Another local diner, another huge Mexican breakfast. I could definitely get used to this, although my stomach probably can't. We checked out another local dive breakfast place that is old school and full of locals. I mean, it's called the Taos Diner, what else were you expecting? The menu had all the classics of a New Mexican style breakfast place. I opted for the papas and huevos (obviously potato and egg in Spanish) with a side of turkey sausage because despite all the food I had been eating on this trip, I wasn't really getting a whole lot of meat in my diet.
The plate was enormous as expected (I should note that Aarti's breakfast burrito was practically the size of her head) and probably had a pound of cubed potatoes smothered in Christmas salsa (red and green chili), scrambled eggs, sour cream and guacamole. It was a great combination of food but I really could have done with way less potato and more egg in it. The whole trip I had been focusing on the green chili because that's what New Mexico is famous for, so I figured I should at least try the red or Christmas version at some point. While I'm glad I tried it, the green chili solo was much better. There's just something tastier to it that I can't put my finger on. The red version seemed more smokey and less appealing to me. I tried really hard to finish the dish but there was just too much potato for me to really enjoy the dish entirely - I was getting uncomfortably full and it was really unpleasant at one point. But don't let this discourage you, it's definitely worth a visit - plus there are 2 of them (Diner I and Diner II), so you really have no excuse when you're in Taos. Total bill: $42 for 3 people with tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
Coyote Rooftop Cantina 132 W Water St., Santa Fe, NM 87501 4 Forks
We finally made it to Santa Fe! It was a nice beautiful drive with a few stops along the way, but we finally made it to our final destination around 3pm and we were starving. The hotel we were staying at, the lovely Inn and Spat at Loretto, was smack in the middle of all the action which was great. The staff there was super helpful and one of the valets told us to check out the Coyote Rooftop Cantina for a quick affordable snack. There is a more formal dining area in the bottom but just go up the stairs to the rooftop to reach the Cantina.
The weather was great and it was nice to sit in a rooftop bar, which there weren't any of in Taos, so it's worth going to here just to get a change of scenery and decor. What I also didn't realize until later was that most of the bars/restaurants in New Mexico only served beer and wine - no liquor license. But Coyote Cantina was literally the only place we went to all trip that actually served booze - so you could get a real margarita with tequila in it - not some gross wine substitute. We sat at the edge of the bar over looking Water Street, so it was good people watching. Aarti and I got a prickly pear margarita and Deanna got a mango one. I should note here that due to the elevation, you should be careful when you drink alcohol here. Apparently 1 drink really equals 2 drinks, so it's easy to get drunk quickly. But regardless, I was happy just to have a real drink in hand and the prickly pear margarita was delicious. I slurped it down quickly and definitely got a headache afterwards but it was worth it.
I also got the shrimp ceviche tostada ($14) to snack on, Aarti got the trio of salsa ($6) and Deanna got the veggie tacos ($14). The shrimp ceviche was really tasty - very plump pieces of shrimp that were well marinated and served with avocado, cucumber and radish. I was trying to stay away from the tostada part but it was covered in the yummy marinate that I ended up scarfing that down too. While this ended up being much more than a quick snack, I really liked this place. It was one of the rare places also that seemed to cater to a younger crowd as New Mexico is definitely not a vacation hot spot for the under 50. Luckily there were a few weddings going on that weekend, so there were more younger people hanging out at the restaurant that made it a bit more lively. Total bill: $90 for 3 people with tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
The Shed 113 1/2 E Palace Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87501 4 Forks
The Shed is probably one of the most popular restaurants in Santa Fe. It's got a great location right in the middle of the plaza and a lovely outdoor patio as well. Every time we passed by this place there was always a huge crowd in place. We had originally wanted to go to Cafe Pasquale for dinner but it was a 45 mins wait and the wait here was luckily only 15 mins. You know you're not in New York anymore when most of the restaurants close at 9 or 9:30pm, even on the weekends. So when we got there at 8:45pm, they told us that they would squeeze us in for the last seating. Craziness - in New York people are only just making their way to dinner at that hour.
We got a seat outside and quickly ordered. The problem with having a late snack at 4pm is that you're not really all that hungry at 8:30pm. Plus at this point I was starting to get really sick of "New Mexican" food and really just wanted a freakin salad, which I could have gotten here but alas I felt like I had to keep up with the vacation theme. I opted for the fish tacos ($15) which were 2 soft tacos with grilled white fish, avocado, red cabbage, and pineapple salsa and a side of dirty Spanish rice. I was glad the fish was grilled to make it a bit healthier and while I wasn't super hungry this did hit the spot and all the flavors balanced each other out. An interesting but random touch was that all the dishes came with a side of garlic french bread. Weird but hey, I love garlic bread, so I'll take it.
I think since it was late and the waitstaff wanted to get home, dinner felt a bit rushed and our waiter wasn't that engaging. Otherwise, it was a pleasant experience and I can see why it's a popular place for lunch or dinner. I will say that up to this point, I've enjoyed all my meals in New Mexico but the bar and standard is definitely very different than what it's like in more urban cities like NYC or SF. While all the food is delicious and satisfying, it's definitely much less refined and fancy, which is absolutely fine but it is a pretty noticeable difference. Total bill: $71 for 3 people with tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
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