One nice meal in Santa Fe/Taos?
 

My boyfriend and I are going to Santa Fe and Taos for 6 days in October -- flying in to ABQ on Oct. 11 and staying at El Rey Inn in SFe for 3 nights, then driving up to Taos on Oct. 14 and spending 2 nights there at the Dona Luz Inn (forgot which room) and driving back down to ABQ on Oct. 16 and staying overnight (somewhere) before flying home to LGA on the 17th.

We will be doing some hiking, probably 3 half-days, some gallery-hopping and some museums, maybe a hot spring, and a lot of photography. We are in our late 30s (him) and early 40s (me) and are athletic. The last time I was in SFe/Taos was in October 1998 after the ABQ Balloonfest and I remember it to be very beautiful so I am excited to get out into the mountains and walk around a bit.

I've read many of the Santa Fe/Taos threads about all of the wonderful restaurants/cafes. The way our budget is means that we can do only one dinner at one of those fabulous places. If you could have dinner at only one of them, which would you choose? And not breaking the bank either -- maybe $150 before tax and tip?

We eat all cuisines. Except -- I am kosher. So, no meat or chicken whatsoever, and no shellfish. I eat fish with scales -- tuna, salmon, trout, halibut, etc. I am most comfortable in a vegetarian situation. I understand this takes way a lot of choices in Santa Fe and Taos and that's really OK. Food for me is fuel for hiking, not an end unto itself. I would just like to be able to taste some Southwestern cuisine. My boyfriend eats anything except pork products.

So -- any ideas where we can go that might be able to accommodate a vegetarian? A good margarita would also not be a bad thing...

As our trip gets closer I'm sure I'll have more questions about the cultural side of the trip. Food first though! Thanks!

http://www.santacafe.com/ I love Santacafe. It is nice without being formal or pretentious. Their poblano relleno is delicious and would comply with your requirements, I think. Check out their menu. There is also an "ask questions" option on the website, so they could clear up any specifics concerns for you.

Take a look at the Santa Fe Reporter website. Here's a link to restaurants with vegetarian options, using their restaurant search feature:

http://tinyurl.com/5cg5x4

Lee Ann

Please don't limit yourself to vegetarian restaurants--there are only a few that would qualify in Santa Fe. On the other hand, most-if not all- of Santa Fe's restaurants have lovely menu choices that would meet your requirements. Some places that I like--Trattoria Nostrani http://www.trattorianostrani.com/ and The Compound www.compoundrestaurant.com. Another favorite is La Boca--the most delicious tapas--lots of acceptable choices.

I was underwhelmed with La Boca when I was there in June. I rate it very high on the creativity scale, but several of the tapas were nothing better than average on my pleasing/taste scale.

For the price, I would not hurry back to La Boca. Soloist playing guitar with 50,000W amplifier didn't add to the ambiance - thankfully she took a break 1/2 way through our meal.

If you are going to hike at the trails from the Audobon Center in Santa Fe (on Upper Canyon Rd.) or the many other trails in the Upper Canyon Rd. area (like the Dale Ball trails), just drive down Canyon Rd. and go to El Farol on your way to or from hiking. It's convenient, and they have a large tapas menu w/lots of very good vegetarian tapas options.

I went there after hiking on the Upper Canyon Rd. trails, and had a great margarita and vegetarain tapas. I highly recommend the "Alcachofas"- reggiano encrusted artichoke hearts in lemon-caper butter. All their cheeses, salads, and other vegetarian tapas were very good. You can get 8 tapas (large portions) for $53.

Dinner or lunch at El Farol will not go anywhere near your $150 budget., but I liked it so much I ate twice there in my 4 days in Santa Fe. Also, they have a lively bar w/great live music 7 nights a wk.

http://elfarolsf.easycgi.com/index.asp?ID=1

Then you can get your southwest food fix somewhere else.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I looked at El Farol's web site and there are tons of vegetarian tapas. I got hungry just looking. I'm definitely eating there!

One someone's trip report or another posting I read about The Shed, which I seem to remember is the casual place owned by a more-expensive restaurant. There are several vegetarian options. Anyone been there?

Thanks!

Yes, The Shed (downtown) and La Choza (the shed in spanish), just outside town, near Whole Foods) are both excellent SW food. Red/Green chile, many veg options.

I had a great fish taco at La Choza - whole meal for less than $10, and great food.

You might also want to check out Plaza Cafe when you are wandering through the plaza area. This is delicious, inexpensive, fresh food that should give you plenty of options-- in a historic setting, to boot! I never go to Santa Fe without eating there. Unfortunately, their Web site doesn't have a menu.

El Farol has a nice covered patio in back where I ate both times. Very pretty, wisteria trees and vines all over the cover.

I also ate at La Choza. I was staying at Sage Inn which is across the st. and up a short block (Sage Inn was a great place to stay, btw. On same rd. as El Rey but much closer to the plaza area, next to Whole Foods) The sopapillas at La Choza are to die for. Big, puffy, light, put a little honey on them and they are fantastic. Food was good and inexpensive. There is a lot of construction going on by La Choza, for the new railyard area that will have shopping, restaurants, etc. La Choza is at the end of that railyard area, close to Cerillo and St. Francis.

Looks like we'll be eating at El Farol and The Shed for sure. A friend told me about Cafe Pasqual's and their menu looks great. Any opinions there?

And I will definitely poke my head into the Plaza Cafe, thanks very much Jayne1973. I'll take your word for it that the menu will be OK for me. I just did a quick google for it and found a review on roadfood.com with some photos and it looks fabulous.

boyoboy, I'm hungry just thinking about this. I don't remember eating Southwestern food in 1998 because I didn't know what was good or not. I can't wait to try it.

thanks for the ideas. If anyone comes up with any more suggestions, especially for Taos, I'd be grateful.

I just moved to Taos about a year ago and have been trying lots of new restaurants. Most of the good restaurants have some good vegetarian options. In Taos, it can be a little difficult to have an inexpensive meal. Here are my recommendations for dining in Taos are:

Orlando's - Just north of the plaza/downtown area. Excellent New Mexican with a few good vegetarian options.

Graham's Grill - On the main road. Pretty good variety on their menu - a few veg options. Much more affordable at lunch too.

Guadalajara Grill (southside) - Great taqueria. Great prices too.

Rellenos - Just on the south edge of the plaza. Haven't had the time to try it yet, but have heard it's one of the best places in town. And they have many vegetarian selections.

Hope this helps you out!