Best New Mexican Food, Where is it at and What is it

[comanchero]

New Mexican food, not Mexican food. There is a difference and if you do not know what it is, I am sorry. Bowl of Beans with green chile added at Aragon's on the main drag in Las Vegas. And anything at the National Hispano Center in Albuquerque, superb New Mexican food

[comanchero]

1. Jose Maria's in Alamogordo

on White Sands, great food, great hosts, and great prices.

[comanchero]

19. Jose Maria's in Alamogordo

We were in Alamogordo last weekend and saw that Jose Maria's was gone from their old location near the Holiday Inn. Does anyone know if they moved or just quit all together.

[apex3350]

46. hamburg

[apex3350]

45. bonn

[LearnedHand]

2. El Pinto & Garduno's in ABQ (eom)

[apex3350]

47. auckland

[abqmufc]

3. Top 2

For me and the wife Los Cuates in Albquerque is where we eat out in the evening. Loyola's Family Restaurant (on corner of Central and Washington) is by far the best, but only open till 2 PM Tues - Sunday (closed monday).

[Constance Craving]

4. Yes, and

You forget that I like El Pinto's Lunch Buffet as well.

Taco Sal's on the corner of Eubank and Menaul is pretty good.

But seriously, my favorite green chile is from Loyola's.

[apex3350]

49. rome

[NM_hemilover]

34. Does the food at Thai Orchid

kick ass, but the service SUCK or what ? I'll bet we have seen you somewhere before at least once, we live in the neighborhood, North of Central, not far off Carlisle.

We frequently walk to the resturants from layola's down to Kelly's

[apex3350]

50. bangkok

[NM_hemilover]

35. Do you go to,...

"Geeks who Drink" at O'neils ?

[apex3350]

51. laos

[apex3350]

48. nippon

[NavyDavy]

5. Nellie's Las Cruces......from open to close not a seat in the place

or a line waiting to be served, best chili rellenos anywhere I have had them!

[Quixote1818]

39. I like El Sombrero, Napalito's and Spanish Kitchen in Las Cruces

La Posta for the atmosphere but not the food. I live in Albuquerque now and can't find any places that come even close to Las Cruces Mexican Food.

[apex3350]

53. manchester

[apex3350]

52. venice

[lavndrblue]

6. Orlando's in Taos!

The best blue corn enchiladas......all organic.

[comanchero]

7. Orlandos in Taos

Where is it at? We go there about once a month, have not seen Orlando's.

[all.of.me]

11. It's in El Prado

Go through Taos, pass the northside LotaBurger, pass the Bean, through the new light, pass the liquor store, and it's on the left. Yum yum yum. Voted best green chile in Taos County a zillion years in a row.

[apex3350]

56. wellington

[apex3350]

55. Adelaide

[peacebuzzard]

32. I will have to try that.

I want to spend my birthday in Taos next month. I hope to get the time off.

I am a vegan so the organic enchiladas sounds great. I will have to look them up.

[apex3350]

57. geneva

[apex3350]

54. irvine

[SheilaT]

8. Since I'm new to New Mexico

I'm no expert, and don't know any of the ABQ places, but The Pantry in Santa Fe is quite good. They put a little chili in their breakfast potatoes and they are superb!

At the risk of being politely escorted to a border, I am underwhelmed by the presence of chili in almost everything just to call it "New Mexican". All too often the chili so employed is merely hot, with almost no flavor.

[comanchero]

9. Mortal Sin, almost!

Chili? Chili! Nooooooooo it is Chile if it is in New Mexico. Chili is the stuff you get in Texas. Beans, hamburger and tomatoes with a sprinkling of chile powder on it.

New Mexico Chile is different and the difference starts with the spelling.

But one mistake is all that is allowed, the Chile police come in person after that.

[rabs]

10. Not so fast Sr. Comanchero. Come with me, do not resist

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51437068@N00/756908543/

Chilean Carabinero police officer

Chile = the long, stringbean country in South America.

Chili = the pepper.

Etymology of the word:

Chile
S.Amer. country, probably named from a local native word subsequently confused with Mex.Sp. chile "chili pepper" (see chili). Suggestions are that the native word means "land's end" or else "cold, winter," which would make a coincidental identity with Eng. chilly.


Btw, how would you order "chile" or "chili" in Santiago de Chile ??

You don't. You order "aji." (pronounced ah-hee, with accent on the ee). There is one little pepper that it is so "picante" (hot) that it is called "hijo de puta." (How do i know? Lived in Chile for eight years.)

Anyway, I made some Hatch red (hot) last night. It is not bad. Drop by and try it and over it we can endlessly argue "chile" vs. "chili."
:hi:

[SheilaT]

12. That green stuff and that red stuff that they insist

on putting on everything. I never paid attention to the difference in spelling before, so thanks for pointing that out. But it's still mostly hot and tasteless. Yuck. There also seems to be a very narrow range of foods considered New Mexican, and then only if the food has the tasteless red or green stuff on it. Double yuck.

[comanchero]

13. Say it isn't so

No taste? You can't taste it? Something is terribly wrong? Have you smelled July in New Mexico? I have a hard time eating food without chile of some kind. At least on the side.

[SheilaT]

14. I like flavorful foods.

I don't do well with just hot and no other flavor. I love Chinese and Thai to name just two. But my experience with much of the chile sauce here has been simply that it's hot and there's no particular flavor involved.

I moved here at the end of last July, and didn't notice any particular fragrant odor. I did notice how excited everyone was about the chile harvest.

I'm reminded slightly of my problem with regular Mexican food. In recent years cilantro shows up in everything, except possibly the margaritas, in regular Mexican restaurants. I'm one of those for whom cilantro tastes like soap, and just imagine soap chips sprinkled on everything.

Perhaps it's simply that I didn't grow up with chile sauce on everything, but for me it does nothing to enhance certain foods. I will repeat that the chile they put on the breakfast potatoes at The Pantry here in Santa Fe is wonderful.

[all.of.me]

15. ditto on the chile on everything!

we are the only state with 'a state question.' (you know, like a state flower, state bird, etc)

Red or Green?

:)

[BarbaRosa]

16. Which is hotter?

[all.of.me]

17. Green :)

[comanchero]

64. Lightning from a clear sky

I am glad I was not standing next to the person who said it had no taste. Could get hit by a lightning bolt from an angry god

[NavyDavy]

42. you're crazy or have been drinking kerosene to much so your taste

buds are all dead.....tasteless, just unbelieveable

[apex3350]

58. bern

[mix]

18. Casa de Herrera is great, here in Pecos

I also like Maria's in Santa Fe and La Risa out in Ribera, which is bit more experimental but still New Mexican.

[comanchero]

26. Casa de Herrera

The food is great there, for sure.

[apex3350]

59. isle of man

[Cybergata]

20. In Albuquerque. . .

I find the real thing at Monroe's on Lomas NW, Los Mañanitas on Rio Grande Blv and Indian School N.W., El Pinto on Harvard S.E. and of course the Pueblo Cultural Center on 12th and Indian School N.W.

[janx]

22. Los Mañanitas

has the best posole in town! The Pueblo Center, on the other hand...yuck. I live very close to it and have friends who volunteer there, and now the Center has all kinds of signs advertising their restaurant, but I've never liked their food. They need a new chef or something. What did you eat there?

[Cybergata]

24. It has been a while since I've eaten at the Pueblo Cultural Center.

It use to be great, too bad. Los Mañanitas is still my all time favorite place, not only for the greatest posolé & carne adovada, but the setting as well. It was once a rest stop for people traveling on El Camino Real. Los Mañanitas is also consistently good, which is why I haven't been back to the Pueblo Cultural Center, plus I live really, really close to it in Los Duranes. Also, I love taking visitors to New Mexico there.

[abq e streeter]

25. I'm seeing the doctor re: my improving reflux situation this Tuesday

and hoping to get the green light to eat chile for the first time in 13 months! ( must not go on binge... must not go on binge...) Garcia's ,Los Cuates, or maybe Richard's on Menaul will be the first destination if I get the OK.

[comanchero]

27. Hispano Cultural Center

It has great food to. And so does Garcia's. The buffet at the Hispano Center is one of the best. It is sometimes embarrassing to go for seconds. But what the heck, you only live once.

[apex3350]

60. russia

[stewartcolbert08]

21. La Cosina, Raton NM

and also Spic and Spann Las Vegas , NM

[comanchero]

30. La Cocina in Raton

It is good, no doubt

[blonndee]

23. Some of the best I've had in the SE is Margo's in Alamogordo.

Tasty and cheap, but a pretty nice restaurant all around, esp. for Alamo.

[Steerpike]

28. Any Pueblo during a feast

I just love me some fry bread and stew!

[comanchero]

29. How do we find out when the feasts are

Do they allow anyone in there?

[Steerpike]

31. Ha!

Just start hanging with the Pueblos and they'll let you know. I lived in Santa Fe in the 80's and the early 90's. I hung out at the Institute of American Indian Arts back when it was on the same campus as the College of Santa Fe. I used to go to all the feasts and watch the dances. Very cool stuff...

[janx]

61. This is true!

We usually spend Christmas Day at a pueblo watching the dances. It's a great activity as opposed to sitting around the house watching TV, etc.. While Christmas Day is not necessarily designated as a feast day, we've found that one pueblo or more will offer copious amounts of food to anyone! It was amazing one Christmas--a pueblo had all kinds of food in the church. The next Christmas the food wasn't there, but we were so amazed at the first Christmas that we could not complain--there were homemade tamales (very labor intensive), cookies, roasted corn, chicken, peppers and other veggies...it was amazing.

[abqmufc]

67. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center website...

They list all Pueblo Feast Days. Respect the culture, leave your camera @ home, and enjoy.

http://www.indianpueblo.org/

[NM_hemilover]

33. Los Cuates the OLD one South of Lomas

[abq e streeter]

36. Started going there when it was still Silviano's...still great

:thumbsup:


and I think the spinoffs, across Lomas and on Montgomery are good too. Maybe not quite the feel of the original, but not bad...

[NM_hemilover]

38. I like the old beat up place, haven't been to the

old Godfathers Pizza one yet.

[Quixote1818]

40. One of the better places in Albuquerque but can't compare to several places

in Las Cruces. Have lived in Albuquerque over ten years and am still trying to find a place that can compare to Las Cruces food.

[NavyDavy]

43. i can't agree more.....we went to Alb for a few days during the summer

Sadies was the closest I could find....but service sucked...

[comanchero]

63. New Mexican Food

Not Mexican Food

[abq e streeter]

37. Anyone remember L&V and the Mexican Kitchen?

from the 70's ( earlier too maybe?).

[Gamey]

41. Mary & Tito's on 4th in Abq

Absolutely the best carne adovada enchiladas anywhere!

[rucky]

66. +1

My first stop every time I visit. (don't worry, I'm a native)

[apex3350]

44. Albuquerque

[BarbaRosa]

62. El Paisano in Silver City was really good,

but sadly did not survive the transition from parents to kids and is gone now.:cry:

[comanchero]

65. Preciliano's Mexican Kitchen in Cuba is good too

[abqmufc]

68. Loyola's in ABQ on Central/Washington...

Best green in town. Breakfast and lunch only. On Route 66 and been family owned since day one, many decades ago. A true Route 66 diner, NM style!

[mwdem]

69. Harry's Roadhouse, in Santa Fe

On Old El Paso Trail, off of 25. Yum!

[comanchero]

70. The Deli @ Supersave in Raton

check out the green chile on Wensdays, the very best