Visit Santa Fe for Great Food (but don't forget Albuquerque)

If cities have a soul, Santa Fe's soul emanates from its food, a synthesis of its native and Spanish heritage with Western U.S. influences and more recently an appreciation of the variety of the world's cuisines and the importance of the local, organic ethic. My wife and I have visited Santa Fe at least once a year for the past 22 years (the last nine with our son). We also have made excursions to Taos and Albuquerque but it is Santa Fe that draws us each year. We are well aware of its reputation as an ultra chic, elitist enclave but we ignore that aspect of the city when we visit to focus on the history and culture.

And most importantly the food. As long as we have been coming to this special place, I am impressed at how many restaurants from those early days are still around. There have been some lamentable closures, though, the most recent of which was the shuttering of Cloud Cliff Bakery, Cafe and Art Space. Stopping by Cloud Cliff for breakfast on our last day before heading home had become a tradition. I always looked forward to a dose of their organic food, eclectic art and progressive politics to complete our trip.

The disappointment of losing Cloud Cliff was balanced on this weekend trip by our successful strategy of trying out restaurants we had never been to before. Some of these had been around a while but for some reason we just hadn't made our way to them until now. Maria's New Mexican Kitchen (www.marias-santafe.com) is a Santa Fe icon, having served its popular menu of New Mexican standards under its current ownership for 23 years. We went for lunch and enjoyed our meal so much we wondered why it took us so long to get there. By the way, I had a beer with my lunch but everything I read says their margaritas are legendary. For dinner our first night we ate at Andiamo (www.andiamoonline.com) in the Railyard District. I had read good things about this place for several years and we were glad we finally made it in. This is serious Italian food at reasonable prices. Located in a cozy house, this is an elegant, yet casual restaurant well worth a visit. For breakfast the next day, we stopped by Counter Culture (no website), whose name is an apt double entendre for this funky, casual place. We enjoyed our breakfast: pancakes, burrito, eggs, pastries and really good coffee. But looking at the extensive list of sandwiches on the lunch menu, I made a mental note that this would be a lunch stop next year.

But I have to say the highlight of the trip was our dinner at La Boca, (www.labocasantafe.com) which is located just a couple of blocks north of the Plaza. The place, as it happens, recently had been named the city?s best new restaurant by several publications. La Boca essentially is a tapas restaurant, which was perfect for us because we like to try a variety of items when we dine, especially at a restaurant for the first time. The prices were reasonable, though you must be careful because those little dishes can add up just like at a sushi restaurant. The only down side is that the place is very small, even a little cramped.

This year, we decided to spend our last day in Albuquerque. In addition to taking our son to the impressive Museum of Natural History and Science, we enjoyed three very good meals. For dinner Friday night, we went to the Nob Hill Bar & Grill. This place was the perfect combination for us: a lively neighborhood bar and restaurant that serves very good food. No question this is a hip, hopping place ? and it deserve to be, as much for its contemporary take on comfort foods, as for its inviting atmosphere. The next morning we went back to the Nob Hill neighborhood for breakfast at the Flying Start Cafe. The draw was hearty entrees, an extensive array of baked goods, and strong coffee, not to mention a great selection of magazines. As a bonus, the restaurant (and its seven sibling restaurants and related Satellite coffeehouses) prides itself on using organic ingredients whenever possible and sourcing as many products as possible from local producers. If I lived in Albuquerque, I'm sure I'd be at this place at least three or four times a week. Before we made our way back to Denver that afternoon, we stopped at the Gold Street Caffe in downtown for a quick lunch. We found a small but friendly and nicely appointed restaurant. Our sandwiches were large, well made and tasty; a fine send off before we headed home.

I have long been of the opinion that Santa Fe is one of the best dining cities in the country. First, the city has its own unique cuisine, a blend of Spanish, Mexican and Native American influences, but also has great restaurants serving a wide variety of world cuisines. Our recent trip confirmed this once again. And the last day of our trip gave us some hints that Albuquerque is worth more attention in the future.