New Mexico: Green Chile Cheeseburgers!

New Mexico has spoiled me. I can hardly think of a cheeseburger now without wondering what it would taste like with heaps of freshly roasted green chile on top. Now, sans chile, a cheeseburger just seems naked. Plus, living in France isn’t exactly the cheeseburger capitale, so I usually don’t bother ordering any sort of burger, unless the meat happens to be Charolais, still a distant second to my beloved Angus.

So when the Fort Worth Star-Telegram me to write about new high-end restaurants in Santa Fe, I immediately thought, Road trip! And green chile cheeseburgers along the way.

Not high-end at all. Which I totally love.

Here’s “The Flip,” a part quesadilla, part cheeseburger from Danny’s Place in Carlsbad, New Mexico, a popular spot with locals (there wasn’t a parking spot to be had, and lots of people parked on the street), most of whom seemed to be either eating this or a heaping plate of the pork ribs, smoked on site.

Served with a side of Pace Picante-like salsa in a plastic cup, I thought the Flip was pretty fun, and seemed more like an appetizer than a real burger…especially when I sampled the big, greasy (and I mean that in a good way) burger at Sparky’s in Hatch the next day.

I don’t know how world famous Sparky’s really is, but the burgers are certainly worthy of a detour. I’d skip the fries, coated with I don’t know what (and frankly, not worth the calories). I’d be much more tempted to try one of the green chile vanilla milkshakes instead, as weird as that sounds.

I happily ate my green chile cheeseburger with its fluffy white bun with a plastic knife and fork, which garnered a few stares from the other diners. Sometimes I forget which side of the Atlantic I’m on, but right now I’m happy to be on this one, eating one green chile cheeseburger at a time.

Danny’s Place

902 South Canal St.

Carlsbad, NM

575/885-8739

Sparky’s

115 Franklin St.

Hatch, NM

575/267-4222