Dusk is falling on the
western town at the very edge of the parched plains. Fewer than a
dozen buildings line the dusty main street. Howling winds impel
tumbleweeds forward haphazardly.
Even though neither of the protagonists has
uttered the old western cliché "this town ain't big enough for the
two of us," the scene is always ripe for a
confrontation between the two long-time rivals. You can cut the
tension with a knife and fork and it would be utterly delicious.
This confrontation isn't between the
black-hearted, black hat wearing villain of western lore and his rival,
the clean-cut, white chapeaued cowboy.
It's a rivalry between the
Owl Cafe and Manny's Buckhorn Tavern, two heralded hamburger havens
separated by less than a block yet inextricably bound by national
publications which champion them as among the best of their genre (in
westerns, this would be the fastest guns in the west).
The Owl Cafe is among the most
celebrated restaurants in New Mexico, touted for its incomparable green
chile cheeseburger. In 2003, Jane and Michael Stern, rated the
Owl's green chile cheeseburger on Epicurious.Com
as one of the top ten burgers in America. GQ magazine may
have done one better, in 2005 naming Manny's Buckhorn Tavern the seventh best
burger in America. 
Fortunately, the Owl
Cafe and Manny's Buckhorn Tavern have proven over the years that there
is more than enough room in San Antonio, New Mexico for two outstanding
practitioners of the fine culinary art of crafting among the very best
green chile cheeseburgers in the universe.
Manuel
"Manny" Olguin founded the Buckhorn Tavern in 1943 and though
he passed away in 1998, his son Bob (burly enough not to catch any flack
for wearing an apron in a manly western town) has carried on the family
tradition.
The restaurant is
replete with eye-catching brickerbrack and haberdashery (okay, they're
just motorcycle tee-shirts), but most male eyes affix on a GQ
cover featuring Jessica Simpson in a barely there bikini.
Simpson
was on the cover of the magazine in which the Tavern was named the
7th best burger in America, so it's only fitting that her image
graces the restaurant's walls and tables. Several racks (keep it
clean, this is a family Web site) also adorn the walls.
Alan Richman who
authored the article trumpeted the Buckhorn Burger as "the ultimate
in a burger with a burn," adding that the "Buckhorn makes the best green-chili cheeseburgers
in a tiny town devoted to little else." In June, 2006, I had
my first Buckhorn Burger in more than 20 years and though I tried to
avoid it, comparisons with the Owl were unavoidable.
The Buckhorn Burger,
brought to your table cut in half, is a stout, fresh and lean ground
chunk of beef dressed with the requisite green chile, cheese, lettuce,
pickles, chopped onions, tomatoes and mustard. It does indeed have
a flavor as big as the stars that decorate night sky above the burger
blessed town of San Antonio.
The chile (though spelled Texas
style) is unmistakably New Mexican with a piquant bite that makes your
lips tingle. Ironically, it's not green chile grown within easy
walking distance in San Antonio's famous
Sichler Farms, but a special blend of
chile from
Bueno Chile.
The reason given (and
it makes sense) is that Bueno Chile is already roasted, peeled, chopped
and sealed for freshness.
Every ingredient complements the green chile
which most burger aficionados say is every bit the equal of the one served at the
world-famous Owl Cafe.
Fresh-cut
French fries and onion rings are popular accompaniment to the Buckhorn's
burgers. Neither are particularly remarkable.
An excellent alternative is
the salsa and chips. The salsa features finely chopped chile,
tomato and onion and has a nice bite to it. The chips are thin and
lightly salted.
It's a matter of
opinion as to which of San Antonio's highly touted green chile
cheeseburgers is best. Savvy diners will eat one at either the
Buckhorn Tavern or the Owl Cafe then cross the street and have the
other.
To me, these burgers
are so evenly matched that it's not even work discussing. Both are
outstanding!
