Try the Green Chile at Nick's Garden Center Before It's Gone

This week, Westword highlighted some of our favorite restaurants and places to visit in Aurora, including Nick's Garden Center at 2001 South Chambers Road.

Since 1987, it's been much more than a place to buy plants. "The family-owned and -operated business transforms with the seasons, from selling locally grown produce as a farmers' market in the summer to hosting Santa Claus amid rows of fresh-cut Christmas trees in the winter," we wrote. "But Nick’s is arguably at its best right now, with a Fall Fest featuring pumpkin patches, roasted green chiles, a straw maze, an inflatable obstacle course, a haunted hay ride and more."

When my daughter was in elementary school, a trip to Nick's to pick our pumpkins and load up on green chiles roasted on-site was a fall tradition — but it's been a while since she was of pumpkin-carving age, and I started to hit up other stands for chiles in recent years.
Last weekend, though, I decided to drive over to Nick's for a little taste of nostalgia — and much to my surprise, I also got a taste of my new favorite green chile in town. There's only one problem: It's not available year-round.

After picking my own chile mix for my half-bushel (lots of hot Mirasols and hot Hatch with some poblanos thrown in, plus two bulbs of garlic) I wound my way through the games and piles of pumpkins before heading back to the chile stand to grab my now-roasted and fragrant haul.

That stand is also where you can — and should —order a cob of roasted corn, which you can load up with mayo, seasonings and hot sauce at the condiment table.
But corn's not the only thing on the menu at Nick's right now. Starting in late August, Nick's opens its weekend-only cafe, a small window with a menu that includes burgers, hot dogs and a BLAT alongside a lineup of Mexican eats loaded with green chile.

The latest edition of our best places to eat green chile list came out a couple of weeks ago, and I'd been doing plenty of sampling in the name of research all summer. But I never pass up the chance to try a new-to-me green chile contender.

With the aroma of roasting chiles in the air, I ordered the green chile plate with rice, beans and a tortilla for just $7.50 and a $6 crispy chile relleno. Served in cardboard containers on cardboard trays, both were a good size for the price...but how was the green chile?
Perfect. Deep brownish-green in color, with small bits of pork, a bold punch of heat and roasty goodness, it was exactly what green chile (the dish) should be: a vehicle for showcasing the flavor of pure, peak-season, freshly roasted chiles.

The cafe at Nick's is open just through the end of October, which means you have four weekends left to get a taste. Other menu options include a $9 breakfast burrito, a $5 handheld bean and cheese burrito with green chile inside, and $7 chile and cheese-smothered fries.

I'm already planning to go back for round two before Fall Fest is over and the cafe goes into hibernation. I could use another half-bushel of chiles anyway, right?

Nick's Garden Center is located at 2001 South Chambers Road in Aurora and is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, though the cafe is only open during those hours on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit nicksgardencenter.com.