The Fork isn't so sure about breakfast being "the most important meal of the day," since all we ate in the morning throughout most of our lives was a half-pack of smokes and a pot of coffee. Sure, The Fork is only 4 feet tall and sounds like Lucille Ball when we speak, but our love of breakfast didn't come till much later. Now, of course, we know it to be the best meal of the day. That might say something about its importance, but it's mostly about the offerings being awesome.
Find here our suggestions for some of the best local breakfasts in Santa Fe. And, as always, drop us a line and explain why your favorite place is the best. We actually wind up eating at (some of) the places you recommend. And also, we just love breakfast so much.
It's new on our list of places as far as b-fast goes, but the Plaza Café Southside is killin' it. A recent trip found The Fork and The Fork's partner sampling French toast and eggs, but the real kicker was the veggie sausage. Served in patty form, we literally had to make sure with the waitress that it wasn't meat. It wasn't, but it's one of the closest things we've found during our journey to vegetarianism.
We also try to hit Baja Tacos as often as possible, but rather than tacos, it's the brekkie b's we're after. A lot of places have adopted hash browns inside the burritos as a standard practice, but Baja is one of the oldest we remember doing it. They're so crunchy and good in there, and the green chile is always a fantastic balance between spicy and flavorful.
If we're trying to delude ourselves into thinking we're being healthy (and therefore deserve a treat), we'll hit the French Pastry Shop inside the La Fonda. Our personal favorite is the spinach crepe with melty swiss cheese, but we've tried the sweet ones, too, and they're the kind of thing you'd slap a loved one to get. Visit their dessert case while there or pop by for lunch as well—those sammies are no joke. But bring cash, as they don't do cards.
And then, of course, is the New Santa Fe Baking Co., that glorious always-there restaurant that scared the hell out of us by closing not-too-long-ago, then reopening as a cleaner and sunnier all-day spot. The brekkie b's here are the stuff of legend, but try also the French omelet or pancakes.
It's actually kind of nuts that we treat a good breakfast like a dessert-adjacent experience in America. How does one get healthy in the morning? We're seriously asking. Even when we make oatmeal at home, we're always dusting it with sugar like maniacs (even though we know we shouldn't). If you've got suggestions for home or on-the-go, we want 'em.
Also
-Are you all caught up with SFR's food coverage? This week we visited Café Mimosa, a new restaurant in the old Back Street Bistro space that still has a ways to go but is otherwise promising.
-We'd also point out that Best of Santa Fe voting is officially over, and to stay tuned to SFR for the winners in the food categories. Chile? Brunch? Tacos? They'll all be there.
-An eagle-eyed Fork reader happened to notice that Angel's Bakery on Water Street appears to have been vacated. Anyone know what's up with that? We know Kaune's has some of their treats in the dessert area, but we're worried it's another story of high Santa Fe rents pushing out a place that was pretty good. Let us know.
-We observed over the last weekend a Facebook argument about what restaurant has the spiciest green chile in town. Obviously, Horseman's Haven was trotted out in a number of comments, but we wanna know your thoughts. Further, The Fork strongly believes flavor should be the ultimate goal (as in, better flavorful than spicy alone), but let's hear it from the Forkefeans.
-Just because it's worth mentioning, The Food Depot food bank should really be on your radar should you find yourself looking for things to support.
-Look at this cookbook. Just … just trust us and follow the link. You're welcome.
More Tidbits
-The nation of Thailand is sending a durian into space. What? Why? We're talking a fruit that stinks so bad, the country of Singapore has banned it from public transit. Yikes. I guess the vacuum of space is the place for them to be.
-Just a few short Forks ago, we were talking about how wasting food is the worst. Luckily, then, The Guardian reached out to chefs about having a zero-waste home kitchen. Adopt some of this stuff.
-Oreo cookies will soon have a number of new flavors including chocolate peanut butter pie and strawberry shortcake. We like regular Oreo-flavored Oreos, but we are getting on in years.
-Bad news for El Monterey frozen brekkie b’s from Ruiz Foods—turns out 25 tons of those bad boys had to be recalled after what appeared to be plastic bits were found inside them. It just goes to show that non-frozen burritos are readily available pretty much everywhere, and it’s time to get your life together.
-Meanwhile, in North Korea, the country apparently wants to get its own McDonald’s. Do they, though? I mean, of all the things to actively want …
-June is National Dairy Month, so drink some milk and feel gross, we guess.
-Finally, People Magazine has named its best food cities in the country, though it mostly just reads like a list of big cities. These suckers have obviously never been to Santa Fe. Suck it, Boise!
Finally
A TOTALLY SCIENTIFIC BREAKDOWN OF THIS WEEK’S LETTERS
Number of letters received
16
Number of those we cared about
Seriously, every last one was good this week.
Most helpful tip of the week (not edited for content)
“Try it!”
Actually helpful tip of the week (not edited for content)
“Once you have grilled that corn, don’t forget to serve it up with a sizable squeeze of lime juice and some freshly ground black pepper.”
Like we said, Best of Santa Fe voting is over, but we have kicked off our annual Political Cartoon Contest. Get details on submitting, prizes and more right here.
We’ll stop reminding you about SFR’s new cannabis newsletter Leaf Brief after this week. Find it on the site, or visit this link to sign up and have it delivered to your inbox for free just like you get The Fork.
Fork it to me,
The Fork
