Update on Hatch green chile season: It’s here at 3 more restaurants and H-E-B stores
The second week of Hatch green chile season is always hotter than the first.
Thats a given. The later peppers are harvested, the hotter they are.
That’s why this entire month is a popular time for dishes made with the big green peppers from near Hatch, N.M.
“There’s just something about Hatch chiles that makes them better,” said Mary Perez of Enchiladas Olé, ranked one of Texas 10 best Tex-Mex restaurants in part for its green chile brisket enchiladas.
She’s been known to make the round-trip drive to the Mesilla Valley and fetch hundreds of pounds at a time.
“I have to keep some year-round,” she said.
“People want the green chile.”
Every August, Tex-Mex patrons demand Hatch green chile flavor.
Besides the green chile brisket enchiladas, Enchiladas Olé also will serve marinated chicken and beef fajitas this weekend for the first time.
It’s always been known for craft enchilada sauces and old-time Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas in ancho chile.
The menu also includes beef or brisket enchiladas in ancho chile and curry or grilled chicken green enchiladas, plus curry chicken enmoladas (in mole sauce).
It was voted one of Texas’ 10 best by USA Today readers.
Enchiladas Olé is open for lunch weekdays and Saturdays, dinner Thursdays through Saturdays at 901 N. Sylvania Ave., 817-984-1360, enchiladasole.com.
More Hatch chile updates:
▪ El Fenix Restaurants launched their Hatch specials this week, including Hatch chicken enchiladas or Hatch queso blanco.
On Aug. 18, National Fajita Day, chicken fajitas will be $10.99; elfenix.com.
▪ Central Market and H-E-B Grocery have about 30 Hatch chile products from pasta to ale, including basics like Hatch sausage, chicken salad and pimiento salad; centralmarket.com and heb.com.
Hatch chile season is already underway at:
▪ Blue Mesa Grill, serving Hatch chile rellenos stuffed with cheese, smoked chicken or smoked pulled pork ($14). There’s also a Hatch chile-steak taco plate ($14) and a taco-and-relleno combo $14.
The highlight of the festival is Aug. 14, when Blue Mesa serves a special Hatch chile version of its popular buffet ($16).
Blue Mesa serves lunch and dinner daily, including a Saturday and Sunday lunch buffet; 612 Carroll St., 817-332-6372, bluemesagrill.com.
▪ Pappasito’s Cantina, serving rellenos, tacos and pulled-pork Hatch enchiladas ($17.95) or quesadillas.
Pappasitos also has Hatch white queso ($10.95) and Hatch green chile pork tamales ($5.45 for two). Pappasito’s is open for lunch and dinner daily; 2704 West Freeway, Fort Worth, or 321 W. Road to Six Flags, Arlington, pappasitos.com.
▪ Chuys Tex-Mex will launch its much-promoted Hatch festival Aug, 14.
Look for burritos and tacos along with Chuy’s legendary green chile sauce; 2401 W. Seventh St.. Suite 110 and 9700 North Freeway, Fort Worth; 4001 Bagpiper Way, Suite 199 (Arlington Highlands), Arlington; and 1221 Texas 114 East, Southlake, plus multiple Dallas/Collin/Denton County locations; chuys.com or facebook.com/Chuys.Restaurants.
This story was originally published August 8, 2019 at 5:45 AM.
