Mexican Night lives at Stateline Bar and Grill

Back in 2016 I wrote about a much-loved local restaurant called R&F’s, owned by Ray Arballo and his mother, Fana. On Wednesday nights, it was always packed because it was Mexican Night.
With the Arballos’ Mexican heritage, they were able to put out the most outstanding Mexican food around.
Unfortunately, due to financial troubles, R&F closed down and Mexican night was no more.
Then we found out the Arballos were working at Stateline Bar and Grill, just east of the Utah-Colorado border on Highway 491.
Mexican night was back! It was on Friday night instead, which leads me to the story of Stateline Bar and Grill’s Mexican Night.
While the Arballos no longer work at Stateline, they helped owner, Shelley Jean, and new chef, Julie, develop and upgrade the new Friday menu.
That leads me to tell you all about Chef Julie, who had been at Stateline for two years and is now also the general manager. Julie is a jewel, and many folks call her Jules. She is like a sister from another mother as we have so much in common with our culinary developments.
Her inspiration was her great grandmother and she learned the concepts of home cooking from her.
Julie began her love for cooking at seven years old, and her parents were supportive and encouraged her.
Being self-taught for the most part, she went from home chef to restaurant chef with the notion of, “Make food with love and that puts the extra special ingredient into all the dishes.”
Chef Julie is a hoot. She’s so very friendly and enjoys sharing stories about developing new recipes. She gets lots of reactions from customers, locals, or folks just passing through.
She is proud of her achievements, and happily told us about Stateline’s winning points. Sauces and dressings are made from scratch, except for Italian and bleu cheese.
If you enjoy country fried steak or deep-fried battered fish, it is also made from scratch and hand-battered. When it comes to sourcing, local businesses are relied on as much as possible, while other items come from food companies.
Alright, now to the focus of this article – Mexican Night. When it comes to the chili peppers used, they are Hatch all the way, and they are roasted on-premises.
This is an important point: Onions, tomatoes, and garlic are also roasted on-premises, and you will appreciate this importance, since it intensifies the scent and flavors of the vegetables.
Chips and salsa are served with your dinner order. The salsa is served warm, and not one ingredient overwhelms the others. Now I’ll let Roy review the salsa, since he did eat three quarters of it before our meal was served.
Roy says, “At first the mild heat hugs the tip of the tongue and makes its way gently to the back of the throat. The minced vegetables allow for a larger scoop upon the chips which packs more flavorful munching in the mouth.”
Thank you, dear, for that descriptive review, and I bet everyone reading this is saying to themselves, “I gotta get me some of that!”
Now to the main dishes. Roy tried the “Featured Special” which was Birria Tacos – two tacos (choice of hard or soft, flour or corn) stuffed with seasoned shredded beef and cheese.
A dipping sauce made from ancho chile gives this dish a type of “French dip” feature where the taco can be dipped for extra flavor. Refried beans, rice, lettuce, and chopped tomatoes are served on the side.
Poor Roy had eaten so much salsa and chips he needed to take half of his meal home. Ah, but letting it sit for several hours only brought the flavors together more and intensified the eating experience after reheating. That’s a win. If anyone wonders how the leftovers taste the next day, they’re great!
My meal was the Combo Plate – two enchiladas (I chose shredded beef) topped with what Stateline calls, “Christmas sauce”. You guessed it; that’s half red chile and half green chile sauces. The taco (I chose soft flour tortilla) was stuffed with seasoned ground beef.
With refried beans, rice, lettuce, chopped tomatoes it was all just right.
Sopapillas also come with the meal. Those puffy tortilla pillows are so very yummy with drizzled honey over them. By the way, a Taco Plate and Chimichanga are also on the menu along with chicken or spicy pork as additional offerings for fillings.
Always ask your server about the featured special. You don’t want to miss out on something awesome and different from the norm.
We also ordered a small bucket of Sweet Potato Fries to take home. Crispy and tender, those become a perfect snack while watching a movie for Saturday date night.
While Friday is Mexican Night at Stateline, the entire menu is also offered. Stateline is perfect for couples, families, friends, or even coworkers looking for a nice night out together after work.
Not everyone wants Mexican. That’s shocking, I know, but with the entire menu up for grabs, it is a win-win night for all.

Stateline Bar and Grill
69576 US-491, Dove Creek, CO 81324
(970) 677-2649
Hours: Thu-Sun 11-9
Closed Mon thru Wed
Brunch Sat and Sun