Lick The Knife

La Iguana

I am pretty excited about this week’s blog! One of the reasons I write this blog is to get my readers to try out new local restaurants in the Las Cruces community. I like to discover and experience new restaurants and I was thrilled when I heard about La Iguana restaurant.

La Iguana is located in the middle of the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. You can enjoy your lunch either inside or outside. They have a huge patio area where you can dine and watch the traffic of the Farmer’s Market.

The interior space of La Iguana has a modern feel to it. There are plenty of artwork scattered across the walls. The one thing that stands out is the ceiling. It looks like a jigsaw puzzle where they left most of the ceiling tiles in place but cut zig zags around exposing the inside of the roof. I would have to say the interior is one of the most aesthetically appealing places in Las Cruces.

La Iguana has a breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner menu consisting of fresh food. La Iguana prides themselves in offering gluten free food items as well as minimally processed ingredients. La Iguana also has a full coffee and tea menu and also has a wine and beer list.

My visit to La Iguana was during their lunch menu hours. During lunch, they offer mostly sandwiches and salads. I ordered the Mike’s BLT which consists of bacon, lettuce, tomato on white, wheat, or a gluten free roll. It’s a classic sandwich and you can’t go wrong by ordering a BLT. It was very fresh and satisfying. You also have your choice of a side (house salad, pasta salad, potato salad, or fresh fruit).

You can visit La Iguana online at http://www.laiguanalc.com

La Iguana is open Tuesday 8:00am to 2:00pm, Wednesday - Saturday 8:00am to 8:00pm, Sunday 8:00am to 2:00pm.

La Iguana is located on 139 North Main Street, Las Cruces, NM 88001.

Boba Cafe

One of the most unique experiences you can find in Las Cruces is dining at the Boba Cafe. I say unique because the Boba Cafe offers the only dinner cabaret in the city. Besides the entertainment experience, Boba Cafe offers a wide range of entrees and I can’t forget to mention, they serve Boba Tea.

Boba tea, or bubble tea, is a beverage consisting of flavored tea containing tapioca pearls, or boba. The tiny bobas have the texture of rubber and take on the flavor of the tea. Boba Cafe offers a variety of fruity flavors of boba teas. My favorite boba tea is the mango with soy milk. You can either order your boba tea with soy milk or without.

Boba Cafe has a great entertainment lineup. You can catch musical performances, plays, and comedy shows. I suggest you arrive early for the cabaret performances because they are always packed.

The menu at Boba Cafe has soups, salads, sandwiches, and wraps. You may want to ask for a few extra minutes when ordering because there is so much to choose from. Last week during my visit, I ordered the California Club. It consisted of turkey, bacon, avocado spread, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato on a croissant. The highlight of the sandwich is the croissant, it was warm, buttery, and flaky. You also have your choice of sides such as: cole slaw, french fries, salad, or potato chips.

You can visit Boba Cafe online at http://www.bobacafelc.com/

Boba Cafe is open Monday - Saturday 10:30am to 8:45pm and closed on Sundays.

Boba Cafe is located on 1900 South Espina Street, Las Cruces, NM 88001.

Mesilla Valley Kitchen

There’s no question which restaurant in Las Cruces serves up the best breakfast. With a burrito on the menu called the ‘Hangover’ burrito, there’s no doubt that Mesilla Valley Kitchen is the place to go to after a night on the town.

Located in the Arroyo Plaza shopping center, Mesilla Valley Kitchen serves up both Breakfast and Lunch entrees. The inside of the restaurant has gone through a makeover in the last year or so. MVK is heavily promoting their famous ‘Hangover’ burrito with t-shirts hanging from the ceiling to large murals that say, “Home of the Hangover Burrito.” It still has that same feel that it used to have with a few touch ups.

Even though they are home of the ‘Hangover’ burrito, MVK should be home of the best pecan pancakes in Las Cruces. When visiting MVK, you have to order a side of pancakes with your order. They’re fluffy, golden, and the pecans add a taste of Las Cruces.

During my visit this weekend, I ordered the Carne Adovada breakfast plate. It comes with two eggs any style, a side of beans and spuds, cheese, and a flour tortilla. This dish is a great alternative when not ordering a ‘Hangover’ burrito. The servings are huge and leave you satisfied. I saved enough room for a side of Pecan Cakes!

You can visit Mesilla Valley Kitchen online at http://www.mesillavalleykitchen.com/

Mesilla Valley Kitchen is open Monday - Saturday 6:00am to 2:30pm and Sundays 7:00am to 1:30pm. Breakfast and Lunch is served all day.

Mesilla Valley Kitchen is located on 2001 East Lohman Avenue, Las Cruces, NM 88001.

¡Andele! Restaurante

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Las Cruces has to be ¡Andele’s! in historic old Mesilla. If you love ¡Andele’s! but haven’t been to the area in a few years, they have since changed locations, but don’t worry, it’s just a stones throw away from their old location. ¡Andele’s! also has another restaurant in the area called ¡Andele’s! Dog House, but I will give that restaurant its own review in a later blog.

The new restaurant location is situated in the Onate Plaza in Mesilla. It has the typical Southwestern look of adobe that you will find throughout the historic old Mesilla plaza. The interior of the building is very well lit. During they day they have huge windows drawing in natural sun light and at night they have a lot of lamps throughout the restaurant. The restaurant is very festive with Mexican paintings and decor.

One of the reasons many enjoy ¡Andele’s! is the salsa bar! When you are seated, the host gives you a bowl of freshly prepared tortilla chips and welcomes you to the salsa bar. You have your choice from a variety of salsas, and they also have pico de gallo and roasted jalapenos. ¡Andele’s! menu consists of a variety of Mexican entrees which also includes breakfast during the morning hours.

I went this week during the dinner rush hour and was amazed how great the service was at full capacity. I ordered the ¡Andele’s! house specialty, the Tacos Al Carbon. They serve you your choice of flame broiled beef, pork or chicken with grilled onions, limes, cilantro, radishes, lettuce and tomatoes. On the side they give you tortillas and a cup of beans. They serve a lot of food at reasonable prices.

¡Andele’s! is open on Monday 8:00am to 2:30pm and Tuesday - Sunday 8:00am to 9:00pm.

¡Andele’s! is located on 2184 Avenida De Mesilla, Las Cruces, NM 88005.

Miguel’s

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Miguel’s is one of the new kids on the block in Las Cruces. Opening in 2010, Miguel’s Restaurant is located straight across from the bowling alley right next to Pep Boys. The exterior of the building is vibrant in color and very inviting. Inside of the restaurant, the walls are colorfully decorated with Southwestern paintings.

Miguel’s may be a little deceiving. It feels like a fast food restaurant, but the quality of the food is comparable to a sit down restaurant. You get a lot of bang for your buck at Miguel’s. Expect to pay fast food prices. The staff at Miguel’s deserves a round of applause. They are very hospitable and make you feel at home. You order your food up front and the serving staff either delivers it to your table or packs it to go. They have your traditional Mexican dishes and serve both breakfast and lunch. On the menu you will find enchiladas, burritos, rellenos, etc. etc. Before entering the dining room, they have a salsa cart where you can grab salsas for your entrees.

I ordered the 3 Soft Tacos with Rice and Beans plate. Most of the items on the menu give you the choice of: Brisket, ground beef, pork, or chicken with either red or green sauce. I chose the Brisket with red. It was very tasty and also very filling! It had a similar taste to carne adovada. Miguel’s also serves imported and domestic beer and has a wide variety of bottled Mexican sodas as well as fountain drinks.

Miguel’s is open 7 days a week, 7am-10pm.

Miguel’s is located on 1140 East Amador, Las Cruces, NM 88001.

The Shed

And the award for creating an artful masterpiece out of a delicious meal goes to… Drum roll please… The Shed! Eating at The Shed is like eating in an art gallery. On the outside, the building itself looks like an old, adobe, shed. I guess that’s why they call it The Shed. The interior look is very contemporary with abstract murals on the walls along with southwestern paintings. You definitely don’t get bored with the decor throughout the restaurant.

The Shed is also known as the Old Mesilla Pastry Cafe. It is known for freshly prepared meals made from scratch. The Shed also has fresh breads and desserts for sale. The Shed is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. They are open Wednesday through Sunday, 7:30am - 2:00pm. Breakfast is served all day.

I usually frequent The Shed during the morning when my body craves breakfast, so I always order breakfast. I have heard great things about their lunch menu though. During my visit last week, I ordered the Quiche of the Day. It was your basic quiche with Turkey and Green Chile. The quiche’s crust was flaky and amazing! On the side was a beautiful display of mixed fruit which included: Sliced red and green apples, strawberries, oranges, kiwi, melon, blueberries, and blackberries. The dish also came with a side of fresh bread. This dish hit the spot! It was light yet satisfying, and accompanied with the fruit, it was pretty healthy as well.

The Shed is located on 810 South Valley Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88005.

Nellie’s Cafe

I like food. A lot! I also like locally owned restaurants because I like to give my business to the community. I had an idea to blog about local restaurants in the Las Cruces area. Las Cruces is dominated with local Mexican restaurants and I figured I would start off my first blog with my favorite one. Nellie’s Cafe. Keep in mind, this is my first blog and I am not an English major. My punctuation might be a little off and I may have some run on sentences. I am sure I will get better at this if I continue to post. If you are wondering what is up with the name, Lick The Knife. Have you ever had a dish at a restaurant that was so delicious you had to Lick The Knife? Also, I was inspired by my dear friend Justin who licked the knife once and that memory is forever etched in my brain. Enjoy!

Nellie’s Cafe is considered a “hole in the wall” type of restaurant. You may have seen this restaurant on your way to the High Desert Brewery. The restaurant itself is very intimate. By intimate, I mean crowded, but that just means you get to have an up close view of what the strangers right next to you ordered so you can decide on what to order yourself. Nellie’s Cafe offers traditional Mexican food. Their menu consists of your typical Mexican dishes, and also offer both breakfast and lunch. Their portions are HUGE so wear your stretchy pants. Nellie’s Cafe accepts cash only so be prepared. They also have an ATM inside which is convenient. Nellie’s Cafe is opened Tuesday through Sunday, 8:00am to 2:00pm.

Today, I went for breakfast and had a breakfast burrito. You have your choice of two ingredients, but went all out and asked for all the ingredients including both red and green chile. The server said the nickname for this burrito was the “Kitchen Sink.” It consisted of: Egg, Potatoes, Cheese, Ham, Bacon, Sausage, Chorizo, and red and green chile. (Note: I usually order my burritos “Christmas” style, which is both red and green chile, but one time I asked for my dish “Christmas” style here in Las Cruces and the server looked at me weird and asked what that meant, so I have stopped using that term. It might be a Northern New Mexico term.) This burrito is probably my favorite Mexican breakfast dish in all of Las Cruces. It has everything you want and all at a decent price.

Nellie’s Cafe is located on 1226 West Hadley Avenue, Las Cruces, NM 88005.