Solo dining in Santa Fe & Taos

BODY is a yoga studio slash cafe in Santa Fe and they have a great veggie, vegan and raw food menu. There is a casual cafe and a more upscale back room, both have lots of solo diners when I've gone. http://bodyofsantafe.com/cafe/8x11%20Menu_July2011.pdf

jjdot in Southwest

Sunday brunch in the ABQ area

I have yet to eat there--it JUST opened--but Farm and Table on north 4th looks great.I stopped by to see the menu and the hostess told me they alos have a brunch. http://www.farmandtablenm.com/

jjdot in Southwest

Restaurants near Sandia Resort in Albuquerque

El Pinto is a short drive--it is a classic New Mexican restaurant with a lovely setting. You can probably find better food elsewhere but the atmosphere makes up for that somewhat.

jjdot in Southwest

Thanksgiving in St Augustine?

I am visiting a friend in Gainesville and three of us plan to spend Thanksgiving day and Friday in St. Augustine. What is open on the holiday? We don't need a traditional turkey dinner. thanks!

jjdot in Florida

Ojo Caliente (NM) eats

Hi All-
I am picking up a friend from San Francisco at the sunport and we are driving straight up to Ojo Caliente for two nights. I have only been there for a day trip so I can't remember what all is around there for local dining. I am thinking not much. Ojo has two restaurants, the Artesian which is spendy and a new wine bar with burgers and pizzas. Anyone tried these? Any other options close by. I really don't want to drive far.

jjdot in Southwest

Best food at ABQ brewery/brewpub

Thanks for the report--So glad you made it to Marble. We've had a few new brewpubs open in the past couple of months. Nexus and Tractor to name two. You could probably devote a whole trip to drinking great beer in Albuquerque.

jjdot in Southwest

German beers in ABQ

Cost Plus world market has a big Oktoberfest thing happening--it may be mostly food items but I know they do sell beer also so it might be worth checking out.

jjdot in Southwest

Good Bar for Social Hour in Albuquerque near Convention Center

The potential noise level for any place downtown is going to depend a lot on the day of the week and time you're going. Many mellow, chill places turn loud after a certain hour when they start having live music or djs. Just keep in mind you may want to start by 6 so that you can have happy hour prices and a couple of hours of conversation before you all start dancing. My suggestion would be the lobby bar at Hotel Andaluz. http://www.hotelandaluz.com/ it is a gorgeous space and you can actually reserve one of their little cubbies--I can't remember what they actually call them but you can call the hotel and ask. It's a semi-private space in the lobby. but, again, if you get there early on a weekday you may not need reservations at all. One warning--the food may be expensive and just apps--it's really more of a bar. If you are looking for something funkier, cheaper and more of a local hang I like blackbird buvette on central http://blackbirdbuvette.com/ they have good burgers and a great patio in back (which may not be an option, depending on when in November you'll be here).

jjdot in Southwest

Best traditional tamales

The first place that comes to mind is El Modelo in Albuquerque. It's not really a restaurant--more of a take out place, and the neighborhood is industrial and impossible to get to without a car (or bike or rail car) but the tamales are famous, plump and good.
http://www.eatabq.com/el-modelo/

jjdot in Southwest

cheese, bread shopping in Albuquerque?

I thought you would enjoy this video, we need a Baguette machine in Albuquerque:
http://youtu.be/XpWZk3ucWrw

jjdot in Southwest

cheese, bread shopping in Albuquerque?

Hi Cheryl-
Welcome to Albuquerque. I have lived in Cambridge and San Francisco and can honestly say that the think I miss most, living here, is the bread. I happen to love sourdough and it is impossible to get a real sharp sourdough here given the climate.

I will reiterate a couple of suggestions. Check out the farmer's markets: Downtown and Los Ranchos in Albuquerque and the Santa Fe market all have local bakers and good crusty bread. Kellers often has good, fresh bread, in addition to their cheese selection. They are worth getting to know--I have never had such a great butcher at my disposal. I don't know where Traders Joe's gets their bread but they are good in a pinch as is Whole Foods. The Coop in the North Valley has a decent cheese section that features lots of locals. The feta cheese from Tucumcari is seriously addictive. I also bought a nice rye from Sage there last night. Happy hunting!

jjdot in Southwest

Casa Vieja --temporarily closed

Hi all-
Just in case you were heading over soon--better call first. This is the message on their FB page.

"(Casa Vieja)will unfortunately be closed until further notice (we hope only a few days) due to a collapsing wall and compromised roof to our beautiful 300 year old adobe building. Our structure is unsafe for the public at this time."

I am hoping this gets resolved quickly and inexpensively--this is one of my favorite restaurants in the area, partly because of the beautiful old building its housed in.

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Casa Vieja
4541 Corrales RD, Corrales, NM 87048

jjdot in Southwest

ABQ- 2 new burger options on central

Holy Cow is open:http://www.bizjournals.com/mobile/albuquerque/news/2011/07/27/holy-cow-restaurant-opens-in-east.html?ed=2011-07-27&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

jjdot in Southwest

ABQ- 2 new burger options on central

I'm a fan of the Little Red as well--I can't always make it there when they're open but I'm always glad when I do.

I made it out to BrGr last week. I took a friend there for his birthday. They did a good job with the decor, it feels fun and urban and I like the round bar. They had lots of great beer on tap and it was reasonably priced. My friend wanted the yak but they didn't have it so he had the lamb. It was very tasty, though he said it could have been bigger. I had the Nirvana, a kobe beef burger "umami seasoned and parmesan encrusted, sauteed mushrooms, demi-glace" and I thought it was juicy and delicious. We shared the sweet tots and the french fries. all in all we really enjoyed our meal--service at the bar was good throughout and then...

since it was my friends birthday I snatched the bill and just handed over my credit card, big mistake. I had a also had a couple of beers so I wasn't a math whiz at the moment. About 2 hours later I was thinking , hey, I paid a lot for that dinner. So I dug the bill out of my purse and well, it was someone elses, a party of three, and I was overcharged by 20 plus dollars. Luckily I wasn't too far away so I schlepped back and went up to a guy who seemed to be a manager, he happened to be doing receipts as it was closing time. As soon as I walked up he knew who I was, the barman who made the mistake came up and apologized. They were very nice about it, but when I pulled out my card so that they could credit the transaction he said "it's easier for me if I give you cash." I said OK. Big mistake number two, but I was tired and wanted to go home. Of course later I realized that I had paid a 20 percent tip on a bill that was almost twice my actual bill. I guess it will come around to me some other way but I think the manager should have handled that differently. A disappointing end to what had been a good experience. Lesson learned--always check the bill!

jjdot in Southwest

OK, here goes nothing...best pizza in NM?

I agree with your assessment Deb--I'm surprised to hear the 2+ hour thing. I have been to Farina several times, in the evening, and have never waited more than 30 minutes for a table. The time I had to wait 30 minutes it was a Friday and someone (owner? manager?) was walking around giving out free pizza slices to folks who were waiting.

jjdot in Southwest

ABQ- 2 new burger options on central

Thanks for the update Erich! It sounds like they are having some opening jitters. It does bug me that the manager never acknowledged you. I really feel like making you (the customer) feel comfortable is as big a part of their job as logistics etc. Yes, maybe it was a rough day, but my understanding is that he is hardly new at this. I think he also runs Bricklight Dive in the UNM area (among other things?). I haven't tried BD yet but a coworker just went and she said that the food was great and local beer (marble) cheap. Both place are now on the list to try.

jjdot in Southwest

Wall Street Journal Picks for Santa Fe and Taos

The WSJ just ran this article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704904604576335471112988208.html

Interesting to see Aqua Santa mentioned--I keep forgetting about it.

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Aqua Santa
451 W Alameda St, Santa Fe, NM 87501

jjdot in Southwest

ABQ- 2 new burger options on central

bRgR is opening in June at 3rd and Central downtown. I have to say the name didn't bother me until I read that it's meant to be pronounced bee-ar-gee-ar. It looks like it has the potential to be a good new downtown option.
http://www.brgrabq.com/index.html

Also, just noticed a sign "Holy Cow burgers coming soon" on central in "EDO." I think the cross is Walter but I may be a block off. Can't find any info online yet.

jjdot in Southwest

New Mexico wineries

St. Claire produces an award winning Gewurztaminer. I too usually like a dry white and I enjoy this wine--very easy drinking and you can get a bottle on the patio at the bistro on rio grande for about $20.
http://stclairwiner260.corecommerce.com/White-Wine/St-Clair-Gewurztraminer-p84.html

Casa Rondena has a very lovely tasting room. I haven't fallen in love with any of their wines yet but I keep trying http://www.casarondena.com/

jjdot in Southwest

Best food at ABQ brewery/brewpub

The address of the Il Vicino tap room (they call it a canteen I think) is 2381 Aztec
Albuquerque, NM 87107.

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Il Vicino
321 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM 87501

jjdot in Southwest

Best food at ABQ brewery/brewpub

I went to the new Il Vicino brewpub. Located in the same kind of industrial area as La Cumbre but a decidedly nicer space. The special Belgian blonde was very good and the sandwiches and appetizers were high quality and tasty. Strangely (or not, given the minimalism of the space) there was no pizza on the menu.

Marble is still, hands down, the best beer. But the food offerings are just that, he we offered, and there to make sure you can keep having their fabulous beer. Marble also is very casual about outside food. I have seen people bring whole picnics in, and I have ordered pizza to be delivered.

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Il Vicino
321 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM 87501

jjdot in Southwest

Santa Fe - Bakery/Coffee shop near Plaza

If you're going to be in Santa Fe on Saturday morning you should walk down to the Farmers Market at the railyard for coffee and pastry and other local treats.

jjdot in Southwest

Santa Fe - Where to Eat on a Sunday Night?

I want to add one more place--El Paseo--not upscale at all, more of a local joint but just off the plaza. They have good good, cheap Green Chile stew, frito pie and $2 pints. It's a bar that sometimes has music, poetry reading etc but it doesn't get too raucous. It's my go to place when I'm in town for a concert or event and I want to have a casual meal. I know they are open on Sunday nights and may be a good break from upscale eating and a good lunch choice. If you like beer (and you don't mention it so I am making assumptions here) there is a Marble Brewery tasting room that overlooks the plaza (same building as rooftop pizzeria). I am not a big beer drinker but their beer is my absolute favorite. They are a local (Albuquerque) brewer and the patio is a great place to people watch and see the sunset. Stick with the beer --the food is pizza from the previously mentioned place next door.

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El Paseo Bar & Grill
208 Galisteo St, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Rooftop Pizzeria
60 E San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM 87501

jjdot in Southwest

Santa Fe - Where to Eat on a Sunday Night?

I second The Shed. For either lunch or dinner. Their red chile is very good and they are in a classic rambling old Santa Fe building. I had lunch a La Casa Sena recently and it was yummy. They are slightly more upscale than The Shed but the lunch prices are reasonable. You may want to check to see if they are open on Sunday nights. I think they are and they often have music in their cantina.

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La Casa Sena
125 East Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501

jjdot in Southwest

What restaurants in Albuquerque are truly good and not just good for Albuquerque?

Casa Vieja

Nobody has mentioned Jennifer James yet--i've never been but it seems to get a lot of praise.

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Casa Vieja
4541 Corrales RD, Corrales, NM 87048

jjdot in Southwest

FLAGSTAFF, AZ - Breakfast near train station? (Early.... like 5am!)

Hi Mr.-- I'm glad you gave us a report. I live in Albuquerque and have only been in Flagstaff for lunch so I didn't feel qualified to answer your post but I was curious. Glad to hear you found a place.

jjdot in Southwest

Farina Pizzeria, ABQ: a ranty "meh" from a self-professed pizza snob

I would be really sad if people took what I think is your fair, thoughtful, personal assessment of Farina as a reason not to try it. I think folks do have a tendency to skim and may miss your last paragraph. I don't know if Farina is printing their own money but they are working hard in a tough business and I have never anything but good experiences there. Good, attentive, friendly service, a nice wine list, great salads that are big enough to share, fun (if crowded) atmosphere and, as you say, very fair prices. I also happen to like their pizza but I would never compare it to a pizza I would get in Italy and I don't know why anybody would. I can't even compare it to a pizza I would get in San Francisco-- but I like so much of what they're doing at Farina I hope they stick around for a while.

jjdot in Southwest

National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show - ABQ

Thanks HDC-- I think I will check it out.

jjdot in Southwest

National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show - ABQ

http://www.fieryfoodsshow.com/

Has anyone on the board ever attended this? I am an ardent home cook and interested in agriculture. Is there any focus on those topics or is it mostly to showcase local eateries?

Thanks in advance!

jjdot in Southwest