Food Blog:
Cook In.
Eat Out.
Miss Tenacity.
New Mexico.
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Thursday, September 30
A Day Without Chile....
... you know the rest, right? I hope so.
Our state question is purported to be "Red or Green?"; in any situation the correct response is another question, "Which is hotter today?" There are RARE exceptions to that dictum, like when one is in a place of high repute for one kind or the other: Mary & Tito's for red, Horseman's Haven for green. Those instances are not the norm.
A most helpful guide has been erected at my favorite "daily" chile-fix joint: Chilepeno's, in Sandia Park. [Yes, I live in the general vicinity, so its convenient to me. But the next time you're thinking of driving to a part of town that's 30 minutes away (say, the westside, or Corrales, etc), consider heading up to the East Mountains. From the east side of town you are a mere 10 minutes away from some fantastic chile, and also a phenomenal Asian noodle shop.] Anyway, this guide is in the form of a white board, which has a graph on it from "wimpy" to "muy caliente". Every time I go there, there are 2 bars, red and green, to indicate the relative strength of the current batch of chile. Now, is that helpful, or what? I will be begging all New Mexican places in town to do the same.
Chilepeno's - named after one of the toddlers in the family - is owned by the same family as Perea's Tijuana Bar & Grill in the north valley, and Seferino's in ABQ. I have been to Seferino's but not Perea's, and found the former just OK. Chilepeno's, on the other hand, is consistently good homey New Mexican and the chile can knock your toupee off (depending on what's showing on the chilometer, of course). I alternate between 3 dishes, depending on my hunger and mood. #1 is the bowl of red. It comes with beans and a tortilla, but I skip both so as to have more of the red stuff, and have them add an egg over hard. #2 is their "breakfast number 3", 2 eggs, beans or potatos, cheese, smothered in chile. When I'm really starving, I'll go with the traditional enchiladas, which is 3 cheese & onion, stacked, with an egg on top. Mmmm, egg.
I usually eat there with a companion, and I don't think our bill together has ever been more than $15, unless we both get drinks and also dessert (The "lava cake"? Skip it. Haven't tried the other desserts.)
Try it on your next pass through to the Other Side (of the mountain).
Time posted: 15:27 [permalink]
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CONTACT ME: tenacity -at- gmail.com
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