We pulled into Gallup on a weekday morning at 0900, having already been on the road a few hours. We were surprised to find a line stretching half down the block mid-morning on a work-day. After our fifteen minute wait for a table, and another five to order and receive our food, we understood why.

So, fresh New Mexico chile makes everything better. When the simple, New Mexican food you're adding our amazing not-so-secret spice to is already excellent, the result is on the order of OMG!

Between the three of us, we answered "both" to the state question. The green chile sauce was a thick, rich, smoky, and  riddled with hearty chunks of the spicy, local pepper. The red chile sauce was a silky concoction, with the deep, rich, homey flavor of a thousand memories of standing at the stove with my grandmother, dipping tortillas in hot oil, then the slowly simmering red sauce before stacking them with fine layers of cheese, frijoles, beef, or whatever we hid between them for a given meal. Only, this red chile sauce was even better than my grandmother's! 

Nobody saved me bites of either the relleno or the breakfast stuffed sopapilla,  so I can only take the words of my companions for the amazingness. Well, their words and the simple fact that they polished off every morsel! With delighted surprise, I have to say I'm looking forward to the next road trip that takes us through Gallup, because I know where we'll be stopping for breakfast.