Such was my bumpkinly naivete that my virgin ears weren’t subjected to a “yo mama” joke until shortly after my 19th birthday. The site was the Non-Commissioned Officer’s (NCO) club at Royal Air Force (RAF) Upper Heyford in England. The event was an irreverent ninety-minute show featuring brazen comedian Redd Foxx whose explicit brand of humor both shocked and thrilled the American-culture-starved audience. Foxx’s repertoire included lampooning nearly every ethnic group in the audience, invective-laden raunchiness that would make a stripper blush and a unique take on virtually every social taboo of the time. It was truly the antithesis of political correctness. Still, it was the “yo mama” jokes that shocked me most. As an unabashed mama’s boy, it rankled me that anyone would mock the sacred institution of motherhood.
Subsequent research revealed that “yo mama” jokes have been fashionable almost since time immemorial. Several sources confirm that the oldest “yo mama” joke is approximately 3,500 years old. The progenitor to Redd Foxx was a student in ancient Babylon who inscribed six riddles on a tablet. Although the riddles lose much in translation, one of them certainly poked fun at the promiscuous proclivities of someone’s mother. After Stephen Colbert failed to decipher it, I consulted my friend Schuyler, an amateur anthropologist, for his interpretation. His analysis: “in terms of syntax and clarity it resembles some of Kamala Harris’s “word salads.”
It wasn’t a “yo mama” joke my friend Carlos shared when recommending a relatively new restaurant in Socorro. He swore Yo Mama was the real thing, as good a restaurant as you’ll find in Socorro county which has in recent years become the domicile of delicious burgers. Yelp readers gave it mostly four and five (out of five) stars. As for the name, owners Diedra and Jason Vinson believe “the name just feels good,” and that “you can’t stay angry when you say ‘Let’s go eat at Yo Mama’s.” The Vinsons opened Yo Mama’s Grill in July, 2015, the culmination of nearly two decades working toward the goal of owning their own restaurant.
Situated on heavily-trafficked California Street, Yo Mama’s Grill is just a mile off Interstate 25. Its first instantiation operated out of the Economy Inn. A few years after first opening, Yo Mama’s Grill relocated to another building on California Street. Open for lunch and dinner, it features a rather ambitious menu that belies any stereotype you might have about a restaurant named Yo Mama’s. In addition to burgers and sandwiches, the menu offers several steaks, all hand-cut in-house from USDA choice aged beef. A number of seafood and chicken dishes also festoon the menu along with soups, salads and a Mud Pie (Oreo cookie crust, coffee ice cream, and fudge topping topped with whipped cream and toasted almonds) reputed to be worth the drive from Albuquerque.
In 2021, Diedra and Jason Vinson earned the New Mexico Restaurant Association’s (NMRA) coveted “Restaurateur of the Year“ award. The NMRA indicated “As partners and operators of Yo Mama’s Grill, this year’s winners led their staff and helped their local community. The restaurant supports many local sports teams, dance troops, medial charities and community arts programs and one owner even sewed custom masks for employees and others in need. During the pandemic, their Health and Safety Guidelines were adopted by the mayor and used as a benchmark for all restaurants in the area. camaraderie, and caring leadership have served us all. ”
20 December 2015: All burgers are served with your choice of housemade potato chips or French fries, and are adorned with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. For a pittance you can add cheese, bacon, green chile, avocado, onions or mushrooms. Constructed with an eight-ounce 1855 Premium black Angus beef patty, they’re the type of burgers that in a short time have made Yo Mama’s Grill a local favorite and in time, perhaps a dining destination. The Harvester Burger (queso, grilled onions, mushrooms, and bacon) certainly warrants a visit or ten. Though we’ve had mushroom as a topping on many burgers, none have been as suffused with umami, that savory taste sensation that ingratiates itself upon taste buds. In combination with queso, grilled onions and bacon, this is one of the most memorable burgers we shared in 2015.
10 March 2025: There are five burgers on the menu, including one named for east-facing slope of Socorro Peak, a slope is known as “M Mountain.” Yo Mama’s “M” Mountain Monster, a double-patty behemoth is nearly as tall as the mountain for which it is named. Our server told us her favorite burger is the Yo Mama’s Burger (barbecue sauce, Cheddar and bacon) on brioche buns. Pile on the ingredients (lettuce, pickles, tomato) and press down and the barbecue sauce will run down your hands (and if you’re not careful, your shirt, too). It’s a Kansas City style barbecue sauce with a tangy sweetness. The beef is prepared to your exacting specifications and is suffused with juiciness and flavor. It’s the antithesis of the smash burgers currently in favor. Every other restaurant should take a lesson from Yo Mama’s and serve burgers on brioche buns that stand up against the weight and moistness of ingredients. It’s a special experience when buns don’t disintegrate.
20 December 2015: My Kim will opt for a patty melt over a burger seven times out of ten, but that’s about the ratio of her disappointment with the patty melts she’s ordered. Yo mama’s version stacks up with the best she’s had in New Mexico. This patty melt (hamburger, sautéed onions, mushrooms, bacon, and Swiss cheese served on toasted rye bread) doesn’t just leave well enough alone. With the addition of mushrooms and bacon, it takes a standard patty melt and elevates it to rarefied status. The lightly toasted light rye bread is the perfect canvas for a genuinely terrific patty melt. The housemade potato chips are a wonderful accompaniment, much better than fries.
10 March 2025: Ten starters adorn the menu. All too often we order appetizers (such as salsa and chips) my Kim can’t enjoy because of her sensitivity to piquant foods. She’s pretty selfless and doesn’t mind that I enjoy such appetizers so much. I do mind and want my bride to share in that enjoyment. Yo Mama’s BBQ wonton nachos (fried wonton chips topped with diced chicken, grilled onions, Cheddar and Jack cheeses, barbecue sauce and ranch dressing) are an appetizer we both liked. Though crisp and delicate, the wonton stood up to the weight and volume of ingredients with which it was topped. Toppings were excellent and the melted cheese blend held them in place. The fusion of flavors works well…so well that the ranch dressing was rendered redundant.
10 March 2025: Socorro county is probably the Land of Enchantment’s most renowned practitioner of the time-honored art of creating and serving green chile cheeseburgers. No other county in the state can boast of the caliber of Socorro county’s many artisinal purveyors of our sacrosanct burger. What isn’t as well known is that in Socorro county, you can also find some of the best steak in the state. The very same restaurant that offers some of the state’s best burgers is also home to a wide range of steaks–ranging from chicken fried steak to ribeye and top sirloin.
Yo Mama’s steaks are hand cut in-house and are 100% 1855 Premium Black Angus beef. Steaks are served with house or Caesar salad and your choice of baked potato, garlic mashed potatoes, steak fries, house made potato chips, rice pilaf, grilled veggie kabob, or broccoli. As if that’s not enough, you can add an extra side for $3.00. If the ribeye my Kim ordered is any indication, steaks are prepared to your exacting specification. Moreover, they’re replete with an impressive grilled flavor and are seasoned to perfection. Though I’m pretty indifferent when it comes to steak, this is one steak I’d order for myself though I’d probably ask for it to be topped with Lemitar green chile. For her side, my Kim had the loaded baked potato (butter, sour cream chives, bacon bits, cheese blend).
10 March 2025: When our server delivered the mud pie (Oreo cookie crust, coffee ice cream, and fudge topping topped with whipped cream and toasted almonds), I had to ask where the rapelling equipment was so we could climb it. Seriously, this is a very generous slab of deliciousness. Beyond awing us with its sheer size, it enthralled us with its coffee flavor. On a Monday morning in which I didn’t have my morning barrel of coffee, the ice cream really hit the spot. This may well be the best mud pie I’ve ever had.
Redd Foxx would probably not have found anything disparaging to say about Yo Mama’s Grill. He would have been too busy enjoying his meal.
Yo Mama’s Grill
400 California Street
Socorro, New Mexico
(575) 838-3962
Web Site | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 10 March 2025
1st VISIT: 20 December 2015
# OF VISITS: 2
RATING: 23
COST: $$
BEST BET: Harvester Burger, Patty Melt, Potato Chips, Mud Pie, Yo Mama’s Burger, Ribeye Steak, Loaded Baked Potato, Caesar Salad
