes stew to tango.

The Green Chile Stew. Dun dun dunnnnn. We decided to plate it nicely for dramatic effect since everything comes to you in a plastic container these days. We also threw some cheese on top, because who doesn’t like cheese? You can see above it’s got a nice red-brown tint with some black pepper flakes floating around. The 8oz portion in hand, I gave it a go. It’s a good stew, nice chunks of meat, and a liquid that is more savory than it is spicy. A couple bites in and I began to pick up on the pepper portion of the stew. With a heat similar to a jalapeño and never quite getting to serrano level heat, this is an excellent stew for those that are looking for a tame level of heat. As stews go, it’s definitely the spiciest we’ve had in Columbus, but it’s also the only spicy stew we’ve had in Columbus. Still no tingle, no sweat, just a satisfying, ever-so-subtle warmth.

If you’re looking for a spicy dish, you likely will not find what you seek at Chile Verde. They hold to their use of New Mexico green and red chiles which is admirable, but in general the New Mexico chiles, sometimes referred to as Hatch or Anaheim (we’re not sure which cultivar is used), hit way below the 10,000 SHU mark. Chile Verde is not attempting to be a “spicy” spot, so I wanted to be sure to call that out. It’s not like they called the stew “Death Stew for Face Melting,” but instead sell food that comes as advertised, though calling the Chile Verde their “Hot” sauce made it a bit underwhelming set against my expectations.

The chile verde sauce by its lonesome.

All things considered we are placing Chile Verde at #49 on our list, just above Condados Tacos Dirty Sauce and below the Beer Barrel Pizza and Grill Nuclear Hot Sauce Wings. Great food and an authentic New Mexican flare, but you’ll want to have a side sauce with you if you’re seeking some spice.

You can find Chile Verde at 4852 Sawmill Rd, Columbus, OH 43235 or 1522 Gemini Pl, Columbus, OH 43240.

Look below for more in our spiciest dish in Columbus series and hit us up if you have any suggestions that are not already on our list!

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