The menu at the new Tune-Up Café includes two burgers: a juicy, flavorful buffalo burger ($8), and a beef burger with garlic mayo on a brioche bun, called the Dave Was Here burger ($7). That is, of course, a nod to the café's predecessor, Dave's Not Here. ***image1***
Aside from burgers, the café serves some regular American things (buttermilk pancakes, $6.75), some New Mexican dishes (green chile chicken enchiladas, $8.50) and a few Mexican entrées (Yucatecan fish tacos, $9).
What distinguishes this menu from most others is a notable El Salvadoran influence, including
pupusas
($8), which are something in between flattened, griddled tamales and thick, soft, filled corn tortillas. The Huevos El Salvadoreños ($7.50) are eggs scrambled with scallions and tomatoes, served alongside refried beans, pan-fried bananas and corn tortillas. That'll beat Cheerios any day!
On a recent visit with co-workers, we tried the ginger chicken sandwich ($8), with thick ciabatta bread encircling a slab of chicken breast slathered with basil aioli. Both came with fantastic hand-cut fries. For dessert we sampled a crumbly raspberry scone, some gooey blueberry coffee cake and a decadent peanut butter cookie sandwich that was glued together with Nutella. Yum!
The place is light and airy, but it hasn't gotten any bigger, so the seating is tight; it includes some booths, a short bar and a long communal table. Outside, a sunny patio table allows for soaking in the spring sun (when it's not snowing!).
Right now, the café is open for breakfast and lunch every day (with a combined menu on the weekends), but Charlotte Rivera, the café's co-owner, hopes to open for dinner when their beer and wine license comes through.
Want to know more? Last week I chatted by phone with Rivera, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Jesus. Here are some excerpts.
SFR: First, I've got to ask, how did you come up with the name for your restaurant?
CR:
We were looking originally for a space in the Siler Road area and I thought that would be a great name for a place over there. Then we found this space and I went over a million names, but I just kept Tune-Up Café because I didn't want a serious name. [Jesus and I] thought about naming it after our grandmothers, like they do in New Orleans, but I dunno. I mean, how do you follow a name like Dave's Not Here?
Are you from New Orleans?
I'm from Northern Louisiana, but I've spent a lot of time in New Orleans.
How long have you been in Santa Fe?
I've been here 10 years. [Shouting to her husband] Jesus, how long have you been here? He's been here nine years-a classic immigrant story-crossing through the desert.
So how did you meet?
We met at Pasqual's. I was waiting tables at night and he was cooking during the day. He smiled at me-a lot. [And the smile on her face is almost audible as she recalls it.] We got married two years ago, and he and his brothers were working 70 hours a week for somebody else. I thought, 'That's crazy!' I thought they should do that for themselves, so I started looking for a place.
So when you all left Pasqual's did you devastate the kitchen there?
Ha! Well, two [of Jesus'] brothers still work there at night. Jesus and another brother both worked at Harry's, so I guess they devastated Harry's! Actually, Harry and Peyton have been in and they're happy for us.
Did you ever eat at Dave's Not Here?
I ate there quite a bit, because we live in the neighborhood. I had met Annie Baylor [the owner], and Annie met Jesus. I think we got the place mostly because we'd built a relationship with her.
How did that come about?
She was ready to leave and we were ready to buy. She acquired the building last year. Then we put all our money together and bought the building and its contents.
How is your Dave Was Here burger similar or different from the burgers when it was Dave's?
It's not the same at all. We grind the meat every day here, and the bun is totally different: It's a Fano brioche bun. But Dave's was such an icon that I couldn't not say something.
You have a really nice selection of baked goods. Who does the baking?
I do that. I had a little underground restaurant in my house for a while, called Chez Charlotte, and I baked for that. I've also done baking for Body. And, well, I'm from the South, the land of pie!
Tune-Up Café
1115 Hickox St.
983-7060
Open 7 am-4 pm, Monday-Friday
8 am-3 pm Saturday and Sunday
Tell me where to eat! I need your input.
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