Seeing cows makes me want to eat steak.

[rating:2.5]

New Mexico is all about BEEF… ahhh how I love the South West! Driving along the long highways you’ll see cattle ranches everywhere – SO it was only appropriate to eat some meat in NM! To work up an appetite, my companions and I went to Organ Mountain National Recreation Area – a breathtaking desert with several hiking trails and camp sites. The landscape is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Mixed with dry brush, rocks, boulders and cacti, we spotted Jack Rabbits, Cows and the occasional Bull (which we steered clear of!). After several miles and several Cow sightings, I started to crave a juicy steak. We head out to the main road without a particular destination – we figure we’d locate a restaurant just as easily as we spotted the roaming cows.

As predicted, we drive by Cattleman’s Steakhouse off the side of Hwy 10. The fun exterior made me think… it can’t be bad. We enter. The scene seems local, the lighting is dark. We sit at a table and are causally handed menus. Prices look good, moderate. There’s prime rib, filet mignon, NY Strip, rib eye, skirt steak, surf ‘n’ turf, and hamburgers… to name a few. The sides are bar type choices – fries, baked potato, mashed potatoes, greens, etc. We wait and have a pint to hold us over. The service was good, the food came out pretty fast. I ordered the NY strip and mashed potatoes. The steak was medium, I ordered medium rare but the flavor was commendable. I enjoyed it, nothing special but it was a good hearty meal.

O and John Wayne was there!