Stop Me Before I Explode

I can’t help myself.  I LOVE being in a place where I can eat out whenever I feel like it.  When I’m at home on the ranch I have to cook all the meals, so let me tell you, here in Santa Fe I feel like eating out all the time.

Santa Fe has something like 350 restaurants for 75,000 residents, most of whom are either civil servants (Santa Fe is New Mexico’s state capitol, so if you thought it was Albuquerque, remember this for the next time you’re on Jeopardy) or in the service business catering to tourists.  In other words, restaurants can be weirdly empty this time of year, because there aren’t enough locals with the means to populate all those tables.  What’s tough for the restaurant owners and chefs is heaven for me.

Here’s a rundown of where I’ve been recently:

il Piatto, for an unctuous dish of slow braised calf’s tongue.

Tomme, where a steak frite for me and a deep bowl of cassoulet for Bernard hit the spot, as did a wonderful and insanely reasonable bottle of Justin cabernet.

Blue Window Bistro in Los Alamos, where a plate of soft blue corn tacos filled with grilled wild salmon, crunchy cabbage slaw and a spicy mayo dressing made me happy I’d walked all those miles at Bandelier and fortified me for a detailed perusal of the Bradbury Science Museum up the street.

Lupe’s Antojitos in Bernalillo, where our lunch is something I’ve already raved about in my previous post.

Cafe Pasquale, whose tummy-filling huevos rancheros are served with fresh tomatillo salsa, adding a sour tang that is a perfect foil for the black beans and jack cheese accompanying my over-easy eggs.

Collected Works Bookstore and Coffee Shop, where this morning I sat for an hour in front of a crackling fire, sipping a decaf latte and wondering whether I also should have a slice of that outrageously thick and custardy-looking quiche ordered by the lady ahead of me at the register.

But, face it,  if I ate more than one thing at the bookstore I might not have appetite for that delightful looking bistro and wine bar we decided to go to later this evening.

Thank goodness there are dance classes daily at the fitness center down the block!