CHILES RELLENOS—poblano or green chile peppers stuffed with cheese or meat, then often battered and fried—are pervasive on menus throughout the state. In Taos, Antonio’s the Taste of Mexico serves up a truly special variant. After opening his place in 2002, chef Antonio Matus adapted the dish of chile en nogada—which originates from the birthplace of chiles rellenos, the Mexican city of Puebla—into an astonishing amalgam of sweet, creamy, and savory flavors. “It was the best thing I ever did,” he says of his signature dish, which elicited a visit from Guy Fieri last fall for a segment of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Matus stuffs a large poblano pepper with seasoned ground beef, apples, pears, raisins, tomatoes, and onions, then covers it in a pecan brandy cream sauce. Topped with pomegranate seeds (or dried cranberries in the off-season), cotija cheese, and sprigs of cilantro, it’s unexpected and memorable. “It’s hard to find that dish in Mexico today,” he says, “because the grandmas who cook it are not there anymore. Nobody wants to spend the time to make it.” Pilgrims who drive to Taos for the chile en nogada can have it six days a week. nmmag.us/antonios