Danny Dines: The ATM-style burger

RIO RANCHO — I’ve been gone for awhile, and I am sorry folks; I’ve just been traveling a ton outside of Rio Rancho. The good news is that my credit cards are finally maxed out, and I’m moving back in with my parents. As has been in the past, you can expect a new Danny Dines every two weeks.

By the way, if any of you dare leave the City of Vision, here are some restaurants that I have enjoyed throughout my travels: El Parasol in Española, Johnny B’s in T or C, El Cafecito in Grants, 505 Burgers & Wings in Gallup, and Taco Bell in Santa Fe (thank you for always being open).

Guess what? The football season is finally here! With the football season comes many, many tailgates.

Folks, don’t settle on boring Tostitos with canned chicken. In the words of Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle, “TREAT YO SELF!” because I believe I have found the perfect tailgate food.

Cavz Burgers & BBQ is one of the latest food joints to make waves throughout the city, serving up its signature ATM-style burger to hungry patrons.

Cavz Burgers & BBQ can be found at any tailgate in Rio Rancho, and besides tailgates, they pop up at various events throughout the Metro area, including private events.

The business is owned by Chris and Christen Cavazos, and two of their kids attended Cleveland High School: Isaiah is an off-ball linebacker for the Storm football team, and Aliana is an outside hitter for the Storm volleyball team. Oh, and their other son, Christopher Jr., is a basketball coach at Bernalillo High School.

I first became aware of Cavz during the Storm homecoming game last year, and when I first tried their ATM-style burgers, I had a reaction similar to that food critic from the movie Ratatouille.

So, I was able to hop in my mom’s 2009 Kia Rio, visit Cavz at a private event and eat my favorite burger in town.

When I arrived at Cavz, I ordered their green chile mac and cheese, fries and, of course, their ATM-style burger.

For those who don’t know, their signature ATM-style burger is a smashburger with jalapeños and onions smashed into the patty. The burger is then topped with cheese and served with fries and a drink.

The burger was juicy, savory and had some beautiful caramelized edges. The buns were inward (to prevent sogginess), toasty and added a buttery flavor. The onions and jalapeños added a ton of smokey and umami flavors to the burger.

The burger was gone within three minutes (3:06 to be exact), and I wanted to order another one but resisted the temptation better than Smeagol resisted the ring.

Next, I tried their mac and cheese, which was gooey, creamy, filling and had some sweet kick from the green chile. It was gone in a flash, and I again resisted the temptation to order another one better than Anakin Skywalker resisted the Dark Side.

After my eating experience at Cavz, I was left with a certain thrill that many good memories are on the horizon this fall.

So, if you are tailgating at Cleveland, Rio Rancho or Bernalillo, enjoy good food, great company, and let’s soak up every moment that we have of football season.

Before you know it, football will be gone again, and then it’s back to forcing ourselves to watch Nigel and Sebastian play hacky sack next to the water cooler.