Located along the braided routes of
the historic Camino Real (the Royal Road) which skirts the Rio Grande,
Belen remains the hub for two major rail lines. To this day, an
average of 110 trains travel through Belen every 24-hour period.
In 1901, to capitalize on the railway
traffic, the Fred Harvey Company built one of the sixteen Harvey Houses
it would build in New Mexico. Belen's Harvey House provided lunch
and dining facilities in close proximity to the tracks.
The Harvey House was bustling with
railroad crews well into the twentieth century's fourth decade and
served as a social center for the community until its closure shortly
after World War II ended.
Four years after the war to end all
wars, Pete and Eligia Torres launched Pete's Cafe across the street and
acequia from the old Harvey House. Though neither had any
restaurant experience, they delighted travelers and railway employees
with their cafe--even though the Torres family didn't begin serving New
Mexican cuisine for about twenty years when local traffic surpassed
train traffic.
As
it approaches its sixtieth year, Pete's continues to thrive because it
operates under a simple philosophy: Not the best because it's the
oldest; it's the oldest because it's the best.
For nearly six decades, Pete's has
held steadfast to three strong commitments, the first based on the
belief that chile is basic to New Mexico. Pete's celebrates
the growing, harvesting and preparation of chile in the family home
across generations. That chile is prevalent in the menu.
The second commitment centers around
authenticity. The chile Pete's selects is prepared fresh daily.
Great care is taken to ensure the use of fresh ingredients, proper
cooking time and temperature and strict adherence to to time-tested
recipes.
The third and most important
commitment is the striving to ensure consistency in the flavor of each
and every meal served daily. Pete's wants to provide their loyal
patrons with the same delicious taste they have come to expect over the
years.
My first visit to Pete's Cafe was in
1979 when at a mere 30 years old it was already very well established as perhaps the
most popular restaurant in Belen. Today, as the city's oldest
restaurant, it is practically venerated. Pete's Cafe is a local
institution!
Over the years Pete's has grown from a
one-room diner with a capacity of forty to a sprawling restaurant that
can accommodate 140 patrons in several tastefully decorated dining
rooms.
The front room includes exposed red
brick with green foliage reaching skyward toward skylights that bring in
New Mexico's sun. A large dining room beyond the kitchen has a
unique latilla ceiling while a north-facing room includes stained glass
windows. Every dining room features either or both woven
tapestries and framed paintings or prints.
Just above the fireplace on an
east-facing dining room is a framed picture of Pete Torres, who passed
on to his eternal reward in 1977. Eligia's photograph is at his
right.
Married four years when the restaurant
opened in 1949, Eligia has remained a constant presence from the onset.
She still comes to work every day and serves as the restaurant's
official chile tester, ensuring the consistency and authenticity that
defines Pete's commitments to their patrons. Eligia's daughter
Theresa Padilla and her husband Alfred work hand-in-hand with her.
Being restaurateurs is part and parcel
of the Torres pedigree. Pete, Jr. and his wife Hortencia founded
Teofilo's restaurant in Los Lunas. Teofilo's is situated in a
yawning hacienda registered as a State Landmark. Eligia's grandson
Japhen Torres opened the
Zia Cafe, a New Mexican restaurant in
Chicago's Lincoln Park area. All indications are that Chicagoans
love Zia's sopaipillas and salsa.
They darned well should! After
all, the Zia Cafe has a long and proud heritage defined by commitment to
chile, authenticity and consistency.
Around Belen, locals recite one of the
mottos for which Pete's is known--Pete's Cafe: beef or bean, red or
green. New Mexicans know this is in reference to with what your
burritos or sopaipillas are stuffed as well as how they are topped.
Shortly after you're seated, a basket
of crisp chips and a small porcelain ramekin of fiery salsa make
it to your table. The salsa is a rich red jalapeno based salsa
with a bite to it. A re-serving of salsa is complementary.
After that there's a small charge.
Even better than the salsa is Pete's
chile con queso which I rate up there with the con queso at
El Bruno's in Cuba. Pete's con
queso is made from a blend of Cheddar and Velveeta cheeses, jalapenos
and other ingredients, some of which we were unable to discern. It
may have been my imagination, but I believe the con queso includes
caramelized onions. In any case, it is outstanding!
The
menu includes all the New Mexican favorites, but what distinguishes them
from other restaurants is the red and green chile, both of which have an
earthy, fresh flavor and plenty of heat.
Unlike at lesser New Mexican
restaurants, Pete's red chile isn't overwhelmed by thickening agents
such as corn starch. It's pure, unadulterated red chile that
impresses itself on your taste buds and memory. The green chile is
perhaps even more piquant.
Enchiladas are one of the entrees in
which the true measure of a chile is revealed. Pete's blue corn
tortilla enchiladas, rolled and stuffed with beef then topped with a
fried egg let that chile sing. No one single ingredient dominates
this entree though the red chile is definitely the star.
The enchilada dinner plate is served
with beans you'll want to take home with you. The great news is
that you can--Pete's sells bags of locally grown beans. The only
detractor from an otherwise outstanding enchilada dinner is the lettuce
and tomato garnish piled atop the enchiladas. I've had smaller
dinner salads.
Still
another entree in which the measure of a great red chile can be taken is
carne adovada. Pete's rendition ranks up there with the
carne adovada at
Perea's Tijuana Bar in Corrales and at
La Choza in Santa Fe as the best we've
had.
There's porcine perfection in Pete's
carne adovada. Each cube is fork tender and melt-in-your-mouth
delicious. Unlike some carne adovada, it retains its moistness and
every single cube seems to be from the very best part of the pork roast.
This is the stuff of legend!
The menu has a line-up of a la carte
items as well as dinner combinations and dinner plates. All
combination plates and enchilada dinners include two sopaipillas.
Pete's sopaipillas are reputed to be
the very best in Valencia county. That's a contention with which
you'll agree. They're light, flaky, puffy and wonderful.
A la carte tacos are a bargain at
under two dollars a piece for generously stuffed shells bursting at the
seams with beans and beef. Once you get past the garnish, there's
much deliciousness there.
There's a lot of
deliciousness in Pete's desserts, too. Sweet-tooth offerings
include the house specialty, a coconut cream or pineapple cream pie,
both under two dollars a slice.
There's also walnut and carrot cake,
Italian cream cake, Pete's famous Adobe pie (Oreo cookie crust filled
with coffee ice cream), ice cream, natillas and flan.
Natillas have been prepared in New
Mexico for hundreds of years and Pete's has the recipe down pat.
Pete's natillas are creamy and waist-expanding rich.
While many people seem to consider Los
Lunas and Belen solely as "bedroom communities" for wage-earners in
Albuquerque, they should also consider them as dining destinations.
With restaurants on par or better than
can be found in the Duke City--restaurants such as Pete's Cafe in Belen
and
Benny's Mexican Kitchen in Los
Lunas--Valencia County is on the culinary map.
