Restaurants in Chaparral

Chef Patricia Carpio and the crew at Mancora Peruvian Restaurant draw on an array of international flavors sampled from Spain, Italy, Africa, and Quechua to tweak each traditional Peruvian dish. Aromas of pollo saltado, sautéed chicken with tomatoes and french fries over rice, and seafood ceviche marinated in fresh lemon juices mingle and waft into the dining area. There, patrons dig into fire-roasted chicken and classic Peruvian desserts of sweet caramel meringue and baked custards.

"Luscious" is the word that the El Paso Times chose to describe the Quack Quack, a Square Cow Burgers, Beer & Wine creation that combines duck confit with dried cherries, chicharrones, and blue cheese. The lobster burger was another home run, with butter and chili mixed into the patty for a taste "similar to a lobster tail dipped in clarified butter." These are just two examples of the eatery's craft burgers, which also include bison, lamb, and chicken options—all made from meats that are freshly ground onsite each day.

No matter which meat they're working with, the chefs stick to a format that works: thick, not flat, quarter-pound patties that retain savory juices and stand up to toppings such as whole pickles and homemade mayos. Chefs deep-fry burgers on request and serve them with sides such as onion rings battered with Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout. Servers fill glasses and milk bottles with 100 draft beer choices, 60 types of wine, and cocktails for patrons to sip while watching sports games or doing jumping jacks to the DJ's tracks.

The hum of live performances echoes across The Percolator, where guests meet over mugs of organic coffee and plates of gourmet sandwiches and sushi. Chefs usher in the day with eggs, meat, and vegetarian breakfast wraps before moving on to lunch and dinner to assemble chicken pesto or herbed goat–cheese sandwiches along with seven specialty sushi rolls. Lattes, mochas, and creamy coffee frappés start days or cap off meals, and a selection of beer and wine rinses off incisors. As customers sip and dine, they lounge at the cafe's numerous tabletops beneath local artwork and vibrant murals on the crimson walls. A stage hosts a rotating schedule of live music, poetry slams, and theater nearly every day, offering visitors a welcome reprieve from frustrating evenings of teaching a pet tortoise to roll over.

Tabla’s shareable tapas plates encourage lively dinners as diners grab crispy tempura green beans, bacon-wrapped dates, or herb-marinated olives to toss into the mouth of a significant other or a passing policeman. Larger dishes hold heartier meals, such as housemade gnocchi, flank steak, and mussels doused in a fennel-butter broth. To accompany savory bites, table sangria arrives laden with fresh fruit and classic manhattans quench thirst.

At New Puerto Vallarta Sea Food And Grille, chefs marinate tender shrimp, crab, and octopus in lime before placing them delicately inside cocktail glasses or dangling them from a helicopter. Inside the kitchen, they flame-broil chicken and shred beef to stuff into soft tortillas. They also forge a variety of Tex-Mex specials, including fish and beef hamburgers accompanied by fries and soup, and fashion desserts such as baked flan to complement hearty meals.

Whether slathered on bone-in or boneless wings, more than 15 sauces flavorfully complement Hot Chicks Wing House's delectable bar fare. The sauces range from cooling coats of raspberry and tango mango to piquant sheathes of spicy barbecue and exorcist habanero, which can only be eaten with a pitchfork. In addition to wings, chefs concoct heaping portions of classic bar fare such as golden-brown fried appetizers, burgers, and sandwiches. As baskets of wings flap to tables, rounds of karaoke and flat-screen TVs broadcasting sports keep guests' other four senses occupied.