Las Cruces Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[ftmsb]

Hello all. I'll be spending next week in and around Las Cruces, and wondering if there is anything in the "other than New Mexican" category happening in local restaurants. I'll get my chile fix, perhaps multiple times daily, at old favorites and warhorses (Chopes, anyone?), but sometimes the body desires something different. I've also posted in the Texas forum, seeing if anyone has anything to recommend in El Paso. I haven't lived in Cruces since 1994, and at the time there wasn't anything to get excited about outside of the chile (or maybe there was and my student budget didn't allow the exploration), although the Double Eagle and Meson de Mesilla seemed to be the standbys.

From Google, some of the following caught my eye as possibilities. Anything worth pursuing?

Marc's European Grill

Risotto's

Vintage Wines (do they really serve in tumblers? Can you request a stem?)

St. Clair Bistro

Thanks in advance for any input.

[Daniel]

Nothing new to add besides saying that Dick’s Cafe has one of the better burgers I have ever had.. Green Chile Cheese Burgers are just so damn good..

[gfron1]

The short answer is no. In the University area there is a decent Middle Eastern restaurant that's worth hitting. Get your coffee at Milagro - recommended by Kevin Knox (author of Coffee Basics). If you're up for a short trip to Deming, hit Patio Cafe which really does have the best burgers around. And if you're up for the longer trip to Silver City, you get the best of the best - me! I'd be happ to show you around.

If you're going the other direction, HERE is another topic on the Ruidoso area.

[Daniel]

Whoops, I didnt mean Dick's, I meant:

Nellie's Cafe

1226 W Hadley Ave,

Las Cruces, NM 88005

[ftmsb]

Thanks all. Looks like the long and the short might be: stick to the rellenos. Gfron1 - I've followed your Silver City posts from afar, and it looks like y'all have fun in the Gila. I don't expect to make it that direction this trip, but who knows...

Burgers at Nellies? I guess I never made it to that part of their menu. I was hard pressed to get anything other than the enchiladas. Dicks used to have decent green chile cheeseburgers too.

[misstenacity]

A local whom I trust recently sent me a quick review of a four-star meal she'd had. Once I get her permission I'll post it here.

So it does sound like there's something useful in that city to be eaten other than custard and brisket burritos and relleno burgers. :-)

[misstenacity]

Allllright. I got the go-ahead.

Here's the snippet; please enjoy!

From an email with the subject line, "nananana-boo-boo", emphasis added by me:

"Hate to break it to you, but I think Cruces, or Mesilla, might have a better restaurant than any I've eaten at in Albuquerque. I say "might" because I haven't eaten everywhere in Buerque.

Last night a friend treated me to dinner at Torch, inside Meson de Mesilla. Fan-freakin-tastic. Amuse bouche (sp) was crab with a roasted cherry tomato and some infused oil, appetizer was blissfully prepared sea scallops crowned with Ossetra caviar, intermezzo was a mango sorbet, entree was pheasant breast filled with grapes and fois gras with confit all topped with thick slices of truffle, and dessert a tartine Valencia garnished with micro mint. Instead of a simple after-dinner mint, we were brought tiny chocolate cups filled with macerated fruits and little chocolate cookies.

To top it off, the chef, Jacob Hillbert, is fairly good-looking.

He even had sweetbreads on the menu."

Ok, so its Mesilla, but isn't that close enough? Here's their website:

Meson de Mesilla main site

Andrea, in the Duke City

[gfron1]

Besides their annoying website, it looks interesting. Certainly not cutting edge, but I'll have to jog on down and see if its any good.