Over the summer, we penned a missive that boiled down to a still-held belief that Santa Fe needs a greasy spoon diner. And then the letters came. "You stupid idiot," they collectively read. "We have one, and. it's called Joe's Dining."
Are we paraphrasing? Yes. Does the above capture the general gestalt of the correspondence we received? Also yes. People are passionate about Joe's Dining, so we put it on our list for a rainy day—and that day came; and it was literally rainy. Yes, dear Forksters, we have visited Joe's Dining, and you know what? You're all full of shit. Joe's Dining is what we'd call "perfectly OK," but it's certainly not the diner mecca we described in our previous newsletter. And we're here to talk about that for the next however many words, but, like, with a grading system of our own design—so let's dive in, shall we?
Ambiance: A+
OK, so it's nice inside Joe's Dining. The space is very clean and definitely has one of those counters with the attached swiveling chairs. You'll find neon all up in there, too, which we love, and ample seating for the dining public. No notes here. In fact, we'd go so far as to say longtime owners Roland and Sheila Richter have just about nailed the interior, making Joe's a comfortable option for folks on most budgets. Would it make sense if we said it felt laid-back lunchy/brunchy? Because that's the vibe we got, even on a gloomy day.
The Meal: C+
Joe's has myriad options for lunch and brunch and pizza, including specials and New Mexican food and sandwiches and salads and so forth. On the day we visited, the endless rain practically demanded a chile dish, so we chose to go the classic route with a smothered red brekkie b (that's breakfast burrito for any newcomers, and is a shorthand we've devised to save time). We brought a guest, too, who wanted a burger but decided to "behave" by ordering the veggie-on-focaccia sandwich. Both dishes looked gorgeous when they arrived, and both disappointed verily. Though the menu boasted the focaccia was made in-house, missing were the airy nooks and crannies most folks think of when considering the bread. This bread was as flat as can be, and though the veggies were certainly fresh—even the waaaaaaay too-thick onion slices—and the included mozzarella and pesto looked gorgeous, the sandwich was as bland as can be. With a little added salt, we managed to salvage the otherwise disappointing bready comestible, but it couldn't quite live up to the glory of, say, the Chocolate Maven's caprese sandwich on focaccia.
As for the brekkie b? Well, we're not sure what Joe's is putting into their red chile, but it certainly did not taste akin to any of our favorites. In fact, it was over-sweet, decidedly un-spicy and just plain not quite right—almost like a too-sugary marinara sauce, actually. Not only that, but the innards were absolutely dominated by globs of cheese, leaving the egg ratio underwhelming, while the potatoes (aka home fries at Joe's) proved listless and lacking in flavor. Having recently demolished a brekkie b from Café Castro, we were especially sad in this moment. Still, there's no taking away from the presentation, which is to say that Joe's plates are beautiful.
Dessert on the other hand, was a win. We chose the banana cream pie, which was fresh and crammed with tasty banana slices. Whoever made the crust deserves a raise, too, and the whipped cream was thick, but not to the point of hardness or, like, that thing that happens where it's almost. the consistency of butter. This pie was the perfect size to share, and while it likely won't replace the void in our heart that once contained the banana tart from Dulce (we miss you, banana tart!!!!), we'd go back to Joe's for this dessert alone. Maybe with some coffee? Should we do that right now?
The Service: A+
Our server was so gracious and fast, but never hurried that we started to wonder if he was a robot. At one point, he even keenly observed that our guest wasn't enjoying the side of potato salad that came with their sandwich—and he offered to replace it! We know that might ultimately be a small thing to most people, but it illustrated a level of professionalism and care you don't always. get while dining in non-fine dining spots. Three cheers for our server, whose name was Brian according to our receipt. Seriously, Joe's Dining owners Roland and Sheila Richter—Brian rules.
In Summation
Joe's Dining contains the word "Dining" in its name, so maybe all y'all are conflating that with the term "diner?" Either way, it's not a diner like we want, and while. the service and pie were both top-notch, the main dishes were simply too underwhelming for us to throw it on our list of regular haunts. And now you know.
This dork sure likes focaccia.
Also
- Three cheers for Santa Fe's Apicklelypse Hot Sauce, which recently took home first place honors from the International Flavor Awards for its Sasquatch Sweat hot sauce. SFR spoke with owner David Ahern-Seronde about the brand last winter, and it certainly seems he's hitting the next level.
- Word on the street (by which we mean our mom's friend Kate) is that Maria's New Mexican Kitchen is back to serving booze after a liquor license issue hit numerous restaurants operating under the Santa Fe Dining umbrella earlier this year. So there you have it—you can drink again. Happy now? Happy only having fun when several margaritas deep? We're high on life, man. And coffee. And drugs.
- It would seem Italian joint Pranzo began a new page on Facebook earlier this week (or maybe last week, we didn't actually clock the moment it flared into existence), and at least a couple Fork readers who brought it to our attention seem to believe it's because owner Steve Lemon is trying to distance himself from his arrest last August for shooting an unhoused man with a pepper ball (think pepper spray, but in ball form). Of course, people start and stop Facebook pages all the time, we're just saying.
We're just sharing this fake commercial from SNL because it's vaguely food related and it made us laugh.
More Tidbits
- Here's a bit of tragic news for the frozen waffle fans—it seems TreeHouse Foods issued a voluntary recall for frozen waffle products due to a concern of listeria contamination, and since they make them frozen little baddies for everyone from Target to Walmart and grocery stores and such, there's no telling how far it might reach. In short, you should be careful of any frozen waffles you might have. Read more here.
- Apparently Whole Foods stores will be getting all kinds of new products in the coming months, and this breakdown from the folks at Food and Wine-dot-com delves into that possibility.
- Lastly, in not specifically Santa Fe news, HuffPost Food offers up a list of foods for tackling stress during this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad election window. Consult it as thou wilt.
A totally scientific breakdown of The Fork's correspondence
In this week's print edition of SFR, get to know Dario Jimenez, the bar manager at new yet beloved taco joint Escondido. Jimenez hopes to offer up more mocktails at the Midtown eatery soon, plus an expanded wine list and more.
Number of Letters Received: 55
*Now that's what we're talking about.
Most Helpful Tip of the Week (a barely edited letter from a reader):
"When. do you ever shut up?"
*We never shut up, dear reader. We never do.
Actually Helpful Tip(s):
"Get some brownies from Trader Joe's and cover them in whipped cream."
*OK, reader Ashley R—we will.
Still longing for a diner,
The Fork
