Ellis Island Hatch Chile Roast

I was really excited about this event, not sure why, but I’m glad I had the excitement built up inside me because the event was really fun. I brought along my boyfriend (his first time out on a Unilocal event with me) and he really had a good time too.
First off the beer was a-​flowing which was awesome. My boyfriend and I quickly partook of this offering when we arrived because dang, it was hot. However — the sun quickly went down and the temperatures dropped dramatically. After that happened my boyfriend and I decided to get the Sliders topped with the wonderful hatch chiles. The burgers were okay, the chiles were phenomenal.
The VIP section for Unilocalers was awesome too. I enjoyed some conversations with various people before retreating inside Ellis Island to catch some AC.
I loved that the food trucks were there, but I did not partake of anything from them. However, I really wanted to try the SnOwOnO truck! Oh well… next time!
Had so much fun! :)

Hatch chiles are the pride of New Mexico, and it was so cool to see an event like this in Vegas! I had a great time at the Hatch Chile Roast at Ellis Island. It was a lot of fun to hang out in the VIP tent and meet new people while enjoying great food and beer. I rarely drink beer, but the special green chile beer was nice and refreshing. I also tried a tasty chile relleno from Ellis Island. The batter was a little heavy, but I really liked the fajita vegetables in the sauce that topped the chile, and the selection of a nice melting cheese for the filling. I’m now officially a fan of Sloppi Jo’s green chile mac and cheese! The sauce is so rich and creamy, and the chiles add a lot of heat to this dish.
I love the smell of roasting chiles, which I remember as a staple at Farmer’s Markets in Denver. They were giving out bags of freshly roasted Hatch peppers as a very generous sample, so now I’m perfecting my own mac and cheese recipe at home!

You hatch… err, *had* me at «green chiles. This was on my calendar even before I found out I was a VIP-​access Unilocaler… the rest just made it that much more fun!
Haven’t tried green chile beer? You are missing out! Just that kick it needs, and so yummy in the heat. I wish I could drink beer, not just taste it, because I wanted more of it!
In addition to some of Vegas’ fave food trucks (Sloppi Jo’s, Lulu’s On the Move, and SnOwOnO Shave Ice), Ellis Island had their own offerings. The hatch chile chili (I found it to be more of a stew) was phenomenal (a popular treat, we discovered, as they ran out as the crowd made a run on it!)! The chile relleno was good, though I wanted more chile bite; these were roasted to an almost too-​sweet flavor for my taste. The green chile sliders were really tasty as well. A bit on the dry side, but very well put together and the flavors were spot on.
Not to discount the aforementioned trucks, their menus highlighted the chiles as well and everyone seemed to have their place. The overall list of food and drink options was broad yet cohesive, with something for everyone. Very well done and very tasty! (Jo’s PB Maple Bacon cupcakes were a great diabetic coma after a mouthful of chile goodness, Lulu’s green chile corn dogs (more chiles please!) were good, and SnOwOnO shave ices are perfect in the summer heat!).
Talking to some people as I traversed the crowd, it was hard to believe I was also getting a little bit of an education at the same time (thanks to NM department of Ag)! Information, swag, free chiles… Add to that a fun DJ and playlist, great crowd interaction, a watermelon eating contest, and food, food, food… #eventwin
The Unilocal community is part of this event’s rating. Friendly folks who are ready to share food, ideas, stories and smiles. It was great to be able to share that! Cool people bonding over tasty food in the Vegas heat? It was a lot of fun to put real faces to photos and profiles and get to know some of the people here!
Outside, service and people and food were great. My only real con was the balance of service INSIDE the casino during the event… because it was slow, inattentive, and seemed unable to handle the crowd moving in and out (um, AC anyone?). The bartenders in the karaōke lounge and at the center bar seemed distracted. They were busy, yes, but it seemed more lackadaisical versus swamped by patrons. I don’t know if they needed more staff or just more involved staff. Either way, it needs to step up a bit when hosting an event as successful as the roast seems to be.
Overall, a fab event (which is where the rating comes from), just wish for more from the inside staff.

Any excuse to go out and meet cool people is enough reason for me to get out of the house. I am also on a mission to bring out friends who are not on Unilocal to show them what they are missing out on. On top of that, getting the chance to enjoy special hatch chile concoctions made it that much more enjoyable. Every business at the event had at least one item, on the menu, that used the special ingredient of the day. The ingenuity and creativity shown by all the chefs makes me want to get some friends together and have an Iron Chef competition using the complimentary bag of roasted peppers.
Trying almost everything there left me feeling under the weather by the time I was about to go home. Do I regret indulging in gluttony? Truthfully, a little, but I did enjoy almost everything.
Lulu’s on the Move had many items that contained pulled pork, which limited what my friend could eat. We ended up getting the strawberry shortcake doughnuts ($ 5) and they were indulgent. The four or five large balls of dough were fried, immediately thrown into sugar, then topped with a warm strawberry sauce that contained chunks of real fruit. They were amazing. Met Tony T. in line and he shared some of his dirty chips with me. It would be easy to inhale a whole order if one was not paying attention.
We then headed over to claim a few beers. My friend got the Weiss and I tried the Chile beer. Both were enjoyable, but I preferred mine because it had a nice finish. The aftertaste of chile was just enough without being overbearing.
Next down the line was the Ellis Island stand. In the attempt to behave, we limited ourselves to two items; the chili rellenos and the hatch chile sliders. Both were decent, but not spectacular. The chile relish on top of the sliders was my favorite.
Sylvia Q. was boasting about how good the root beer was, so we stopped to get one. It was refreshing and the carbonation helped me to continue the food tour.
Snow Ono was a must because I had been going on and on about the Tiger’s Blood. Getting a small with the fore mentioned flavor, the mango hatch chile, and ice cream ($ 5) was a good way to end. The mango syrup was too thick to fully penetrate the shave ice, but mixing the Tiger’s Blood into it made for a good contrast.
My friend was impressed with all the nice people she met, was talking about signing up, and even threatened to show me up. Thank you Misti for setting up a nice area for the Unilocalers and fueling us throughout the night.

New Mexico Hatch Green Chiles… Tis’ the season, and that was the main focus at this shindig at The Ellis Island Casino.
The New Mexico Department of Agriculture was on hand, roasting up these bad boys, and also providing free recipes, information, and swag… we also got to take home bags of fire roasted chiles-​SWEET!!!
Three of Las Vegas’ food trucks (Sloppi Jo’s, Lulu’s on the Move, and SnOw Ono) as well as the chefs at Ellis Island Casino served up creations showcasing the New Mexico Hatch Green Chile.
A few lucky Unilocalers won special «VIP» status (Thanks Misti!!!) which included:
–VIP Seating area under the Unilocal tent
–Free microbrews from Ellis Island-(Weiss, Amber, Root Beer, and a special Green Chile Beer
–Complimentary food from Ellis Island’s Chefs–
Chicken and Hatch Chile Fajitas
Mini Hatch Chile Sliders
Hatch Chile Rellenos
Pork and Hatch Chile Verde
There was also a watermelon eating contest, and $ 100 for the lucky winner.
One of the contestants wasn’t so lucky, as she threw up her watrmelon-​YUCK!!!
Overall, an awesome event with good food, good friends, and good fun… ALOHA!!!
Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE-(10/365) Hatch Chile Madness!!!