I can't remember where it was that I first heard about Santa Fe's Bobcat Bite and its burger. It might have been George Motz's documentary Hamburger America. But I think it was even before then.
Regardless, it's been on my "list" for some time now. And I was very excited to finally get a chance to pull up a stool and grab a green chile cheeseburger here.
These burgers are about 10 ounces and made from freshly ground chuck. That's a big boy. They're cooked on a griddle methinks, and from my experience, cooked peeerfectly, with a nice char on the outside and juicy/beefiness on the inside.
The better the burger the less the need for ketchup. That's what I say. Today at least. If the burger is really super, you don't want to cover it up in many ways. Except for green chile and cheese, of course. We had two burgers, and put ketchup on one of them. It turned out that ketchup screwed up this awesome burger. All you need is green chile and cheese. Of this you are assured.
In a stroke of genius, cook and owner John Eckre (along with wife Bonnie) gives the bottom bun a good grillin'. This hardens the thin bread up a bit, and keeps it from getting too soggy from the burger's juices. Brilliant.
The restaurant itself appears to be about the size of a trailer. And not a doublewide. The counter has room for about 6 people, and there are maybe 5 tables. The old-school cash register seems to always ring up a price of "0.01".
The gentle and friendly service makes you feel like a regular, even though you've got a Fodor's on the counter and a camera hanging around your neck.
The Bobcat bite lives up to all of the hype, without a doubt. The green chile cheeseburger kicked the ass of its neighbor, Harry's Roadhouse, and I'd imagine it kicks the asses of all other places in New Mexico that try to make a green chili cheeseburger. If you've found a better place let me know, and I'll be on a plane within a week.
Bobcat Bite : 420 Old Las Vegas Hwy : Santa Fe, NM : 505.983.5319
