How I Spent Time in Las Cruces, New Mexico

With side-stories in Truth or Consequences, Hatch, and Cloudcroft, New Mexico.

The moon, perfectly photobombing the Elephant Ranch Bar entrance in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Sunset Over the Organ Mountains

It’s 5:36 pm on January 7th, 2022.

The sun has just gone down and the Organ Mountains went from a red glow to a dark blue hue. The rock blends in with the desert landscape as darkness seep into the valley below.

Soon, each star will poke its nose through the galaxy and weave a beautiful constellation.

I point my phone to the sky, in vain, trying to capture something on my phone that my ancestors had memorized by heart. God created the perfect universe and gifted us with the ability to see it all in 3D.

Yet, here I am, in Las Cruces, New Mexico with my camera strapped to my side, eyes alert and ready to take on the latest curiosity my eyes capture.

Beyond White Sands

To my surprise, Las Cruces has more to offer than just White Sands National Park (a recent addition to the National Park system, and the one I had wanted to see since the last time I traveled this way).

Las Cruces sits 40 miles above the Mexico/United States border and the Border Patrol checkpoints are a good reminder of this, in addition to my favorite subject: the food.

People who aren’t from the South assume that all “Mexican”/”Tex Mex” food is the same.

Think again.

I’ve been to San Diego, Yuma, Tucson, Santa Fe, and enough Texas towns to tell you this: no Mexican-inspired dish is made the same in each zip code. Each township takes on its own flavor.

As a side note, Yuma, Arizona had the best quesabirria’s (cross between a taco and a quesadilla) I’ve ever had. I dream of them often, waking up in the middle of the night salivating on my pillow wishing more than anything that some soft hands would hand-feed me the cheesy, meaty, cilantro quesabirria from El Taco Dorado, LLC.

The cuisine in Las Cruces impressed me. I was *really* trying to eat at home more than eat out, and was doing fantastic at accomplishing this goal until my refrigerator (and subsequently the entire internet) went out in my AirBnB. It’s no coincidence that “AirBnB” rhymes with “c'est la vie”.

In true “figure it out” fashion, I tried some of the local dishes, and thank God I did. I transformed the Camino Real into my Caloric Real.

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

I had a religious experience with some huevos rancheros at the quaint Grapevine Bistro in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. I have always wanted to visit ToC ever since I first heard the name. It was exactly as I thought it’d be: a small town with some classic New Mexico touches, such as the automotive relics with patinaed paint and Route 66 references. I’ve become accustomed to visiting small towns and beelining it to the diner with the best pancake reviews.

I’ve become what some might call (self-proclaimed, I only call myself this) a diner connoisseur.

The Grapevine Bistro was less “diner” and more “Michelin”. The only “diner” element about it was the ambiance and the utensils (think grandma’s house, 4th of July, feeding many family members). The food was mouth-watering, and as my stepdad says “hunger is the best sauce”, which might have added some flavor in this case since the food took about 35-40 mins to come out (seeing as there was only one cook, and 15 hungry mouths, I found this to be impressive).

The huevos rancheros were delicious. No cheap, quickly mashed-up taco grinds on top. Oh no, far from it. There were perfectly crisped potatoes, eggs, and the most lovely little potato cakes. The green chilis were a nice touch, too, particularly appropriate given that I was only 30ish mins from Hatch, New Mexico which is the Green Chilli capital of the world. It’s where the annual chili festival takes place.

While I might not have the time to eat at Grapevine every morning, I’d sure go every Saturday and Sunday I got the chance.

Hatch, New Mexico

I ventured down to Hatch, New Mexico to indulge in their famous green hatch chili burger. This place has been there since 1946. This is shocking, particularly considering the fact that there was particularly no one in the town, except to visit Sparky’s. Just truck drivers coming through to get on a different highway.

The burger was phenomenal, and the ambiance might have even come close to rivaling it. The entire experience was a throwback, as though I was living on Route 66.

Cloudcroft, New Mexico

Just an hour or so away from White Sands (4,300 feet above sea level) is Cloudcroft, New Mexico (8,675 feet above sea level). You go from desert and sand to alpine and snow very quickly.

While I wanted to go hiking in Cloudcroft (the trails looked to die for), the snow on the ground reminded me of the many times I’ve fallen on ice without the proper tools. So, instead of investing $35 in spikes to begrudgingly march through the snow, I settled for BBQ instead.

I ventured to Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue, which is world-famous for their Mac n Cheese. There were maybe 30 or so people in front of me and it was cafeteria-style serving, but the line took nearly an hour to get through. By the time I went to sit down, there were no chairs for anyone, so I had to sit with a family enjoying their Saturday lunch (sorry y’all). The food was good, but I was so uncomfortable with sitting with other people and feeling like such a nuisance that I got my brisket (sliced), multiple BBQ sauces, Arnold palmer, Mac n Cheese (or what remained), warm peach cobbler to go.

I went into the town and shopped around and overall, I really enjoyed Cloudcroft. I wish I could have skied Ski Cloudcroft, or Ski Apache, however, the conditions were apparently not great when I was there. Something for next time :)

Hike

Dripping Springs Hike (Las Cruces, NM)
Observatory Hike (Las Cruces, NM)
White Sands New Mexico (Las Cruces, NM)

Eat

Sparky’s (Hatch, NM) — You’ll get the burger with green chilies, one of their classic lemonades or shakes, and you can add condiments to the burger should you chose (but you’ll be looked down on). The real locals go basic.
The Grapevine Bistro (Truth or Consequences, NM) — one of the best huevo’s rancheros I’ve ever had. Fresh ingredients, hatch green chilis.
La Posta (Mesilla, New Mexico) – never ate here, but super neat look and feel here.