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pork), rice and beans, or chicharrones (rendered pork fat like nuggets of bacon, only piggier). The one that knocks our socks off is the chile relleño burrito. Relleños, which are cheese-stuffed, breaded-and-fried chiles, are popular throughout New Mexico, but too often the chile and its crust turn to mush. Leona’s has crust with crunch; the chile pod it sheaths is al dente and full-flavored, with enough mellow melted cheese inside to balance the heat. Wrap it in one of her tortillas and you have what Leona calls a “hand-held burrito,” meaning it’s easy to pick up and eat with no utensils. This is a valued quality to pilgrims for whom Leona’s sanctuary is a blessed part of the walk through Chimayó.

Model Pharmacy

3636 Monte Vista Blvd. NE

505–255–8686

Albuquerque, NM

L | $

You enter this neighborhood pharmacy past the drug counter, navigate along perfumes, soaps, and sundries, then find the little lunch area: a few tables scattered about and a short marble counter with a Pueblo-Deco knee guard of colorful enamel tiles. If you are like us, your attention will be drawn to the right of the counter, where the cobblers are displayed under a spotlight. Three or four are made every day—geological-looking strata of flaky crust atop syrupy tender hunks of apricot, peach, blackberry, or a mix thereof—and they are available simply warm or warm with a globe of ice cream melting on top.

The soda fountain is impressive: a fully stocked armory of milkshake mixers, syrup dispensers, and soda nozzles, plus a modern espresso machine (so you can get an espresso milkshake—mmm). As for lunchtime entrees, locals love the walnut chicken salad, and some come to eat hamburgers and cold-cut sandwiches, but we’ll choose green chile stew every time. It is more a soup, actually, chockful of carrots, tomatoes, and bits of green chile with good flavor and alarming heat.

Nellie’s

1226 W. Hadley Ave.

505–524–9982

Las Cruces, NM

BL | $

A passing police officer was suspicious when he spotted us loitering outside of Nellie’s one morning before the café’s 8:00 A.M. opening.

“We’re waiting to eat,” we responded to his inquiry about our intentions.

Good answer. He broke into a big grin and said, “Best chile in town!”

In Las Cruces, the heart of chile country, such an avowal is no casual observation.

Inside the cozy cinder-block and glass brick restaurant, a sign on the wall confirms the kitchen’s priorities: “A day without chile is like a day without sunshine.”

Danny Ray Hernandez, Nellie’s son, makes vivid salsas using five to seven different types of chile and specializes in such eye-opening breakfasts as huevos à la Mexicana (scrambled with jalapeños) and eggs with chile and meat. For the latter you can get red or green or a combination of the two (known as Christmas). The red tastes of pure pod; the green is hot enough to require tongue-tamping with the kitchen’s pulchritudinous sopaipillas. Mr. Hernandez speculated that dry growing conditions over recent years have produced chiles in which the heat is more concentrated.

Years ago, Nellie’s and its offspring, Little Nellie’s Chile Factory, served dinner. Today it is strictly a breakfast-and-lunch eatery.

Nopalito

310 S. Mesquite St.

505–524–0003

Las Cruces, NM

LD | $

Nopalito is a family-run restaurant (actually two restaurants; the other is at 2605 Missouri) where you can count on excellent New Mexican food. Not Tex-Mex nor Arizona-Mex nor California-Mex nor Sonoran-Mex, but the unique cuisine of New Mexico. That means that chile peppers star and the question of red or green is one you will confront at every meal. There is no rule about which is hotter. The day we came to Nopalito (which means “little cactus”), the waitress assured us that green was the hot stuff, but that red was more delicious. What to do? “Christmas!” she replied, which is the term for a dish topped with both.

We had ours on a stacked enchilada with the works, meaning beans and cheese and a fried egg on top and rice and salad on the side. We also savored excellent chiles relleños, fried to