Bill/SFNM wrote:According to local paper, Rancho de Chimayo set to reopen Sept. 26.

Sounds like a neat place, but it also appears to have that Achilles heel of most enchanted circle New Mexico restaurants; the typical tourist focus, which means it usually misses the mark from the true local cuzine. Am I getting the wrong impression from the website?

Whenever I'm down in Chimayo I like to hit Leona's located in the courtyard of the sanctuary, those tamales, Frito pies & green & red chiles are some of the best I’ve had in NM…. Well at least after my Mother in laws anyway!

abf005 wrote:

Bill/SFNM wrote:According to local paper, Rancho de Chimayo set to reopen Sept. 26.

Sounds like neat place, but it also appears to have that Achilles heel of New Mexico restaurants; the typical tourist focus, which usually missing the mark of the true local cuzine. Am I getting the wrong impression from the website?

Whenever I'm down in Chimayo I like to hit Leona's located in the courtyard of the sanctuary, those tamales, Frito pies & green & red chiles are some of the best I’ve had in NM…. Well at least after my Mother in laws anyway!

About 20 years ago it was a fine restaurant. Last time I went several years ago, there were big tourist buses in the parking lot . The service was glacial and the food was mediocre. Since then, when we take visitors to the santuario, we try to stop at El Paraguas in Española.

Never the less, Rancho de Chimayo is a beautiful location, so I'll probably give the restaurant a try a few months after the reopening.

Bill/SFNM wrote:

abf005 wrote:

Bill/SFNM wrote:According to local paper, Rancho de Chimayo set to reopen Sept. 26.

Sounds like neat place, but it also appears to have that Achilles heel of New Mexico restaurants; the typical tourist focus, which usually missing the mark of the true local cuzine. Am I getting the wrong impression from the website?

Whenever I'm down in Chimayo I like to hit Leona's located in the courtyard of the sanctuary, those tamales, Frito pies & green & red chiles are some of the best I’ve had in NM…. Well at least after my Mother in laws anyway!

About 20 years ago it was a fine restaurant. Last time I went several years ago, there were big tourist buses in the parking lot . The service was glacial and the food was mediocre. Since then, when we take visitors to the santuario, we try to stop at El Paraguas in Española.

Never the less, Rancho de Chimayo is a beautiful location, so I'll probably give the restaurant a try a few months after the reopening.

That’s what I was afraid of, but keep us posted. Your right, Chimayo is a beautiful area.

I'll make a note about stopping at El Paraguas next year when we do our annual drive to the family cabin near Eagles Nest. I always seem to drive up through Sante Fe passing through Espanola to Taos, and then we cut across from there.

"Since then, when we take visitors to the santuario,...."

I would go to the Santuario, grab some dirt and pray that the food at RdC would improve. It never did.

Andy's Better Brother wrote:"Since then, when we take visitors to the santuario,...."

I would go to the Santuario, grab some dirt and pray that the food at RdC would improve. It never did.

LMAO Tears!!!

Rancho de Chimayó is back in business:

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Back-in-business

I may head up in a few months and see if they might have improved.

Bill/SFNM

I'll be in Santa Fe over the weekend and wanted to see if there were any updates? TIA.

Bill/SFNM wrote:Rancho de Chimayó is back in business:

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Back-in-business

I may head up in a few months and see if they might have improved.

Bill/SFNM

Well, still waiting patiently for the update Mr. Local Knowledge /taps foot/ And do they still have those yummo enchiladas de velveeta con arroz y frijoles refritos magnificos on the menu?

I am a bit embarrassed that it has taken so long to get back to Rancho de Chimayó after they re-opended. We finally drove up there today for lunch.

Expectations were low. We stopped going several years ago because this special place had become just another overpriced tourist trap, the setting just barely compensating for the mediocre food. After a fire closed the place down a few years ago, I found it hard to believe anyone cared enough to rebuild.

But word is that something very special happened. The fractured family came together. Employees were financially supported even while the restaurant was closed. And the restaurant was rebuilt - beautifully. The food? Better than ever! Right now, IMO, it is the best Northern NM food around.

We had quesadillas, chile relleno, tamales, adovada, flautas, flan, sopaipillas, cactus fruit lemonade, ... all were excellent. The service sparkled. I especially enjoyed the chile relleno. The batter had some cornmeal in it and it was firmer and less eggy than the traditional Mexican version. Covered with red chile sauce, it was one of the best I have ever had.

If they can maintain this quality, we will become regulars.

Glad to hear Bill. I need to get back to NM soon for an eating tour!

[quote=thaiobsessed]I was traveling with a vegetarian and I couldn't convince her to detour for Bobcat bite--that's going to be a stop on my next trip for sure.
[/quote]

Finally got a chance to try Bobcat Bite-I'd been wanting to go since Antonius posted those gorgeous pics of the burger in 2006.
The burger here did not disappoint. We split a green chile cheeseburger with griddled onions and home fries (which was plenty for 2). I really liked the feel of the place, too.





We were visiting friends/family in Albuquerque and Taos so we didn't spend much time in Santa Fe. We did go to Cafe Pasqual for dinner. I really like their cookbooks and we had a great lunch there a few years back. Dinner was a complete disappointment. The scallop appetizer was pretty average--the scallops didn't have much of a sear and were cut in half lengthwise (?to make them easier to cook or to make them look like more) and were served on a bed of arugula that tasted like it came out of a bag. One of the entrees, a composed salad served with Carta di Musica (Sardegnan flatbread) was a complete disaster--a messy pile of underripe figs, wrinkly, mealy cherry tomatoes, runny buffalo mozarella. We let them take it away mostly uneaten (which did not elicit any comment from the server). The pomegranate glazed lamb chops were tasty but unimaginative (and at $39 for 3 small chops, a rip-off). We did like the chocolate mousse cake Cafe Pasqual is cute inside but by no stretch of the imagination a "fancy restaurant"; the meal in no way, shape or form justified the $120 pre-tip price tag (we each had two glasses of wine in addition to the dishes above). Based on the meal we had, I wouldn't go back, even for breakfast or lunch--the dishes coming out of the kitchen were too sloppy.
Our best meals were home-cooked by a great family friend in Taos who, at age 86, hasn't lost a step in the kitchen. I'm going to try duplicating his Thai grilled chicken noodle bowl, grilled Asian spare ribs and Mexican chocolate coconut ice cream. I'll post on the results if anything good comes out of my attempts.

thaiobsessed wrote:Based on the meal we had, I wouldn't go back, even for breakfast or lunch--the dishes coming out of the kitchen were too sloppy.

thaiobsessed,

I totally agree with your assessment of Cafe Pascual's. What boggles the mind are the crowds waiting outside to get in for such disappointing food.

It's been almost two years to the day since we were last in Santa Fe, much too long. We'd been twice before around Labor Day, weather is just absolutely spectacular at this time of year:


Landed, checked into the hotel and walked right over to Del Charro's to sit in front of an open window, breathe in the mountain air and inhale a margarita and a fine green chili cheeseburger. I'd never eaten here before, just stopped in to have a beer and watch some college football. Will definitely make this a regular stop in the future:


Tried to make it to a couple places we hadn't been before. Tabla de los Santos is Chef Estevan Garcia's relatively new place in the St. Francis Hotel. I really enjoyed his cooking in the past at the now shuttered Cafe Estevan. Very clean flavors, Italian in it's simplicity and reliance on a few key impeccable ingredients and masterful technique. Just loved everything we had here, starting with excellent craft cocktails:


Moving on to tamales and carne adovado ravioli:



A deconstructed chile relleno (unbattered, unfried, stuffed with a mix of rice, goat cheese and local greens) and a combination plate of tamale, enchilada and sopapillo stuffed with carne adovado (sopapillo was a revelation). Both came with a side of seasonal squash:



The waitress insisted we leave room for the goat cheese flan, good call - great end to a fantastic meal. Hope he keeps up this level of quality, my memories of Cafe Estevan were of a maddening inconsistency. I think he's Santa Fe's version of Gino Bahena, I suspect he gets bored easily.

Breakfast next day was at an old favorite, Tia Sophia. They get raves for their breakfast burrito, but it's not my favorite thing. For breakfast, it's give me huevos rancheros or give me death! New Mexican cooking may look like a train wreck half the time, but it sure tastes damn good:


This beast of a breakfast tided us over until dinner, which was at Luminaria - conveniently located where we were staying at the Inn at the Loretto. This is another relatively new place in town that's opened since our last visit. The outdoor patio is beautiful, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner:


Santa Fe has jumped on the craft cocktail bandwagon since our last visit. Here we started with an unusual mojito-like concoction of muddled sage, vodka, lime and simple syrup. Sage wouldn't be the first thing you'd think of adding to a cocktail but it worked, bravo!:


Happy eating on this trip, the great food kept on coming. An amuse of scallop, tomato and caper, followed by an outstanding tortilla soup:



My wife made a meal of starters, polenta fries (beautifully crisped with just the briefest bath in the deep fryer) and grilled romaine caesar:



I had a delicious grilled beef tenderloin, a fine beefy cut of meat perfectly cooked. Beautiful room, gorgeous evening weather, great service, wonderful food - they nailed it. Very nice restaurant, highly recommend it if you're looking for a special meal:


Since half this thread is devoted to Rancho de Chimayo, how could I resist? Well, let me throw in my two cents. Lunch was good, started with the quesadillas and then had the Enchilada Pequeña (with fried egg):



But good God, the flies! A plague of flies. Never seen anything like this at a restaurant, anywhere in the world. In the high desert of New Mexico of all places, where I've never seen a window with a screen because flying insects (supposedly) don't exist at this altitude. I can only guess that some exorcist cast out Beelzebub from some poor soul looking for a miracle at nearby the nearby Sanctuario de Chimayo, and he and his minions decided, fine, we'll just hang out here at the restaurant. Very strange.

Finished up the trip with Lyle Lovett and his big band at the Santa Fe Opera, the farmers market for some pinto beans to bring home and huevos rancheros at Tecolote Cafe, and then flew home over the top of the remnants of Hurricane Isaac. Magic:

Beautiful photos! Makes me want to hop a plane right now and head back to SF, it's been years.

In headed to Sante Fe in about a month and would love any other recommendations, for food or otherwise.

Thanks,
Jonah

Jonah wrote:In headed to Sante Fe in about a month and would love any other recommendations, for food or otherwise.

Thanks,
Jonah

Well, I'm reluctant to reveal this because for selfish reasons it might suck up the limited amount of award tickets but...as far as flying in, forget ABQ. If you have a stash of AA miles fly into Santa Fe airport instead and avoid the boring drive and the wasted time shuttling around ABQ and the rental car complex and valet charges and rental car fees. If you're flexible you can fly into SAF on 25,000 AA miles round trip (you'll have to connect thru DFW). The best airfare I've seen to SFA from Chicago/Indy is ~$950 round trip so I don't mind burning miles to get into SAF, I usually save miles for international Business/First but this is a decent ROI on miles/$. Once you're at the airport you just take a cab/shuttle to your hotel and there's plenty to keep you occupied in downtown SF for two days without needing a car.

The Loretto had an arrangement with Hertz to set you up with the rental car when needed. So if you're itching to see the sights outside of town rent the car for the day before your departure and dump it off at SAF when you leave. I imagine Hertz will pick you up at any hotel to work it out. Vaya con dios!

Actually, our flights are the one fixed part of the trip. I fly into Salt Lake City (giving a talk there) and then fly out of ABQ a couple of weeks later.

Thanks anyway. If food or sightseeing tips come to mind, let me know.

Various of my friends and I have had some pretty good New Mexican at El Norteño in ABQ.

Geo

thaiobsessed,

Slightly late in coming to this page but I'm delighted to hear you went to Bobcat Bite and enjoyed it so much... also delighted to hear the place is still doing things so well, as one of these days I really want to get back there... As you said, the place has a good 'feel', as well as really delicious burgers...

And thanks for posting the link to the old thread!... I had hadn't seen that one in a long time and the pictures brought back great memories, the best of which were of that phase in the childhood of our son... Our trip to New Mexico was really wonderful all around, including the food (for the most part)...

A

I'm hearing good things about Tomme which was recently taken over by Joseph Wrede of the renowned Joseph's Table of Taos. I hope to try it soon, but the menu is definitely not New Mexican, if that is what you are seeking.

Bill/SFNM:

Thanks. Don't know that we'll be exclusively looking for New Mexican, so we'll keep that option in mind. Anything else you really like, in Santa Fe, and also the Northern New Mexico region? We'll be noodling around the whole four corners area.

Jonah

Bobcat's remains the best chile cheese burger in town, by far. Everyone I know who is a burger fanatic would go nowhere else. Here is a PDF showing the most popular burger joints in the state:

Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail.

Five-Star Burgers just opened a branch here. Fail.

David Rosengarten recently raved about Horseman's Haven, so I dutifully went. Underneath the chile was an inferior burger on an inferior bun. Be very, very sure you understand the rating system for the chile. Level 2 almost put me in the ER. Level 5 should be classified as a WMD.

Restaurant Martin, once up, then down, is now up again. Last meal there was excellent. Strange thing that in peak season on a Friday for lunch, there were just a few tables occupied. Not sure what this means other than the location is less than optimal.

Rancho de Chimayo was great earlier this year. I hope it still is. Very nice setting. If you go out to Chimayo, go a little further along the High Road to Taos to the odd little artist colony in Truchas.

Shibumi is a little Ramen joint. I am a sucker for this kind of food, especially the pork belly udon, but if you are coming from any large metro area, you probably have access to all kinds of similar food.

Really appreciate your help, Bill. Mostly our trip will be hiking, national parks and ancient native sites, but we're looking forward to some more civilized food and culture when we finish up in Santa Fe.

Jonah

Re: El Norteño in ABQ: After I recommended them, I looked on the menu for the braised tongue I remember so dearly and well, but couldn't find it. So I dropped an email to them and had my answer in an hour from Monica, the chef: she does it every day, just ask. Mmmmm.

Geo

Bill/SFNM wrote:Bobcat's remains the best chile cheese burger in town, by far. Everyone I know who is a burger fanatic would go nowhere else. Here is a PDF showing the most popular burger joints in the state:

Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail.

Bobcat Bite undergoing major changes after conflict between property owner and restaurant operators.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/article_066c8f06-42a2-5cb0-9541-2903c19f415b.html


The old operators, who are the heart and soul of the restaurant, are opening a new place, The Bite. The property owner is bringing in a new crew to run the old place. I'll try both but the new location will be a sentimental favorite - good people.

Stay tuned.

Santa Fe Bite (owned by former Bobcat Bite operators) now open:

http://santafebite.com/

Santa Fe Bite:



Quick summary of new location:

Location: much closer to my house!!!
Hours: burgers from 7AM to 9PM
Parking: plenty of free parking
Atmosphere: it's in a motel; don't expect much. Very clean.
Service: Good, friendly, not blazing fast
Menu: much more extensive than old place, but I'm not sure I would ever order anything other than the green chile cheese burger.
Sides: home fries OK. Slaw and french fries not good. Chips soggy. Save room for the burger.
Green chile cheese burger with mushrooms, medium rare: as close to perfection as you can get

Any recent recs, particularly for good options for lighter fare (i.e. we have one vegetarian and our whole party likes lots of fresh veggies and less meat)?

It's September and chile harvest season, time to go to Santa Fe!



And green chile cheeseburgers, and green chile chicken enchiladas. These were awesome, from Santa Fe Bite mentioned upthread:



We ate at La Boca for the first time, a tapas restaurant. We enjoyed this, the place is very lively which is pretty unusual for Santa Fe. Most places are pretty laid back and very quite but there's a nice buzz here at dinner time. Nice wine list, pretty good tapas - here's assorted dips and olives, potatas bravas, and lobster croquetas:




I don't know about you, but everything in life always has a Three Stoogesreference point. Walked by the Lensic Theatre and saw the Chinese Acrobatic Act advertised. "Three high..low. Very beautiful" Unfortunately we weren't in town long enough to catch the show:


The real surprise of this trip was Casa Chjmayo. We usually do a dinner at The Shed to get a simple New Mexican dinner in, but we decided to try this instead. This place needs more internet love! We had an app of the green chile stew, and a carne adovada main. Both were by far the best renditions of I've had of these basic dishes, real depth of flavor they obviously are taking no shortcuts in the preparation:



Had a one day road trip planned, and my god you can't leave on an empty stomach - you might get stranded in the desert! So some huevos rancheros from Harry's Roadhouse should tide us over for 12 hours or so (mine are always sunny side up, runny please!)



And let's hit the road:

Does anyone have updated recommendations for dining in Santa Fe? I'm planning a trip there next month.