[eat]
MEE Hmong Cuisine in Pagosa Springs offers a fresh take on Asian fusion Fast-casual restaurant has cool interior, tasty pork
Nick Gonzales/DGO
Nick Gonzales/DGO
Nick Gonzales/DGO
»» The Bangin’ Buns at MEE Hmong Cuisine in Pagosa Springs feature
»» The Lah Mee Chicken at MEE Hmong Cuisine has a strong lime »» MEE Hmong Cuisine’s Hmong Iced Tea
tasty, garlicky pork folded into steamed buns.
flavor.
If you’re looking for fast-casual Asian fusion food in Pagosa Springs, you could do worse than MEE Hmong Cuisine. As Colorado’s restaurants began to reopen when coronavirus restrictions eased, it was one of the first we visited. According to the restaurant’s website, the Hmong people are an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. I must regretfully admit that I’m not worldly enough to confirm the authenticity of the Pagosa eatery’s food – but what I had tasted pretty great. The first thing you notice when you go inside is the cool space the MEE occupies. In addition to some outside tables, the dining area features a decent amount of seating – even under so-
cial-distancing guidelines – and the work of a local artist adorns the walls. The restaurant has a counter-service set-up, where you order and pay for your food and then find a seat. The highlight of my meal was actually the appetizer – Bangin’ Buns. When it comes to eating meat for the flavor of the meat itself, pork always has been (and likely always shall be) my favorite. And this pork, served gua bao-style in a steamed bun, was wonderful. Garlickly, salty, savory, and just a bit sweet, these disappeared off my plate extremely fast. I dipped them in the sauce they came with, which added both a smokiness and some spiciness. The slaw that they were served with was a little bit tangy, and shoveling it into the rolls shifted the tex-
with coconut milk.
ture and taste in that direction, though I mostly just ate it on the side.
– contributed to the sense of freshness of the plate.
For an entree, I got the Lah Mee Chicken, which was thinly-sliced cooled chicken served over a bed of hot, sweet rice, with salad on the side. Upon biting into a scoop of the chicken and rice, the first thing one is hit with is a blast of citrusy lime flavor from the dressing. It was refreshing and, seeing what the cook was going for, I intensified it by squeezing a lime wedge over it. The dish was also a little bit spicy, especially after I poured the sauce (which I’m pretty sure was the same kind as came with the buns) over it. The flavors surrounding the chicken contrasted nicely with the mild sweetness of the rice, and the salad – though not especially noteworthy in and of itself
Finally, for my beverage, I ordered the Hmong Iced Tea. It was very similar to a Thai iced tea, which the menu cites as a source of inspiration, but perhaps a bit more herbal in flavor. I also appreciated that it was made with coconut milk rather than dairy, and as a result, felt a bit lighter than I think it would have otherwise. Overall, the meal I had at MEE Hmong was a pleasant and refreshing experience, and I’ll be hard-pressed to visit Pagosa, or even pass through, without dropping by in the future. At the very least, having tasted its pork, I must try the Baobao Ribs and the Stir Fry Ginger. —— Nick Gonzales
[pride]
If you aren’t watching HBO’s “We’re Here,” you’re missing out on a rainbow-colored representation of the Four Corners
If you haven’t been watching the HBO documentary series “We’re Here,” you’ve been missing out on a significant representation of Four Corners-area people and places. The show follows former “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestants Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara, and Shangela as they travel across the United States 8 | Thursday, June 18, 2020
recruiting people to participate in onenight-only drag shows.
ceptance to the loss of a family member to suicide.
The fourth episode, of six in the series first season, took place in and around Farmington and Shiprock and originally aired on May 16. In the episode, the stars work with four members of the local LGBTQ community facing challenges ranging from misgendering and nonac-
“We want to try to represent the diversity of America and became aware there’s a strong, if small, presence of LGBTQ Indigenous people, and Farmington was one of the places where that definitely became evident,” showrunner Peter LoGreco told the Farmington Daily
Times.
While telling the story of Nate, a photographer from Shiprock who is working toward making a deeper connection with the Navajo people, viewers also briefly see his friend, resident drag queen and winner of the 2016 Miss New Mexico Pride pageant, Lady Shug. Continued on Page 19
