Me, my wife and the really little 2+ year old man who has her eyes will be in Santa Fe over Labor Day weekend. We are not high-end eaters, but recommendations for good non-chain restaurants in the $10-20 entree range would be appreciated. Center of town location preferred, short drive off the beaten path completely fine.

Green chiles may not be a must, but they certainly add to the attraction -- I never breathe easier than when I'm in New Mexico and the chiles open up my sinuses.

I already checked out 999dine.com, the website for restaurant certificates for Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Taos, etc., but wasn't thrilled with the offerings for Santa Fe.

Thanks in advance.

The Shed

I have a trip report on here for Santa Fe restaurants.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm

FYI some of the restaurants on 999dine.com are really good --
Bumblebee's, La Choza are really good, reasonably priced [the certificates make them more of a deal} and suitable for children. La Choza is a local's place with excellent chile rellenos and green chile.

Also, go to chowhound.com, in the search, type in my same screenname and see a lot of posts on Santa Fe and ABQ restaurants.

Deb

We really enjoyed Dominic's Cafe, near the Railroad Yard development (about 4-5 blocks from the Plaza). There are 12 reviews on TripAdvisor if you want to check it out.

I always enjoy Tomasita's.

La Choza is owned by the same people who own The Shed, and I believe it's less expensive than The Shed.

The Plaza Cafe on the west side of the Plaza has good food in your price range. There's also Upper Crust Pizza on Old Santa Fe Trail. And there's always the Frito pie at the five and dime on the Plaza... Bumble Bee's is very good as well.

Lee Ann

Check out Max's, Maxssantafe.com. New american with French and Southern influences. In the railyard district. Outdoor seating. Good prices.

La Choza is great for little kids. Concrete floors, colorful, lots of bright things hanging around for the kids to look at, plenty of high chairs available, etc. Lots of good things for the kids to munch on also. He will love the sopapillas there, they are to die for. Very inexpensive place. And their green chili recipes (esp. the enchiladas w/green chile) are great. Green chile stew is spicy and very good- definitely will open your sinuses. Great margaritas also. It has a very similar menu to the Shed and is about half the price.

Plaza Cafe - I recommend the Green Chile Stew.

Another place you might enjoy, especially in warm weather, is Ecco Gelato on Marcy about a block northeast of the Plaza. They have wonderful stuff in a wide variety of flavors.

Lee Ann

Yes, LeeAnn, that's if you can get past the haagen dazs on the plaza! Nothing better than enjoying an ice cream cone while sitting on a bench in the plaza.

I also enjoy green chile at Tomasita's by the train station. It has always been delicious and so has the red. It is a difficult decision to choose red or green but that's why there's Christmas (green chile and red chile on the plate).

This isn't chile but it's good -- find the tamale man in the plaza over the weekend. He sells tamales, roasted corn?, and fajitas, I believe. The tamales were amazing. Or, a favorite is the frito chili pie at the 5 and Dime (what is the name of it now?). They cut open a small bag of fritos and put your chile and fixings on top of the fritos in the bag. Pretty darn good.

Thanks, everyone. We're going to have fun with this. I'm waiting for the little guy to shock his grandmother by eating the green chiles (he has a Southwestern palate).

Bookmarking.

I think the chile rellenos at Tomasita' are the very best. Last time we ate at Bumblebee, I was a little shocked by the price, seemed high even though the quality was fine; it's more Mexican than New Mexican. Never been impressed personally by the Shed or La Choza, but they are popular. Try Tia Sophia's for breakfast or lunch, no dinner served. And be careful about the little guy even with his SW palate - the chile here can be REALLY hot!