Lazy Summer Days

In New Mexico, June is the hottest month. I think we had a day that went into the mid or high nineties, but generally, it is pretty nice. After the heat of June, July and August are cooled off every afternoon by monsoon rain showers. I love this place!

When we lived in Utah, June was hot, and then July and August were even hotter. People would ask me where I'm from, and when I'd tell them New Mexico, they'd say, "Boy, I bet you're glad to get out of that heat!"

Let them keep thinking that. I think New Mexico is one of the world's best kept secrets.

Kevin and I have been testing out the local restaurants. My favorite used to be Gardunos, but after some financial issues, the Santa Fe and Airport restaurants have closed. This means I need to find a new favorite.

We tried Gabriel's. While they do have fantastic guacamole, which is made for you right at your table, the rest of their food isn't amazing. Most of the licence plates on the cars in the parking lot were from Texas or Oklahoma, and the food reflects that. Instead of chiles rellenos with cheese, covered in green chile sauce, their rellenos have pablano chiles with chicken and cheese inside, and they're topped with an orange, tomatoey sauce. It is good, but not what I want in my authentic New Mexican food.

We went to Maria's in Santa Fe. We parked in front of a nearby business, and there was a sign warning us that the parking (during daytime hours) was not for Maria's customers, although exceptions would be made in exchange for a green chile chicken enchilada, a guacamole appetizer, or cash. Maria's was good. They did take a long time, but that was fine, as it gave us time to enjoy our friends' company.

Now, we've only been to four restaurants so far, and the next two tie for first place: Tomasita's and Rancho de Chimayo.

Tomasita's has amazing food, a great ambience, prompt service, light sopaipillas, and it is located right in the middle of downtown Santa Fe (if you go to that part of Santa Fe and call it downtown). Their chiles rellenos are made with excellent cheese, real Anaheim chiles, and a savory-sweet batter outside. I think this is one of the less expensive restaurants, too (by a whole one or two dollars each dish. oooh!). Tomasita's is Kevin's favorite.

But in my opinion, Rancho de Chimayo takes the cake. Despite its being 40 miles from anywhere, it is always busy. We went on a Tuesday night at 8:00, and there were probably 10 other full tables. When our food arrived, just one sniff sent my tastebuds into high alert and my mouth started to water. The food is amazing, the wait staff is friendly, and you can't beat the ambience! I always like to sit out on the patio in their beautiful garden, and in the quiet of the river valley, you can imagine why, hundreds of years ago, people chose to settle in Chimayo, New Mexico. In addition, they have a frozen prickly pear lemonade that is bright magenta and tastes amazing! It's worth the drive, folks.

It is never fun to be in limbo, between jobs, especially for an extended period of time. But I can't think of anywhere I'd rather do it!