'Hatch'ing a celebration: Roasted chiles at center of El Coyote's one-year anniversary in OKC

Every year in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Wine & Chile Fiesta celebrates one of the state's most beloved foods, the chile pepper, and the beverage of choice for pairing with those chiles is wine.

One restaurant in the Britton District has been bringing that flair to Oklahoma City for a year now and to celebrate its anniversary, chef-owner Jonathon Stranger is looking to continue to turn up the heat.

“When I made the decision that I was going to live here for the time being, it was like if I'm going to do something, I want to add to the dining scene. I want to give people options,” Stranger said.

Stranger's restaurant portfolio One Table Hospitality includes Bar Cicchetti, Osteria and El Coyote New Mexican Bar & Cantina, 325 W Britton Road, the restaurant created with the goal of transporting guests somewhere else.

“The biggest thing is with El Coyote is we wanted to bring, when you walked in the door it had to feel like a different place,” he said.  "How could we make this place, and this neighborhood start to be a place where people want to go? Somewhere that, once you walk inside, it's totally different.”

Stranger’s dad was born in Santa Fe, and his family still has a home there so the city holds a special place and a lot of memories for him. That is what he looked to for the development of El Coyote.

“There is a place in Santa Fe on Canyon Road called El Farol, which has been there forever,” Stranger said. “It just reminded me of that.”

From the decor, including handmade items from New Mexican artisans, to the food, Stranger wanted to provide guests with an authentic experience at El Coyote.

"What we really, really wanted to dial in here is this overall sensory experience of New Mexico. So, when people that travel to New Mexico, spend time in New Mexico or are from New Mexico, when they come in here, seeing them and their faces light up and I want to give other people that thing,” he said. "That's what really creates a memory. You know memory is more than — yes, food can do it — but it's an overall sensory experience.”

What is New Mexican food?

Stranger said that people often expect one thing or another when they come into El Coyote , but find something different.

"So when you look at New Mexican cuisine, yes, being in Oklahoma, a lot of people might think it's Tex-Mex, well it's not,” Stranger said. “It’s its own thing. New Mexican is this combination of conquests.”

New Mexican food combines dishes from the Pueblo tribe and those before them, Spanish and other European settlers and more, Stranger said. The result is a cuisine that, while heavily influenced by the chiles many know it for, has "a lot more to it than that."

"We want to create really, really, really good food at a price that everyone can afford, because the reality is, if I wanted to just cook super high-end food only and make a living doing it, I wouldn't be in Oklahoma,” Stranger said.

Bigger cities exist with people making higher incomes that can afford to spend more to dine out more often, Stranger points out. However, he said there are aspects that influenced his choice to build his brand here.

“People here appreciate really good food. They don't necessarily appreciate — and this isn't bad, it's just different — all the pomp and circumstances that sometimes comes with those high-end restaurants,” he said. “So that's really what we focused on. What are really, really good dishes that we know are going to connect with people here but at the same time push them just like a little bit further?”

If you find yourself at El Coyote and unsure of what to order, Stranger has a few simple and surefire suggestions from the menu.

"My go-to dish is always green chile chicken enchiladas with a fried egg on top. That's like my home spot,” he said.

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Additionally the two "sneaky dishes" on the menu are the red chile rib tips and the green chile cheeseburger, either is perfect paired with a frozen horchata made fresh in-house, Stranger said.

"Think about how people eat wings like a bar snack, these small little pork ribs, but they’re slow cooked in red chile paste and they’re so good [...] so that is an appetizer and then the sneaker is the green chile cheeseburger. It’s so good,” he said. "I think you would come to a place like this and not think I'll get the burger. Get the burger."

El Coyote's first-anniversary and Hatch chile roast

A year into operating, Stranger and his team have hit their stride. Lunch and brunch service have returned after being taken off the table while the group found it's footing and flow.

Now, the staff at El Coyote are looking to celebrate with guests by bringing even more of New Mexico to Oklahoma City during their anniversary weekend, through the spirit of the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta.

"We're not there, we're here. So I wanted to bring some of that back. It's super fun, it's out there. It's great chefs and wineries and restaurants, so we're going to give everyone a taste of that here,” Stranger said.

El Coyote will host its First Birthday Bash & Hatch Chile Roast from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23.

“You buy a ticket, there's free food, there's a wine tasting, there's tequila, live music all day. So it kind of gives you that wine tasting kind of feel, you know, hanging out, wandering around, which I'm excited about. And then I'm going to be roasting Hatch chilies, as well, live outside,” Stranger said.

Hatch chiles can be any of a number of varieties of New Mexico chiles. Originally they had to be grown specifically and exclusively in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico, an area that was once a Rio Grande Valley floodplain and that has distinct growing conditions; now however, any chile grown in New Mexico can be labeled a Hatch chile, according to the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University.

Chiles will be roasted on-site and sold on the hour, in small batches, by the pound, until they’re gone.

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Stranger's team has carefully selected Spanish wines for tastings, the restaurant will have a tres leches birthday cake, and guests can take part in piñatas and prizes, as well. In addition to the free food included in the ticket price, the restaurant's full menu will be available for purchase. There also will be options to purchase additional wines by the glass and by the retail bottle.

All-access tickets are $40 per person and will only be available at the door, on the day of the event. Tickets include Spanish wine tastings with an on-site wine expert, snacks, and access to the party’s activities and events. An option for a $20 ticket will be available for those under 21, accompanied by a ticketed adult.

El Coyote is open for regular business hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week for lunch and weekend brunch and from 4 to 10 p.m. for dinner Sunday through Wednesday and 4 to midnight Thursday through Saturday.

Stranger said that while the restaurant is still seeing full weekend dinner services, the restaurant's use of Yelp waitlist has helped minimize wait times for tables and guests should utilize the option for the fastest seating.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: El Coyote to mark one year celebration with Hatch chile roast, party