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.
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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. On a clear, cold day last week, my wife and I set out to pick up our new puppy, Buttercup, from
the Stray Hearts Animal Shelter in Taos. She’s a chubby ball of shy, cuddly, beauty and we are thrilled to have her join our family. Always looking for a warm, inviting place to eat delicious food, we opted for Socorro’s Restaurant on Highway 84. The parking lot is almost always full as I drive by, and seems very popular with our local law enforcement, as there are often police vehicles lined up at the front of the lot. I’ve been nabbed by one of those guys, so watch out! We were greeted by a young woman and told to choose any seat. The dining room is surprisingly small during the winter. There are several outside dining areas that look quite inviting during the warmer seasons. There were only 2 tables available at 1:30 pm, so maybe it’s always full? We ordered the Stuffed Sopapilla with chicken and green chile and a Taco Salad with ground beef. Once the plates came out, we dove into it so quickly that I forgot to take a picture of it before we messed it all up! The taco salad looked small at first, but proved to be very fulfilling. The house made tortilla shell bowl was crispy, flavorful and complimentary to the nicely seasoned ground beef, fresh veggies, avocado and a small side of un-spicy house salsa. I’m a huge fan of blue cheese and ranch dressing on anything. As they don’t have blue cheese dressing, I opted for the ranch, which was delicious and upped the decadence of this “salad.” The winner here is the chicken in the stuffed sopapilla. The shredded, bite sized pieces of tender meat were grilled to a perfect subtle crunch. Throw in some melty cheese, pintos, green chile and Yum! My only nitpick here was the bits of ground beef in the green chile. Note to self and vegetarian compadres for next time. I ordered a small side of carne adovada to go. It was perfectly smoky and spicy in my quesadilla the next morning. All in all, it was a satisfying meal and I would return when seeking a low key eatery with true New Mexican flavors. My girls got to enjoy some of the leftover salad shell bowl. They gobbled it right up! |
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