How I came to realize this was on my vacation in Santa Fe. Lovely city. Amazing art, really. Not even all pastelly. Some serious creative energy there. And a J Crew (you can't beat that). But "fun" was not had until restaurants were identified and reserved! I was a restaurant freak show--looking things up online, asking locals for advice, toting my Frommers and Fodors around with me. Unfortunately, I was not yet the proud owner of an iphone and so couldn't yelp local dining establishments.... but I somehow pieced it together the old fashioned paper and pen way. And it paid off, sometimes. But always, always, the day's greatness was measured by the food.
But I also found that the quality of food didn't even always matter with this disease! It was sometimes just the restaurant itself--the tablecloth, the glass of wine (or the margarita in this instance), the ambiance. Even the mediocre meals satisfied my cravings for some reason. Evidently, it's not about my stomach; not even about my tastebuds. I'm going to have to explore this. Figure out what the heck is up with my brain and get to the root of this evil.
But enough... this is not MEG FOOD CONFESSIONS OBSESSIONS DIRTY SECRETS BLOG. It's just the food. So here's the eats!
Most meals in Santa Fe, Taos, and Albuquerque are accompanied by chips, salsa, and sopapillas with honey. Whoa nelly. Or rather, Holy Mole!!
The chips are almost exclusively corn tortillas deep fat fried, salted, and then served with a very think although not chunky tomato salsa. Sometimes cilantro, sometimes onion, always garlic.
If you're lucky, you get a few margaritas, too! The best are the plain, although this agave one was mighty fine.
The sopapillas were similar from restaurant to restaurant--fried dough topped with honey. The nicer restaurants had fancy honeys, like fresh clover or even lavender-infused, but in the end, it was always sticky-sweet-delicious.
A lot of the meals were what I figure to be standard southwestern fare: blue corn tortilla bean burritos, cheese enchiladas, various chiles such as green, red, or vegetarian green (high five, New Mexico!), veggie tacos with sauteed mushrooms (double backflip high five, New Mexico!!), etc. This one had puffed hominy on the side though, and that's just awesome!
But there were some killer entrees to be had, too. The Fodors highly recommended a restaurant called Los Mayas, Mexican rather than New Mexican, and they were spot on. I had a vegetarian platter with chile rellenos, black burrito smothered in mole, black beans, and Spanish rice, all set to the tune of a little flamenco guitar! Holy Mole, for real this time. I've never tasted vegetables, beans, sauce, rice, spice, sweet, salty, crunchy, hot so delicious before. It was amazing. To die for. I almost wept. But that takes me back to my concerns from above, the whole over-attachment to food, so I'll stop while I'm ahead. Suffice it to say it was phenomenal.
Another great meal was at La Fonda in downtown Santa Fe. I went for a light lunch--mango soup with honey lavender yogurt sauce and then tomato-goat-green-balsamic salad. It was tops. Key. The goods. I always applaud a restaurant that can take standards and make them special. I also give props to someone who makes soup out of strange and foreign ingredients. In the words of Joey, "whoah!"
So though I was there 5 days and only had the fortune to experience 4 restaurants across 10 meals, I still say wow. I give the art a 10, the food potential a 10, and J Crew, well, do what you gotta.
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