I was going a hundred miles an hour at home yesterday, cleaning, decorating, making long shopping lists, and generally being frantic, when my husband Wayne suggested a lunch "down the valley." There is an older part of town south of where we live, called the Lower Valley, that still retains a flavor of the past, with many small businesses, cotton fields, and several missions.
One of our favorite restaurants is El Mesón de Oñate on Socorro Road.
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| Outside view of El Mesón de Oñate |
The dining room was not crowded like many mall restaurants are this time of year. Ah, the calm!
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| Interior of restaurant |
We relaxed and dived into the complimentary basket of tostadas with red and green chile sauce. Yum. Potato chips I can resist, tostadas I cannot.
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| Tostadas, red chile sauce, green chile sauce |
Wayne's favorite dish here is a taco salad, served in a large fried corn tortilla shell. I generally order the caldo de res, which is a special type of beef stew with carrots, cabbage. corn on the cob and zucchini squash, It is served with a slice of lime, Mexican-style rice, and warm corn tortillas. I put the meat over on Wayne's plate and then enjoy an (almost) vegetarian meal.
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| Caldo de res |
Caldo de res is a staple of Mexican restaurants in our area and is generally served for lunch. Several times I have arrived at a restaurant on a chilly day for a late lunch of caldo, only to be told "Ya no hay." (It's all gone).
We were unfortunately too full to order a traditional dessert of flan, a special type of custard with caramel sauce.
As we left the restaurant, I could see the Socorro Mission in the distance, reminding me of the long history and special character of this area.
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| Socorro Mission in the distance |
Lunch at El Mesón de Oñate was a brief but welcome respite to the hustle and bustle of the season. Bring on those holiday tasks. I'm ready now!
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