Green Chile 2010

Today was our green chile day here at our house. For many New Mexicans, freezing green chile in late summer every year is a state tradition. This is the third year of our residency here, and our third year to prepare roasted green chile to put in our freezer for the coming year.

We went into town this morning to get our green chiles roasted in the neat roasters designed especially for chile. You see them all over town, and the aroma is soooooo wonderful.

This year I remembered to get some pictures of each step of the chile process.

Worst part? Preparing the chiles is a lot of work and we are really tired when we're done.
Best part? A freezer full of the chiles to enjoy for the coming year. yummmm....


Our chiles in the roaster at Jackalope on Cerrillos Rd. in Santa Fe...



The chiles when we got them home:



In the ice water bath:



Draining:



Ready to go into the freezer bags:



The finished chile, in the freezer for the winter:

The Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque ROCKS

It's our favorite place to eat in Albuquerque. The Frontier Restaurant on Central Ave. Right across from the main entrance to the University of New Mexico campus.

Nothing fancy, that's for sure. Kind of hokey, actually.

You have to stand in line to order your food, and then wait for them to call your number.

But OH the food! We ate lunch there today when we were in ABQ to go to the gun show at the fairgrounds. There was no question where we were going to eat lunch.

We both had the same thing: the Mexican plate: an enchilada, a taco, beans, rice, and flour tortillas. Simple. Delicious. Green chile that's the best we've had yet in Albuquerque.

Only thing better than the food: watching the eclectic blend of people who patronize the place.

It's just the best. (At least in our opinion.)





ONE OF THE MURALS ON THE WALL OF A BUILDING NEXT TO THE FRONTIER PARKING LOT.


INTERESTING RESTAURANTS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE FRONTIER.

Tecolote Cafe

Today was our first visit to the Tecolote Cafe on Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch -- and has a great menu. John had soft tacos and I had pork tamales. The green chile is HOT - just as they warned us! The meals come with a little basket of biscuits and blueberry muffins which were delicious. In fact, everything was delicious!

The hostess and waiter were really nice and attentive. The place is very simple and homey ... nothing fancy.

The restaurant is owned by Bill and Alice Jennison and has been in business since 1980. Tecolote is Nahuatl (Aztec Indian) for "owl." The owl is a bird used in nearly every culture's myths and legends, both feared and revered and sometimes worshipped, and often thought as a source of wisdom. But Jennison says he named his restaurant for the little northern New Mexican town of Tecolote near Las Vegas.

ANYWAY...we loved our lunch and we will definitely make a return trip. Need more of that green chile!!!! yum!!!

More great Santa Fe restaurants

According to our usual custom, every time we make a trip to Santa Fe, we try out more new restaurants…new to us, that is.

This past week we were only in Santa Fe for a couple of days, but we went to three new places:



1. The Blue Corn Café and Microbrewery. I had cheese enchiladas smothered in green chile (very spicy!) and John had soft tacos with beef and jalapeños ~ I think he found them too hot for his taste. Drinks were good: he had their pale ale and I had a house margarita with an unusual flavor … I think they used a lot of fresh lime in it. We liked the place, great décor, and we will go back.

2. The Flying Tortilla. This restaurant is the southside location for The Pantry; I think the menu is identical. Always on the search for great green chile, I got a breakfast burrito with cheese and green chile on top and I was not disappointed ~ another place with very spicy chile. The burrito was huge, too big to eat, and their home fries are just excellent. Another great Santa Fe restaurant. Judging by the crowd in there early in the morning, it is a popular place.

3. Home Run Pizza, Eldorado. We were running late on Friday, so we stopped in this little place at the Agora, and as soon as we walked in I said, “Ohhhhh! A real pizzeria. In New Mexico!” What an aroma! It was quite a surprising discovery for us easterners. We got subs ~ meatball for me and Italian sausage for John. They came on great bread and were delicious. And when we move to Eldorado, we can stop in and pick up one of their pizzas whenever we get the urge.

We also went to two of our old favorite restaurants: Diego’s and La Choza. They are always consistent with friendly service and wonderful food. La Choza is my number one favorite restaurant in Santa Fe. It is a little bit off the beaten path, near the rail yard, and I don’t think the tourists know about it … the clientele there seems to be locals … and locals always know where to get the best food in town!

It's Chile Season in the Land of Enchantment!

I'm here in the midwest...getting our house ready to sell .. we are renovating, painting, repairing, sprucing up, downsizing, cleaning out closets and cupboards, packing, getting rid of the accumulation of "stuff", planning for our move ...

BUT.....out in New Mexico....THE CHILES ARE IN SEASON! They are everywhere...in chile roasters in parking lots all over the state...hanging in strings of colorful ristras outside of shops. The smell of roasting chiles fills the air with that wonderful aroma.

It's just about the best time of the year in New Mexico. And next year!....Next year we should be there to be a part of it! For us ... the anticipation is growing.