As parting a gift at the end of the conference in Ruidoso, the organizers kindly offered sandwiches for the road (or the optional field trip). I had to get to the airport, so I couldn’t do the field trip, and I wasn’t about to waste a meal in New Mexico on sandwiches.
But where to eat? I searched for Native American food, and a place popped up in Mescalero down the hill from Ruidoso: E.L.A. On the menu: Indian Tacos.
There ain’t much in Mescalero: a church, a hospital, and a large tribal store just off U.S. Highway 70. Nearby is E.LA next to the Post Office. Inside is a quaint little cafe with all the necessities. I ordered the Indian Taco with chicken and a side of green chile. The photos, including mine above, don’t do justice to the size of this thing. I almost ordered two based on the photos on Yelp–and that would have killed me. I was hoping to save real estomachstate for one or two of the top 50 taco joints in El Paso, but that was not to be.
The taco is on an Indian fry bread, something of a crunchy sopapilla. The chile had some bite, and the chicken was roasted delicious. I will definitely come back. I asked about the name: it stands for East Los Angeles, where the owner lived before coming to the reservation.
When I left the restaurant, a family had set up near the store with a tent and table loaded with Indian horno bread. I was so excited that I forgot to take a photo of the tableau. I brought it home for toast with The Bride. We adore this dense, delicious bread. I also gave a lady a ride down to Tularosa.
Indian taco and Indian bread! What could be better!
E.LA; 170 Chiricahua Plaza, Mescalero, NM 88340;
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