Welcome to part 2 of the food tour of Southwestern New Mexico.
Last time I recounted our harrowing road trip through the Gila Forest on a thimbleful of gas.
We made it, clawed our way over the finish line. Which, I imagine is how Silver City’s bike race contestants felt the day before.
Silver City hosts The Tour of the Gila bike race every year – where the world’s toughest athletes come to compete before they head to their next big event: the Tour de France.
Having made it through the forest with a conventional gas tank, I can hardly imagine the muscle and fortitude that it takes to climb those mountains on human energy alone. Riders are a different breed and we were lucky to see a few trucks packing up their bike gear on the day that we arrived. If you’re planning a trip to Silver City, make sure to put the race on your agenda.
Silver City is a town with its roots firmly planted in the 1960s. Many people who came to Silver City were looking to get off the grid but still have some culture at arm’s length. There are museums, cafes, boutiques carrying New Mexico’s famous silver and turquoise, and most surprising for a town of this size – consistently great food.
Our first meal of our visit was at local hangout Diane’s. Strung with lights and framed with cheery vintage curtains, Diane’s is as comfortable as a worn leather couch. We arrived after 1PM, greeted by an all-day breakfast menu full of bacon, eggs and Hatch chiles.
“Where are you folks coming from?” our waiter Kevin asked.
With a half ton of photography gear in tow, it was clear that we weren’t locals.
We answered Santa Fe and then asked where exactly we were in New Mexico. More explicitly, in which direction had we just traveled?
That’s like driving from New York City to northern Maine, hauling your road-weary bodies over to the local luncheonette, ordering a Bloody Mary and then asking whether you’d just driven north or south.
