Addicts are all too familiar with the symptoms, especially the insatiable cravings that can only be quelled by a fix. There’s nothing like the high you get from the addictive mistress that is New Mexican chile. That’s why we willingly singe our tongues and scald our taste buds to get that fix. What gives chile its intense fire and creates the need for a fix is a chemical called capsaicin, a natural ingredient that stimulates the mouth’s nerve endings, causing a burning sensation. In response to this burning sensation, the brain releases endorphins, natural painkillers that may produce a temporary “high.” So, the more of a fiery chile you eat, the stronger the soothing effect. Even though chile isn’t medically addictive, some chile lovers may be hooked on the high they get…just ask anyone in New Mexico who loves the stuff.
Better still, ask a chile addict who no longer lives in New Mexico and can’t get the stuff everyday. The withdrawal is painful. In dreams they are plagued by the unrequited yearning which can be fulfilled only by a satisfying bowl of red or green. They wake to drool soaked and chewed up pillows. New Mexicans are fortunate indeed in that we can satisfy our lust for chile whenever we want–and we want it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between. We want it in all foods sweet and savory. We want it at work and at play.
For years, one of the Albuquerque’s best hook-ups for your fix was the aptly named Mick’s Chile Fix. Mick’s, which first opened its doors in September, 2003, wasn’t situated in a bustling, well-trafficked, well eaten area, but in a humble brick stand-alone building in an industrial area off Candelaria. In August, 2016, Mick’s was sold to Elvira (a Mick’s family friend) and her family. As soon as the lease expired, the Chile Fix relocated further east on Candelaria to a space which previously housed Milton’s. Elvira, a delightful lady also changed (for the better) the red and green chile recipes. Signage no longer reads “Mick’s” though perhaps for continuity, both the Facebook page and website still bear the “Mick’s appellation. Considering how much people tend to dislike change, it’s understandable that Chile Fix will continue to be preceded by “Mick’s.”
Chile Fix’s new dining room is bright and airy as opposed to the stark and functional space that previously house Mick’s. The menu, on which the letter “i” in chile is painted like a red chile and the “i” in Fix is painted like a green chile features all the New Mexican standards. Breakfast is served all day long. Though the menu is proudly and primarily New Mexican, it also includes a number of sandwiches, burgers, omelets, pancakes and more for those who can’t handle the heat. One of the restaurant’s specialties is aptly called the Quick Fix (bowl of homemade green or red chile, served with whole beans, seasoned ground beef and a tortilla), a 16-ouce portion that will sate the hungriest of guests. Sections of the menu are dedicated to New Mexican dishes, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, breakfast burritos and an award-winning Frito pie.
15 July 2024: Salsa and chips are no longer complementary at Mick’s, a trend that seems to be increasing among Duke City restaurants. It’s a nice salsa, pureed but not to the point of being liquefied. It’s got a piquant bite that goes oh so well with the plateful of crisp, low-salt and heated chips. If, like me, you like heat with heat, enjoy a cup of coffee (or six) with the salsa. Hot coffee has the unique ability to enhance the piquancy of chile.
15 July 2024: Two of the more popular entrees at Mick’s are the Hunger Repair breakfast (three eggs, hash browns, two slices of bacon, two slices of sausage links, toast or tortilla and a pancake) and the Hunger Repair lunch (two tacos, beef enchilada, cheese enchilda, tamale, two tortillas, smothered with red and (or) green chile and cheese). If you’ve ever had a combination plate in which you can’t discern much difference between the enchiladas and the tamale, you’ll appreciate Mick’s version of both. The tamale has the perfect amount of masa with a nice texture. It provides a complementary contrast between the pronounced corn flavored outer “shell” and the chile blessed, shredded meat inside. The enchiladas are substantial with fried, soft corn shells enveloping generous portions of meat and cheese (this is a very cheesy enchilada). Rarely do you find a cheese enchilada as flavorful as Mick’s rendition. The tacos aren’t your garden-variety tacos busting at the seams with lettuce and tomato. Once you get past the greenery (and reddery?) there’s plenty of well seasoned and flavorful beef within the crispy hard shell. During my second visit to Elvira’s Chile Fix, my friend Bill had the Hunger Repair and loved it was much as I did.
15 July 2024: Among the items not graced by red and (or) green chile is French toast (topped with powdered sugar and two slices of bacon or two sausage links). Syrup is served in a plastic squeeze bottle. Four slices of French toast adorn the plate. For the most part, French toast is a staid dish that can sound boring. It’s consistently good when properly made, but primarily a high-sugar, high-calorie dish that gives you start-up energy for the day. Along with pancakes, French toast are breakfast favorites for the rare times when you’re not in the mood for chile.
7 August 2024: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention just how well Elvira and her family treat guests…and not only the regulars. I shared with my friends Bill Resnik and Bruce “Sr. Plata” Silver that Elvira still believes in giving her guests what they want, a have-it-your-way philosophy that endears diners who repay her kindness by returning. During the course of our meal she demonstrated her incommparable customer orientation several times. Not only did she refill our beverages without being asked, she entertained specific requests.
In honor of John Martin, my youthful septugenarian friend who loves burgers more than Popeye does, I had a green chile done his way–on a tortilla topped with green chile and French fries. Mick’s tortilla burger is the best I’ve had. That’s thanks largely to the green chile, an autumn blend with piquancy even a native New Mexican can respect. With flecks of bright red intermixed with neon green, that chile was redolent with freshness. I asked Elvira to “smother my burger and fries” with that green chile and you can see the results below. Next time I’ll have coffee with my meal as hot coffee tends to emphasize the piquancy of chile. The beef patty is thick and well-seasoned. The fries are thick and fluffy, the type of fries you want with chile.
7 August 2024: My friend Bruce “Sr. Plata” fondly remembers breakfast in Los Angeles where he grew up. He waxes nostalgic at memories of a small bowl of melted butter being served with his pancakes, of hash browns so crispy you can hear them crunch as you chew them and portions so generous you don’t need to eat another meal the rest of the day. He also remembers attentive service from staff with whom banter was expected. So, you can imagine his surprise when Elvira didn’t bat an eye at anything he requested.
That meant the crispy hash browns he remembered so affectionately, a small bowl of melted butter reminiscent of what you might see in Maine with a lobster roll and a chicken fried steak so large it would have covered a normal sized plate. As the architect of Sr. Plata’s Chicken Fried Steak Trail, Sr. Plata loves this dish so much he could be an honorary Texan. Mick’s version is worthy of inclusion on his page. It’s thicker than most with a slightly crispy crust. Best of all, it was topped with meatless gravy (my friend doesn’t do pork). If he looks perplexed in the photo below, it could be because he’s amazed at the portion size. Not that he couldn’t handle it–and the two pancakes he had on the side.
7 August 2024: Long before Gil Garduno was the NM Gastronome, I was a bumpkinly rube who was raised on the simplest of Northern New Mexico diets. I was weaned on such hearty fare as pinto beans and green chile, invariably on the same bowl. For those of us who still believe beans and chile are the best food in the universe, Mick’s Chile Fix has a quick fix for you. It’s literally called “The Quick Fix” and it features a “bowl of homemade green or red chile, served with whole beans, seasoned ground beef and a tortilla.” Memories of my own flooded back with every wonderful bite.
Though the Quick Fix is a sixteen-ounce meal, Elvira accommodated my wanting to enjoy the green chile as a “side” in a half-portion. Because my tortilla burger was so large, I had to take the Quick Fix home with me. Heating it up for my evening meal seemed to amp up the heat–and the delicousness–even more. If I could offer a word of advice to all New Mexican restaurants in the Land of Enchantment, it’s that they should all serve a version of the Quick Fix. Thousands of native New Mexicans grew up eating this bowl of enchantment and would love to relive memories of their own.
Chile addicts like me will readily admit to recidivism, relapsing willingly to the allure of our green and red mistress. Mick’s is a great place to get our fix near Route 66.
Mick’s Chile Fix
2930 Candelaria, N.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 881-2233
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 7 August 2024
FIRST VISIT: 15 July 2024
# OF VISITS: 2
RATING: 23
COST: $$
BEST BET: Salsa & Chips, French Toast, Hunger Repair Plate, Tortilla Burger, The Quick Fix
What a rare treat to spend a great lunch with Gil and Sr. Plata at Micks last week. It was every bit as good as Gil described! I had the Hunger Repair lunch and even my enormous appetite could not finish it. A few days later I took my wife there where I had some of the best restaurant tacos in these parts. She had breakfast and really enjoyed it – it was more food than she can eat. Elvira and her daughter were a dynamic duo serving our every whim. Both visits, or drinks were kept full and they even gave us a go-cup to take our drinks with us. In the immortal words of Ah-nuld, “I’ll be back.”
Top 90% percentile; whew! Much better than “What was that girl thinking??!” So glad you enjoyed it, Sr Plata. And Gil, John will be honored to hear that you had it his way. I’m sure he’ll have his fries smothered with green chile next time. We often forget to bring our ketchup, but who needs it here!
It was highly suggested by Lynn that I check out the Chicken Fried Steak at Micks, which as you see in the pic I did and I was filled with breakfast joy! It would rank in the top 90% percentile for quality, quantity and user satisfaction! And as Gil said, Elvira the owner essentially spoiled me!
Most cafes and delis on the west coast would automatically serve pancakes with melted butter but here in New Mexico I am usually given cold pats of butter (which are impossible to spread). Do they really think they melt??But she melted ‘real’ butter in a metal container and brought it to me and immediately basted my 2 pancakes.
And then I asked for hash browns very well done. People here think warm potatoes cut it but not with the Plata family. These were amazing, extra crunchy and toasty and not burnt.
And now for the Chicken Fried Steak. It’s not on the regular menu but it is a daily special and how amazing it was! Nice and thick and large cooked great and smothered in ‘No-Meat (porkless) gravy. Oh, I know you all like your sausage gravy but I go for the white gravy and so was very happy. I topped it off with 2 pancakes.
My only nit for them: though the pancakes very good, they were a bit too glutinous to my taste. I wish they could add crepes or Dutch baby’s to their vast menu. That would be amazing.
I was glad to share food with Gil and Beel. It brought back semiconductor memories from good times past. My Brother Lorenzo would be a true follower of Mick’s after 1 bite, hopefully he might try it one day…
Gil, why not just add hot sauce to increase the heat in a salsa?
keep in mind this question/suggestion comes from a heat-adverse reader who would never do such a thing
Great question, TJ. Most New Mexican restaurants don’t provide hot sauce with other condiments such as mustard and ketchup. There’s a purity–earthiness, fruitiness, piquancy–you wouldn’t want to dilude with hot sauces which tend to be acerbic. Mexican restaurants, on the other hand, do provide hot sauces, some of which are better than the salsas made at the restaurant.
so there isnt a product that just adds Capsaicin (and nothing else) to something else, like salsa? along the lines of those squeeze bottles of liquid flavoring one can add to a glass of water to make a flavored drink. You could put a bottle in your pocket when you go to an eatery where the heat level isnt quite up to your heart-of-the-sun standards
There are a number of capsaicin extracts you can add to food to make it more potent. They’re reputed to be “flavorless and almost odorless and are ideal for adding minimal or extreme HEAT to any foods.” I’ve never tried a capsaicin extract. Since my friend Bill Resnik bought me a small bottle of durian extract I’ve been wary of food additives.
well, of course, durian has strength in another, uhm, way
I imagine you can clear a room simply by taking the cap off of that item
We actually toyed with the idea of spilling a few jobs in our office area, but didn’t think it would be worth losing our jobs over.
Good news for chicken fried steak lovers! They offer it every day. That having been explained gave me the freedom to try the tacos on this Tuesday. All I can say is wow. These are the meat on crunchy corn tortillas with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes kind. I sampled the ground beef ones and was so happy to find it moist and seasoned. I’ve been disappointed in NM crunchy tacos because the filling is often just…cooked meat. Gil explained that the salsa is meant to be the star of the show. Often the salsa is too piquant for me which renders the taco bland and boring. Mick’s salsa is incendiary. My tacos were delicious without it. Three tacos were accompanied by rice and beans and not a morsel remained on my plate when I was finished. It’s taken a lot of looking, but I’ve finally found at Mick’s a place where the huz can get his tongue lit on fire and my food can be just as flavorful without reaching for the fire extinguisher.
Where has this place been all of my life??! From the minute we walked in the front door, I knew that we would be glad we came. The atmosphere, the friendliness, the camaraderie just swept us to our table. My only dilemma came when deciding what to order. It was taco Tuesday, and those plates of tacos being delivered to other tables looked mighty delicious. Often when I visit a restaurant for the first time I seek out a combo, so that I can try several different things all at once. Mick’s offers a taco, tamale and enchilada plate; tempting, tempting. The deciding factor was only on special today — chicken fried steak. It’s indicative of my good initial feeling that I took a chance ordering one of my favorite dishes. The last few times I have ordered chicken fried steak or chicken in other, trusted places it was…terrible. So disappointing. Mick’s chicken fried steak was outstanding! Tender, no gristle, perfectly cooked, with a light and fresh breading. Slathered with a goodly amount of a flavorful gravy and accompanied by hash browns, eggs and toast; such a deal, I’m telling you. The other noteworthy dish at our table was a tortilla burger with chopped green chiles. Options for green chile are chopped or sauce. Our waitress advised the chopped for true chile fans. It was pronounced delicious. You will recall I mentioned camaraderie earlier. As we ate (more like inhaled, it was so darn good) our lunch, the restaurant gradually filled up over the lunch hour. The staff knew at least 95% of their customers by name. After only one visit, I can certainly understand why. I hope to visit enough times in the future until they know my name. The icing on the cake that will allow that is the affordability. Such a delightful establishment.
Mick’s Chile Fix has now changed to the Chile Fix. It has even changed its location to a little further East on Candelaria. We went the other day and we were very pleased. Gill, have you been to the new location? We would love your updated review on it to see if you think it’s as good as Mick’s Chile fix.
Thank you for apprising me of the changes at the Chile Fix. Both the Web Site and Facebook site still refer to the restaurant as “Mick’s Chile Fix,” but the name isn’t as important as quality and consistency. I’m overdue for a Fix.
Paper thin tortilla? What the hell kin of New Mexican place would dare have the nerve to serve a paper thin tortilla? A stupid one that the owner doesn’t have a clue! Or is just tight.. nah, not interested!