We will be staying in Santa Fe in late August and would like a restaurant with good southwestern food and ambience. Any suggestions?

There are none. It's all a trick. The Santa Fe tourist board has completely snookered everyone in the country into believing there is food edible to people from outside New Mexico in the city. It's a complete conspiracy.

BeachGirl247's nearly exhaustive list on the thread noted below, which you could have found by searching the forums, is just a figment of the Santa Fe conjured by your imagination:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...n-santa-fe.cfm

We are local and for great New Mexican food; Choza is our go to place. It is small, reasonably priced and looks like you'd expect - nothing over the top fancy schmancy, just really good food.

That said, BeachGirls list has it all, if you can't find it there, it isn't there.

We loved The Shed - great red chile enchiladas and mocha cake, neat historic atmosphere, and good service too.

Just realized I made a typo: it's La Choza. FYI - it is owned by the same people as The Shed and is pretty much the same food etc but The Shed tends to attract visitors, La Choza gets the locals.

For New Mexican fare, we like:
Tia Sophia's - breakfast and lunch only. No Sundays. Green and red chile along with pancakes, oatmeal and other breakfast items. Plaza area. We can't go to SF without eating here several times. If there is a line don't worry as it goes quickly.

Tomasita's: lunch and dinner. Delicious green and red chile and light and fluffy sopapillas, too. It's large and may have a wait but it's worth it. It's by the rail yard.

The Shed: lunch and dinner. No Sundays. Voted #1 for best New Mexican by the Santa Fe Reporter and #1 for it's red chile . I tend to agree as it's a go-to favorire for us for food, atmosphere and service. Charming patio, too.

Cafe Pasqual's: open daily. Big breakfasts, small spot so there will be a wait. Just plan that into your morning or go back for a lunch or dinner. I like her dinners best and her chicken mole is one of the best mole we've ever had.

Coyote Cantina is on the roof by the Coyote Cafe. Covered dining and a great place along the edge to sit & have a drink while you people watch below.

For fine dining with a southwest flair:

Coyote Cafe (same chef for this and Geronimo)
Anasazi
La Casa Sena (outddoor dining, too)

There are others we like but don't necessarily have the southwest style but more continental (Geronimo, Santa Cafe and others).