LIVING
The Local Palette
by Karin Garcia
The Village Inn
Village Inn is a national chain, but its roots are firmly grounded in the classic American pancake house. Founded in Denver in 1958, the original Village Inn Pancake House had a reputation for scratch-made breakfasts, friendly service, and a relaxed atmosphere. In 1965 the first Village Inn appeared in Albuquerque on RTE 66. As the brand expanded through the decades, the menu expanded but the core values remained, which explains why the northeast Albuquerque Village Inn continues to draw a loyal crowd.
Although the restaurant is open all day, breakfast remains its signature. The menu delivers everything expected from a traditional pancake house along with strong New Mexico influences. Specialty and seasonal pancakes share space with huevos rancheros, carne adovada skillets, breakfast enchiladas and burritos. For diners who prefer something basic, eggs with potatoes and a choice of meat arrive hot and consistent every time. Coffee is kept fresh, and the carafe on the table ensures no one’s cup runs low.
If breakfast doesn’t sound enticing, the menu also offers a variety of sandwiches such as a marbled Rueben or a triple cheeseburger! For a hearty appetite, choose the ½ lb chicken fried steak smothered in a creamy country sausage gravy, or the tender pot roast served with real mashed potatoes and Texas toast. Light eaters can certainly find something to hit the spot with a salad, or something off the à la carte menu.
Besides breakfast, pie is the star of this restaurant. Freshly baked stacks of pies already boxed to go are conveniently located at the register to take home. Some pies like the holiday silk pie or the pumpkin supreme pie are seasonal, but the traditional French apple, cherry or berry pie, as well as the lemon meringue are available year-round.
The Wyoming location offers a large dining room and ample parking, making it manageable even on busy weekend mornings. Service is attentive, meals arrive promptly, and the atmosphere provides reliable, family-friendly dining. Be sure to inquire about the senior discount, and don’t forget to grab a pie on the way out the door.
A Road Less Traveled to New Mexico’s Best Green Chile Cheeseburger (Maybe!)
By Chuck Webster
There is a stretch of I-25 past Socorro with desert on both sides, dry bones of mountains pokin’ the sky, and every so often a shimmer of green down by the Rio Grande whisperin’, “Slow down, cowboy. Try the back road next time.”That “next time” came October twenty-seventh, two days past the Mirehaven News deadline, but deadlines don’t fry burgers. My cousin Kendall from Illinois had a hankerin’ for “New Mexico’s best green chile cheeseburger.”
A neighbor swore Buckhorn Tavern in San Antonio was the spot. Bobby Flay himself crowned it seventh best in the U.S. Off we went down Isleta Boulevard, past panaderías and subdivisions pretendin’ to be ranches. The land finally stretched open, cottonwoods wavin’ hello.Then I spotted a gravel road. GPS lost its mind yellin’, “Make a U-turn!” I shut it off and said, “Hush now, darlin’.”
“Burritos!” hollered my wife, pointin’ at some Rocky Mountain canaries. Then “Pheasant!” as a rainbow-colored bird near flew through the car. I hit the brakes, gravel flyin’, stoppin’ just shy of a canal churnin’ south toward burger destiny.We crept along Canal/Ditch Road, sideways more than straight. An old cowboy waved us by, unbothered. Eventually pavement. Lemitar. Locals swore their chile beat Hatch, so we bought some for insurance.
Then Buckhorn. Juicy, fiery, smoky perfection. But this ain’t a restaurant review. It’s a story with a moral. Skip the interstate. The road less traveled just might feed you better in more ways than one.
https://www.buckhornburgers.com
But wait just a gol-darned minute! Across the street, The Owl Bar & Cafe would like a word!