Sugar's

1799 SR-68, Embudo, NM - (505) 852-0604

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Posted By Michael Stern on 1/27/2003 9:48:00 PM

Sugar is a beauty. She is the proprietors’ bulldog, whom you can usually see in the yard to the left of the tin trailer where you place your order at a window then wait while they cook it inside. Her picture also adorns the wall-mounted menu, which is a roadside roster of burgers and green chile cheeseburgers, corn dogs, burritos, and of course, Fritos pie.

We never tried any of those things because we were too busy eating Sugar’s excellent barbecue. It’s brisket, slow-cooked until pot-roast tender, ridiculously juicy, and infused with the flavor of smoke. Basically there are two ways to have it: in a sandwich, veiled in a tangy red sauce, or wrapped in a tortilla with green chilies and cheese. We prefer the latter because, in our opinion, that sweet-tangy sauce on the sandwich distracts from the lovely, subtle taste of the brisket. On the other hand, the barbecue burrito is an inspired creation: thick shreds of beef accented by the snap of peppers and even further enriched by melted cheese. We could eat these burritos all day long. But alas, where we live, they are nothing but a memory. Such a fine cheap-eats meal is an only-in-New-Mexico experience.

During the summer, Sugar’s also offers barbecued ribs and sausage. The winter smokehouse menu is strictly brisket.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

barbecue burrito	green chile cheeseburger
brisket	Fritos pie

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"Sugar's is just a kitchen in a tin-sided trailer. Picnic tables are located to the left of the photo, in back. Many customers dine in their cars in the parking lot."
Michael Stern

"Sugar the bulldog taught her daughter (pictured here) to "perch" on the adobe wall near the restaurant and stare at customers as they order and eat their barbecue."
Michael Stern

"Barbecued brisket and hot green chile make a wonderful combination, with cheese, of course, wrapped inside a soft flour tortilla."
Michael Stern

"Unless you ask them to hold the sauce, the brisket in a sandwich comes bathed in it. "
Michael Stern