You guys are my compass, and last week y’all guided me to the Turquoise Desert Taproom in Enchanted Hills.

As one reader put it, Turquoise Desert Taproom is the “best place on the face of the planet.”

Now, that is high praise.

So, I took a much-needed break from watching Neftlix and eating Sour Patch Kids and stopped by last week.

“This is our home now; it really means a lot that people have bought into what we are doing and the movement we are making in this area,” owner Armando Martinez said.

Martinez owns Turquoise Desert Taproom and Dulce River Bakery and Coffee shop, which is next door.

This is a cool spot: Tons of TVs, live music and a full food and bar menu are available. This is the kind of place where you can spend an entire Sunday just watching football — and watching your fantasy football dreams go right out the door.

I was also happily delighted to know that every Wednesday local draft beers are $4. That’s a bargain.

Upon my amazing bartender’s recommendation, I decided to order the Turquoise Hoagie with homemade potato chips.

My Turquoise Hoagie came with steak (you could also get chicken), onions, bell peppers and melted cheddar on a buttery toasted hoagie roll.

“We cut the steak in house — 6-ounce portion. Pretty much everything is from scratch, and it hits pretty good,” Martinez said.

The steak was tender and grilled to perfection. The Hoagie was toasty and had a nice crunch. The grilled bell peppers were smokey and sweet.

And the best part? It was all covered in melty cheddar cheese.

The homemade potato chips were crunchy, crispy and had a nice amount of salt.

But I wasn’t finished yet…

I got a homemade snickerdoodle cookie from the bakery next door. And as you know, snickerdoodles are the greatest invention since the wheel.

This was no normal cookie. It was huge, thick and chewy, which is a rare combination for any cookie. It had that wonderful cinnamon-sugar flavor and had great cinnamon cream cheese frosting on top.

I’m usually not a frosting guy, but I really enjoyed it. This frosting was airy, creamy and the sweetness was not overpowering in any way.

I think I found my new hump day spot, and I encourage you all to check it out.

I spent a total of $14 for the Hoagie and homemade chips.
If you want to know more about Turquoise Desert Taproom, call 505-835-4701.

Turquoise Desert Taproom is open every day, but hours vary. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, hours are noon to 9:00 p.m. On Wednesdays, it is open from 3-9 p.m. On Friday hours are noon to 10 p.m. On Saturdays, the taproom runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with Sunday hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Turquoise Desert Taproom is located at 4405 Jager Way NE, Rio Rancho.

Where should I go next? Email me: [email protected]