PART OF MONTE CARLO STEAK HOUSE’s allure is in its unassuming environs, just behind a family-owned liquor store off Central Avenue in Albuquerque. Patrons must go around the back to enter the attached windowless, retro-tastic restaurant where posters of Marilyn and Elvis line the wood paneling. “What do you want to know about the green chile cheeseburger?” says owner Louis Katsaros. “Is it the best? Yes. Does everyone love it? Yes.” He inherited the place from his father, Michael, who opened it in 1970. The burger, made of an 80/20 blend of ground sirloin, sizzles on the old grill to the customer’s chosen temp, then is topped with a melty slice of American and served with hot Bueno green chile, shredded lettuce, tomato, and onion. The alchemy lies somewhere between the perfectly toasted crunch of a buttered sesame-seed bun and the robust flavor of the patty. Among the neon-lit semidarkness and comfy booths crowded with families, this GCCB is right at home. nmmag.us/montecarlo