While I was busy doing literally anything but driving to Eldorado—not counting the most excellent Café Fina, which I wouldn’t really call Eldorado anyway—the Santa Fe subdivision went and turned itself into a little town, almost. I’m sure all the folks who live out there are gasping at that sentence like I’m some sort of villain, but I’ve rarely had a non-food reason to head out that way and still don’t, but I have to hand it to the people of Eldorado in that their little plot of heaven seems more self-sufficient and livable than ever. Really, it feels like I have food reasons to visit Eldo on the regular now. And after a number of readers basically screamed at me about the burgers at Carmelita’s (7 Avenida Vista Grande, (505) 772-0450), I coaxed a companion into the car using lies about heading someplace closer. And I ate that damn burger. And I have thoughts.
Loved: A Solid Burger for Sure!
OK, yes, the burger at Carmelita’s is awesome, and I should have put it on my list sooner. Carmelita’s has a few options on its burger menu, too, from a simple hamburger and plain options for the kids to double patties; chile or no chile; bacon; cheese; onions; etc. This is Santa Fe, though, so I obviously opted for a green chile bacon cheeseburger—the pride of our state might just be green chile cheeseburgers, and the bacon was like icing on the cake. Speaking of bacon, the portion was thick and cooked by someone who clearly knows how to do it. Same goes for the gooey, melty cheese. Oh, American cheese, you just plain work on a burger. Not only that, but Carmelita’s clearly uses high-quality beef, as the patty was both juicy but solid—an undercooked and falling-apart burger is always so disappointing. This one held up, though, and everything from the satisfying cheese to the flavorful and just-spicy-enough chile and chewy bacon was just right, including the soft bun on which it came. I’ll say mea culpa for not going sooner.
Loved: The Value
At $11.75 including the bacon, cheese and chile, Carmelita’s price point is honestly unexpected but majorly appreciated. Perhaps this is why we observed customers popping in and out at a regular clip despite having arrived a little later in the day. Anyway, similar-sized burgers in other restaurants (read, anyplace within spitting distance of the Plaza, and even sometimes not) would easily cost more, sometimes even twice as much. Everything on the Carmelita’s menu seemed fairly priced. That’s why we also ordered a $10 Cubano sandwich. How does that not cost more?! The pork in the Cubano, btw, was excellently seasoned and slightly crisp at the edges despite the incredibly tender overall texture. The bread was not quite right for a Cubano, but still tasty in its own right and likely just the thing to elevate most any other sandwich. And though our companion said he wished Carmelita’s went harder on the mustard and pickles for that extra bit of tang one wants from a Cubano, it was an overall killer dish. Now, we’re hearing that Maggie’s in Eldorado—formerly The Brunch Box Blue—might have the most authentic and delicious Cubano in town, but I've yet to check it out. Regardless, there’s no shame in eating every Cubano one ever encounters in a quest for excellence.
Loved: Crispy Fries
Carmelita’s has an extra crisp fries option, which the counter worker described to us as “a little thicker, but definitely popular.” I get it. They most definitely should be popular. These fries were lightly salted, which I love—I’ll add more if I must, thank you. Best of all, however, was the crispiness factor in a town that seems enamored with those flaccid skin-on fries (you heard me). This felt novel, though I’d argue it shouldn’t have.
Didn’t Love: Fries Cost Extra
I’m sorry, but if you’re serving burgers, most of us are gonna want fries. And though an extra $4 for the extra crisp fries isn’t a huge expense (regular fries run $3, for the record), I still had to return to the counter to order them after our food came. To the staff’s credit, though, we had them roughly 45 seconds later.
Didn’t Love: Food Came in Bags
While I intellectually grok that Carmelita’s is first and foremost a to-go sandwich joint (the gyros and BBQ sandwiches will absolutely pull me back to Eldorado soon), digging a greasy wrapped sandwich out of a bag while dining in felt strange. Not only did it create waste to put each sandwich and the fries in bags of their own, a plate or a tray or something would have been nice. The Agora shopping center in Eldorado that also houses the supermarket and numerous other shops has a nice little patio/courtyard seating area going, so I simply must assume folks like to take their lunches there. I further assume that Carmelita’s is responsible for quite a few single-use paper bags going in the trash. Still, if we’re talking straight-up burgers here, this one is worth the drive. Do I think it’s the best burger in the area, as numerous readers have recently told me? Top five, sure. And top five is nothing to sneeze at.
