Though I’m a lifelong lover of chilaquiles, I have yet to scratch the surface of the depth and breadth of styles offered throughout Mexico. Jimmy Shaw, the Mexico City native who opened Loteria Grill in Los Angeles, once told The Times’ Steve Lopez that “there are as many chilaquiles recipes as there are homes in Mexico.” Shaw made his with thick tortilla chips tossed in a pan with salsa verde and garnished with plenty of crema.
You might find chilaquiles rojo in Guadalajara with chips simmered in an earthy sauce made from tomatoes and chiles. Or mountains of chips covered in mole or salsa fortified with chile pasilla in Oaxaca. In Los Angeles, they’re everywhere, served alongside eggs or as a hearty filling in countless tortas.
When writer and Mexican cuisine expert Bill Esparza says a restaurant serves the best chilaquiles in the city, you pay attention…