Tag: Tucumcari

AmericanBreakfastNew MexicanNew Mexico

Del’s Restaurant – Tucumcari, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

The 1950s was the era of American Graffiti and Happy Days.  Motorists were getting their kicks on Route 66 and listening to Wolfman Jack howl as he spun Rock Around The Clock at 45rpm.  Vestiges of that era are still teeming in Tucumcari, the easternmost major town in the Land of Enchantment along Interstate 40.  Known by locals as “the town that’s two blocks wide and two miles long,” Tucumcari’s main thoroughfare traces the route blazed through town by old Route 66.  That route is festooned with vibrant neon signage that cuts a luminous swath through the town. The nocturnal spectacle of glowing neon might be the siren’s call that has drawn generations of “cruisers” to Tucumcari Boulevard. Not quite…

BarbecueDog FriendlyNew Mexico

Watson’s BBQ – Tucumcari, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

The Wikipedia article on Eastern New Mexico describes the region as “mostly characterized by flat featureless terrain,” even likening it to West Texas: “Like much of the Llano Estacado region, Eastern New Mexico is largely agricultural and resembles West Texas in geography, culture, economy, and demographics.”  While Eastern New Mexico may not be back-dropped by spectacular mountain ranges or bisected by the murky Rio Grande, it’s got an enchantment all its own even if the Wikipedia writer can’t see it.  It’s also got something else the Rio Grande Corridor, for all its population centers and cultural diversity, can’t match.  It’s got long-standing barbecue traditions that, not surprisingly, have their roots in Texas.  By comparison, barbecue along the Rio Grande Corridor…