Land of Enchanting Pancakes

Editor's Note: Every once in a while, we will feature a guest columnist who has such a noteworthy food experience, that we must force them to lend the experience to Suburban Tasteland. In this first case, it is my mother, DV, who recently traveled to New Mexico and had the best pancakes ever. She shared the following account of her experience via email:

As you know very well, breakfast is just not my favorite meal. It simply is too much work and too early in the morning. I would rather have an additional 50 winks and pick up a venti chai at Starbucks. But, I have come across something that is actually worth hauling out of the sack for. Of course in your case, it happens to be a rather long haul, since this restaurant is in Pecos, New Mexico, which is not far from Santa Fe. What they do with pancakes, which I don’t actually like a lot anyway, is simply amazing. These babies come off the grill about 1½ to 1¾ inches high. These cakes would put Aunt Jemima into a jealous rage. The best part is that you can order them with blueberries or pinon (pine nuts). I opted for both with a tub of butter and real maple syrup. These fluffy little devils, of course, are not standalone items. They come with the usual brace of eggs and the obligatory strips of bacon.

While I did not try the eggs rancheros, I am told they are wonderful. And of course, when you order, you are posed the question of the ages—“red or green?” This only refers to the color of chili sauce you want with the eggs. The waitress assured me that there was no material difference except color, but people seem to have rather strong preferences anyway. Breakfast is served with tortillas, not toast.

The venue in Pecos is a place called Frankie's Casanova. The restaurant is housed in an old trading post built in the 1920s and is very well preserved. By the way, the desserts (a far better notion than breakfast in my estimation) looked remarkable. These delights were on a small table and for some reason looked like they had been brought in for a church social. No calories were spared here.

The bar is named for the owner’s brother, who owned the bar down the dusty highway. The bar has been shuttered since Frankie was shot and killed in a gunfight in the bar. His brother thought that the new restaurant was a fitting tribute. As you can tell, the Wild West lives on. Try ’em if you ever get anywhere near Pecos.

Visit Frankie's Casanova at:

Corner Hwy 50 and Hwy 63
Pecos, NM
(505) 757-3322

—DV