And now we give you the winner of the 2011 WLB Great Green Chile Cheeseburgers of the American Southwest Tour- or something like that. We’ll try to shorten this for next year as it’s a bit hard to remember. Bobcat Bite nearly took the prize. But while there, I got to talking to a nice gent who said that if I was heading to Taos, I should find some time to fill my belly at 5 Star Burgers. He happened to be in the cattle trade- one of the good guys who values good meat. With that strong rec. BW and I headed to Taos the very next day. We worked a little, visiting Taos Pueblo and tracing the steps of Willa Cather’s beloved Archbishop. Had 5 Star been around back then, that poor fellow never would have made it back to Santa Fe and probably would have died a whole lot sooner.

We stopped at 5 Star on our way out of town, grabbed some chairs on the outdoor patio, and glanced over the menu. I was tempted by their burger of the month, the “Dude” burger. In part because I believe one should always pay homage to “the Dude” and also because I’ve become quite taken with adding bits of crunch to my burger. Potato sticks sounded really good. But I stuck with the original plan and ordered the Green Chile Cheeseburger. 5 Star forms their 8 oz patties daily from freshly ground, hormone-free black Angus beef. It comes to you as an 8 oz burger should, shaped like the palm of your hand rather than balled up like a fist. It cooks more evenly this way and it’s just more manageable overall. One of the things that really makes this burger exceptional is the slice of pepper jack cheese that blankets the chopped green chiles, holding them in place over the burger.  A delicious green chile mayo softens up the toasted brioche and helps to blend all the flavors together smoothly. I’d say this is a flawless burger. And we like their style overall- 5 Star has made a commitment to using local purveyors when possible and bio-degradable goods when you wish to carry out your supper. They also have a good selection of beer and wine.

We were pretty quiet as we ate- just enjoying the late afternoon sun and silently giving thanks for the delicious wonder before us. Once our plates were clean, we really didn’t know what to do with ourselves. Do we stay, wait a few hours, and have another? It took all of our strength to pack ourselves up and get back on the road.