I received an invitation a few weeks ago to a new local restaurant, Tocabe, an American Indian Eatery. While there is a location near Denver that was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, this new space in Greenwood Village, CO was located near my old home, only a half hour drive from where I live now so I arranged to meet some blogging pals and make it an adventure. So glad I did. Both locations are owned by Matt Chandra and Ben Jacobs, tribal members of the Osage Nation from Oklahoma and we were fortunate to have Ben's brother Jon chat with us during lunch. Jon was a wealth of information not just about their family journey but also shared with us some history of their tribe and how important it is that what they do both honors and inspires other tribal members.
Surprisingly, while restaurants of every ethnicity imaginable dot the American landscape, finding one devoted to American Indian foods is a rarity. I'm hoping that will change; this was such a fantastic experience. The restaurant is defined as 'fast casual' but still I had no idea what to expect before getting there. Everyone in our party was impressed with the clean, contemporary feel that included subtle touches that speak of the owners heritage; some as simple yet meaningful as framed boxes on the main wall that holds various beans that would be standard diet fare in their tribe. The menu has its roots in the Osage Indian tribe and while some might think the food closely related to Mexican cuisine; we found it completely unique. While both may have dishes called 'tacos' we found the Indian tacos a unique and delicious surprise and most decidedly not something one would find at a Mexican restaurant.
In addition to the tacos (made with either beef or bison) they serve Indian Nachos, Bison Ribs and this Green Chile Stew along with Indian Frybread. We had a tasting of all of their sauces even the hotsy totsy one (yes, hot but still such great flavor). There were four in my party and our meal was spent with a full mouth with the occasional moment to declare, again, 'Wow this is good!' Dessert? As much as we loved everything we tried, I do believe the simple dessert Jon gave us held our hearts. Indian Fry Bread Nuggets were dusted with powdered sugar and served with this luscious berry sauce. So very simple and yet a great compliment to our lunch; cooling down the heat a bit with something so delightfully sweet. My friend Holly of the blog A Baker's House decided to recreate the Wojapi, an American Indian Berry Sauce; it's next on my agenda. Holly kindly loaned me her beautiful photo above; but even better, if you scoot over to her site you can get the recipe too. I worry about making fry bread; it's so addictive I fear someone would have to pull me through the door if I started making it on a regular basis!
We each chose from the menu for our lunch but Jon brought several samples of options we hadn't ordered to our table. I loved everything but I knew even then that I would HAVE to make this Green Chile Stew if the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl. I read that people outside of Denver mistakenly think a Denver Omelet is our iconic namesake. Not to anyone in Denver! We like our foods spicy and love those green chiles (you should see the stands dotted all over the city during Hatch Chile time) so if looking for a dish that would be akin to a Denver specialty to serve at a Super Bowl party I think this is about as good as it gets.
If you're local, I hope you'll try Tocabe for yourself; I just know you will not be disappointed. If you're not local, well then three things.
- Make this delicious green chile stew for the big game.
- Root for my Broncos while you're eating it OK? Thanks!
- GO BRONCOS!
- 1 large potato (I only had red potatoes which was perfect for me; no peeling)
- 8 ounces fresh ground beef
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup flour (might need more depending on how much grease is in the meat)
- 3⁄4 cup mild green chili ( fresh or canned)
- 1⁄2 cup hot green chili (fresh or canned)
- 1 1⁄2 cups corn (frozen - use fresh in season if you prefer)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons green chili powder (optional - although Tocabi recommends the spice from Savory Spice Shop I had no time to get there; I added some red chili powder but only 1 teaspoon)
- Grated cheese (optional, I used a Mexican mixture)
- Sour cream (optional)
- Peel and cube the potato into ½ inch diameter pieces; put the potatoes into a pot with about 4 cups of water to cover and boil until fork tender (not quite soft enough to mash). Drain and set aside.
- In the same pot on medium heat, cook the ground beef and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Break into serving sized pieces (whatever size you want).
- Add the chili powder, if using, to the beef and stir.
- When the beef is browned, turn off the heat. Slowly add the flour to the beef in order to make a roux. Mix the flour into the beef completely until no dry flour remains.
- Add the green chiles, corn, salt, black pepper and chili powder. Fully mix all the ingredients and place the stockpot back on the stovetop.
- Bring up to temperature on medium heat, stirring occasionally. This may take up to 30 minutes or more.
- Serve, garnishing with sour cream and cheese if desired.
