AT THE LAID-BACK ISLETA GRILL, owner Leticia Romero has served up a comforting menu of breakfast burritos, green chile cheeseburgers, frybread pizza, and even Philly cheesesteak sandwiches for years. Then, everything changed. Last year, Romero’s modest, five-table restaurant in Isleta Pueblo took home the Judges’ Choice Award in the New Mexico State Fair Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge—in its first try. People traveled from near and far for a taste of her champ cheeseburger. She insists there is no secret ingredient, just Angus beef and double doses of extra-hot Hatch green chile and melty American cheese, yellow mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and fancy crinkled pickles.
Our restaurant is a little hole-in-the-wall kind of thing. We’re known for our breakfast burrito. We serve breakfast and lunch all day, which is a really good thing because everyone is constantly asking for whatever they want. We open at 5:30 a.m., and people are ordering burgers for breakfast and breakfast burritos for lunch.
I never entered the contest with the idea that we were going to win. I went out there to have our name introduced to people, to have our logo out there, and to pass out menus. When we won, I was just floored.
For about four months after winning, we had people lined up out the door. We’re kind of back to normal, but we still have lines. A guy last week ordered 35 burgers.
What makes a great green chile cheeseburger? I think it all comes back to heart and love. You’ve got to love what you’re doing, and it shows in using great ingredients that are fresh, nothing frozen or reheated.
➤ Romero's burger was just one of many showstoppers in the Unique Foods Contest.