6 Best Restaurants in Southeastern New Mexico, New Mexico

You'll catch a whiff of Big Daddy's tasty food as you turn off U.S. 82 into Cloudcroft. There's something for everyone at this homey joint, where the staff seems to know darned near everyone by first name. Don't expect anything fancy—just solid American favorites like burgers and barbecue, and some Mexican staples, too, like enchiladas and huevos rancheros. Though the menu leans heavily on meat, these folks happily accommodate vegetarian requests.

You'll find the standard array of grilled meats and seafood at this centrally located restaurant, which is part of a regional chain. While the food and service is merely adequate, the extensive and fresh salad bar is a relief if you're hankering for a big plate of fresh veggies with lots of toppings and tasty dressings. The dark-wood furnishings here are offset by big windows and a skylight.

Next to the International UFO Museum and Research Center, this Mexican restaurant achieves a kitschy flair with matador paintings, piñatas, and wrought-iron wall lamps. The kitchen uses family recipes in the preparation of ethnic favorites such as fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, and burritos. Cold beer and wine help cool the delicious fire of the spicy dishes.

This little cabinlike place on a hill is known for quick service and good inexpensive food. Step up to the counter to order hearty Texas chili, old-fashioned hamburgers, or the local favorite green-chile chicken-fried steak. At breakfast you can grab eggs served with fluffy, homemade biscuits. New Mexican food, like huevos rancheros, and enchiladas, are also on the menu. Vinyl-covered tables are decorated with old coffee-, tea-, and tobacco-tin images. This is a great stop for families in a hurry and on a budget.

Just 2 miles east of the U.S. 70 turnoff to Ruidoso is the little town of Tinnie and this real find of a restaurant. With a menu of traditional favorites like chicken-fried steak, rib eye steaks, and salmon meuniere, the food at the Silver Dollar is more than worth the drive, and if you're in need of a place to stay, they have two well-appointed guest suites ($100 per night and up).

Locals jokingly refer to the regular morning gatherings here as "the old men's club," where all the latest happenings in Cloudcroft are discussed at great length, and sometimes with great passion. Come in as you are (this place is casual personified) and get ready for great big helpings of local favorites such as chicken-fried steak. Don't expect pepper-encrusted ahi here: this is basic, rib-sticking Western food served in a simple, no-frills room where the wood tables and chairs and paneled walls may remind you of your grandparents' living room. The bar next door is great if you require more than water and sodas or one of the number of good microbrews.