Prickly Pear

It is now Little Anitas, Prickly Pear is no more… and we are all not surprised.

For starters, the complimentary bean dip has been discontinued. I considered this a signature item and am very disappointed.
I ordered the Steak Wedge (salad). The salad was very good, but my steak (ordered medium rare) was well done and tough as shoe leather.
There has definitely been a decline in food quality and service as of late.

The Margarita was good, the restaurant is new smelling and clean but Prickly Pear Isn’t showing much soul in the food.
Look around at the local ABQ legend establishments and they all have one or more dishes (or at least salsa & chips) that people rave about or that inspires loyalty. Haven’t found such an item here. The chile might as well be a wilted piece of parsley, that’s how much respect its given in traditional New Mexican items like the Carne Adovada. That is a very bad sign.
There are many other restaurants I would recommend before Prickly Pear. To the owners– do something and create some remarkable food. Bust out with some generous and tasty chile! I’m worried for you otherwise

My best friend had been raving about this place including the ambiance, the food, and the cucumber margaritas. They recently had a really good living social deal that my friend took advantage of and my husband and I wanted to try the place out. I’m glad we did. We went at around 1:30PM. The restaurant did not have many patrons and we were seated at a booth near the bar. We were quickly presented with chips and salsa. It wasn’t your average chips and salsa. We decided that it was probably a green chile sauce mixed with cheese and refried beans. What an awesome combination! We were quickly presented with the margaritas. I had the cucumber watermelon, while my friend had the cucumber. They looked as delicious as they tasted! They were freshly muddled and mine even had a slice of cucumber and piece of watermelon in it. We had the navajo taco slider sampler. They were presented with red chile sauce and green chile sauce, and I couldn’t choose a favorite. They were like mini Navajo tacos. Yum!
Onto the main course. We had 3 people order the combination plates while I ordered the posole. Unfortunately, they were out of all of the soups (green chile stew, posole, and tortilla soup). I must admit, I was pretty disappointed… I really wanted to try it. But it happens. So I had the taco salad with a side of green sauce. The food was presented very well. My friends were impressed with their combination plates. I was a little bit disappointed with my taco salad. There was a TON of iceberg lettuce, and I prefer green or romaine. But I do realize that iceberg is pretty common in Mexican restaurants. The beef that came on the salad had a good flavor to it. I wasn’t a fan of the taco shell. I don’t think it was fresh or homemade. The last course was sopapillas. They were hot and fresh and delicious with honey.
The owner of the restaurant came and greeted us and made sure our food was good. He also made sure to say goodbye when we left. I’m a sucker for owners being at their restaurants and checking on customers. I think it’s really great.
So…would I have the taco salad again? Probably not. But I’d love to go back to try the other dishes, including one of the combination plates, the pan fried tacos, the fajitas, or the posole and green chile stew. I’m also really looking forward to trying the prickly pear margarita as I think I saw it being taken to another table and it had the coolest, richest dark pink color.

My ode to the chile relleno.
Ahem.
The first time I had the pleasure of slicing open your thick, cheesy folds
I was sitting at a tiny hole in the wall, Los Cuates, a Negro Modelo in my hand
«This place is way better than the bigger restaurant across the street,» she said
«You need to try the rellenos»
I think it was that very night I decided if I ever chose to go vegetarian
I would have a hard time without bacon, but
the vegan life would be impossible, because
I would live on chile rellenos, and you can’t do chile rellenos
Without cheese
I’ve tried them making them at home
Universal fail
Until I met Prickly Pear
I believed my search futile
The bastard was maybe eight inches long
Man did that sucker ooze
With a fried outer shell that held close to the skin
And a fresh green burst that brought me back to Hatch
Green and red sauce, more cheese on the top
I’ve found the elusive magic pepper of my dreams
And… Scene.
If only I could’ve balanced the glory with one of their margaritas (work lunch, unfortunately). It came with an enchilada, which was very nice. The papas were crisp and nummy, and I’m usually not impressed with beans, but these had flayvah.
It was sad to find the place so empty in the middle of lunch hour, the quality of the food and service should lure a big crowd. My server was really professional, extremely attentive, and she managed to keep an eye on a sweet little boy hovering around the main room, probably her son. Everyone running the place, mainly middle-​aged women, seemed to be on top of their game. The space is really large, great for groups, with booths and tables, nice ambiance, and a capable bar area.
Look, it ain’t easy breaking into the New Mexican cuisine game in ‘Burque, you need to bring some authenticity to the marketplace or you won’t survive. Prickly Pear is a terrific new player in our town, and I’ll be back… Bet you know what I’m ordering.

Neither I, nor my company enjoyed the meal. Both the red and green were very very mild and the red didn’t have the right flavor like when you get chile in another state. The cheese enchilada which was the centerpiece of the combo plate was shocking. It was a single oil-​fried corn tortilla with cheddar cheese baked or microwaved to the point where the cheese had boiled so that it was hard and crusty. You could see all those little bubble cavities. My friend was unable to cut it with the side of her fork. I tried to pawn it off on my 5 year old who didn’t touch her kid’s plate bean burrito. She just looked at me like, «Dad? … Pleeease…» I did not like the sopapillas either, they were sorta too crispy and flakey with the wrong saturation of grease. I like a soft fluffy one where you can stretch open the pocket and fill it with honey or chile.
One little detail that I think all restaurants should note, don’t ever hand a child’s plate to a two-​year old and say, «careful the top plate is VERY hot». Just think about it… Also, don’t nuke the kid’s food to the same temperature you might think an adult would like. They’re just gonna take one bite and start crying.
Good things: The owner seems really cool and the inside looks really good. Marble red on tap.