Central Market's 17th annual Hatch Chile Festival is back in full swing and Dallas is still making a big deal about it. Are they worth the hype? Will they rearrange your culinary universe?
That friends, is up to you and your palates. Go sample, enjoy. But if you're like us and too lazy to take Central Market's cooking classes, the flavorful peppers are also available throughout the city's restaurant culture this time of year.
Blue Mesa Grill goes so far as to throw their own Hatch Chile Festival, replete with a dinner party from 5 to 9 p.m. August 22. With a full Hatch menu, available until the elusive little buggers run out, Blue Mesa has more Hatch options than Volvo, and you can sample them all on Wednesday evening with a $14.95 buffet at all locations. The most unusual item on the menu? The Pineapple Hatch Margarita.
Marquee Grill's $16 Hatch Chile Cheeseburger is not, despite popular myth, presented on a diamond encrusted platter; the pricy patty is, however, grilled over hickory and oak before being topped with roasted green Hatch chiles, grilled red onions, crunchy coleslaw and tortilla strips before being slathered with Tre Wilcox's own house-made chorizo crumble queso.
If any Dallas institution knows how to utilize local, Il Cane Rosso is near the top of the list with its newest creation combining Lockhart's burnt ends with roasted Hatch green chile that's simultaneously sweet and salty, but doesn't forget to bring the heat.
The Blue Goose Cantina is also running its annual Hatch menu (apparently restaurants with "blue" in the name always do this) with everything from queso to enchiladas amped up with a little Hatch. But for something more off the map, they're also offering a traditional New Mexico style stew with roasted Hatch chiles, pork, potatoes and carrots. Wondering who the hell would eat stew this time of year? Ask the 75 fans who liked it on Facebook this week.
