Jemez Mountain Trail - Northern New Mexico

Are there any good lunch spots along the route of the Jemez Mountain Trail? I'm drawing a blank on the internets, not even a Blake's Lotaburger to be found.

Also, how are the fall colors around Santa Fe this year - is it over yet?

Depending on what part of the trail you are on, you can always head over to Los Alamos which has a couple of good markets as well a number of interesting lunch options.

I was there last year and I am drawing a blank at this point.

When in Jemez Springs, I try to hit Los Ojos for a chile cheesburger. Very good and a great atmosphere.

Fall colors were spectacular this year but quickly petering out. Been very cold and windy - it even snowed for a few minutes yesterday, but expected to warm up during the week.

Bill/SFNM

I am so jealous! Fall is my favorite time in the Jemez Mountains, although I hear an icy blast just came down from the Rockies. A few suggestions:

I agree with Bill - Los Ojos is a great spot, with good green chile cheeseburgers. An excellent place to get a beer, admire the Harleys parked outside and learn a little bit about taxidermy. Los Ojos is also a package store if you need a six pack for the campsite, but the grocery further south on Hwy. 4 is cheaper.

Also in Jemez Springs, you should try the Laughing Lizard Cafe. I am not sure about the hours, so call first. They have a little bit of everything: sandwiches, pizza, veggie burritos, daily specials (I had some good crab cakes there last year), wine/beer and truly transcendent pies. I once enjoyed a slice of the pinon, which was like a Southern-style pecan pie make with pine nuts. Appealed to my Arkansas and New Mexico roots simultaneously, which is quite a trick. I believe they also do breakfast, but haven't tried it.

Consettas, on the south end of town, is an Italian spot that also has daily specials and pizza. I haven't eaten dinner there in a few years, but did purchase an entire blackberry cobbler here last summer, made with freshly picked organic berries for a very reasonable price. The owner even sold us a pint of vanilla ice cream to go with it, and was extremely nice. Along with LL, they have many vegetarian/vegan items. Consetta's also has wi-fi, with the best reception sometimes found out back just outside the yurt that is behind the restaurant. I once had a paper deadline and sent it away while enjoying a cup of coffee here and looking at the side of Jemez Mountain. Almost made the deadline enjoyable.

Deb's Deli serves breakfast and lunch, as well as sodas and pies to go. I have only been there for breakfast, and while most of the things I have tried are just fine, their blue corn blueberry pancakes are very good, making the switch from a savory breakfast (my usual preference), to the sweet side an easy decision.

If you are coming go through Espanola on your way to Bandelier/Jemez Springs, El Paragua has some very greasy, VERY good tacos, and a lot of local, Northern New Mexico charm.

If you are coming from Albuquerque via Highway 4, there is a Blake's Lotaburger in Bernalillo if you need a green chile cheeseburger for the road, or if you are traveling on a weekend, pick up some food at the food stands just past Jemez Pueblo near the Walatowa gas station. Indian tacos and Indian bread are always available, or, if you are lucky, someone will have made Jemez enchiladas, which are a local specialty. They are made with flour tortillas, dipped in red chile, filled with cheese, and lightly fried so they are greasy, not crisp (in a good way). Continue on to Battleship Rock for a hike if you eat one of these - they are heavy duty.

Mmmmmm, green chile cheeseburgers, indian tacos and jemez enchiladas - the holy trinity. I'm half hoping it snows so I have an excuse to skip the hiking and hang out some dive and eat all day.

Ate at Los Ojos in Jemez Springs, and the green chile cheeseburgers hit the spot after a long morning outdoors. Cool place, great stop for a beer and a burger. Nice call, thank you.

What an amazing drive on the Jemez Mountain Trail, I can't believe the geology is that much different not even an hour outside of Santa Fe. We got lucky on the fall colors this late in the season, the cottonwoods were still spectacular in a lot of spots in the lower valleys - especially along the Jemez River driving south down Hwy 4 to Jemez Springs. But the aspens were mostly done everywhere. The weather was great, mid 60s and sunny every day. The last time I was in SF in October I had two days of wearing shorts during 70s and sunny, and woke up the third day to six inches of snow on the ground.

My best meal on this trip was a grilled chicken burrito with green chiles at Harry's Roadhouse in Santa Fe. Flour tortilla, grilled chicken, black beans, local cheese melted and browned on top, smothered in green chile sauce. Very simple, each ingredient was perfectly prepared and distinctive, yet the green chile sauce tied it all together in a magnificent symphony of flavors. So good I wanted to pound my shoe on the table like Kruschev after each bite.

FE,

Next time, for the ultimate Jemez Springs experience, after a long day of viewing spectacular scenery, take the thermal waters and an essential oil message at the Spa to purge your body of toxins, then crawl across the street to Los Ojos for a burger, fries, and brew to recharge your body with a fresh supply of essential toxins.

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:FE,

Next time, for the ultimate Jemez Springs experience, after a long day of viewing spectacular scenery, take the thermal waters and an essential oil message at the Spa to purge your body of toxins, then crawl across the street to Los Ojos for a burger, fries, and brew to recharge your body with a fresh supply of essential toxins.

Bill/SFNM

I like your style Bill, sounds like a plan. Combine the massage with some tequila and red chile aromatherapy to cleanse the sinuses. Speaking of red chiles - I brought home a big shopping bag full of this season's reds and stuffed them in the overhead bin on the plane. When we landed and I opened the bin door I got shotgunned by a huge hit of concentrated red chile, my eyes bugged out and it almost knocked me over. Nice!

I've been to Santa Fe autumn, summer and winter but unfortunately never in the springtime. What's the best time to catch the desert in full bloom? Does the Valles Caldera fill up with wildflowers? I can't even imagine what that would look like filled with an ocean of color, must be mindblowing.

FE,

The timing and extent of the wildflowers is very dependent on timing and extent of rain. IIRC, I visited the Caldera in June a few years ago and it was full of wildflowers. But you can go there anytime - even in the dead of winter, and just the view from the road will take your breath away.

If you don't already own it, I strongly suggest you get Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area by the Santa Fe Group of The Sierra Club, available in all local bookstores. To bring this back to the topic of food - one of our favorite things is to pack a picnic and head out on one of the trails. Food tastes so much better sitting on a rock at the edge of a meadow. Nothing better than a freshly-baked baguette, thickly slathered with the best butter, jamon serrano, & cheese.

Give me holler when you pass through again. Don't I still owe you a burger at Bobcat?

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:Give me holler when you pass through again. Don't I still owe you a burger at Bobcat?

Yes, I believe it was a burger and a beer.

I've been to Santa Fe autumn, summer and winter but unfortunately never in the springtime. What's the best time to catch the desert in full bloom? Does the Valles Caldera fill up with wildflowers? I can't even imagine what that would look like filled with an ocean of color, must be mindblowing.[/quote]

I spent 21 of my 65 years in northwest New Mexico (Farmington) and don't recall ever having seen the desert as green as it was in August of last year. As Bill/SFNM said - it all depends on moisture. Farmington received 7" of precipitation (rain and snow melt combined) annually, on average. The year we received less than 2" - everything was very brown. On wetter than average years, the desert can be a beautiful and colorful place. It is amazing how much vegetation is out there just waiting for water.

If, on future trips, you get as far north of Jemez Springs as Cuba, you will enjoy a visit to El Burro. I have been eating in Cuba off and on for 56 years and have never had a meal in Cuba that I enjoyed as much. They have recently reopened after being shut down for awhile due to a devastating fire. They are now across the street from their original location, but I have not yet eaten at the new smaller location. El Burro is touted as one of New Mexico's best by several reviewers.

I do have to agree that Los Ojos in Jemez Springs is quite nice. Based on what the wife-unit saw here on LTH, we went up there to spend a day away from my family while in Albuquerque. Much needed! And the toxin binge-replenish cycle is quite nice...

And speaking as a geologist, the geology is pretty darn cool. There are "wild" hot springs that people can hike too as well, should you like the bath setting a bit more rustic. I plan to look into that next time.

Milt, I think you meant to refer to El Bruno in Cuba, not El Burro. I've only been there once, about 5 years ago, before the fire, and had a great New Mex meal out on the patio after a long hike in the desert.

Here's their website: http://www.elbrunos.com/

pfrank60 wrote:Milt, I think you meant to refer to El Bruno in Cuba, not El Burro. I've only been there once, about 5 years ago, before the fire, and had a great New Mex meal out on the patio after a long hike in the desert.

Here's their website: http://www.elbrunos.com/

You are absolutely correct. My senior moments are now occurring with much greater frequency. Thank you for catching that - even though Cuba is a small enough town that it would be hard to miss (regardless of how incorrectly the name was spelled).