I know I say this a lot, but I feel super special and fortunate that I get to live in a place that still has that warm, family feeling of belonging and community. Mostly gone are the days when complete strangers can sit together at a large table and share both a meal and some “get to know you” stories. This is what my wife and I got to experience last Friday afternoon at La Sala at Owl Peak Farms. First of all, just getting there is a visual treat. We drove through the charming and ever colorful town of El Rito then kept winding through the scenic splendor of the foothills of Cerro Colorado and zigzagged along the cheerful sparkling waters of Rio Vallecitos and Rio Ojo Caliente. It was another very hot day, but once we got to the beautiful, lush valley of Canada De La Cueva, a nice coolish breeze rose up with subtle scents of coyote willow and wildflowers. Soon, we came upon the cute, white washed adobe building that is the aptly named La Sala. Stepping into this place has a pleasant, open feeling. The wide plank wood floors, tall pitched ceiling and several communal dining tables make you feel right at home. Tables laden with homespun supplies like honey, fresh ground flour and pinto beans grown right there on the farm are brightly displayed. The fun and casual bustle of people cooking and greeting with several dogs happily running under foot makes me down right happy.  For those of you who may not yet know, let me tell you a little about what’s going on here. Owl Peak Farm has been revitalizing the land in La Madera since 2010. C.C. Culver is the heart and brains behind OPF. She has an amazing and generous spirit and I am always astounded with the energy she throws into everything at the farm. They grow beans, corn, wheat, fruit and many grasses, as well as so much more. They are committed to enriching the valley and ensuring its prolonged health and abundance. Owl Peak opened a grain mill last year and now are providing local eateries with small custom ordered sacks of freshly ground and locally grown Blue Corn, Turkey Red Hard Wheat and Sonora White Winter flours. They also grow and dry pinto beans. If you are lucky, you might just be able to snag a bag of beans or a sack of flour. They also sell farm fresh eggs, corn, baked goods and a variety of mustards and unique condiments. They have generously opened up this beautiful building to the local public to gather for meals and games and sometimes, even bingo! There isn't really a structured schedule, so one needs to be alert and pay attention. If ever you get word of one of these fabulous and very special events taking place, go, just go!
Being here on this wonderful Friday was quite a treat. Shortly after we arrived, out came huge trays of savory and delicious food. There was beef barbacoa, perfectly grilled and seasoned. It was flaky and flavorful and just delicious. Bowls full of freshly made pico de gallo, smooth guacamole and home grown sweet corn with herbs lent a tart and spicy taste and I was not shy about piling my plate high. Fresh made pinto beans straight from the field and a tender, perfectly cooked and seasoned white rice rounded out the meal. All this to be topped upon either a homemade flour tortilla or a yellow corn tortilla. Does it get any fresher? There was also an amazingly melony fruit salad. The watermelon and honeydew tasted like Mexico. Someone then brought over a salad to our table that we had somehow missed, made of butter lettuce and citrus with a light vinaigrette. It was a lovely palate cleanser and very refreshing.  Now, for the desserts. My goodness, there were so many and all were spectacularly good. My favorite was the very chocolaty brownie, but close seconds were the plum torte (C.C.’s favorite recipe from her favorite New York bakery) and the strawberry coffee cake. All very professionally executed and mostly baked by C.C. herself.
There’s an industrial refrigerator stocked well with a variety of beverages for the grabbing. My wife and I shared a bubbly water, so as not to distract from the culinary showdown. During all of us politely but ravenously stuffing our faces, one of the men who lives nearby and was somehow involved with feeding us all, whipped out his guitar and started playing beautiful cat gut acoustic classical sounds, so soft and perfect. We have been through this experience before at La Sala. Therefore, we knew that there was no assumed expectation of monetary trade for all this extraordinary grandeur. So we casually slipped some bills under the decorative house made biscotti jar to which I noticed several other diners did as well. This entire experience feels a bit like a dream, a dream I’d like to have again! On a personal note…Along the vein of warm family feelings and community, this will be my last article for the time being. It has been an extreme pleasure and I am honored to have shared our humble and fun adventures with you along the way. Perhaps we’ll see you on the foodery trail.
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AlwayzReal
I’m sure many of you have those people in your lives, or even places, that feel just right. Maybe you haven’t seen this person for a year, maybe even ten years, but when you get together, it feels like no time at all has passed and it’s smooth and easy. I have one of those people visiting right now, my longtime friend, Susan. She drove all the way out from Tacoma, WA to stay with us for just a few short days. We had planned to float the river, maybe take her on a scenic drive through Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu Lake and maybe land in Chama for lunch and squeeze a hike in there too. Well, as fate likes to do, the weather had other plans. Our float day turned cloudy and horribly windy with thunder and assumed lightning, though we saw none. Tree branches came down, the river looked like it was flowing backwards, some of our awnings came loose and are now in pretzel disarray. Being our friend's birthday, we were determined to do something uniquely fun. Earlier that morning, she and I had hiked up to the top mesa of Poshuouinge Ruins. I have been up to this stunning site many times and she had made this short and steep trek once herself on another visit. It was perfectly hot and cloudy and wonderful. The forest service has been up there every day for a while now. They are seeding the hills with native grasses, hoping to stave off erosion. It’s very impressive to watch those young men and women heft heavy straw bales and 50 lb sacks of seed all the way up that steep and rugged near mile trail! We also went to the farmers market, though it was small with only a few booths lined up on the shady side. I’m thinking the wind scared off a lot of the would-be vendors. We had dinner plans, but found ourselves with time to spare and decided that one of the best places in the Abiquiu valley to spend some pre-dinner cocktail time on a hot and wildly blusterous afternoon, was our very own rooftop deck overlooking the river. It was a great choice and we enjoyed watching the crazy storm pass through. As for dinner, we chose one of our favorite local gems, The Artesian Restaurant at Ojo Caliente. Like an old friend, this warm and inviting place is easy and smooth. We opted to sit in the bar area instead of the larger, louder and brighter dining room (that requires reservations, FYI). It was nearly full, with locals and visitors alike. Feeling mildly ravenous, we started with the Poblano Fries and my, oh my, these are good! Lightly battered long strips of poblano chiles, crisply crunchy and served with a side dipping sauce of a vinegar concoction with a hint of sweet and spice. The batter was a bit on the salty side, so I thought a savory aioli would be a better compliment and asked for a ramekin of their chipotle mayo. It was the perfect companion, cut the salt a bit and rounded out the chiles nicely. I ordered the Beet Salad for my entree. This is a huge portion heaped onto a lovely rectangular plate. Arugula was tossed together with toasted pepitas, walnuts, julienned beets, plumply sour cranberries in a slightly sweet raspberry balsamic vinaigrette and topped with a generous portion of a creamy goat cheese. As a rule, I don’t particularly like sweet dressings and this time was no different. Next time, I’ll ask for it on the side. The birthday girl went for the Green Chile Cheeseburger. Ordered medium rare, it came out perfectly. The meat was subtly gamey and the chile added the perfect amount of spice. A heap of shoestring fries and a large slice of tart pickle rounded out this old standby. My wife went out on a limb and ordered the Rack of Lamb. This dish was the star of the evening. It was perfectly roasted in a slightly sweet sherry reduction and served with a flavorful, buttery sweet potato mash. Though the menu indicated it came with broccolini, the asparagus that showed up was preferred by us all, even if it was left on the grill just a minute too long. Looking back at the description, it was listed as a sherry reduction, but those were definitely cherries hiding under the Rack, and they were indeed the perfect ending to the mash up of incredible flavors on the plate. If the food is this good, I don’t mind a few typos on the menu. My wife’s house made Sangria, my warming and bold Malbec and Susan’s tame Pellegrino, were a perfect pairing for a lovely evening and birthday celebration. Though this splendid dinner did not disappoint, in my opinion, the use of a little less salt and sugar would elevate this meal to an even higher level of deliciousness. Satiated and full, a sleepy drive home in the comfort of familiar friends, off to bed we went. By the way, the entire decadent meal came out to about $160. ~AlwayzReal We all probably acquire things that we intend to use later or sell or hope to fit back into one day. Last week I had it and decided to gather a trailer load of these stored items and take them to the Habitat for Humanity Re-store. Loaded on my borrowed neighbor’s 16 foot trailer were boxes and boxes of stuff. Things like dog sweaters, wrapping paper, heaters, coolers, weird unused kitchen gadgets, floor lamps, etc. Also some big stuff, like a refrigerator and an electric stove from the 60’s. I’d called ahead, hoping that they would come pick up all this booty, but was told that their one and only pickup guy had retired and that I could either wait a month (definitely not) in hopes that they hire a new guy, or bring them to the store myself. So choice B it was. After 3 employees, my wife and I had crammed all the goods into the donation sorting room, we couldn’t resist cruising the store, as we are always on the lookout for that special, unique bargain item to inspire our next build or, maybe a perfect Yart piece for the garden. We love this store and appreciate the intent of all Habitat for Humanity Re-stores. As builders, we have visited many many of these stores across the US. My favorite one is in Bremerton, WA. Acres of organized building materials at crazy good prices. The Albuquerque store is also a good one, though lately it seems the prices have near doubled. We downright boycott the Santa Fe location. Often the prices are higher than new, which we have brought to their attention and were met with snobby indifference. Fortunately, this day, we left with only 2 small ice trays, which we badly needed as ours had cracked just a few days ago. Now after all this work and feeling like we deserved a treat, we finally chose to eat at Ken’z Cuisine. Since I’ve been writing this weekly article and have a mandatory obligation to dine out at least once a week, I have packed on some extra, unwanted pounds. I gathered my fading will power and put myself on a severe food restriction 9 days prior. But, after reading the menu, I quickly decided to jump off of my diet and just go for it. Well, go for it, we did. Our dear friend, John, drove out from SF to join us for dinner. He knows Ken and made the evening more special by Ken coming to our table several times throughout the meal. We hadn’t yet made it to Ken’z Cuisine, mostly because we were confused. The outside of the building has a couple of nicely painted mural style signs stating it to be the Blue Heron Brewery and Pizza House. We kept hearing rumors that it was now Ken’z Cuisine but for some reason or another, just kind of back burnered it. Walking in through the back door entry (the only entry), we were surprised by the humble, yet elegant decor. There’s a sweet hand painted sign warmly welcoming all guests. We were met immediately by a lovely young woman to be sat at a comfortable table with large windows looking out on the sparsely treed Espanola plaza. We ordered a rich vibrant bottle of red from Chiripada Winery, the wife chose one of the many beers on tap and we all opted for the avocado croquettes as a starter. Ken came out of the kitchen to greet John and we ran our possible menu choices by him. He confirmed that we chose well, so we ordered the Cleo Naranjo Seared Salmon with mango salsa, the Crimini Mushroom and Spinach Pasta and the Chicken Parmesan. We ordered the Chicken Parm a la “Italian Christmas,” (a term cleverly coined by Ken) with both the pomodoro and the green chile alfredo sauces. I truly cannot say enough good adjectives about this food. I’ll try to keep it short, but, my goodness, this meal was DELICIOUS. We placed all three of the entrees in the middle of the table and decided to rotate clockwise after each of us got several forkfuls onto our appetizer plates. I started with the salmon. It was perfectly seared with a crisp but delicate coating of savory herbs, orange juice and…butter? The salmon was cooked to a tender firmness that is hard to achieve. It was plump and fresh and placed atop some of the best rice pilaf I’ve ever tasted. Julienned carrots, subtle herbs, and again, butter?
Next came the pasta. It was a perfectly al dente linguine drenched with a creamy white sauce and nicely complimented with the crimini mushrooms and spinach. We all wished that there was a little more spinach, but were very pleased with the overall flavor. The leftover sauce paired perfectly with the endless basket of delicious ciabatta bread, warmed to a taut and crunchy perfection and served with a soft, house herb butter. We couldn’t quite finish all this splendor, so we packed our leftovers into our always-with-us to go container for later. Though we were comatose-ly full, I was committed to jump very far off of my diet, so asked for the dessert menu. We opted for the Lemon Curd Napoleon. This was equally remarkable as the entrees. Puffed pastry delicately filled with a tart and sweet creamy lemon curd, surrounded by lightly sweetened whipped cream, drizzled with raspberry sauce and succulent, slightly sour raspberries. I highly recommend Ken’z Cuisine to you all. The prices are very reasonable for the portions and the splendid quality. The decadent meal came to about $180 for the three of us, including tip and tax. During one visit to the table, Ken unraveled all of our confusion by telling us that he had merged with the former tenant, Blue Heron a while back, and that they had harmoniously been coexisting as a brewery pizza joint and fine dining, but, that the Blue Heron is completely severing from that location and Ken will soon be the sole tenant. He does get to keep the pizza menu going and plans to put his own flare on it soon. He is also on the verge of acquiring a full liquor license. Some of you may be familiar with his previous location at the Delta Inn, and some of you may recognize him from his days at El Paragua as a bartender. He promised an invigorating and unique cocktail list once the license gets approved. I hope he takes advantage of the opportunity for free advertising with some tables placed on the portico facing the plaza. I can picture a warm summer afternoon sipping Mojitos and Margaritas and crunching on the Fried Calamari that we just couldn’t justify ordering for this visit. Emerging stuffed from Ken’z and seeing the trailer empty kind of felt like losing 10 pounds (which I’m apparently not trying so hard to do). 
 What an extreme treat to have such perfect weather for the entire memorial weekend! One of my most favorite parts of getting to live in Abiquiu on the Chama river is being lucky enough to to play in the beautiful but silty water. It’s been such an unusual May. Almost every day I think, “today is the day that I’ll go in for my first dip of the year,” but every day it’s just been too darn chilly or raining with thunder and lightning. Until this last Sunday! We had planned for my wife and I and four friends to kayak from one of their houses, a mile up river, to our shore, weather permitting. Sunday was the perfect day to do just that, so we all suited up, gathered our gear and a few of our more adventurous dogs and piled into the truck. We have done this float many times and are very comfortable with putting in and taking out, but my goodness, things were very different this time! The water was extremely high and moving very fast. We cautiously steered our vessels, nose first, into the rushing current, loaded gear and fur babies and jumped on hoping not to tip over right away. It was fabulous! This trip usually takes around 40 minutes, but this time, it took only 20. By the time we came to our grassy shore, we were all smiles and wanting to do it again. We’d opened up our guest trailer for the weekend, to a family that we had not yet met. When we bobbed up to our bank, they were all enjoying the river. The two young boys were fishing with their dad and mom was soaking up the sun on a camp chair. The boys were shyly in awe of our arrival and mom looked very excited about the possibility of having this adventure herself. They helped us out of the water, asking how our trip went, to which we all responded with exuberant “it was great and we’re going again!” I couldn’t resist the sparkle in their eyes of the obvious desire to join us, so said, “we have another kayak big enough for three of you if you’d like to jump in…” A little more gear gathering and life vests for the boys, and off we went for round two. Again, it was a wonderful time made further enjoyable by getting to see mom and the boys have such a good time. Being on the water always makes me hungry. Fortunately, my wife had thought ahead and remembered to order pizza for lunch, hoping to time it right for the post-kayak hangries. This can be a tricky effort when ordering from our local pizza joint. Mamacita’s Pizza is a valued business in our small community being one of the few options in the valley. I’m pretty sure that this is a one person show and can imagine it’s hard to keep up with the demand on busy weekends. That said, I’m often baffled by some of the experiences that we have had there. We tried to follow the previously instructed rules by calling the day before to confirm that they were open and ask if we should preorder now, call in early the day of, or just order when we were ready to eat. We were told an emphatic “it’s memorial weekend, definitely preorder at noon because I will run out!” So, my wife set an alarm and called on the dot, at noon the next day but was chastised anyway for trying to pre order for later that afternoon on such a busy day, and that if she didn’t order right now, pay and come to get it, she’d be *#$@ outta luck! This is what I’m referring to by “tricky”. So the wife obediently ordered, picked it up and stowed it in our oven on the warm setting to dig into several hours later.
The pizza was good. It’s always good. A nice, I’m guessing, sourdough crust, layered with a balanced savory sauce and a melty mozzarella. We ordered two pies, the Veggie Supreme and the other extra pepperoni, green chile and red onion. The green chile was sparse, but perfectly spicy and any more would likely have caused a fire on my tongue. The pepperoni, of which I would consider to be a “regular” amount and red onion balanced and enhanced the spicy chile. The veggie pizza was excellent and had plenty of green peppers, onions, tomatoes, olives and mushrooms embedded in the saucy cheesy pie. As always, we over ordered and we’re very satisfied and happy laying on our grassy lawn with plenty of slices left over for future lunches. The portions from Mamacitas are generous, but not on the cheap side. For two jumbos, the total was about $62. On the menu I see more than pizza, including wings, subs, salads and “garlic stix.” Next time I will try to branch out a bit and let you all know how it goes. I also look forward to future river adventures this summer and to enjoying the likely new friendship we will have with this lovely family that we got to share our weekend with.
If you have not yet made the beautiful drive to the El Rito Public Library, you should. This is the prettiest library I’ve ever seen, inside and out and is surrounded by lush trees and open, grassy fields. The building is a humble adobe that has been added onto through the years, starting in 1930 as a one room middle school then morphing into a library in 1989. Many kind and generous folks have and continue to help create this community space that has so many interesting layers that I am not even scratching the surface of this little gem. I drive the peaceful, mellow road, up 554 to 215 almost any time that I get word of something special going on there. My wife and I have gotten all dolled up to give out candy to the local kids on Halloween, joining the awesome lowriders that show up for the annual “trunk or treat'' in the gravel parking lot. For one of the Friday night movie and potluck events, we cooked up a big batch of pesto filled ravioli in a cream sauce to contribute to the other delicious food people brought, and they even had popcorn! Sometimes I go just to peruse the various, meandering rooms furnished with comfortable chairs and workstations with computers. And, if you ask nicely and have 10 cents, you can use the printers too. In one room, the walls are barely visible through the gorgeous, hand tailored quilts created by the El Rito Quilting Guild. These ladies can sew! The designs and colors are so beautiful and comforting, it can hypnotize you into staying for hours without even noticing time passing. The books are tidily organized and easy to navigate. There are DVD’s and audio books galore. There are so many wonderful activities and events going on here. We look forward to donating something tempting to this year's annual silent auction to do our part in supporting this magical asset that heightens so many lives, young and old.
Seeing as you are already in El Rito, try to carve out time to dine at El Farolito. This is a tiny, charmingly ramshackle adobe building nestled in the heart of the other ramshackle buildings that create the business part of El Rito. The cafe opened somewhere around the 1960’s, (it’s a hard fact to find), and was infused with new energy in 1975, when the original owner was joined by her brother and his wife, Dennis and Carmen Trujillo. They added a green chile sauce that has won awards and gotten the attention of many huge foodie magazines and individuals.
When we visited last, Marisol, Dennis and Carmen’s daughter seemed to be running the place along with a very outgoing and pleasant man literally running from the kitchen to the dining room and back, delivering food, to try to keep up with the busy hum of hungry patrons. Walking into the cafe takes a moment to absorb the uncommon vibe. It’s small, I mean small. You will find four mismatched, somewhat communal tables, surrounded by empty cardboard boxes and full cardboard boxes, overflowing with all the prepared or cooked or unseasoned goods that are needed to create the items on the menu. While waiting for our food, a trio of women placed their order at the counter and held up 2 lemons to be added to the bill that she’d helped herself to from one of the glass, stand up refrigerators crammed against the wall. I commented to my wife that Marisol handled that very well, assuming that the lemons weren’t for sale, but that she politely sold them anyway. Wrong! After a bit, when my eyes and brain were able to sift through the unusual clutter surrounding us, I focused on an old white board, with a listing of the refrigerators contents for sale. Aha, those lemons were for sale, as well as avocados, milk, eggs, soda, etc. I’m going to guess that almost any ingredient needed to cook with, is or could be bought from the cold case. Earlier, I held the door open for a woman whose arms were full of her takeout order and noticed a 32 oz container of chili powder tucked under her arm. I now understand that she had just bought it from them. As a former restaurant owner, I admire their generosity in allowing this kind service to the public as it gets pretty hard to plan for supplying a consistent menu when you’re not sure what ingredients you’ll have left at the end of the day. I think the family is still operating under the rules demanded by COVID, as all the cutlery and serving vessels are styrofoam and plastic and the menu is a folded 8x11 piece of paper. Looking back at photos taken by previous patrons and reviewers, I see metal forks, ceramic plates and laminated menus. In light of the health of our planet, I wish they would bring them back, though it’s nearly impossible to imagine fitting a dish washing station into the building. Now, for the food. After confirming that the tortilla chips were house made and the guac too, we ordered them to start. They were delicious. Still slightly warm, perfectly crisp and salty, but not at all oily. The guac was uniquely creamy and had a pleasant hint of garlic leaving us wishing we had more of it. We ordered the Farolito Combo plate, which consisted of a chili relleno, a chicken filled enchilada and a ground beef stuffed hard shell taco. The relleno was very good. A perfectly mildly spiced poblano filled with a flavorful white cheese, smothered in green chile and topped with shredded cheese. The chicken enchilada was a little dry, but flavorful as well. The taco was a generous portion of house seasoned ground beef a little heavy on the cumin and salt. The nicely flavored and plump pintos were yummy. We also ordered the tostada, opting for chicken. The large crunchy blue corn tortilla topped with a lot of shredded chicken, iceberg lettuce, a little pico and some grated cheddar made this a crisp tasty snack that I would definitely order again. Because we tend to stuff our faces on these ventures, and the fact that my wife’s love language is, well, food, almost any food, we also ordered a side of onion rings. Sadly, they were not fantastic, likely just delivered from the food supplier and straight from a frozen bag into hot oil. I’d skip the rings and go for the crinkle cut fries that wafted by our table to almost every person dining in. Don’t mistake this place as having only (New) Mexican fare, there are many other items on the menu that we hope to sample on another day including burgers, quesadillas, steak picado, grilled cheese and cold sandwiches too. Oh right! Again, because of the face stuffing/love language mentioned above, we also ordered a slice of the homemade apple pie, a la mode. Jeez, we can eat! It was very good but could have been much better if it were toasted or warmed in an oven instead of a microwave. Next time, I’ll ask for it at room temp. The flavors were a sweet heaven and, I think, not nuked, the crust would have rivaled my wife’s. There are no alcoholic beverages but a bevy of fun fizzy drinks and coffee are aplenty. The prices here are pre-pandemic and the entire meal with plenty of leftovers was just over $40 with tip and tax. All in all, I think it’s worth “checking out.”
I love that our beautiful valley has its own bar. I’ve only been to it twice before, but I always keep it in the back of my mind, for those moody nights when I just want to sit in a small, dark room and watch local folks stop in to grab a six pack on the way home from work. My wife and I had a small group of friends coming up for the weekend to stay in our guest airstream and we thought, let’s grab some food from Fire N’ Ice, a newish BBQ food stand in the parking lot of Bode’s, and pack it into the Los Caminos Bar, have a couple of drinks, maybe play a few rounds of pool and chow down on some good BBQ.
With this plan in mind, earlier that day, we drove the easy mile to Fire N’ Ice, because they haven’t yet turned on their phone line (why not I wonder?) Thankfully they were open, as Google promised them to be, so we pre-ordered almost one each of every item. They were patient with us as we contemplated what our friends might like best and patient again when we had to drive back after remembering that two of the three guests were vegetarian and we had inadvertently ordered a meat factory. We switched out two of the BBQ meat sandwiches for a mushroom burger and a mushroom taco. Sadly, those were the only two choices for our animal advocates. We had already ordered one of each of the sides, which were all meatless, so we figured that was the best we could do. We paid the bill, scheduled for a 5:45pm pickup, then drove over to Los Caminos bar as they too, do not have a listed phone number, to make sure that we were allowed to bring food in from the outside. We were cheerfully told, “Yes, of course, as long as you are going to buy drinks!” To which, I responded, “Yes, we absolutely plan on buying drinks! See you at 6!” We met up with our friends at our house and piled into our van, picked up the food that was being bagged exactly on time, and headed out on the short drive to the bar. Walking in, we passed the package liquor counter then the pool table and chose one of the two tables in the small room. They are well sat on, small booths intended for 4 max, but we crammed our five butts in and began the “Great Unwrapping.” Out came sandwiches stuffed with freshly fired brisket with chopped white onions on burger buns, pulled pork with melty cheese and bacon, tacos filled with similarly smoked and grilled meats and, of course, the mushroom burger and taco. The three sides were a large container of potato salad, coleslaw and Mac and Cheese. Our friend David took on the job of getting drinks and brought them to the crowded table. The drinks were hefty and well made. I usually stick to wine with a meal, but that felt unwise, as this bar is the real deal that goes straight for the bourbon vibe and any opened wine has likely turned into a nice salad dressing by now. It was a tasty and messy ten minutes of sharing the feast in front of us. We were all satisfied and overly full with plenty to spare. The best sandwich was the Brisket, with bacon and cheese layered in with the smoky shredded meat. Alas, group consensus on the veg fares was so-so and besides one being on a burger bun and the other in a small corn tortilla, they were too similar to each other to distinguish between the two. They were both composed of simple, small, uneventful mushrooms overly slathered with smoke flavor and too sweet BBQ sauce. We were thankful for the fresh, tangy potato salad in a yummy garlicky mayo base. And the decadent Mac and Cheese did not disappoint; the cheddar and gruyere cheese mixture was wonderfully sharp and creamy. The slaw could have used some doctoring to meet our snobbish taste, but went well with the strong flavors of all the zesty rest. A side of pickles next time would further round out the meal. The drinks at Los Caminos were strong yet affordable, the service was personable and friendly, and the booze and BBQ combo put us all in the mood for…a very early evening! We had planned for a cozy campfire, maybe a little guitar and wine, but not one of us had the gumption for any of that so we made a bee line for our prospective beds. My wife and I cuddled up with the latest episode of Ted Lasso and drifted off to a heavy deep slumber. With a little tweaking to the quality of the food (and listing a phone number for pick up orders), I’d recommend Fire N’ Ice and am looking forward to trying the small grouping of hotdogs on their menu. Maybe a picnic with a good bottle of wine? For 5 people, and a little extra to take home, the bill came to about $75. As for Los Caminos, that’s a definite YES for another night, maybe this time we’ll save a little energy for that game of pool.
I’ve been stopping in at W.H. Moore lumber yard since the beginning of Covid. Most of those projects are long finished or long neglected or undone. Every time I’ve gone, I’ve left empty handed, or, should I say, empty trucked? The consistent reason for this is that they were so busy during Covid that there was a several month backlog and triple pricing! But not this last visit…
We pulled in confidently, aiming to get a load of pine shavings for our new chicken coop. I’d already done some recon, so I knew what I was getting into here. They sell you a towering, full sized truck bed of shavings for $10.00. This is a much more cost efficient way to keep the farm critters warm and snug than straw bales at $8.00 each. It’s way more than we need for the girls so we’ll probably use the rest for mulch over our newly planted trees and garden. Driving in we were passed by Bill, the, third Mr. Moore, who is currently running the mill, driving out. He stopped and asked us what we needed, turned around, hopped out of his truck and into his bobcat and told us to meet him at the pine shaving skyscraper. Bill drives that bobcat like it’s an extension of his body and quickly filled our truck to the gills. We left happy and our girls now have a fresh, pine scented coop and are happy too. Now, for our reward….we Beverly Hill-Billied it over to El Parasol in Espanola, the OG, next to El Paragua. It doesn’t really make sense and maybe it’s just some sort of old fashioned loyalty, but this location tastes so much better then the new, northern location or the others in Santa Fe and Pojoaque. It was cold cold cold so we ordered, ran back to our truck and waited for the blurry amped number call, then ran to get it, back to the warm truck cab and unwrapped our coveted, hot deep fried chicken guacamole tacos. They never disappoint, with the fresh made corn tortillas filled with pulled chicken, lettuce, a little shredded cheese and guacamole. All this somehow magically deep fried and still fresh. We ask for green for the generous sides of included salsa and there is always extra to take home. Good thing, because it’s crisp and fresh with a perfect zesty spice level and goes well with so many things. My wife and I have tried to jump out of our chicken/guac taco rut, but repeatedly and joyfully, jump back in. We love them so much and ordered our usual three each. They are a bit pricey when it comes to tacos, but well worth it! For the sake of variety and leftovers, I ordered a pint of the pozole, and was pleased with it though El Pilar still takes the ristra on this competition. The stew was full of chunks of pork, green chile, and perfectly al dente hominy, but was a little lackluster in the flavor department. The wife, out of curiosity, also ordered a small cup of panocha pudding. Neither of us had ever had it before, but this traditional New Mexican dessert will likely not make it into our repertoire. It was a grainy, dark brown pudding (look up what panocha means in Spanish if you don’t already know), had a light, caramel sweetness but with a hint of bitterness at the end as well. Just not my cuppa. After some research, I now know that it is made of sprouted wheat flour and has been a Lenten treat for hundreds of years. Neato. The wife has a saying, as she is generally braver when it comes to new foods: “I’ll try anything once!” Oh, boy, there are some great stories that happened after she uttered those words! I have never been let down by El Parasol and eagerly look forward to my next visit. Lunch for two plus a small panocha and the Pozole was just under $40. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so I can enjoy an Agua Fresca with my tacos at one of their several shady picnic tables.
In hopes that you’ve been following our storyline…our sweet boy Mook is still (amazingly) with us. But, he needed some more medication so off we went to Rincon Blanco Vet again. We asked the Martinezes, “Where do you go out to eat around here?” We were met with a “Hah, we don’t!” Well, I have noticed that every restaurant on the highway seems to be long closed, but I'd always imagined that, once off the main thoroughfare, there'd be a variety of eateries. But no, not a one! Some brave soul needs to open a restaurant, or even a burrito food truck in TA. Those burritos would be practically flying out the door! I can’t imagine what the staff and visitors to the county and court buildings do for lunch. They must bag it. Back to the vet, there was a couple getting their three dogs' annual checkup in the small examining room with us. The Martinezes and the couple commiserated and came up collectively with, “Wait, go to the the damn diner!” Taken aback and feeling yelled at, we stood there with a blank look on our faces until one of them realized and said “No, no it’s called the Dam Diner, it's near the El Vado Dam.” Oh….okay, that makes sense.
So we headed north a bit then curved our way down for 13 miles to El Vado RV Park and the Dam Diner. We cruised the RV area to get a feel for the place. Its has about 7 or so RV’s set up for permanent use, wrapped with insulation. A few looked occupied, while most didn't. It looks like the entire place has gone through a recent upgrade. It has that abandoned drive in theater vibe pulsating with past good times and hinting at great, fun future potential. There are signs of it once having a large play area and even a swimming pool! The restaurant was not easily defined. There was a small neon sign saying open with a door flanked by a couch and a few dining tables piled against the wall. We stepped into a bright, pleasant, aromatic room filled with, mostly, long, communal dining tables. Two TV’s sporting different stations and a few scattered smaller tables filled the space. The interior is a mix of styles: cafeteria, lodge, diner and home. Upon entering, a friendly woman asked “Did you get lost?”, assumingly referring to our earlier self guided tour. Turns out the woman who greeted us is the owner, Pat. She and her husband bought the place last year and have added the diner and are bringing the entire property back to life. Her husband was finishing some tile work in the bathrooms and though it was a little noisy, it was also sporadic and didn’t bother us much. While Pat was getting our drinks, two large chocolate labs meandered over for some pets. They are Charlie and Lola, and they fit right in to the casual vibe. The menu is a fairly traditional assortment of sandwiches, burgers, baskets and breakfast plates. And there is a large sandwich board with several chalked in daily specials. I opted for the BLT, served on my choice of bread and chock full of bacon, lettuce and tomato. It’s a good thing Pat asked if we wanted mayo, as it did not come with the sandwich. Per the menu, sandwiches come with french fries but I upgraded to Onion Rings. They were all I love about onion rings, the perfect ratio of onion to batter and piping hot, fresh out of the fryer. My wife ordered the Dam Burger. The Dam Burger is a Chicken Fried, half pound patty with all the fixings. Yes, you read that right, the patty is BATTERED and FRIED! IT WAS AMAZING and HUGE! She couldn't open her mouth wide enough for one graceful bite. Definitely not first date food. Served with piping hot crispy french fries, she couldn’t have asked for anything more. Except for pie, apparently. On display were two pies, apple and cherry. Though not homemade, we ordered a slice of Apple Pie, a la mode, of course. Sure, a homemade crust would have been flakier, but we still ate every bite and would order it again. Normally, the wife can be a bit snobby about non homemade desserts, but we also understand that not EVERYTHING can be made in house. There are so many wonderful things about the Dam Diner and El Vado RV Park. They process, smoke and roast all of their own meat. (What!?) There is also a convenience store that is well stocked. The list goes on. They are dog friendly, offer free Dam diner bumper stickers and, most importantly, they are open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. From experience as a restaurant owner, that is an extremely hard thing to do, especially with limited staff these days. But, Pat is adamant to keep a consistent schedule and it's already paying off. I really believe that the attitude and energy they are bringing to their business will make The Dam Diner and El Vado RV Park a local mainstay. I am so glad that they are reviving the place and providing a place for the community to gather, eat some damn good food, and if I get my wishes, bring back that huge swimming pool!
On the day before my favorite day of the year I had to do one of my least favorite things in life. Favorite day? Daylight Savings! Least favorite? Take my ailing dog to the vet to confirm a terminal prognosis. I already knew that he had several inoperable tumors and that everyday is borrowed, precious time. We found this out while traveling out of state and wanted our own vet to be on board for when the time comes. So, off we went to Rincón Blanco Veterinary in Canjilon. Leroy Martinez and his wife, Donna run a salt-of-the-earth, nuts and bolts country veterinarian practice. They remember your name and your pet’s name. They seem to truly care and have compassion for the circumstances that bring you to them. Dr. Martinez told us that they just had to put down their last living dog, a Jack Russell, last month and was particularly kind about the state of our beloved boy, Mooky. I don’t know about you all, but my experience with vets around here has not been easy since Valley Veterinary moved. COVID made the whole thing worse. If we were lucky enough to find one willing to take on new clients, the appointment was weeks out and it was hard to get out of there for under $150.00 and a feeling of inconveniencing the entire staff.
It’s not like that with Rincón. The Martinezes, who are trying to retire, were hesitant to allow us an appointment last summer, but again, that compassion thing. I’m not sure if I even want to disclose the exam fee. Okay, I will…40 bucks! Also, any meds are reasonably priced. If you need X Rays, you’ll have to go elsewhere. I cannot say enough good things about these folks! I would love to see the community come together and fund one of the local youth to go to Vet School. In exchange, they would agree to a ten year contract to keep their practice local and to find a replacement if they want to move elsewhere after the contract is up. Any takers? I imagine that Dr. Martinez is hesitant to retire because he knows that he would be stranding many residents. We are very thankful for them staying in business! Leaving the vet incredibly sad but with a sense of acceptance and planning to spoil our boy rotten until his final trip to Rincón Blanco, we realized that we were quite hungry. This brought us to Bode’s to grab something from their fresh daily selections of both hot and cold options. I went for a large fresh garden salad with crisp Romaine lettuce and topped with carrots, cabbage, red onion, plump grape tomatoes and some shredded cheddar. I was glad to see that one of the pre-packaged boxes had ranch dressing. I also got a small container of cous-cous salad with bell peppers and green onions. The bland dressing could have been jumped up with a little more fresh lemon juice. My wife was lucky enough to score a green chile bacon Breakfast Burrito. Surprising because these always seem to go first. This good sized wrap is filled with freshly scrambled eggs, cubed grilled potatoes, melty melty cheese, bits of bacon and, of course, plenty of chile! If you haven’t had this burrito or one of the others such as red chile with sausage, chicharron or carne asada, you are missing out. We zoom up to Bode’s more often than I’m comfortable sharing, in hopes to nab one of these beauties before they are all gone. In the end, lunch for two came in around $16. It’s always a pleasure to go to Bodes and see our thriving community going about their daily business: pumping gas, buying bird seed or stocking up on goodies for a lazy day at the lake!
For the first time in my long, poultry tending life, I ran out of chicken food and didn’t even notice. So, the wife and I jumped into the car and bee-lined to Country Farm Supply on Riverside Dr. in Espanola. I love going to this store! It smells like fresh straw and sunny dust. I’m always greeted by denim wearing young men who address me with old-timey respect from days long gone. I looked, again, for a 1” x 12” tractor pin to keep my backhoe from slowly dropping to the ground, but they only had every other size on the planet. Do I have a weird backhoe?
Going to this store is always a little dangerous for my bank account. I try to avoid going into the huge back two rooms filled with sexy cowboy clothes. Think, “Dancing with Wolves”…Floor length, split sided, slung back coats and Carharts in every cut and color. Boots, Stetsons, wood stoves, Acequia gate valves, lawn equipment, flower seeds and, wait, I came for chicken feed! I finally made it out of there with just four bags of layer pellets and a Big Hunk, my favorite candy bar. It was getting too late to go home and cook dinner, so we decided to cross the road and try the Center Bar in the Santa Claran Resort and Casino. We rarely gamble, but sometimes, I don’t mind the flashing lights, and the clamor of bells, whistles, dings, chimes, etc. that creates that unique slot gambling soundtrack. We chose a cozy booth and were quickly addressed by a pleasant young woman with water and menus in hand. She asked us if we wanted a straw. Finally, a server asked, instead of assuming! We always carry our own reusable straws, in hopes to help save the ocean from becoming one huge straw glump. We ordered the Nachos con Pollo and Guacamole, and substituted green for the listed red chile. We also ordered the Chicken Fried Steak and a half rack of BBQ Ribs. Clearly our intention for a small dinner had morphed into a table filling feast! The nachos were gigantic and hot and slathered with, dare I say, too much cheese? The pintos, shredded chicken, sour cream and guacamole were aplenty. Had we made it even close to finishing this bountiful mountain of yumminess, we’d definitely need more chips to scoop up all of the melty richness. We stopped ourselves and turned our forks, and focus, to the other two huge plates of food on our table. My one bite of the chicken fried steak was all that I hoped for. A crispy, well pounded cut of beef slathered in loads of creamy, white gravy. “Meh” on the side of peas and carrots, but I loved the creamy mashed potatoes literally hidden under the huge steak. We each cut off a chunky rib from the (thank goodness!) only half rack, and were very pleased with the smoky, red chile and brown sugar glaze. The fries were coated with a crunchy mystery and fried to crispy perfection. Slaw is not my thing and was not a shining standout to this smorgasbord filling our table. We quickly realized that we were not going to get anywhere close to eating any more of this feast, so we loaded up our large to-go boxes with enough food for several lunches and dinners and even breakfast, as we live by the credo that anything is breakfast if you fry it up and put a fresh egg on it! All in all, a very fulfilling meal and easy on the pocketbook for tapping out at just over $60.00, tax, tip and all. |
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