Joy Godfrey
Clafoutis
Nothing's Ever Gonna Keep 'em Down!
OK, Forksters—let's talk Best of Santa Fe. It was last week, we partied, we put out a HUGE issue and then we encouraged everyone to get out there and engage with the things that they say they like best (reminder that Best Of is voted on by the readers of SFR and as such, all winners are chosen by you, the readers we just mentioned).
So, yeah, let's talk about some of this stuff, and then y'all can plan meals out accordingly and, hopefully, give us your thoughts. Were the readers right? Where would you go for these things?
We'll start with the Best Breakfast Burrito, an honor that went to El Parasol and its numerous locations around town. Now, we know that Parasol is fantastic, and we salute that choice. The tacos at them joints are fabulous as well, and there are so many locations to visit for when you're cruising around and just dying for a brekkie b. Tia Sophia's took home second place, and we're totally here for that, too, particularly since owner/founder James Maryol passed away recently (and because the green chile at Tia's is the stuff of legend). Third place went to Blake's Lotaburger, a place that'll put both bacon AND sausage in your brekkie b—and that has much cooler merch than you'd expect—so you know that's pretty for real, and they have more locations than pretty much anyone. Hit us up with your alternate faves, or tell us why these results are bonkers.
Chef Ahmed Obo of Jambo Café, meanwhile, took home top honors in the Best Chef category, but that surprised pretty much nobody since Obo's always winning with his brand of awesome food and awesome human-ness. Martín Rios from Restaurant Martín and the Club at Las Campanas chef Jake Judd round out the category. Thoughts? Don't forget to email us!
The Best Chile category brought the one-two punch of La Choza and The Shed, sister eateries that, as we all know, totally DO have the best chile. "But what about Horseman's Haven?!?" you're probably shrieking just now, chopped chile flying from your lips. Welp, they took home third place with their impossibly hot and delicious red and green (though we lean toward green when we're there, personally). Is there some other place with incredible chile we need to know about? Keep in mind that obvious answers will be stricken from the record, and we'll make decisions about you as a person. So none of this "I had great chile at The Pantry" nonsense—because duh! Oh, bee-tee-dubs, The Pantry is Santa Fe's favorite breakfast joint.
Y'all like Iconik coffee the best, to brunch at Clafoutis, the curry (and whole menu, really) at Paper Dosa, and the Chocolate Maven's desserts. And that's not yet mentioning how you love a spirit from Santa Fe Spirits, a choco elixir from Kakawa Chocolate House and unequivocally vote Five & Dime's Frito pies as the best.
But as we've now said numerous times, we're looking for the hidden treasures that food-lovin' yahoos like us might wanna visit. Hit us up with those (and specify if you'd be mad at us for sharing with our thousands upon thousands of loyal Forkefeans.) There are plenty more categories to explore, too, so click the link up at the top and get reading.
Obviously.
Also
-So as you may have heard, Opuntia Café is striking out of the Baca Street Railyard area for a sunny new spot in the big ol' downtown Railyard (where trains go to sleep) with, we hear, a koi pond. Dang! Of course, this means they're temporarily without a space, but you can find a pop-up version at the El Rey Court on or around August 15.
-Good news on the local bar front as well as Susan's Fine Wine & Spirits' general manager Adam Howard gave SFR the inside story of when and why the famed local liquor store plans to open a bar inside its former tasting area. Spoiler: It's soon, and you can learn more here.
-Were you one of the lucky few who brunched with us at SFR's last Secret Brunch event at Eloisa? If so, you know that chef John Selder knows how to bring it, and that he recently was awarded with the 2019 Icon de Artes Award. Congrats, chef! We've got one more brunch planned for the summer on Aug. 17.
-If it's food events you're looking for, El Rancho de las Golondrinas has your number with Plaza Llena, Corazón Contento on August 3 and 4—a food-based party that finds food historians, makers, tasters, artisans and more converging on the living history museum on the outskirts of town to celebrate the culinary history of the area. We hear there's even beer and a posole-off, so … ummm ……. sold!
-BREAKING: Your friends have too many apricots right now, and it's your civic and humanitarian duty to go and take some so they don't just rot in the street.
More Tidbits
-Speaking of fruit that falls in the street, we heard recently that in Norway (one of the finest countries on this planet), when fruit falls from trees, people bag it up and hang the bags on their fences so passers-by who are maybe hungry can snag an apple without feeling weird about asking strangers. Surely we could implement such a thing with apricots and adobe walls. Also, how good would Apricots and Adobe Walls be for a cookbook title?
-Longtime readers know that we love steering everyone to the think pieces at eater.com, and we think this new piece by Ryan Hughley about restaurants and gentrification and a little bit of respect for black neighborhoods and culture is a fantastic read. "I would love to be able to simply write about my love of food and how it has a way of acting like an edible Pangea," Hughley writes. "But too frequently it is the burden of the underrepresented, those who don't have a seat at the table, to call attention to how food, and restaurants specifically, can act as extensions of white supremacy."
-Meanwhile, according to Food & Wine, a woman working in the Pasadena suburb of Los Angeles is making great strides in the world of pasta. Brace yourselves, because The Fork actually doesn't care about pasta, but we know some of you are about to flip over this information, maybe even move.
-Ever think to yourself how you should totally open a McDonald's franchise and be rich? Turns out that that, like most things, is the fever dream of maniacs. Delish.com has a nifty new one about the cost of franchising fast food joints, and it's way more expensive than you probably thought. Also, the ice cream machine you'd want in there is already broken.
-Remember the Nickelodeon show All That from the 1990s? Well, the team behind that pop-up restaurant based on Saved by the Bell's fictitious diner The Max is now culling from the kid's sketch show reboot with a real-life Good Burger (home of the Good Burger) restaurant. Now you know (or just thought about mortality).
-Lastly today in 'round the world food and drink news, there's an emmer-effing Star Trek wine. Do with that what thou wilt.
Finally
In the print edition of SFR, photo lens that transformed into a real woman in a way similar to how Kim Catrall became a real woman in Mannequin Zibby Wilder found a workshop to help budding photogs learn how to snap the best food shots. It’s interesting.
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A Totally Scientific Breakdown of The Fork’s Correspondence Number of Letters Received
29
*WackMost Helpful Tip of the Week (not edited for content)
“Alright is spelled all right.”
*Yes, technically this is correct, unless we’re talking informal writing (of which The Fork is a proponent as were, according to Merriam-Webster, Mark Twain and James Joyce, among others. In summation, we’re glad you took the time to write that letter, though we’re not sure what the endgame was? Dusting off your hands like, “I showed them,” seems weird.
Actually Helpful Tip
“You know donut place Whoo’s?”
*We do, we do. Thanks for the reminder!
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Do your best,
The Fork
