New Mexico Archives - Page 2 of 3

New Mexico

Green chile puts bite in Hawt Pizza at Low ‘n Slow

Posted on May 9, 2023May 8, 2023 by Pat and David

The Low 'n Slow bar inside Santa Fe's Hotel Chimayo (125 Washington Ave, Santa Fe; 505-216-1066; hotelchimayo.com) draws its inspiration from the Lowrider culture of northern New Mexico. Inside the bar, that translates into hot car artwork and chrome hub caps. The hotel's own modified 1964 Chevy Impala might be parked out front. Hotel guests can climb in to cruise around town on a guided tour. The bar isn't just for drinking (though the Chimayóso Margarita rimmed with Chimayó red chile is certainly popular). Half the space is devoted to Hawt Pizza Co. The roughly 12-inch pies are adequate to feed two people with modest appetites. But they're good enough that many folks want their own. As a nice stylistic compromise between New York thin...Read More

Bandelier’s green chile burger comes with side of majesty

Posted on May 5, 2023January 20, 2024 by Pat and David

Green chile is one of New Mexico's official state vegetables, and it figures in the official state question (“Red or green?”). One state legislator has even introduced a bill to make roasting green chile the official state aroma. Moreover, the state has a more or less official green chile cheeseburger trail (newmexico.org/things-to-do/cuisine/culinary-trails/green-chile-cheeseburger-trail/) with dozens of stops. Truth be told, the green chile cheeseburger isn't exactly rocket science. Place a good burger with melted cheese on a nice bun and add chopped green chile. That's the bare-bones recipe, of course. Every establishment tries to put its own twist on the the formula. Lettuce, tomato, onion, and sometimes pickle slices make it onto many variations. Some restaurants use simple chopped green chile; others cook the chiles into...Read More

Santa Fe Farmers Market rich with green chile

Posted on April 28, 2023April 17, 2023 by Pat and David

Our first morning in Santa Fe was a Saturday so we made a beeline to the Santa Fe Farmers Market. It operates all year long in the Railyard (railyardsantafe.com), an emerging redeveloped district south of the old city center. Several art galleries, cafes, and breweries have opened in the Railyard and it's home to a weekend “world market” as well as a market of artists and artisans. It's also the northern terminus of the New Mexico Rail Runner commuter rail service between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. But we were after food to cook in our casita kitchen. Vendors set up their tables in the large warehouse building adjoining the train tracks. In the summer, the market spills out onto the plaza around the building. But...Read More

Green Chile Chronicles begin in Cimarron, NM

Posted on April 24, 2023April 17, 2023 by Pat and David

Green chile isn't just a vegetable — it's the iconic flavor of New Mexico. It's a motif that runs through almost all of our experiences in the state. Once we crossed the line from Oklahoma into New Mexico, we could have driven straight to the little Santa Fe casita that we had rented for the month of April. Instead, we hightailed it to Cimarron, a mountain town right out of the Old West. We went for the St. James Hotel (617 South Collison Avenue, Cimarron, NM; 575-376-2664; exstjames.com). The hostelry is the stuff of Western legend — plus it also serves green chile mac-and-cheese in its barroom restaurant. Founded in 1861, Cimarron was a trading crossroads where the high plains met the Rocky Mountains. After...Read More

Why not red chile with pancakes?

Posted on February 3, 2023January 21, 2023 by Pat

As a New Englander, I thought I knew everything that anyone would need to know about pancakes. They are pretty simple, really. Just pour on plenty of Vermont maple syrup, add a little pat of butter for good measure. And dig in. But Cafe Pascual's (121 Don Gaspar Avenue, Santa Fe, 505-983-9340, pasquals.com) in Santa Fe taught me a thing or two. For more than four decades, Cafe Pascual's has been serving three meals a day in a historic adobe building just a block off the main plaza. The colorful wall murals and old Mexican tiles make it a particularly cheery place to start the day. (Late risers can order off the breakfast menu until 3 p.m.) Like Rancho de Chimayó, it's a James Beard...Read More

Enjoying the culinary versatility of green chile

Posted on January 27, 2023May 15, 2023 by Pat

At home, we make a pretty traditional version of green chile cooked with onion, garlic, a little ground beef, and freshly crushed cumin and coriander seed. (We also add puréed tomatillos, but that's another story.) It's a staple of our diet, served over rice and topped with a bit of sour cream to soothe the heat. Or we spoon the sauce over eggs and tortillas as a verdant variation of huevos rancheros. My last visit to Santa Fe proved that green chiles are much more versatile. They can star equally in both casual and fine dining. The green chile cheeseburger, for example, has become an icon of New Mexican cuisine. The state tourism office modestly admits that it didn't invent the hamburger sandwich. (That honor...Read More

Going green (chile, that is) in northern New Mexico

Posted on January 20, 2023January 18, 2023 by Pat

Green chile is the signature flavor of New Mexico. The plant seems to thrive in the thin soils along the river and stream valleys feeding into the Rio Grande. Many cultivars are named for the towns north of Santa Fe, like Española and Chimayó. Albuquerque-based Hatch Chile Company has become synonymous with the best green chile peppers on the planet. Simply put, chile is the cornerstone of New Mexican cuisine. To get a taste of the state's traditional cooking, my friend Patti and I drove about 25 miles north to the little town of Chimayó. Situated in a valley of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the town is perhaps most famous for the Santuario de Chimayó, a Catholic chapel some believe to have healing powers....Read More

Toasting Santa Fe’s Day of the Dead

Posted on January 13, 2023January 10, 2023 by Pat

Someday I'll look back and say that I was there at the beginning. When my friend Patti and I left San Antonio, Texas, we flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico, for that city's first official Day of the Dead observances. Santa Fe's two-day gathering was more modest that San Antonio's well-established event. But what it lacked in size, it made up for in heart. We missed the Friday-night kick-off, but were on hand for the full-day of events on Saturday. Early in the day, people gathered in Santa Fe Plaza to prepare ofrendas (as the altars to deceased loved ones are called), listen to strolling mariachis, and have their faces painted as skeletons and Catrinas. As darkness fell, lights twinkled from the trees and the...Read More

World on a Plate: the cult of New Mexico chile peppers

Posted on August 28, 2020August 29, 2020 by Pat and David

It was a very different August when we stumbled onto the Santa Fe Farmers' Market (santafefarmersmarket.com) on our way back from Abiquiú, and the scent of roasting green chiles transported us to a kind of nirvana. (We're happy to report that the market is open and following careful health and safety protocols to protect against COVID-19.) There are chile peppers and then there are New Mexico chile peppers. They are in a league of their own, balancing heat levels from mild to mildly scorching. Many chileheads think in Scoville units—the scale that measures perceived level of chile burn. They nibble habañeros and bird chiles with macho abandon, insisting through the tears washing rivulets in their faces that ‶this ain't hot.″ They're probably the same folks...Read More

World on a Plate: Breakfast worthy of Georgia O’Keeffe

Posted on July 3, 2020July 13, 2020 by Pat and David

For us, the first flavor that springs to memory when someone mentions New Mexico is green chile. But to be honest, green chile isn't very picturesque. When it comes to picture-perfect plates from New Mexico, it's hard to beat the breakfast and brunch dishes served at the Abiquiu Inn (21120 U.S. 84, Abiquiu, N.M.; 505-685-4378; abiquiuinn.com). Conveniently located just down the road from Georgia O'Keeffe's Ghost Ranch (1708 U.S. 84, Abiquiu; 505-685-1000; ghostranch.org), the inn has a nice mix of rooms, suites, and casitas. Some casitas are arranged to share central courtyards. The inn might be one of the pricier lodging options in the area, but it's worth every penny. For more details, see our post from 2018. The Abiquiu Inn's Café Abiquiu serves meals...Read More