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The Best Thing I Ever Ate - New Mexico Edition!
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Aug 20, 2025
This week we are traveling New Mexico and the mountain town of Ruidoso, to taste some of the best New Mexican food! Travel Safety Tips: It's still monsoon season, and while Ruidoso is safe to visit, please be aware and use these tips to stay safe: - Monitor weather conditions and stay out of river areas during alerts - Ensure your emergency alerts are activated on your mobile devices - Immediately heed any emergency alerts you receive -Download our "Discover Ruidoso" app available in the app store. In the side bar of the app, you will find easy access to both the RAIN map (providing helpful information for current weather conditions in the area, along with road closures, low-level crossings, and our Flood Safe Partners. -Monsoon Season Awareness information can be found via our website here: https://www.ruidoso-nm.gov/monsoon-season-awareness#real-time-road-conditions -You can always tune into our local radio stations for more information! The Mountain FM 99.1 | AM 1490. Used in this video: DJI Mic 2 https://amzn.to/4ewAHAw Cowboy Hat: Chazhatz.com For more suggested products seen in our videos click here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/cowboykentrollins ======================
View Video Transcript
0:00
Folks, today I'm inviting you into my
0:02
own backyard to eat some of the finest
0:05
food that New Mexico has to offer. And
0:07
it's right here in the little mountain
0:09
town of Riadosa, New Mexico. From last
0:12
year's fires to the recent tragedies of
0:14
the flooding, this little town has seen
0:16
a lot. But it is Riadosa strong. But
0:19
Riadosa is open and it's still serving
0:21
up that great food. And this little town
0:23
would love for y'all to come and visit.
0:25
So, in this episode, we're inviting
0:26
y'all to come out to this great spot on
0:28
the map to get away and get your belly
0:31
full. This is the best thing I ever ate
0:34
New Mexico style.
0:48
You know, there is nothing better than
0:50
waking up in the cool pines. It's the
0:52
perfect time to enjoy a cup of coffee on
0:54
the deck or watch the wildlife. Or
0:56
perhaps you're the more active type and
0:58
would like to take a stroll or a hike
1:00
around the many trails in the area. But
1:02
me, I'm headed to the best breakfast in
1:05
town, Log Cabin. Hey, if y'all want to
1:07
see some good food in this video, be
1:09
sure and give us a thumbs up and a like,
1:11
cuz hey, we're headed in here to eat.
1:14
This is where hardy New Mexican flavors
1:16
meet small town charm. This local
1:18
favorite serves up breakfast and brunch
1:20
that's hearty. From stuffed French toast
1:22
to jalapeno omelets and good old chicken
1:24
fried steak. This is classic comfort
1:27
food. You know, everything I've had here
1:30
is excellent. And I usually get a waffle
1:32
or the pancake because they're the best
1:34
that I've ever had anywhere, but I may
1:36
change it up this morning.
1:38
All right, ma'am. So, what is the
1:40
special again?
1:41
Peach cobbler stuffed French toast.
1:43
Oh my gosh. I think I'll go with that
1:45
and then a traditional New Mexico. I'll
1:47
do I think I'll do the Webless Ranch
1:48
Jeros. You going to help me eat that,
1:50
Jordan?
1:50
Yes, sir.
1:51
Okay. I'll
1:51
I'll be I'll go get a fork right now.
1:53
Okay.
1:54
I'm going to need some help.
1:57
[Music]
2:01
They must have thought I was bringing
2:02
like multiple family members in here to
2:04
eat this. I cooked a lot of peach
2:06
cobblers in a Dutch oven, but mine never
2:09
looked this pretty. Whipped cream looks
2:11
like some cinnamon and nuts, and then
2:13
you got the peaches in here.
2:19
The peaches, you get a little tartness
2:21
from them, but when you get to the
2:24
French toast that is got that great egg
2:27
batter on it with the cinnamon and sugar
2:30
and then I think that's pecans, it's not
2:33
overly sweet. And when you get the
2:35
layers in here, they hid some cream
2:38
cheese in there somewhere. I found where
2:40
they hid the gold mine. This is where
2:41
the goodness is right there in the
2:43
bottom. So, I love Wos Rancheros. They
2:46
fixed it on the wagon quite a bit, but
2:48
I'm anxious to try theirs.
2:51
That chorizo is really spiced up well.
2:54
So, you have your tortilla down here on
2:57
the bottom. Then your layers of chreso
2:59
and cheese, more cheese, and then you
3:02
put that over easy egg on there. All the
3:04
sauce is sort of blended in so it's not
3:06
running all over the plate. I've eaten a
3:08
lot of chorizo, even made homemade
3:10
chorizo, but I think that might be the
3:12
best chorizo I've ever had in my life.
3:14
Breakfast and dessert all in one place.
3:16
You can't beat that.
3:21
[Music]
3:27
Now, we're here at the Buttery or the
3:29
Village Buttery as they call it. Uh,
3:31
love their sandwiches here, but really
3:33
the reason that I come here is for the
3:35
buttermilk pie. Now, my mother was a
3:38
connoisseur maker of buttermilk pie.
3:40
Grew up with it. And mama, I'm sorry,
3:43
but this is probably the best buttermilk
3:45
pie you're ever going to eat.
3:48
I judge a pie always by the crust, and
3:51
these folks know how to make a good
3:53
buttery crust. They do. It's always good
3:54
and flaky. I mean, it's baked to
3:57
perfection. Good and flaky. You've got
3:59
the custard filling that comes up here,
4:01
and then they baked it just right. You
4:03
get this good crust here on top. That's
4:06
a sign of a good pie when all you got
4:08
left is the crumbs.
4:11
Well, since we got us some pie, we need
4:13
to walk it off. And the best way to do
4:15
that is hit Midtown and let's do a
4:17
little shopping. Midtown offers a
4:19
variety of shops, galleries, food, and
4:22
some of my favorite stores. And don't
4:24
forget to pick up a souvenir while
4:26
you're here. I'm walking through
4:28
Midtown. I'm always going to stop here
4:29
at Mountain Arts because it is my
4:31
favorite store.
4:34
[Music]
5:02
If you Only try one plate while you're
5:04
here in Lincoln County. It's at the
5:06
Lincoln County Grill. The chicken fried
5:08
steak smothered in green chili gravy. I
5:11
don't know about y'all, but I'm about to
5:12
starve again. And I've come to one of my
5:14
favorite places. Now, y'all know me. I
5:17
am a connoisseur of chicken fried steak.
5:19
I have beat Bobby Fle with the chicken
5:21
fried steak. Probably cooked thousands
5:23
upon thousands of pounds at him at the
5:24
wagon. But I'm here today at Lincoln
5:26
County Grill to try it again. The green
5:30
chili chicken fried steak. It's what
5:32
inspired me to do the recent video that
5:34
we did not long ago on the green chili
5:36
dravy chicken fried steaks.
5:38
[Music]
5:40
Don't feel good.
5:43
There it is. The green chili chicken
5:47
fried steak.
5:51
I have never served reffried beans and
5:54
rice with a chicken fried steak. Now
5:56
that's getting pretty New Mexico. It is.
5:58
But one thing too I want you to notice
6:00
right here. There is some pepper jack
6:04
cheese on here. Now, I put cheese on
6:06
burgers, but I ain't never put cheese on
6:08
a chicken fried steak that had gravy on
6:10
it. This is cutting with a plastic
6:12
knife. So, I'm thinking they did Look at
6:15
that. I'm thinking they did a pretty
6:17
good job right there. Oh, it fell off
6:19
the fork.
6:20
I can smell the green chilies.
6:21
Uhhuh.
6:27
The thing I always look for in chicken
6:28
fried steak was was the meat tender and
6:31
good. They got that one. Okay. Number
6:34
two thing is that crispy crunch. So
6:37
covered with cheese, covered with green
6:40
chili gravy. The cheese is really I
6:42
think a plus
6:45
for a man that knows something about
6:47
chicken fried steak. They nailed it.
6:48
They did.
6:54
I want to let y'all in on a little
6:56
insiders tip. The best enchiladas in
6:59
town are actually at a gas station.
7:02
[Music]
7:07
Call in order for Rawlings, ma'am.
7:10
[Music]
7:13
Oh, yes, ma'am. Every day, especially
7:15
when I don't have to cook. Yes.
7:17
So,
7:19
I've eaten here before, but I know these
7:21
are the best enchiladas in town.
7:23
Red sauce is the hottest. I mean, the
7:26
green, right?
7:27
Depends.
7:28
That's why we do Christmas. And a lot of
7:30
people don't know what Christmas is. So,
7:32
that's red and green combined. Right.
7:33
Correct.
7:33
All right.
7:34
The kitchen back there is about 10
7:36
square ft. And then there's a grill and
7:39
a microwave. There's no room to do
7:41
anything else.
7:43
Thursdays only for enchiladas and
7:44
Tuesdays for tacos. So if somebody's
7:46
coming in town, come on Monday, eat on
7:48
Tuesday, take a nap on Wednesday, and
7:50
eat again Thursday.
7:51
These freeze.
7:52
Oh, I hear you.
7:54
You know, I usually get mine to go. But
7:57
they do have a bar side over here that
7:58
you can order this. But Tuesdays and
8:01
Thursdays, remember, is special. But
8:03
they do have one of the best hamburgers
8:04
in town, too. And they got the best
8:07
French fries I ever eat.
8:10
This is what I call Christmas early. Red
8:13
sauce, green sauce, rice, beans, flour
8:16
tortillas. We got it all.
8:20
[Music]
8:27
So much flavor. But that red and green
8:30
sauce combined, it'll tickle your
8:31
tonsils even if you ain't got none.
8:35
I'm going to tell you, when you come in
8:36
here, too, come on an empty stomach
8:38
because they will give you hefty
8:40
servings and it'll fill you up. Hey,
8:42
there ain't nothing here you won't love.
8:47
Have a blessed day,
8:49
Donna. Thank you,
8:52
sir. Thank you so much. Best enchiladas
8:54
in town.
8:57
Now, folks, we're taking a quick scenic
8:59
drive over to the neighboring town of
9:01
Capitan, which is also the home of
9:03
Smokeoky the Bear, and get a bite of one
9:06
of my all-time favorite burgers at the
9:08
Oso Grill.
9:10
Are you guys ready? Yes, ma'am. I'm
9:12
going to do the state fair burger.
9:14
Sure. French fries, mashed potatoes,
9:16
coleslaw,
9:17
French fries, and the order of green
9:20
chili strips.
9:21
Absolutely.
9:22
She's coming. Sh.
9:25
Oh, thank you, sweetheart.
9:29
Look at that crust right there. I'm
9:32
going to let it cool a minute cuz I
9:34
guarantee you them just come out of the
9:35
deep fryer.
9:37
[Music]
9:43
You know, I've been other places and I
9:45
have ordered green chili strips. The
9:48
crust was near not near as good as this,
9:51
but you can see these chilies how good
9:53
the color is. These are good fresh
9:55
roasted chilies and then deep fried. So,
9:58
thank you, ma'am, so much. Do
10:00
you need anything else?
10:01
No, ma'am. I think I'm good.
10:08
Let's sort of take this apart to see
10:10
what's more green chili strips. I mean,
10:13
you can never have too much of them. And
10:15
under that, there's another layer of
10:18
cheese down here on the bottom. Look at
10:20
the thickness of that burger. They not
10:21
cheating you up here, I promise you.
10:26
[Music]
10:30
The burger's done just right. The meat
10:32
is so juicy, but you get that special
10:34
sauce that they've created that's on
10:36
there. And then the green chili strips
10:38
just come to see you. The sauce has got
10:40
just a little bit of smokiness to it,
10:42
but a little bit of heat. So, tell me
10:44
what what makes this burger so famous?
10:50
It's the love I put in.
10:53
Um, I sell um, on the average I sell
10:56
about a thousand of those burgers a
10:59
month, which for a town of,450 people,
11:03
it does it does pretty good.
11:04
It does. Yeah.
11:05
Well, thank you, my friend, so much.
11:07
Good. Thanks for coming back.
11:09
Okay.
11:09
You know, while you're here in Capitan,
11:11
you might not know it, but this is the
11:14
home of an American icon, Smokeoky the
11:17
Bear. Back in 1950, a wildfire swept
11:20
through the Capitan Mountains, not far
11:22
from here. Firefighters battling the
11:24
blaze came across a tiny bear cub
11:26
clinging to a charred tree. Badly
11:28
burned, scared, but alive, that little
11:30
fellow was rescued, treated, and later
11:33
flown to the National Zoo in Washington
11:35
DC, where he became the living symbol of
11:38
wildfire prevention. Smokey wasn't just
11:40
a mascot. He was real and he reminded
11:43
generations with that famous lie. Only
11:45
you can prevent wildfires. And when he
11:48
passed away in 1976, he was brought back
11:51
home to Capitan to be buried. While
11:53
you're here, you can visit the Smoky
11:55
Bear Historical Park.
11:58
[Music]
12:00
You know, I own a Chuck Wagon, so I've
12:02
always been partial to Meals on Wheels.
12:05
That's why I'm stopping by the truck
12:07
center because hey, it's a great
12:09
laidback atmosphere and just have a good
12:11
time outside.
12:13
Jack's Backstage is a local hot spot
12:15
that has unique food truck setup where
12:17
you can try a variety of dishes outside.
12:20
Perfect bred drop to where they host a
12:22
variety of events including movies,
12:24
comedy night, and popular bands. You
12:26
know, I'm always looking for good
12:27
coffee. And when we walked in the other
12:30
day, this coffee bar is big enough that
12:32
you could put a house in it.
12:34
[Music]
12:44
This is a loaded brisket nacho plate.
12:47
And look what we got here. Guacamole,
12:49
sour cream, my favorite vegetable,
12:51
jalapenos, a lot of barbecued brisket.
12:54
When you order nachos, sometimes you
12:56
have to look for the meat. Not here.
12:59
There is meat. And look at this
13:00
wonderful cheese sauce that you got
13:02
right here to go with this. So, we're
13:04
gonna put a little guacamole on this,
13:06
Mike.
13:13
I'll be back here for breakfast. I
13:14
promise you. This is some fine eating.
13:17
Do you have any tips on how to eat a
13:19
nacho? Like, do you have like layered or
13:22
Well, I think you should you should
13:24
probably pile it, put a little
13:26
everything on it, little sour cream.
13:29
Then we're going to end up with a
13:30
jalapeno right here on top. That way
13:33
you're getting all of it in every bite.
13:38
This might be some of the best queso
13:40
I've ever eaten.
13:42
How do you get in it like this right
13:43
here? I mean, if it's a Dutch oven, you
13:46
just take the lid off of it. So
13:50
look here, mage. Cake in a can. I never
13:54
you know people think of anything
13:58
ain't bad at all.
13:59
[Applause]
14:02
[Music]
14:13
We're downshifting into one of Riadosa's
14:15
coolest hangouts, Downshift Brewery.
14:18
This place is all about laid-back vibes,
14:20
cold craft brews, and some downright
14:23
good food. But I'm here for the chicken
14:25
wings. And if you hit the right night,
14:27
you might catch some live music on the
14:28
patio with the sun setting behind the
14:31
pines. I need the smoked chicken wings,
14:34
ma'am.
14:35
Okay.
14:35
You know, this is a great place. They've
14:37
got, I guess, three decks, really.
14:40
Overlooks the river here. Uh it's just a
14:42
great place to come and relax. And uh
14:44
the food and the beer is a plus. My
14:46
turn. It is.
14:47
[Music]
14:56
These are cooked and they're oh so
14:58
tender, but that skin is so crispy.
15:00
Whatever they use for a rub here, uh
15:03
it's got a great taste. Just a little
15:05
sweet to it, but a little heat also. So,
15:12
best chicken wings I ever eat. These are
15:15
smoked chicken wings. And they got a
15:17
good crispy skin to them. The rub that
15:20
they use is out of this world. Uh
15:22
they're tender in every bite, but such a
15:24
great flavor. And when you can top it
15:27
off with a waffle fries, a sweet potato
15:29
version, it just don't get no better
15:31
than this.
15:35
[Music]
15:39
I'm just here to tell you, I've had the
15:41
best of the best across the countryside
15:44
everywhere. But this place is special.
15:47
It has something to offer that I've not
15:49
gotten anywhere else. The food is
15:52
fantastic. The people are resilient. And
15:55
Riadosa is still standing strong. So, I
15:58
got a favor to ask you. And I know this
16:00
town would greatly appreciate it. Pack
16:02
up your bags, throw everybody in the
16:04
car, and come visit this place, the land
16:07
of enchantment. But it is with great
16:09
pride, honor, and privilege that I tip
16:12
my hat to that old flag and all the
16:14
servicemen and women and all the
16:15
veterans that have keep it flying.
16:19
Now till fall is the perfect time to get
16:21
out to Riadosa. From live music to good
16:24
food to what? My favorite event, the
16:27
Aspen Fest. But don't forget to check
16:29
out that Riodosa app. They've got all
16:31
the events and what you need to do. Come
16:33
out and enjoy Riadosa.