Green Chile Cheeseburgers Make the Perfect Comfort Food for Santa Fe Meat-Lovers.
By Gregory Pleshaw
The hamburger. One of the most egalitarian of all American foods, the hamburger is a staple of the American diet among meat-eating folks. When you need a burger (and admit, you want one right now) you need a burger, and if you’re a Santa Fean, you probably need one with all the traditional fixin’s, (including ketchup and mustard, pickles and onions and a slab o’ cheese) along a certain non-traditional and local condiment – namely, a big scoop or slice of green chile.
But think about it for just a second – when do you need a burger? If you’re like me, you need one on a day when you’ve skipped both breakfast and lunch and you know that a long night lies ahead of you. Or maybe you need one in the middle of day when life is going your way – or not. There are as many reasons to need a burger as there are ways to have one – and that’s because hamburgers are as American as hot dogs, apple pie, and eating in our cars.
The Origin of the Hamburger
The true details of who made the first hamburger are clouded in history and mystery. It may be that a restauranteur flattened a meatball to make the first burger, or that beef was substituted for pork to make a sausage patty sandwich. According to a 1974 article in the New York Times, the distinction of who is the inventor of what we now know and love as the hamburger goes to Louis’ Lunch Wagon of New Haven, Connecticut. First opening in 1895, Louis’ burger, then as now, was served between two pieces of toasted rather than the venerable bun. First use of a bun that fit the burger may go to White Castle of Wichita, Kansas, whose burgers are square, are known as “sliders” and which are available in grocery chains as well as in their restaurants.
Without a doubt (but don’t ask for conclusive facts) the most common place to buy a hamburger is in a fast-food restaurant, whose beef acquisition processes are well-covered in the hard-to-read but equally difficult-to-put-down book called “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the American Meal” (released in 2001.) McDonald’s Big Mac may be the world’s top-selling burger, and for many, a hamburger from a fast-food chain may suffice the craving for a burger, despite its uniform patties and carefully measured doses of condiments, but for the true hamburger conneisuer, a thicker burger prepared by hand and usually weighing between ¼ to ½ a pound is the most desired delicacy.
And though a Santa Fean can get their green chile and cheese fix (mildly) satisfied at local Burger Kings and McDonald’s, Santa Fe’s favorite burgers tend to be of the hand-made variety, with local favorites including Bert’s Burger Bowl, Del Charro Saloon, Harry’s Roadhouse and in out-of-the-way but venerable burger and chile sanctuaries such the Bobcat Bite and the Horseman’s Haven. And without further ado – feast your eyes and feel the cravings rise!
1) The Bobcat Bite – Originally built to house a trading post and gun shop, the Bobcat Bite was turned into a restaurant by Bobcat Ranch owner Rene Clayton, and opened for the first time under the operation of her daughter Mitzi Panzer in 1953. I first went to the Bobcat Bite in 1987 on the night of my junior prom – little did I know that my date was a vegetarian and totally sickened by watching me eat their mammoth burger! Since its opening, the “Bite” has been owned by a series of proprietors and is currently run as a mom and pop eatery by John & Bonnie Ercke since 2001. They famously do not take checks or credit cards, close at 7:50pm in the evening, and were not-so-famously immortalized in “The Bobcat Bite” song by local punk rock composer Gregg Turner.
2) Bert’s Burger Bowl – While the claim that Bert’s invented the green chile burger is something we can neither prove nor disprove, we can say with some authority that Bert’s Burger Bowl does serve up one of the finest green chile burger in town. In addition to their fine burgers, Bert’s is well-known for its t-shirt whose memorable tag-line reads – “Since 1954 – One Location World-Wide.” In addition to its standard burger weighing in at ¼ pound and $4, Bert’s also offers give “upscale” gourmet burgers that weigh in at half a pound and whose cost varies. The gourmet burgers include a Kobe beef burger, a lamb burger, a pork burger, an ostrich burger and a bison burger. Each “gourmet” burger comes with its own distinct toppings – but we can only speak for the original, and its danged good.
3) Harry’s Roadhouse – For seventeen years, Harry’s Roadhouse has been serving up one of the finest burgers around – along with dozens of other “roadside” favorites. With a parking lot that’s packed nearly ‘round the clock (in all honesty, Harry’s is open from 7am – midnight seven days a week) Harry’s promises – and delivers – good quality food for breakfast, lunch and dinner all year round. Their burger is made from chuck that is ground fresh daily, and their buffalo burger is LaMott’s Buffalo, local animals who spend their days grazing off of Highway 14. According to Roadhouse owner Harry Shapiro, “the point is to pack the meat, but not too tight, in order to allow for a good ratio of fat to lean.” So exhausted was I from the days’ other burgers that I only ordered a kids’ one, medium and with green chile and cheese it was BIG and a damn fine eat.
4) Del Charro – When Del Charro, (located inside the Inn of the Governors hotel) first opened up, it promised to become one of Santa Fe’s legendary watering holes. In my eyes, it did this almost immediately by offering an affordable bar menu that included a green chile cheeseburger for around $7.50. Add in a pint of Guiness or Blue Moon and you’ve gone a long way towards having a legendary experience…
5) The Horseman’s Haven – Since it opened in 1981, the Horseman’s Haven has served up chile so tasty and fiery that you probably haven’t even read a review – just heard about from a friend whose tongue was still bleeding and whose nose was running like a sieve. It should come as no surprise that the same place with the amazing chile (and don’t you ever THINK about ordering the number two – it’s made up of ground jalapeno peppers and nothing else) has a pretty bitchin’ burger, particular one with green chile and cheese…Now I have to admit, I was to chicken to try it, but I’d bet it as good as the chile they coat it with!
