La Risa

Outstanding service, good food - but desserts that are out of the world. All this at a little cafe in the middle of nowhere. What a pleasant surprise! Be sure to take a peek inside the desert cooler when you arrive and you'll want to "hang on to your fork" for one of those treats!

La Risa stop today for lunch with10+ of my best friends in spandex (bicyclists).  I had the La Villa salad, which was great. My friend had the BLT, a gynormous sandwich. Both were outstanding.  The teen boys running the place provided exceptional service. I want to go back!

When my parents said they wanted to take us 80 miles from our winter home in Santa Fe to a ghost town, i had my trepidations. You see, there was a recently subdivided 10,000 acre ranch in Wautros, NM and the land was pristine, remote, and cheap as a chicklet.

the land was beautiful, they put down a deposit, and the details of my parents impromptu manifest destiny will be omitted.

No, it's the work of the strange little Swiss real estate agent dressed like a cowboy who made this story possible. "Stop een Villanueva, 1 exeet ahfturr Laz Vegaz, then follow the signs to La Risa. Best food in New Mexico"

Sure frogman, just keep my parents money out of your weird, untraceable Swiss bank account.

It turns out the exit for Villanueva is many miles down the road from Las Vegas, and yet still the next after Las Vegas. There really isn't much out there.

When we found La Risa it was just getting dark, and the outside was a pleasant shade of Navajo/New Mexico blue. This place is small, cozy, and apparently Val Kilmers favorite restaurant in the area. Just search for Val Kilmer and Riberra and/or La Risa.

Anyway, the menu looks like pretty typical southwestern, with some unexpected twists, and things like hamburgers thrown in for fun.

My mother had the hamburger and it was delicious! It held together, was juicy and beefy, and the bun was toasted in butter making it crispy and and more greasy delicious at the same time: 11/10.

I had a trout stuffed with mushrooms and herbs (very out of place on the menu) and it was really good, but slighly overcooked. I don't know if it's consistently overcooked, or if it was a fluke.

My dad and brother had a stewed pork dish that was also delicious and came with a coupel sides (posole, red or greeen chile, rice, etc.).

Dessert blew us all away because it was all homemade pies and cakes. The owners wife makes them and they were phenomenal! We had blackberry peach, cherry, and something other one with the word "mom" in it which was cake. It was honestly among the top 5 (fruit) pies I've ever eaten.

If you ever find yourself around Las Vegas New Mexico, and you're hungry, drive the 15 minutes to La Risa. I promise you won't regret it!

ps: the bathrooms are all muraled and they're really beautiful.