Samat Jain
Header image derived from Pizza with green chile © Samat Jain, used CC BY-SA 2.0.
Roughly seven days ago we purchased a tub of Bueno Autumn Roast green chile—and you KNOW that bad boy's empty as of right now. Why? Because we put it on or in effing everything we ate this week, and we think you should try some of these things yourselves because they were all great!
A Spoon
Generally speaking, the chile in the Bueno tubs comes frozen, but we wanted to taste test (because, in our experience, the Autumn Roast is a little more flavorful than it is spicy and also just because). So anyway, we microwaved just a little bit and ate a spoonful. It was awesome.
A Boca Burger
We fried up a pair of Boca Burgers (those're some of the no-meat kind) and then added American cheese and a whole bunch of chile. We then placed this on a slightly-toasted Pretzilla pretzel bun (also available at Whole Foods). It was magic.
A Coconut Cream Pie
Just kidding. Wanted to see if you're paying attention. Although, we've gotta say—we'd at least try that.
A Frozen Pizza
Have you had those Home Run Inn frozen pizzas? They're amazingly good. So we sliced up some mushrooms and threw some of that Autumn Roast alongside 'em on the frozen pizza, baked to perfection and then went to TOWN. So good. Obviously green chile is always great on pizza, but something about this specific combination was so wonderful we're gonna do it again tonight.
Amy's Mac and Cheese with Peas
Mac 'n' peas is one of our favorite things to make—seriously, if you've never thrown cooked peas in with your mac, you've never really lived—and adding green chile to that mix made for one of the best things we've ever tasted ever. Granted, we'd never had peas with chile before, but it works, we promise. Plus, the Amy's kind comes with a packet of actual cheese rather than whatever weirdo freeze-dried powder comes in most quick-ass macs. If you do this, we'll accept your thank-you letters and flowers at the SFR offices on Marcy Street.
What else can we put green chile in or on? We know it's a lot, but we're obsessed (we've always been, this is just becoming a real thing) and want ideas for stuff we didn't think of yet. In other words, what weird place do you put this stuff?
In case you're not from New Mexico, you should learn why green chile is such a big deal here.
Also
-La Casa Sena and Rio Chama Steakhouse have kicked off a wine club program, and here's how it works: For the yearly price of $150, you pay the retail prices for bottles of wine at both locations (instead of the restaurant markup), two tickets to a tasting of your choice, 15 percent off all bottles at La Casa Sena's wine shop and a newsletter that's probably not as cool as The Fork, but is probably still pretty cool.
-A new cooking school for kids is opening in Los Alamos, and it's all about that healthy habits lifestyle. Kelly Parker of Little Sprouts Kitchen is behind the school and wants parents and kids to know it's important to eat healthy. The Fork agrees, but also wants parents and kids to know they should put green chile on EVERYTHING. In case you're wondering, Parker is also part of the Los Alamos bagel joint Ruby K's.
-We know we just talked about Edible New Mexico last week, but this tarragon and mint ice cream recipe looks too good to pass up.
-We got tons of letters about how Cowgirl has a great veggie burger. And now you know. Try also that weird but delightful ice cream baked potato. Do it now. We're also hearing the black bean burger at Del Charro is not to be missed. Thanks for all the recs, Fork Fans!
-We're not 100 percent yet, but we've heard whispers on the wind about a possible food truck from the descendants of the people behind LaBell's, that incredible burrito joint that once lived where Burrito Spot lives now on Cordova. Believe us—we're paying VERY close attention to these developments.
More Tidbits
-Fast food chain Burger King really stuck it to Trump via twitter this week in response to that weird thing he did when he unleashed a fast food smorgasbord upon unsuspecting university sportsball players visiting the White House. Check it:
Haha! Ya burnt!
-Chances are you've heard this term "pegan" floating around, and The Fork hears it might just be the next big thing. What is it, though? Easy—paleo-meets-vegan. We found a great li'l primer on the topic and, as with most things, we caution doing one's research and not just blindly jumping into trendy diets. We hope this is OK with the keto folks, because they seem to get really defensive when anyone has any questions whatsoever.
-Turns out Pizza Hut (that's that hut that is pizzas) does beer delivery in states like Iowa, Florida, California and others. Such a glorious service has not made its way to New Mexico yet, but since we like to do things six years or so behind everyone else, we're expecting to get it sometime around 2025. The Hut is reportedly trying to ramp up the service to include more states and, umm, huts—all in time for the Super Bowl. The Fork doesn't know when that is because sports bore us to tears. We look forward to your "Well, I like 'em!" emails, dear readers.
-Umm, excuse us, but did you know there's this whole line of Diet Coke with fruity flavors infused right in there? We don't drink much soda, but the can aesthetics are off the charts! We're talkin' lime and cherry and blood orange and combos of those things and … wait. Is this old news? Whatever. The main point is that they've introduced a couple new flavors: blueberry acai and strawberry guava. Sounds pretty healthy to us. (Disclaimer: Sodas are obviously not healthy at all, and we love that we have to explain jokes away sometimes for the readers who refuse to jive with our tongue-in-cheek tone.)
-We're really sticking it to you guys today. Sorry! We'll get back on track.
-Eater.com's Ace Ratcliff penned a thoughtful piece on how restaurants—businesses firmly planted in the world of hospitality—tend to ignore the Americans with Disabilities Act. Of the many points on which Ratcliff touches, he also notes: "It's not unusual for the staff to have zero training in how to handle serving disabled customers. Sometimes they just stand there uncomfortably while my fiance moves a chair or other obstacles so I can have actual space to wheel in and sit." Something to think about if you own or work for a restaurant.
-Applebee's has a new cocktail featuring Captain Morgan rum, fruity flavors, a bright blue hue and—get this—a dang gummy shark. Now, The Fork is no stranger to gummy, and we'd probably drink this. Know that it's available for a limited time.
Will you two stop saying 'gummy' so much?
Finally
In the print edition of SFR, we sent Zibby Wilder to Eloisa to try out their kickass menu of tacos. Did she like ’em? Read and find find out.
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A Totally Scientific Breakdown of The Fork’s Correspondence Number of Letters Receieved
49
*And great veggie burger thoughts!Most Helpful Tip of the Week
“YOU are lame and uninformed!”
*I dunno, we seem pretty informed to us.
Actually Helpful Tip
“Save your pasta water. Seriously. Google it.”
*We did—will you?!
So long, dweebs,
The Fork
