Red Peppers is one of a number of suburban Mexican restaurants that compete for customers who are probably saying, "what is so special about this place compared to all the others?" At Red Peppers I have always thought the real attraction was the salsa bar--a selection of a half dozen or more homemade salsas. Recently the number of salsas has been cut down making this less of a reason to visit the restaurant.

The most recent dinner I had, though, seemed much improved over ones I had on past visits. If this represents a trend, I do not mind so much that the salsa bar is becoming more limited.

Even before I noticed an improvement in Red Peppers' food, I thought the Chile Relleno was a standout item. The chile is served New Mexico style with no sauce on top. There are so many things about a relleno that can go wrong in inexperienced hands it is somewhat surprising that there are so many good ones in various restaurants. The one here, though, is one of the best. The chile was not blazing hot but had a good flavor and a good heat level. There were no noticeable seeds left inside. The next component was the batter that I thought was done just about right with little grease being evident. A relleno done this well does not need any sauce on top, and in fact I think this is the only thing that would have ruined an otherwise very good item. The culmination of the experience, though, was the melted cheese inside that I thought was just about perfect.

The Taco is another item I think is excellent, but faces stiffer competition from other restaurants. The one here is made with potato mixed into the ground beef, and although it has seemed greasy, it was not overly so. For ground beef this is one of the better tacos, but the question is probably whether you would rather have this one or a taco made with deshebrada or other types of meats served at other restaurants.

The enchiladas are the main area of improvement I have seen since the restaurant opened. The Green Enchilada has gotten to the point that I think it is better than average for El Paso (but still not up to par with most of the ones in New Mexico). I enjoyed the green enchiladas better than the red ones, but the red enchilada is the default served with combination plates. Still, I thought the Red Enchilada had all the elements necessary for a good enchilada experience with dark red New Mexico style chile. I think Red Peppers uses better than average cheese in all of its dishes including the enchiladas, so there is probably not much difference in quality between the red and green versions.

Rice had a good flavor and was not dry or overcooked. This was one of the better ones I have tried, although it is hard to find a bad serving of rice anywhere in the borderland.

Beans were not too greasy and were definitely better than at some restaurants I could name. I would say they were made with vegetable oil since they did not have a lard taste.

I have not explored the drinks that are served (I usually order water when the restaurant does not serve home made aguas frescas, as is the case with Red Peppers).

Red Peppers closes at 7:00, and will sometimes tell customers they can only order take-out if they arrive after about 6:45 p.m. The restaurant is clearly geared toward breakfast and lunch, although it is possible to eat dinner if you go early. There is another location on Doniphan Drive just south of Redd Road that may be open later, but I have not explored it.

Since customers get their own Salsa from the salsa bar, it is taken to the table in small individual cups. I did not think it made a particularly good photo opportunity, but it tasted excellent with red, green, and pico de gallo. There used to be a lot more varieties, and I think it is a shame they are no longer served. When Red Peppers first opened it had the best salsa bar in town that blew away Taco Tote (except that Taco Tote had not opened yet). Even with Red Peppers' smaller selection, I still think it competes with Taco Tote.