SantaFe.com

Sure, you can spend a small fortune on dinner at Santa Fe’s justifiably famous high-end restaurants. And really, you should—at least once in a while. But for everyday eating out (well, maybe not every day, but you know what I mean), there are plenty of establishments that won’t put quite such a dent in your wallet. So let’s explore some local eateries where a meal can be had for under $15 per person. Drinks and extras (appetizers, desserts) may put you over at some restaurants, but you’ll still get good value for your dining dollars.

In addition to the restaurants listed below, check out...

Monday, June 23, 2008
by Annie Lux • SantaFe.com

With recent temperatures boiling into the 90s, it’s hard to imagine that crops were freezing in northern New Mexico little more than a week ago.

But it’s true. And those heavy frosts may reduce shoppers’ choices at Santa Fe’s Farmers Market this summer, with fruit likely the hardest-hit, according to some vendors. Also, many vegetables will show up later in the season than usual.

“From what I’ve heard, people considered this to be a cold spring. It took a long time for the soil to warm up,” said Sarah Noss, executive director of the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute. “It did have some...

Monday, June 23, 2008
by Jackie Jadrnak and Eddie Moore (Photographer) • Journal Santa Fe

I find it reassuring when a restaurant where I’m planning to eat — especially a new restaurant — is busy. I was relieved to see that the (large) parking lot at Real Burger had plenty of cars and even happier to find just a handful of empty tables during a recent lunch.

Real Burger began under different ownership in 1974 and was taken over by the current owner, John Chavez, in 1985. A downtown Real Burger closed in 1996 and the business changed to catering. At the Old Pecos Trail location, Real Burger has found its place in Santa Fe’s restaurant hierarchy with good food, good prices and...

Friday, June 20, 2008
by Anne Hillerman • Journal Santa Fe

It’s lunch hour Friday, and not exactly the best time to bring a film crew into Santa Fe’s busy Cafe Pasqual.

The small cafe seats only 49 people and always has a waiting list, with customers leaning against the stucco walls outside. Even a community table for 10 can’t handle the overflow.

But that’s exactly what Samantha Brown, host of “Passport to Great Weekends” wants for her show. She likes to walk into situations and see what happens.

Standing outside the cafe Friday, Brown said the theme for the Santa Fe show is “getting that natural high.” To that end, Brown has had massage therapy...

Monday, June 16, 2008
by Polly Summar • Journal Santa Fe

There used to be one as close as Mora to Kingsbury’s ranch in Ribera. But that plant closed a few years ago, leaving ranchers in Northern New Mexico with few options. New Mexico only has a handful of USDA meat processing facilities for a state with a large rural area.

“Processing is a huge problem for us. A lot of us take all our animals to Durango. All that money goes out of state,” says Kingsbury, who transports his beef cattle to Colorado Springs, a 600 mile round trip. That’s the closest processor that can handle the slaughter, hanging, processing and packaging of Kingsbury’s volume of...

Monday, June 9, 2008
by Kelly Koepke and Victoria Alexandrova (Photographer) • localflavor magazine

C’mon, you know what goes on behind the scenes: hidden at every retail counter there is a big money shredder, and as soon as you spend a dollar on something–say groceries, a CD, some clothes–the dollar is destroyed forever. No, of course that’s untrue, but isn’t it how we often think about money? After you spend it, it’s gone, so you better be economical and get things as cheaply as you can.

In reality there is no shredder, and if you spend that dollar to buy something from your neighbor, your neighbor will probably end up spending that same dollar to buy something from you, or to employ...

Monday, June 9, 2008
by Katie Mehrer and Nikesha Breeze (Photographer) • localflavor magazine

It's very rewarding to find that you have the talent to recognize talent in others. When you are the talent, it’s equally rewarding to be recognized. That is why 24-year-old Walter Dominguez’ recent rise to executive sous chef at the Hotel Santa Fe’s Amaya Restaurant is so satisfying to so many.

Walter was raised by his grandparents, in Mexico. The taquería they ran all his life offered him, as a boy, constant exposure to food preparation. Bread dough was a favorite plaything. Grinding chiles was a common pastime. Walter would come to New Mexico periodically to see his mother, and...

Monday, June 9, 2008
by Katie Mehrer and Jennifer Davidson (Photographer) • localflavor magazine

Lunch with Danny and Maria Rhodes is a simple but tasty affair: miso soup and heaps of intensely flavored oyster mushrooms on toasted Sage Bakehouse whole-wheat bread. We’re sitting at the dining table of their rented 19th century adobe house north of Española. Outside, past a stand of trees, the flat plain that Maria farms as Lady Bug Fields stretches east towards the Rio Grande. In the other direction, out of sight, are the shed and greenhouse that house Desert Fungi, Danny’s mushroom growing business. This is their seventh season at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, and fifth for their...

Monday, June 9, 2008
by Barry Fields and Jennifer Spelman (Photographer) • localflavor magazine

Getting a recipe out of David Fresquez is not an easy feat. It’s not that he’s withholding–far from it. He is clearly an accomplished cook and utterly generous with his knowledge. It’s just that he’s talking a mile a minute, and he keeps adding in ingredients he forgot to mention earlier. “You have to wash the tripe in several changes of water. You boil it in salt water, actually. This dish takes twenty-four hours to make. I add green chile stew and red chile stew, but you have to cook it overnight in chicken broth first. Then you add the flavorings. You cook it until it’s very tender. And...

Monday, June 9, 2008
by Jennifer George and Nikesha Breeze (Photographer) • localflavor magazine

Coyote is the trickster in many American Indian legends, and the new incarnation of Santa Fe’s legendary Coyote Café sparkles with playfulness. This is world-class cuisine with a grin on its face.

After 20 years under the guidance of Mark Miller, the Coyote has new owners including executive chef Eric DiStefano, formerly of Geronimo. (Miller will serve as a consultant.) The dinner that friends and I had recently was sensational from beginning to end. The new Coyote is fresh and reenergized, again one of Santa Fe’s premier restaurants.

The joy of the experience began with watching other...

Friday, June 6, 2008
by Anne Hillerman • Journal Santa Fe