I found a great article in Food and Wine November 2015 that has great ideas for visiting Santa Fe. Here it is!
Spring Break 2016 - I am lucky to have a marriage that allows a his/her/our spring break. For the first half of spring break my hubby went hiking in Texas while I went shopping and eating in Kansas City. We later met up in Santa Fe, New Mexico and spent three days in this beautiful, relaxed city. My favorite part of the city is Old Town or the Plaza area. When we arrived separately Wednesday night we had dinner at the restaurant Garduno's of Mexico in our hotel The Lodge at Santa Fe. We chose it because we were tired and starving but I'm so glad we did. The food was marvelous! We had steak fajitas, shrimp tacos, cheese dip, a tequila flight and a pretty good margarita. My favorite surprise was the corn pudding side (I'd call it this). It was like a corn fritter but very mushy. I loved it.
The next day I woke up early and headed straight to the Trader Joe's I'd seen driving in. I ate GF blueberry muffins and fruit salad that I picked up and tried my first Starbuck's flat white. I'm in love with this drink! I wish I'd tried it sooner! I also bought a tall iced coffee to carry around all day in case my energy waned. Then when Paul woke up we drove to Old Town and stepped foot on these charming streets for the first time. It was love at first sight. Street after street of independent restaurants, cafes, shops, museums, hotels, and ancient churches. Old Town is just that: hundreds of years old, teeming with history of artists, cowboys, traders, and priests. It is The West, the final stop on the Santa Fe Trail. For lunch Paul wanted sushi and I half-heartedly followed him into Sushi Land East thinking that the sushi would be grocery store-grade rolls. I was so glad to be wrong. For such humble advertising on the store front, the menu was the same as the very best sushi we've tried. I ordered sesame seared spicy eggplant and Japanese vegetable curry, while Paul ordered three root vegetable rolls that were exploding with flavor. We both sipped a flight of sake and I almost liked it for the first time. Paul loved it. Neither of us could believe our luck with this place. And the prices were just as reasonable as any sushi place in Tennessee or Kansas. Afterwards we went to the French bakery that my fellow teachers told me I must try: The French Pastry Shop and Creperie. This place is amazing. And pretty. And cozy. And packed with happy customers. They had French pastries and breads I'd never seen. Animals made out of bread for Easter, gigantic quiches and tortes, chocolate mousse layered on crunchy shells the size of my hand. This place is a must-stop for Santa Fe travelers. After all this eating we hopped in my hubby's convertible and drove all over Santa Fe soaking up the beautiful weather. We drove up in the mountains and looked at the beautiful homes, we drove to the Opera house and I took videos and pictures. It was such a great day walking and driving around in the New Mexico sunshine with my favorite person in the world. For dinner we tried to get in a Café Pasqual's but it was booked so we went to The Upper Crust for delicious GF pizza, Caesar salad and Canadian bacon calzone. The live music in this small place was nice. There are guitar players all over the city hanging out singing and playing beautiful background music. Afterwards we returned to the hotel for chocolate almonds and a Bailey's sampler I'd picked up in Kansas City at Gomer's. I'm now in love with the Bailey's salted caramel flavor. It's great just poured over ice!
Friday, March 18, 2016
What a great day. I woke up very early and hit Starbucks for another tall flat white but then drove to Old Town at 7:30 AM and took pictures of the shops and streets while they were still quiet and empty. Keep in mind that now that we live in Dodge City a trip to a Whole Foods is a holiday so getting to go to one each morning for breakfast was a true treat. In Old Town I walked into the famous La Fonda Hotel where the Santa Fe Trail ended and business was transacted hundreds of years ago. I took a picture of Burro Alley where trading was also done back in the day and I bought postcards in Collected Works Books and Coffeehouse that opened at 8:00 AM. But the highlight of this early morning stroll was walking back into The French Pastry Shop and Creperie and speaking to the man behind the counter entirely in French. I ordered a pain au chocolat and a croissant for Paul without breaking into English. It was a beautiful multi-cultural experience: speaking French in Old/New Mexico. French pastries and copper kettles inside, adobe buildings outside.
When I returned to the hotel Paul was ready for another day exploring Santa Fe so we went to the Georgia O'Keefe Museum (which I found disappointing for the hefty admission price). We walked into the Christmas store and I bought some Santa Fe ornaments and a New Mexican manger scene. Then Paul and I tried a food truck/stand called Chicago Dog Express. There were picnic tables around it and we sat and devoured Chicago dogs and a chili pie. It was delicious and it was also fun to sit outside in the sun. Afterwards we gathered our hiking gear and our little dog Zeno and drove to the Santa Fe National Forest where we walked 2 miles up Atalaya Mountain and two miles down. It was a beautiful day for a hike.
That evening we had reservations at Cafe Pasqual's. I had read about this place in advance and couldn't wait to try it. It exceeded my expectations. From the amuse-bouche cheese straw biscuits waiting for us in a heart shaped bowl when we were seated to the final sip of my kir royale, I was in a heady food daze with each bite! Paul and I shared an order of pupusas (El Salvadorian corn fritters with slaw) and I was happy to tell the waiter that I loved them even more than the ones I'd tried in Kansas. These pupusas were heavenly, crunchy and the escabeche on the side was spicy and crisp made of cabbage, carrots and beets. I ordered the burrito plate with a mole sauce that took my breath away. The chili relleno was the best one I've ever had (with cheese inside that I could eat by itself on a plate). I had hoped to discover the true meaning of sophisticated but homestyle and yummy Mexican food and I found it in Santa Fe. Honestly, the Mexican food in Santa Fe may be the best Mexican food I've ever had.
The next day I woke up early and headed straight to the Trader Joe's I'd seen driving in. I ate GF blueberry muffins and fruit salad that I picked up and tried my first Starbuck's flat white. I'm in love with this drink! I wish I'd tried it sooner! I also bought a tall iced coffee to carry around all day in case my energy waned. Then when Paul woke up we drove to Old Town and stepped foot on these charming streets for the first time. It was love at first sight. Street after street of independent restaurants, cafes, shops, museums, hotels, and ancient churches. Old Town is just that: hundreds of years old, teeming with history of artists, cowboys, traders, and priests. It is The West, the final stop on the Santa Fe Trail. For lunch Paul wanted sushi and I half-heartedly followed him into Sushi Land East thinking that the sushi would be grocery store-grade rolls. I was so glad to be wrong. For such humble advertising on the store front, the menu was the same as the very best sushi we've tried. I ordered sesame seared spicy eggplant and Japanese vegetable curry, while Paul ordered three root vegetable rolls that were exploding with flavor. We both sipped a flight of sake and I almost liked it for the first time. Paul loved it. Neither of us could believe our luck with this place. And the prices were just as reasonable as any sushi place in Tennessee or Kansas. Afterwards we went to the French bakery that my fellow teachers told me I must try: The French Pastry Shop and Creperie. This place is amazing. And pretty. And cozy. And packed with happy customers. They had French pastries and breads I'd never seen. Animals made out of bread for Easter, gigantic quiches and tortes, chocolate mousse layered on crunchy shells the size of my hand. This place is a must-stop for Santa Fe travelers. After all this eating we hopped in my hubby's convertible and drove all over Santa Fe soaking up the beautiful weather. We drove up in the mountains and looked at the beautiful homes, we drove to the Opera house and I took videos and pictures. It was such a great day walking and driving around in the New Mexico sunshine with my favorite person in the world. For dinner we tried to get in a Café Pasqual's but it was booked so we went to The Upper Crust for delicious GF pizza, Caesar salad and Canadian bacon calzone. The live music in this small place was nice. There are guitar players all over the city hanging out singing and playing beautiful background music. Afterwards we returned to the hotel for chocolate almonds and a Bailey's sampler I'd picked up in Kansas City at Gomer's. I'm now in love with the Bailey's salted caramel flavor. It's great just poured over ice!
Friday, March 18, 2016
What a great day. I woke up very early and hit Starbucks for another tall flat white but then drove to Old Town at 7:30 AM and took pictures of the shops and streets while they were still quiet and empty. Keep in mind that now that we live in Dodge City a trip to a Whole Foods is a holiday so getting to go to one each morning for breakfast was a true treat. In Old Town I walked into the famous La Fonda Hotel where the Santa Fe Trail ended and business was transacted hundreds of years ago. I took a picture of Burro Alley where trading was also done back in the day and I bought postcards in Collected Works Books and Coffeehouse that opened at 8:00 AM. But the highlight of this early morning stroll was walking back into The French Pastry Shop and Creperie and speaking to the man behind the counter entirely in French. I ordered a pain au chocolat and a croissant for Paul without breaking into English. It was a beautiful multi-cultural experience: speaking French in Old/New Mexico. French pastries and copper kettles inside, adobe buildings outside.
When I returned to the hotel Paul was ready for another day exploring Santa Fe so we went to the Georgia O'Keefe Museum (which I found disappointing for the hefty admission price). We walked into the Christmas store and I bought some Santa Fe ornaments and a New Mexican manger scene. Then Paul and I tried a food truck/stand called Chicago Dog Express. There were picnic tables around it and we sat and devoured Chicago dogs and a chili pie. It was delicious and it was also fun to sit outside in the sun. Afterwards we gathered our hiking gear and our little dog Zeno and drove to the Santa Fe National Forest where we walked 2 miles up Atalaya Mountain and two miles down. It was a beautiful day for a hike.
That evening we had reservations at Cafe Pasqual's. I had read about this place in advance and couldn't wait to try it. It exceeded my expectations. From the amuse-bouche cheese straw biscuits waiting for us in a heart shaped bowl when we were seated to the final sip of my kir royale, I was in a heady food daze with each bite! Paul and I shared an order of pupusas (El Salvadorian corn fritters with slaw) and I was happy to tell the waiter that I loved them even more than the ones I'd tried in Kansas. These pupusas were heavenly, crunchy and the escabeche on the side was spicy and crisp made of cabbage, carrots and beets. I ordered the burrito plate with a mole sauce that took my breath away. The chili relleno was the best one I've ever had (with cheese inside that I could eat by itself on a plate). I had hoped to discover the true meaning of sophisticated but homestyle and yummy Mexican food and I found it in Santa Fe. Honestly, the Mexican food in Santa Fe may be the best Mexican food I've ever had.
Pictured below: The French Pastry Shop and Creperie
Pictured below: Café Pasqual's
Pictured below: Sushi Land East, Old Town Santa Fe
Pictured below: Chicago Dog Express
Pictured below: Upper Crust Pizza
Pictured below: Hiking Atafalaya Mountain