No, not Zane Grey, not Roy Rogers, not Randolph Scott. Just us, Suzy and Jerry.
Thursday we landed in Las Cruces, NM, in order to get new batteries for our cameras. That goal achieved, we played tourist in the old town of Mesilla.
At Ristramnn’s we bought a new chile ristra for the motorhome.
According to the owner, the place was originally called Ristraman’s, but he lost his “A” in a divorce.
Next door we took some pictures of Lumbres Chiles growing, 
then had dinner at the Double Eagle Restaurant.
After wonderful beef tournedos wrapped in tortillas, we desserted on Bananas Foster, prepared and flamed at the table.
Friday morning we headed north toward Truth of Consequences, switching over from Interstate 25 to state highway 187, a two-lane road following the Rio Grande (for those who don’t remember, that’s a river that eventually marks the border between Texas and Mexico). The rich alluvial soil, long growing season and easy water access have attracted Hispanic ranchers and farmers since the mid-1800’s. Along the highway we saw pecan orchards, cotton fields, and thousands of acres of chiles.
This is, after all, the area around Hatch, NM, the Chile Capital of the World.
We even found another ristra to hang in our home back in Benson, this one of fresh chiles designed to be used, not just to be pretty!
In the village of Hatch, we chanced upon Sparky’s, a hamburger joint that celebrates Hatch chiles in its cuisine.
Suzy had a hamburger steak smothered in chile con queso, while I opted for a “World Famous Chile Cheeseburger.”
Here we also bought five pounds of Hatch chiles, chopped and frozen, to take home for gastronomic exploration.
Sparky’s has co-opted the trademarks of several national food outlets, but in a way that fosters amusement rather than raising hackles. Who wouldn’t want a burger from this place?
Pecans are an agricultural mainstay throughout the southwest. To honor this fine nut, we prepared halibut steaks for dinner, smoked over pecan wood chips, and basted with butter flavored with dill and lemon.. Suzy made a hearty salad and baked potatoes with all the goodies, and we finished a small seedless watermelon for dessert. Now we’re ready for bed, and as soon as this blog gets posted, we’re outta here, looking toward adventures along the Geronimo Trail, and along … Our Life on Wheels,.
More like Gastronomic exploitation! They look really neat in the fields! Fun post!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful post today. Lots of great, colorful photos. I want that cheeseburger though!!!
ReplyDeleteHave fun!
Reading this post made me very hungry - those chillies looked terrific - nice pics. That flambe desert didn't look too shabby either, I've already marked that restaurant down on our list for next spring. Great post and thanks for all the pictures too, keep enjoying your trip.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your blog post. It brought back lots of memories. Since I grew up in El Paso, and my Dad once had his office in Las Cruces, the area is very familiar to me. I can remember going to Old Mesilla for Mexican food at La Posta as a child. It was a great outing, because we lived in the lower valley of El Paso and there was no freeway there, so the drive was over 50 miles each way. While my sis-in-law lived there, we always had dinner at La Posta during my visits in my RV. Once we at at the Double Eagle when La Posta was closed, and it was very good, too. What a picturesque little town!
ReplyDeleteWell I must say I am not a Chile Pepper person. Never understood why someone would intentionally set their face on fire but that cheesburger sounded mighty good. Ketchup on it works for me. I do think all those hanging chile peppers would make for great Christmas decorations though. Great pics, keep up the good work:))
ReplyDeleteI love anything HOT!!! Hotter the BETTER!! I like it when it leaves a good "afterglow"!!!
ReplyDeleteNever had heartburn in my life... But I hate to talk about FOOD!!!LOL..