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Eating
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Santa Fe has been renowned as a culinary hot spot since the 1980s, when a stupendous feat of marketing managed to make dishes such as banana-crusted sea bass seem quintessentially Southwestern, and now has more quality
restaurants
per head than any other US city. Even if you don't pay the wallet-busting prices of the big-name attractions, there's some memorable dining to be had, and the sheer inventiveness of the city's menus makes up for its lack of interesting ethnic alternatives.
Aztec CafA© 317 Aztec St tel 505/983-9464. Counterculture hangout off Galisteo Street, offering a travelers' notice board and a nice patio, plus coffees, pastries, light meals and live music. Coyote CafA© 132 W Water St tel 505/983-1615. Celebrity chef Mark Miller's showcase restaurant, just off the plaza. The A la carte prices are ferocious, but the $42.50 set meal provides a good-value sampler with dishes such as lamb fig sausage tamale and red-banana-crusted sea bass. For a cheaper taste, try the less-expensive rooftop cafA©. Geronimo 724 Canyon Rd tel 505/982-1500. Canyon Road's classiest option, with a streetfront patio and a cool inner courtyard, serves contemporary fusion cuisine with Mexican touches; dinner entrees are mostly $18-27. La Casa Sena 125 E Palace Ave tel 505/988-9232. Lovely courtyard restaurant, a block from the plaza; zestful Southwestern lunches, with entrees around $10, are the best deal, though the $42 set dinners are consistently good. La Cantina , adjoining, is a little cheaper and its staff perform Broadway showsongs as they work. Mu du noodles 1494 Cerrillos Rd tel 505/983-1411. Largely but not exclusively vegetarian place, near the hostel. Its pan-Asian menu may not always be authentic, but it's still tasty. Closed Sun. Ore House on the Plaza 50 Lincoln Ave tel 505/983-8687. "Nueva Latina" restaurant, where the menu ranges from $5 green-chili stews to elaborate $26 dinner entrees, and the on-plaza location, complete with ristra -garlanded balcony, is unbeatable. Tecolote CafA© 1203 Cerrillos Rd at Cordova tel 505/988-1362. Inconspicuous joint, two miles south of downtown, renowned for great breakfasts - burritos, huevos rancheros and the like. Daily except Mon 7am-2pm.
Tia Sophia's
210 W San Francisco St tel 505/983-9880. Spicy, very inexpensive Mexican diner west of the plaza that's a huge hit with lunching locals. Daily except Mon 7am-2pm. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United States,
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