Whether you’re on vacation or live here year-round, a special lunch at one of Santa Fe’s higher-end restaurants is a treat worth indulging in. Many of these celebrated eateries offer smaller (and less expensive) versions or their dinner entrées; others serve different dishes at lunch than at dinner. Either way, lunch is a great way to experience some of the City Different’s renowned restaurants at lower prices.
Santacafé
231 Washington Avenue
984-1788
Santacafé is well known as one of the best—and most expensive—restaurants in town. This casually elegant high-end restaurant also serves an exquisite yet much more affordable lunch. In fact, several of their lunch entrées are priced under $10; most run a few dollars more. The menu changes with the seasons but the food is always fabulous. The lunch dishes here are different than those on the dinner menu, but you can still get their famous calamari, as an appetizer or as a main course with salad. Affordable wine specials are offered at lunch; their extensive wine list is also available.
Ore House on the Plaza
50 Lincoln Avenue
983-8687
Treat yourself to a Black Angus steak with salsa and asadero cheese at this downtown restaurant perched above the southwest corner of the Plaza. You can find items priced below $10 here (and eat from the bar menu out on their balcony), but the Ore House offers some wonderful lunches at prices that, while over $10, are still much more reasonable than you’ll find at dinner. Start with the camarones margarita (tiger shrimp in tequila sauce) or the ceviche. And don’t forget the margarita: the Ore House has an extensive margarita menu with daily specials offered.
The Pink Adobe
405 Old Santa Fe Trail
983-7712
pink@thepinkadobe.com
The Pink Adobe, one of Santa Fe’s oldest restaurants, was opened in 1944 by Louisiana native Rosalea Murphy, whose Cajun background can still be tasted in the Pink’s fare. Located in the historic Barrio de Analco across from San Miguel Chapel (“The Oldest Church in the USA”), the Pink is a Santa Fe institution. You can sit in one of the restaurant’s tiny rooms (nice in the winter), in the famous Dragon Room bar, or, in summer months, outside in the courtyard. Try the house specialty, Steak Dunigan (covered with mushrooms and green chile), the red chile barbecue ribs, or the Southern fried chicken with mashed potatoes if you want a big lunch. My favorites, though, are the lighter options: the Pink’s famous gypsy stew, a delicious soup made with chicken, tomatoes, green chile and melting cubes of jack cheese (they also make a mean green chile stew), and the chicken salad, which is not only delicious but beautifully presented (it’s almost too pretty to eat).
The Compound
653 Canyon Road
982-4353
Tucked away near the top of the art walk on Canyon Road, The Compound is one of Santa Fe’s most renowned restaurants. Lunch in this lovely old adobe is a real treat: skip the more usual lunch fare (burger, salad, pastrami sandwich—although they do them very well) and sample the salmon with pumpkin-apple risotto or the sautéed gulf shrimp with parmesan polenta. Start with their wild mushroom soup or sweetbreads and foie gras appetizer. And since you’re indulging, don’t leave without dessert. I recommend the bittersweet chocolate torte: heaven on a plate.
Geronimo
730 Canyon Road
982-1500
Geronimo is not currently serving lunch. But check back in April, when this fabulous Canyon Road restaurant will once again be delighting the lunch crowd.
Osteria d’Assisi
58 Federal Place
986-5858
This popular Italian eatery is located in a lovely renovated adobe home on the northern edge of downtown at the corner of Washington Avenue and Federal Place. The atmosphere is bright and comfortable; in warm months, the umbrella’ed tables on the patio are always full. Osteria d’Assisi serves authentic regional Italian food (the owner is from Lake Como): try the caprese salad (mozzarella, tomatoes and basil) and the linguini with seafood. If you’re good and hungry, have the lasagna alla Bolognese: it’s both filling and delicious.
Il Piatto
95 West Marcy Street
984-1091
Il Piatto, a tiny downtown Italian restaurant on Marcy Street (west of Washington Avenue), is one of my favorite dinner spots in Santa Fe. Lunch is also a treat, featuring lunch-size portions of some of their most popular dinner entrées. The pumpkin ravioli with pine nuts and gorgonzola walnut ravioli with sundried tomato pesto are both winners. There are also rosemary chicken and trout dishes for those who don’t want pasta. You can actually have lunch for under $10 here if you stick to just an entrée, but you won’t want to miss their wonderful salads. Try the endive and radicchio with roasted beets, goat cheese and walnut pesto (every bit as good as it sounds). Their pumpkin pistachio soup is also delicious. Be sure to save room for tiramisu!
