Hi guys

As I posted in the Las Vegas thread, I have plenty of ideas as to what I want to do in/around Santa Fe, but I'm a bit worried that I've hit only the touristy stuff and not enough unique local towns/attractions. What do you think of my list so far?


*Santa Fe itself/Plaza/Canyon Road/Museum Hill, etc...

*Horseback riding @Broken Saddle in Cerillos/explore Turquoise Trail (at least to Madrid - if time, I'd like to check out the Tinkertown Museum)

*Day trip to Taos/High Road/Pueblo (**Sugar Nymphs for lunch/Penasco)

*cooking class @ Santa Fe School of Cooking

*Abiqiu/Ghost Ranch
*Ojo Caliente

I may be forgetting some things, but this is basically what I have in mind. I'm just worried that I'm doing too many touristy things. Thoughts?

Food (this is the part I love best in researching my vacations - I love to eat):

Bobcat Bite
Harry's
Cafe Pasqual's
The Plaza
Tecolote Cafe
La Choza
El Paragua
Coyote Cafe (**I would never have considered this, given the ups and downs it's had over the last few years, but apparently the chef change has made a huge difference).

I'm open for anything, but coming from the East, mostly I intend to eat good old NM home cooking. I don't care about fancy (though I will have at least one splurge meal), just good food. Period. If you guys have any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them! I love to go where locals go - I absolutely never use guide books to determine my restaurant choices.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you - I promise to take any and all advice seriously. Thanks!

Oops, I can't believe I forgot Bandelier and also possibly Los Alamos........

Sheesh - also, Tesuque market (breakfast/lunch) and Shidoni foundry.

Sorry about this - thanks!

If you want New Mexican, then you need to add Tia Sophia's on San Francisco off of the plaza. Don't let a small line deter you as it moves very quickly.

Also, Tomasita's by the train station. They've won Best of Santa Fe several times for best green and red chile. (LOVE their red chile sauce and even buy large quantities to take home with us.)

Tesuque Village Market is very good as well for breakfast and lunch. It's been a while since we've had dinner but sure it's fine. Great tortilla soup and their green chile is delicious, too. Just past Shidoni foundry.

Those are a few of our favorite stops. You'll find us there on Thursday!

We're trying Coyote Cafe on Friday. Heard mixed reviews lately but going to give it a whirl.

Have fun!

Hi Beach Girl!

I've heard a lot about Tia Sophia's and Tomasita's, but the former has gotten mixed reviews and the latter is generally seen as touristy. If you feel strongly about them, I will put them on my list because you have given such great tips and advice in the past. It's heartbreaking, lol, to realize that I'm not going to be able to eat in as many places as I want to (although I expect to have a good chunk of time, at least 4 or 5 days, in Santa Fe).

Tesuque Village Market/Shidoni just sounds like a fun way to spend some time (and yummy, to boot), so I'm glad you're confirming the opinions I've read elsewhere about them.

Let us know how you liked Coyote Cafe - it's interesting that it's now getting mixed reviews when it was previously (after the chef change) it was getting raves.

One thing I'm having difficulty in doing is making a decision as to where I'm going to go for my non-NM oriented meal. La Boca? 315? Mu Du Noodles? Any thoughts on those? I might consider the Compound also- from the website, it appears to be a very beautiful restaurant with a good variety of dishes. I need to check it out again, though.

MuDu Noodles is good, and Back Street Bistro has an AWESOME mushroom soup (open for lunch only.)

Hi Betsyp, It is very hard narrowing down your top choices, isn't it!

Well, Tomasita's I've never felt was touristy but it is always crowded with locals as well as touristas. We don't eat there for the ambiance or anything else other than we absolutely love their food. I think their red chile is very similar to my aunt's red chile sauce that I failed to learn how to make before she died. DH loves the green chile more than the red and said it was like choosing a favorite child -- loved them both! So, long way around answering your question, it's worth considering -- we have it every trip.

Tia Sophia's. It's low key, New Mexican cooking. No frills. No fancy waiters. You're there for the food and nothing else -- well, unless you're a local and they know all of them very well. The waiters have been there for years and years. When I was there last for a week's conference, I ate there every morning. I had great service every day and the food was delicious. Not fancy, but good, true New Mexican family cooking.

I don't know what your top picks are but these two are worth putting in the mix if you are looking for good New Mexican fare. We both crave New Mexican food and look to have as much as we can on our visits before returning home.

Just a funny note. We usually leave after work and drive to Tucumcari or Santa Rosa so we can get up in the morning and make it to Santa Fe in time for breakfast at Tia's.

This trip we will be getting a late start so I suggested we leave early in the morning and get there around lunch. DH looked at me with such disdain! " What? We have to get there in time for Tia's! "

Hope you have a great trip and I'll post back about our experience at Coyote and Geronimo.

BeachGirl

Another place I love is Chocolate Maven - yum!

We love el Shed, same owners as La Choza.

For your splurge meal, I recommend Geronimo's, we eat there every year, but it is a fairly big splurge with an exceptional wine list. We had dinner there last month, and it was still fabulous.

We've been going to SF for 30 years, but first trip this year to Bandelier, it was great. We also drove on to the Caldera, which is just fabulous.

We also like the high road to Taos. We usually enjoy lunch at Rancho Chimayo, but it was closed due to a fire, hopefully open soon again.

I also really enjoy the Milicent Rogers Museum in Taos.

Be sure to grab a drink at sunset at the bar on top of La Fonda to see what is often a fabulous sunset. La Fonda is just a great spot to sit and watch people for awhile. It's also a great place to stay.

If you like the red chile, pick up some chile powder and you can add to your tacos, chili, enchiladas at home. We get ours from el Shed.

And, yes, just plan time to walk and watch, Santa Fe is a very special spot.

enjoy, annie

sweetannie, we seem to have the same haunts!

Thanks for the heads up on Rancho de Chimayo as we were heading there this weekend. I may call to see if they have an opening date planned. Darn. Such a good spot on the high road.

Jayne, thanks for confirming what I've heard about Mu Du and I will put Back Street on my list to check out.

BeachGirl, I always travel with the assumption that I'm going to back to a place. My family doesn't understand why I would repeat visits when there are so many wonderful places in the world still to see, but IMO, going back to a place you love is a good thing. When I revisit a place, I am familiar enough with it to sort of feel like a local - a great benefit. I have to assume that I'm going to go back to New Mexico, so that any place I don't get to try will be waiting for me when I come back.

For me, like you, it's all about the food. I don't care if the place looks like a church inside or if it's basically a grocery store - if the food is good, that's what counts. I will put Tomasita's and Tia Sophia's on my list - I know a lot of people love them. I don't have enough (read hardly any) experience with green or red chile, so I'm going to have to either go christmas a lot or order red chile at places that specialize in red and green at those that specialize in green.

I will have a great time - how can I not? I appreciate all of your help.....and can't wait to read your report!

darkforcemom, I've read a lot about Chocolate Maven......yummy! It's on my list - I knew I forgot a bunch of things, lol.

Annie, The Shed is on my list, too –I’ve heard the red chile is absolutely outstanding.
Bandelier is one of the things I’m most looking forward to – is the Caldera in that area and can I drive around it? I’m not much of a hiker (I’m in terrible shape right now, lol), and though I anticipate doing some walking/hiking on my outings, I don’t want to push it.

I was sorry to hear about the fire at Rancho de Chimayo – I hope they reopen soon.

Unless I decide to stay overnight in Taos, I probably won’t get a chance to see the Millicent Rodgers Museum, which I think I would like very much. The trip to Taos will take a good chunk of time and so will the Pueblo……I do kind of think a day trip is rushing it, but short of double booking and spending a night in Taos, I have no choice. I intend to visit Acoma Pueblo when in ABQ ; given that, do you think I should skip Taos Pueblo in favor of spending more time in Taos (the museums specifically)? My inclination would be to choose the Pueblo because there is nothing like it in NY……..but I’m all ears!

Thanks for the tip about La Fonda - I’m not much of a drinker, but it sounds like a really nice way to unwind and relax, which is important when spending so much time on the go.

I think I love red chile already even though I’ve never tried it – it just sounds like the kind of food I would love. I intend to bring some chile products home, absolutely!

Thanks again!

Betsy, the caldera is just another 15/20 minutes past Bandelier, as I recall, and it's just outstanding. You can just drive by it, and somewhere I found a website with all the hiking nearby. You can keep driving to Jemez Springs, but we needed to get back and didn't take the time. Next time... annie

You have sure done your homework. You have included the top spots to visit.

Acoma and Taos Pueblos are very different.

You could do a day trip from Santa Fe to Taos; it should take about 90 minutes each way. Taos is a small town, and it wouldn't take you long to see it, have lunch and head to pueblo. I recommend Dragonfly or Michaels for breakfast or lunch.

I would do museums in Santa Fe; they are great.
What time of year is this trip?? That impacts some of your choices.

I wouldn't bother with cooking school [and I am a real foodie].

Just to warn you: My son and I came to NM in 2000 for a 10 day visit. We did ABQ, Santa Fe and Taos. We moved to NM 14 months later. We are also NYers, so beware. NM grabs you...

The is a great French Cafe in Santa Fe that we love [great frogs legs]

http://www.cafeparisnm.com/

Also - French Pastry Shop [connected to La Fonda]
100 E San Francisco St
(505) 983-6697.

For a fun night [food is ok] try
Cowgirl Hall of Fame

http://www.santafestation.com/cowgirl/index.html

Hope this helps,
Deb

bookmarking for next spring

Hi Debi
Researching my vacations are half the fun, so this has been a joy for me. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to wait several months, which is just killing me, lol.

I really don’t want to skip either Acoma or Taos Pueblos, so the museums in Taos will have to wait until my next trip. I thought the High Road takes about 2 ½ hours …? I hope that’s WITH stops included, lol. Either way, that’s going to be one of my favorite days.

I was planning my trip for June, but I’ve read that it can be very hot at that time. Is May a better time? I’d read that May weather could be iffy and that June is quite nice……I’d rather deal with some heat as opposed to wind and rain in May. Believe me, the museums in SF are a top priority for me. I’m not sure if I will have time to see every one….although I’ve read that they are pretty small, so maybe I will. In any case, I love museums –boy, Santa Fe just has so much to do (and Albuquerque, too – there are some very interesting museums that I will be interested in seeing).

Should I take from your comments that you don’t think the cooking school is any great shakes? I should say that I am no cook (too lazy for that), so usually demonstrations are fine for me. Of course, if I scratch that off my list, that will leave me more time for other things. I seem to be planning an awful lot of driving; I want to be sure I’m leaving myself enough time to relax and enjoy SF itself (nevermind the museums, I mean just walking around and taking in the atmosphere)

Debi, I think it’s too late – when I plan a trip, I fall half in love with a place. I believe I’m already under NM’s spell……I haven’t even been there and I wonder what it would be like to live there. I really love that there is such good food to be had even in small little places in small little towns…I wish we had more of this where I live (not that NM is all about food, but I will say this – I can’t even stand to see the “chile” spelled “chili” anymore, lol. It drives me crazy!)…. I’ve never even had red chile (and I’ve had a green chile cheeseburger exactly once in my life), yet I’m practically dreaming of it. I guess what I also look forward to in NM is getting off my duff and into the great outdoors……..

I love pastries……yumm! I’m putting them on my list.

Thanks for all of your help!

Abiqiu/Ghost Ranch is the place you want to see if you like classic 'western scenery'. Did one of our field camp projects for my geology degree in/on and around Battleship Rock there in the 90's. Ojo Caliente and Echo Amphitheatre are nearby as well. All interesting natural sights to see.

I love the smells of the sage and juniper of the desert. Amazing!

];')

Betsy, I would limit Tesuque Market for breakfast only. That's their best. Dinner is hit and miss but breakfast, while it can be slow, is very good. And it's on the road to the Tesuque Flea Market off of 285 where you can find lots of trinkets for gifts or for yourself!

Have you decided when to visit? May is beautiful and so is June. Wasn't too hot for us. Now July and August can get hot but it isn't oppressive like a humid heat.

Beachgirl, thanks for the tip! I will stick to Tesuque for breakfast (sheesh, Santa Fe has an incredible # of top notch breakfast places, doesn't it? LOL).

I'm going to stick with June, probably the beginning of the month. I wish I had the patience to stick it out until September or October (fall is the nicest time of year anywhere, I think), but I don't. I just can't wait almost a year to come to NM!

Kugellager, I'm sorry I haven't responded to your post sooner - I've been busy and I somehow missed it. Yes, I'm really looking forward to Abiquiu/Ghost Ranch - it's all so different from NY and that's exciting for me.

Hi Betsyp-- June should be nice. I've always wanted to go to Ojo Caliente. Hope you will report back on that.

If you make it to the Tesuque flea market, one of the vendors sometimes has fresh watermelon juice. It's in a big jar and totally amazing. She also makes a mean Indian taco!