Santa Fe, New Mexico Part III
We've completed 8 weeks of working on the road, including 3 weeks in Santa Fe. This place was restaurant heaven for us! We're not sure about the difference between Mexican and New Mexican cuisine, but no matter - we enjoyed eating it every day.
There are two foods that seem to be quintessentially Santa Fe. The first is sopaipillas, which are light, puffy, fried bread, typically served free either before your meal or with your entree. At the Sopaipilla Factory, north of Santa Fe off the main road between casinos. you can have a double whammy - a sopaipilla stuffed with shredded beef, and a sopaipilla on the side. (And the garnish is sweet corn cake - perfect.)
The other deliciously ubiquitous food in Santa Fe is chile - the sauce, made with fresh chiles (peppers), not to be confused with chili (the stew). Restaurants typically offer a choice of red or green chile - or you can have both, which is called "Christmas." (The stuffed sopaipilla pictured above is served Christmas style.) After sampling a lot of chile, we're pretty sure that green chile is typically spicier (hotter) than red chile, but restaurants differ, so be sure to ask before you order. Or order it "Christmas," the way we often did.
Our favorite Santa Fe restaurant, the one we kept going back to, was Coyote Cafe's rooftop cantina. We liked sitting at the roof edge "bar" overlooking the street, with great views of tourists and sunsets. Our favorite cantina offerings included prickly pear margaritas, elote (grilled corn on the cob), corn cakes with grilled shrimp and chipotle butter, and green chile pork posole frito pie. For us, Santa Fe will forever be the place with "our" rooftop cantina.
Postscript
For friends who are also foodies, read on for more highlights from our Santa Fe food adventures...
Most Impressive Fancy Restaurant - Sazon
The dining room was a visual feast of eye-catching artwork. Our meal opened with a mole tasting, with tiny tortillas. We chose our favorite moles, and our server matched them to proteins for us: duck for the traditional poblano mole and sea bass for the mole rosa made with beets and white chocolate. Dessert was poblano mole ice cream. Mind-blowingly delicious!
Best Breakfast/Brunch - Cafe Pasqual
This family-run place is a Santa Fe institution. The wait was well over an hour, so we put our name in and went to the Plaza to window shop and browse the artisans market. Back at the restaurant, I tried the Huevos Motuleños - a corn tortilla topped with black beans, fried eggs, plantains, peas, feta, and of course, red and green chile. It's my new favorite.
Best All-Around, Then and Now - Coyote Cafe
We first discovered Coyote Cafe on our first visit to Santa Fe in 1993. It's still there! And it's still outstanding! From the decor (Chijuly chandelier that looks like a ristra) to the cocktails (margaritas with salted foam) to the food and service, Coyote Cafe is stylish, ultra-cool and top notch. YUM.
Best Father's Day Dinner - Cocina Esteban
The salmon that Steve made for us looked and smelled so good that I took a bite before I remembered to take a photo. I just love that what made him happiest on Father's Day was cooking us dinner at home!
