If you’re passing through southern New Mexico, the town of Hatch--the chile capital of the world'--merits a stop. Green chile peppers, red chiles, fresh, dried, roasted, jarred--you name it, you’ll find it in this unpretentious hamlet in the Rio Grande valley north of El Paso. And if you want to have a sit-down lunch, pop into the Valley Café: no more than ten tables, and leaving messages on the walls is encouraged. Get a plate of “gorditas"--think crispy cornmeal-'pita'-like pockets ready for stuffing...I ordered ‘al pastor,’ with little chunks of tender beef, garnished, of course, with green chile--it’ll fuel you up for those long stretches of desert highway ahead of you...
More Recommendations
Gorditas in Hatch
If you’re passing through southern New Mexico, the town of Hatch--the chile capital of the world'--merits a stop. Green chile peppers, red chiles, fresh, dried, roasted, jarred--you name it, you’ll find it in this unpretentious hamlet in the Rio Grande valley north of El Paso. And if you want to have a sit-down lunch, pop into the Valley Café: no more than ten tables, and leaving messages on the walls is encouraged. Get a plate of “gorditas"--think crispy cornmeal-'pita'-like pockets ready for stuffing...I ordered ‘al pastor,’ with little chunks of tender beef, garnished, of course, with green chile--it’ll fuel you up for those long stretches of desert highway ahead of you...