A Taste of Haven
2003 Southern, S.E.
Rio Rancho. NM
 

I know several native New Mexicans who have accepted the dumbing down of political office in America as a consequence of living in these times and who have shrugged apathetically at the attenuation of educational standards. 

These same individuals, however, become as agitated and vociferous as political activists when served chile that has been "anglosized"--that is, chile which doesn't bring sweat to their brows, tears to their eyes and blisters to their tongues.  Pepper spray has nothing on chile for these capsaicin addicted masochistic diehards.

I spoke with one of these chileheads after the January, 2006 airing of the Food Network's "The Secret Life of Fiery Foods."  He was still laughing at the segment in which host Jim O'Connor thought he was man enough to try the green chile burrito locals call "the devil" at the world famous Horseman's Haven in Santa Fe.  One bite had O'Connor red faced and sputtering, an experience shared by many people who also thought they knew fiery.  

According to O'Connor, the "devil" is the hottest burrito in the world with a chile that rivals the habaņero, a pepper at the extreme level of the Scoville scale.  For New Mexicans frustrated with the "anglosizing" of our beloved chile, the Horseman's Haven is the standard bearer for how chile should be served.  It is the measuring stick of manhood.  It is what separates the men from the boys.  (Before you accuse me of being sexist, let me say that women need no such validation of their adulthood or femininity--being the smarter and more mature gender.)  Native New Mexicans who show weakness may as well be Texans, as deprecatory an insult as a New Mexican can hurl at anyone (if you've ever experienced Texas chili, you'll understand why).

The Horseman's Haven has been a Santa Fe legend since debuting its high octane chile in 1981.  Originally situated in a smallish room adjacent to a gas station, it's been praised by Jane and Michael Stern whose Roadfood tome calls it "some of the tastiest New Mexican food anywhere, priced right and served generously."  It has been featured in Gourmet magazine as well as in Cross Country and most recently on the Food Network.  More importantly, it's been highly touted by the Albuquerque Journal's brilliant Andrea Lin, a native Wisconsinite with an asbestos constitution who calls its chile the "best and hottest in the state."

With the February, 2006 launch of A Taste of Haven, Albuquerque fire eaters will no longer have to experience chile envy.  The Horseman's sibling is mere minutes away, neatly ensconced in a nondescript shopping center on Southern Boulevard, one of the city's main arteries.  

The Horseman's Haven celebrates the horse with walls and shelves teeming with paintings, plaques and statuettes of equine nobility and their human companions--from the Mexican charros to American legend John Wayne.  When it first opened, the only adornments on the walls at A Taste of Haven were clippings (not even framed) from some of its many favorable reviews over the years.  Now, you'll find art of several mediums created by members of the Rio Rancho Art Association.  It's conceivable that most patrons won't even be able to see the walls when tears are flowing freely and their noses are running like a sieve.  

I hadn't visited the Horseman's Haven since the early 1980s and was eager to test my mettle against the pungently piquant chile that has brought others to their knees.  My reintroduction came in the form of one of the best breakfast burritos I've had in years--fluffy scrambled eggs and crispy bacon wrapped in a tortilla then covered with chile the color of kryptonite.  The aroma was intoxicating, an incomparably fragrant bouquet.  The taste was exciting and invigorating, an eye-opening way to start off the morning.   

Chile aficionados know that one of the best ways to "cut" the taste of hot chile is with sopaipillas and honey.  Since none were to be found on the menu, we ordered a side of pancakes, two light and fluffy orbs.  At the risk of braggadocio, I didn't touch the pancakes until having consumed the entire burrito.  

What I will brag about, however, is having survived unscathed (albeit with my tongue on fire) when my friend and fellow chile junkie Bill Resnik shared a side of "level two" green chile during a subsequent visit.  You won't see it on the menu, but chileheads in the know swear level two is chile with the heat turned up to inferno level.  Others, perhaps ashamed at their mere mortality, claim level two is an urban myth.  It most certainly is NOT an urban myth, strictly some of the hottest chile I've ever had.

The level two chile goes well with Haven's tacos which are made with blue corn tortillas instead of the more conventional yellow corn tortilla.  The otherwise unremarkable tacos came to life with a liberal (but safe) dousing of level two chile.  

It does take two hands to handle Haven's green chile cheeseburger, a monster-sized six-inch orb adorned with Haven's standard five alarm green chile.  The meat patty wasn't freshly ground (in fact, it was downright dry) as you'll find at the Owl or other burger bastions, but with that great green chile, it's not quite as noticeable.

To quell the burn after (or during) a meal, you might want to have a few of the restaurant's homemade peanut clusters.  They're available in three varieties--peanut, almond and mixed--and may ease the burn a bit.  Chile masochists like me, however, wish these otherwise delicious clusters had just a bit of chile in them.