This Chocolate-Chipotle Chili was inspired from a dish from what was my favorite Mexican restaurant of all time, Casa Mia in Santa Monica Canyon, CA. While the restaurant is gone, the memory of their incredibly delicious Colorado chili lives on. This is extremely similar, though my version is a chocolate chili recipe. 
On Tuesday nights my dad would go on his weekly Sierra Club hike, I would go to gymnastics practice, and my mom and brother would go to one of the best Mexican restaurants of all time — Casa Mia in Santa Monica Canyon, CA.
My mom and brother went Tuesday nights, but we all went together at least once a week also. Casa Mia was a dive. Seconds from the ocean, in Santa Monica Canyon, CA, it was very small and dark. With burgundy vinyl booths, each table had an old school, round red candle holder covered with a white “net.” Just across from the tiny, full bar, stood the most awesome old jukebox ever, that played oldie after oldie. And from just about every table you could see the owner/cook, Joanne Livas, putting orders on the kitchen window shelf.
The front of the restaurant on Channel Road, Santa Monica Canyon, CA. — sometime in the 70’s.
My order: Two A la Cart Beef Tacos. They’d arrive sitting on white paper in a bright red plastic basket, and were unbelievably greasy — so greasy that they were actually dripping. That, in conjunction with the perfectly spiced beef and fresh, crisp lettuce was amazing! (As I recount these details, I can remember exactly what each delicious, bite tasted like. Really.)
My dad’s order: The tostada, which was pretty much the tacos, only in bowl form.
My brother’s order: The rich and cheesy Enchilada Suizas, which came on a plate that was always too hot to touch.
And my mom’s order: The Colorado Chili Burrito, which I always had a bite of. The delicious, greasy tacos kept me from making it my own order, but I’ll never forget the fork-tender chunks of beef in a deeply flavored, spicy sauce that oozed out of a warm flour tortilla.
And it was that very Colorado Chili Burrito I had in mind when I created this chocolate chili recipe. And no, Colorado Chili has nothing to do with the sate of Colorado.
Have you ever had a chocolate chili recipe? It’s amazing! I can almost guarantee Casa Mia did not make their chili with chocolate, but I couldn’t help myself. It’s adds richness and makes the sauce extra smooth.
Colorado means red in Spanish and is used in the name to describe the sauce, which is typically made with a variety of red chiles.
My brother and I would both say this restaurant was a wonderful part of our childhood. Thank you, Casa Mia, for the memories.
Casa Mia in Santa Monica Canyon was bought from it’s original owner, Charley Lowery, by the Livas family (Poncho, Joanne and Chris), in 1961. And sadly, the doors closed in 1988 when the building was sold and the new landlord raised the rent to an unaffordable amount. The recipes were a blend of those from Lowery and the Livas family. If you want to get a feeling for the awesome vibe of Casa Mia, you can check out the Casa Mia, I Remember Facebook page — which was created by Chris Livas, who has kept the history and memories of Casa Mia alive.
I was only a teenager when Casa Mia closed, so my memories are minimal (outside of the Colorado Chili Burrito!) compared to those who knew the restaurant longer. If you are one of those folks, and you’re reading this, please chime in with your stories, in the comments below.
Now get in the kitchen and start cooking this delicious chocolate chili recipe. When I first tasted it, I almost felt like I could be back at the beloved Casa Mia in Santa Monica Canyon.
Photos of the restaurant were taken from the Casa Mia, I Remember Facebook page
This Colorado chili is made with a secret ingredient -- chocolate! It's rich, delicious and a true bowl of comfort.
- 3 strips applewood smoked bacon, diced
- 2 cups yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 pounds stew meat, cut into approx 1-inch pieces (i.e., Chuck Shoulder, Rump Roast)
- 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup dry red wine such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in tomato juice
- 1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
- 1 14-ounce can Kidney beans, drained
- 1 14-ounce can black beans, drained
- 3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- optional garnishes: sour cream, grated chedddar cheese, finely chopped red onion, and cilantro leaves or chives
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Add the diced bacon to a large pot (a Dutch oven is perfect), and place it over medium heat. Moving it around occasionally, cook the bacon until the pieces are becoming crisp, about 5 minutes.
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Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. (You shouldn't need to add oil to the pan -- the bacon fat should be sufficient.)
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Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon-onion mixture and place it in a bowl. Set aside.
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Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, and turn the heat up to high. Add the meat to the pan. (You should hear a sizzling sound -- if you don't the pan isn't hot enough.) Sear the meat, browning all sides, and then return the bacon-onion mixture to the pot.
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Add the oregano, cumin, chili powder and cloves and continue to cook for another couple of minutes.
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Deglaze the pot with the wine and tomatoes, and use a wooden spatula to scrape any bits of food off the bottom of the out and into the mixture.
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Stir in the chipotles, turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the pieces of meat are super tender -- almost (but not quite), falling apart, 2½ to 3 hours. Stir the chili from time to time.
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Mix in all of the beans and the chocolate and cook on low for about 10 more minutes.
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Season to taste with salt -- here's how.
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Serve with any or all of the garnishes is desired.
Terrific story. I love Los Angeles so much and places like that are such a big part of the allure. GREG
Thank you so much, Greg. Agreed. 🙂
My dad passed away when I was 4 years old. On the night he died in 1950, my shell-shocked mother was taken out to get somehting to eat by her friends. I tagged along and we went to Casa Mia. I remember my mom crying and being given a taco, my very first, to eat. It was SO big!!! Thereafter, we went there for dinner at least once a week, but we didn’t call it Casa Mia: it was “Hap’s”. Hap was Charlie’s nickname. I literally grew at Hap’s. Poncho would let us kids into the kitchen to “help” by grating cheese for enchiladas. Took girlfriends (and a wife) there. Casa Mia is such a part of my life, and it saddens me that some money-grubbing landlord succeeded in shutting it down after 40 years of great food and warm memories. God Bless Hap, Ponsho and Joanne, and everyone of the folks who made this outstanding little restaurant such a big part of a little boy’s life.
Hi Howard, I love your story, and I’m so grateful you’ve shared it with me and my readers here. As I’ve written, Casa Mia — “Hap’s” 😉 — was a huge part of my childhood and my whole family has such warm memories of being there, and of the family. My mom loved Joanne, and I remember we really liked a waiter named David who was there for years. Sadly, my mom passed away last summer, but this is among many recipes that will forever remind me of her and of memories we shared. Thank you again for your story, and for stopping by my site! You might just love this chili recipe, too. 🙂 Warmly, Valentina
Thank you, thank you, thank you Valentina for helping keep the memory of the Casa Mia alive. Well done…..going to try your chili……..and if you’d like to surprise your mom, I’d be happy to give you the Colorado recipe…… All the best to you and yours, Chris Livas
Thanks so much, Chris. It’s been really fun thinking so much about Casa Mia lately — super nostalgic for my parents, too. Of course I’d love to see the Colorado Burrito recipe! 🙂
Hi Chris!! It’s Corey 🙂 so miss the canyon and most especially Casa Mia! Great story.
Hope your family is well and tell your mom I said hello!
Corey (Burns) Westgate
Hi Corey — I’m Valentina, the author of this article and blog 😀 I sent Chris your message and here is his reply: Hey Corey,
I am and hope the same for you. Going out to see my mom today actually and will pass along your message.
Can’t wait to try the chocolate chili. Hug your mom for me!
Thanks, Elle! I will pass the hug along. xo
I’m bummed I’d never been to Casa Mia.
My folks used to take us to Lawry’s a lot, most Sundays. The gardens were so pretty and there was always a mariachi trio wandering around, serranading us while we ate.
This chili looks devilish. Love the chocolate in it. I’m so curious – canNOT wait to see how it tastes. But I’m not going to reveal your secret ingredient and see what my family says. 😉
I love the Lawry’s memory! xo
We were JUST talking about Casa Mia but couldn’t remember the name! This looks delish – and I love those pics~!
Thanks, Aimee. Surely you came with my family on occasion, right? xo
I LOVED Casa Mia!!!! We ate there every week…..always ordered the tostada with lots of salsa and thousand island dressing!!!! Never, ever another tostada like Casa Mia!!!! A wonderful 70’s hang-out…..great memories!
So awesome that you know Casa Mia! I still miss it every time I drive on Entrada! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Casa Mia was a huge part of my childhood. Poncho and Joanne were wonderful… the tostadas were my favorite! Don’t forget the jalapeño peppers on the table- still remember eating one whole on a dare. The vibe, the food, everything – it was perfect.
Hi Mike! I love connecting with friends of Casa Mia. So happy you found my post about it. 🙂
I have been all about Mexican food lately– this looks perfect!
Thank you, Michelle! Perfect it is. (IMHO, of course!) 😉
Happy to help 😉
LOVE those kind of memories that create dishes like this! That’s when you know they’re truly made with love!
I so agree, Tracy. Thank you! 🙂
I love everything about this chili! It sound amazing! Saving this for dinner next week. 🙂
Great! Hope you love it! 🙂
These flavors sound fantastic! And I’m sure they taste even more amazing with all those memories associated with them
I grew up in Westwood, but would make the trip to Casa Mia with my parents once a month or so. Loved their greasy tacos with the parmesean and the aforementioned crisp lettuce. The enchiladas also came on those oh so hot plates and were stuffed with plenty of nearly liquified cheese.
And a funny aside, those trips to Casa Mia were also educational from a cultural standpoint. I was so young at the time, I didn’t know what homosexuality was or that gay bars existed before asking my parents about the “cool ship place” next door.
Ah yes, the “SS Friendship!” Thanks so much for sharing your Casa Mia memories! I’d forgotten about that dusting of Parmesan cheese! I LOVED that! 🙂