With my arrival in the USA, and more specifically, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, to begin my new life with my love Christian, I could have never imagined that in this great and beautiful wilderness, I would find a mixture of fantastic and amazing colors, smells, and tastes! Everything here continues to surprise me every day.
Every morning, as I water my small garden, I gaze upward, and even today, after a full year of living here, I have yet to see the same sky. Everything changes every day and sometimes within a few hours as well. Some days the sky is dark blue; almost black…after a short time it will turn pale silver full of small white clouds. On other days, and these are my favorite, I experience 4 distinct colors, to the right a very dark blue, to the left, clear blue, to the front; a color of ripe orange, and behind completely gray. Within minutes these colors fade away like magic and all change to the color of Vanilla. Colors,…that remind me of Monet and his beautiful paintings.
Chris...Vanilla Sky...Sandia Crest...New Mexico..!
I started this post talking about colors, aromas, and flavors and had to share a little about the beautiful sky here in New Mexico. But, I want to talk about our special dinner to celebrate the first anniversary of my arrival here in the USA! Chris asked me where I wanted to have dinner on this special day. I’m sure he expected me to choose a sophisticated, fine dining restaurant, where we could share a bottle of Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon. He had mentioned “Season’s” in Old Town as a place he wanted me to experience. So, imagine the surprise on his face when I chose “The Dog House”..!
The Dog House...Today..!
The Dog House is the best place in New Mexico where you can eat the best Hot Dog in the world! (In my humble opinion) A very small place, even ugly to some, where what is most noteworthy is not only the vintage neon sign, which, when lit, shows a dachshund wagging her tail happily, all while eating several sausages, but also the original structure.
The Dog House is an institution…absolutely…no doubt! Its first location was several blocks east of the current location, which was built in the early 1960′s. The restaurant itself is the size of a shoe box, maybe even smaller and for the most part, completely unchanged from its original inception in the 1960′s. Inside, room for only 5 small booths and 5 stools to sit at the counter. This is not important; however, since most of the guests park their cars in the area outside and the waitress will take your order and serve you in your car. So…after parking, no need to get out of your car, just wait for the waitress to come exclusively to serve you.
Foot Long Hot Dog w/Red Chili & Onions
Foot Long Hot Dog w/Green Chili & Onions
We always visit in the evening during those cool Indian Summer Nights, but at times I wonder how it would be during the day, in the scorching sun of New Mexico, waiting…and waiting…for your Hot Dog..! A very hot experience, I’m sure.
Still, there always seems to be many, many, parked vehicles with hungry customers willing to endure the hot rays of the sun to sample the best Hot Dog in New Mexico. The most popular is the hot dog with cheese and hot red chili (with or without onions). Understand, this style is not “Tex-Mex” with pathetic parsley and a tomato sauce that they call “chili”. The Dog House Chili is a fiery red, New Mexico style chili, with a pinch of cumin (for a delicacy of flavor!) With a special smell, warm bread, toasted, smooth and soft. The sausage is also cut in half lengthwise and is also grilled slightly. The onion, finely chopped, and on top of it all, the delicious red chili…spicy and just right. I could eat two..! The Dog House is a must for anyone exploring the Southwest and New Mexico, in particular…..and Season’s in Old Town..? Well…there will be another anniversary..! ;-)
