At Mannies Restaurant, they say “Its not your momma’s cooking, but it’s the next best thing!” Somewhere between diner fare and home cookin’, just like its situation at the corner between UNM and Nob Hill, it’s very easy to feel like I’m welcomed as part of the Mannies Family any time I walk into the joint. Today’s visit of course is for the purpose of Mannies Huevos Rancheros, which I hadn’t had in years but still remember well.
Mannies huevos rancheros
Yes, exactly how I remember. Seating myself to some good, and unique in their own special way, huevos, I come to rest in a comfy booth. Choice of corn or flour tortilla on the bottom, I typically choose corn for the consistency. Here they do it right, just like the diner-perfect eggs and hashbrowns. Whole beans without bells or whistles, a healthy serving of tasty chiles with a light dusting of cheddar cheese, and lettuce and tomato garnish completes the plate.
The red chile is the most different aspect of these huevos rancheros. My server asks if I’m okay with their red chile because it has meat in it; otherwise, they offer a more traditional red. The whole purpose of this blog in the first place is to highlight viva la difference, so I order their version of red. It is almost a chili con carne because of the ground beef, but it has a nice mild red chile taste that goes beyond a typical Tex-Mex. I like it. The green chile is much the same, more typical in that it tastes like a beef-based green chile stew. The green is hotter, a tasty medium bite. It is easy shifting from one to the other.
Large and light flour tortilla served on the side with butter. Nothing special about that, except for the fact that it is used wisely to mop up that red chile mixed with egg. Today I also have a wild hair, so I order crispy bacon. Mmmm. Bacon fans should be happy here. Coffee is diner-fresh, and it’s such a family friendly (and family-run) place, I even see a few folks I know. One just can’t stay away too long from Mannies. Lots of other diner and homemade fare here, but they also do a few good choice New Mexican foods.
