The Rabbit Ear Cafe on a the dusty road to Colorado (or Texas)

It was late in the afternoon on a Friday when we finally rolled into town.  Shaking the sleep out of our legs, we woke the cookie up and pulled him out of his dreaded car seat.

I had looked all over Clayton, NM (all one street of it) for a decent, inexpensive hotel and alas! All I could find was the Super 8 (sad face).  Even the Best Western was $109 a night (there are approximately 2900 people that live in this town and they can afford to raise the rates that high?).  There was nobody there, why would the rates be so high?   The room at the Super 8 was less than stellar but it provided a soft place to sleep and it was close to a great restaurant (see photo).

The Rabbit Ear Cafe is New Mexican food at its finest! {In case you’re wondering, New Mexican food is a slight tweak on the Mexican favorites}.  I felt like I was home, I couldn’t believe how delicious the chili relleno was and the mexican rice was just a little soupy, perfectly tomato-y.    The place was empty, probably because they rely on the few straggling travelers that come through this town.  Two older gentlemen were there talking about old times while my child’s cries and screams echoed in the empty room.  He was teething and it’s very hard bringing him someplace that won’t send you packing when your child acts up.  Thankfully we didn’t have to worry about disturbing too much peace.  The place itself is really quite cute with signs on the wall and a cabin-ish feel.  Definitely someplace you could come in and relax to eat.

Our meal ended with a New Mexican favorite, Sopapillas.  Drizzled in honey, this is the kind of desert that would make you sell your firstborn just to have another bite.

Make no mistake, this is not a gourmet restaurant but if you want some down-home, tasty, New Mexican favorites, this is the ticket.  And look! They even have a website http://www.rabbitearcafe.com/