Pecans & chile rellanos

Las Cruces, New Mexico: It froze here over-night. Not that we would know this... with our heated tile floors and down duvet. DT was smart enough to remove the water hose from the spigot though. We woke to sunny skies and no wind. We both worked out, worked at our computers and then hit the road south along New Mexico Highway 28.

The (mighty?) Rio Grande River is just south of our campground


This area is famous for pecans, chiles and cotton. Here is a massive pecan orchard.


First stop: Stahmann's Pecans

We always make a stop at Stahmann's Pecans when we are in town. (The rest of the time, I order from Stahmann's on-line.) They have the best and largest pecans I have ever found. Did you know, the pecan is the only mass-marketed nut native to America? (Save that fact for Jeopardy!) With thousands of acres planted in New Mexico and Australia, the Stahmann family are the largest pecan producers in the world. The shop offers fresh pecans in every size and variety, plus a large assortment of pecan candies and pies. If you are ever cruising down I-10, take a detour to Stahmann's.

Next, we continued south on Highway 28 to the teeny town of La Mesa. La Mesa is home to Chope's Cafe (and Chope's Bar). Chope's (Cho-pay's) is famous for their chile rellano - often called the best in the world. We had to give them a try.

This is a photo of the bar. No, we did NOT have any Swiss Colony wine. Dang.


Another photo - the parking area was packed

We did not eat in the bar, but in the next-door cafe (sorry no photo, but trust me, it is a non-descript teeny building that once was a house).

Nothing fancy inside either

In case you do not know - a chile rellano is not an easy dish to make. A poblano chile is roasted, steamed, peeled and the seeds are removed. The chile is then stuffed with a white cheese, dipped in an eggy-flour batter and fried in oil. The finished product is usually served covered in either a red sauce or a green chile sauce.

The salsa brought tears to my eyes


I ordered one chile rellano - plain - so I could see it before I poured green chile sauce over the top.
It was one of the best I have EVER had. Simply perfect.


My driver ordered his chile rellano (top) covered in green chile -
plus a cheese enchilada with red sauce. The enchilada was okay, but he loved the rellano.

Time for a walk! We retraced our path back towards Las Cruces, stopping for a stroll around the town square of Old Mesilla, New Mexico. The Butterfield Stage stopped in Mesilla (Mah-see-ah), Billy the Kid was sentenced to death here - but escaped before the sentence was carried out. An old and historic town, Old Mesilla has retained all of her charms and we always enjoy an afternoon in the town square.

San Albino Church sits on the north end of the town plaza in Old Mesilla


Thick-walled buildings line the town plaza


Close-up

Time to see a few modern buildings! Las Cruces is home to New Mexico State University. We did a driving tour of the campus, and stopped to see their football stadium and walk through the Hall of Legends commemorating Aggie football heroes. The campus is absolutely massive, with huge buildings set far apart from each other.

The Aggie football stadium

For dinner, we tried the St. Clair Winery & Bistro - within walking distance of our campsite. St. Clair is the largest vineyard in New Mexico. We cannot report St. Clair is the best wine we have ever tried... but we had an enjoyable time with our knowledgeable server, Isaac. Isaac told us all about the St. Clair Vineyard and the local food scene. DT liked their syrah, while I found the Pinot Grigio quite drinkable - though a bit wet. We shared an appetizer, salad and entree. It was still too much food.

 
Jalapeno Poppers - St. Clair style

We have several options for adventuring tomorrow. We will decide after waking up in the morning and determining the best options for the weather. Until my next update, I remain, your chile correspondent.

RV Park: Hacienda RV Resort - We had site 175, a very long pull-through. 30 & 50 amp, water, sewer. Hacienda RV Resort is a great park - we love it here. Free wifi, free breakfast in their cozy (fireplace!) lodge in the morning. Hot tub. We paid $52.