Alex De Vore
The salmon tacos at Opuntia are a satisfying combo of flavors and textures, plus expertly grilled fish.
Full disclosure: My brother worked at Opuntia Café (1607 Alcaldesa St., (505) 780-5796) for a super long time. So, outside of a story from two years ago about how owners Todd Spitzer and Jeanna Gienke were moving the teahouse and restaurant from its original location in the Baca Street Railyard area to the Railyard proper, I’ve always felt a bit of a conflict when it came to reviewing the local spot. With my brother having moved on to other employment some time ago, however—not to mention Opuntia opening up its hours to include dinner service and extended weekend hours—the timing felt right. And so I visited last weekend with a buddy to check out what’s on offer and how things are going for the popular eatery.
First we must give kudos to the stellar second-story interior, a combination minimalist/flora-laden open concept with a koi pond at its center, smartly appointed Janet Russek photos standing in for windows on window-less walls and numerous cacti and succulents strewn throughout. In the daytime, it’s one of the more beautiful spaces in town to grab a coffee, a tea, a bit of granola or breakfast tacos; at lunch, find tasty grilled cheese or Cubano sandwiches, plus other items (though a search on the restaurant’s website only heralds the breakfast menu, so you’ll have to visit in person to learn more). In the summer evenings, when the garage-like door on the side of the building is opened up and a soft breeze blows in from the Railyard, it’s a downright magical place to be; and whether or not there’s free live music on the plaza below—or within the café itself—you’ll still find gorgeous views of the mountains, the Railyard and such. That Opuntia re-opened at all during the pandemic seems miraculous, and that it has been able to amass such a local following feels similarly notable.
“We like to think it’s like throwing a party and inviting everybody,” Gienke told me in 2020.
Now, I wouldn’t call myself an Opuntia regular, but it has indeed felt like a bustling party when I’ve met friends for coffee or lunch or dinner. Again—no one is calling the ambiance into question. Though, after having visited several times in recent months at various times of the day, I must admit that I think Opuntia is still finding its rhythm, both in terms of service and dish consistency. I grant you, we’re still in the midst of a sticky era for employment. People no longer want to put themselves in danger for so-so pay, health is still a major issue and supply chain issues persist. This is, of course, the subtext to any story critical of the restaurant industry.
Keeping that in mind, our server from last weekend was obviously in the weeds. For those who’ve never worked foodservice, that’s a horrible place to be, particularly on a Friday evening when some yahoo from the local free rag appears unannounced to quietly judge you. Like most servers I’ve had at Opuntia, she was kind and working with what appeared to by Sisyphean conditions. Regulars will know Opuntia previously operated with counter service, but now that it’s aiming for more of a sit-down vibe, one can’t help but wonder if the switch to table service isn’t working as intended just yet. It’s quite far from the kitchen to the hybrid indoor/outdoor space where every patron wants to sit, for example, and the bulk of the tables are in a small area near the aforementioned garage door, which makes moving around or even conversing feel challenging thanks to space constraints and volume levels.
Nevertheless, our food arrived as ordered, and as expediently as was possible given the throngs (there was a line at the host stand). My companion ordered the Japanese bowl, a combination of jasmine rice, kale, carrots, edamame, yams and shiitakes in a miso mushroom broth ($18), and I opted for a pair of salmon tacos with pickled red onion, jalapeño, avocado an a housemade salsa ($13). We began with chips and guac, obviously, because the promise of house-made chips is always alluring. Other than what I’d consider an imbalanced level of spiciness, the guacamole was creamy and flavorful. Perhaps it’s my own preference that every dip not be another burning hot dish in an endless sea of Santa Fe’s spicy dishes; hear me now, chefs—it’s OK for some of your dips and sauces to not burn my tongue off. The chips, as we had hoped, were marvelous, which I know seems odd to point out, but they were thick yet crispy and seasoned well. Sometimes the little things are everything, though I admit I was baffled the only cup of coffee available at dinner was a $3.75 Americano. Gimme some nighttime drip, y’all!
Alex De Vore
As for the entrees, my companion said he found his bowl a mite over-brothy, which soon seemed to make the dish soggy. His plan to eat half and take the rest home was aborted, though I didn’t have the heart to ask if that’s because he forgot or because he just plain didn’t want it. My salmon tacos, however, were superb. Not only was the salmon grilled to a satisfying exterior crisp, the salsa and pickled onion never overpowered the fish’s flavor. Two proved the magic taco number, as well, and since I was pretty much cramming chips and guac into my face with lightning speed, I was more than sated.
We saved room for dessert, of course, and selected both the cardamom rice pudding ($8) and mango créme brulee ($10). I want to give a special shoutout to our server, who kindly and quickly handled my panic attack over thinking I’d ingested a peach, to which I am allergic, with my créme brulee. I was straight up whining and scared, and I wish to publicly apologize and thank her for taking me seriously. Turns out it was indeed mango in that brulee, I survived, and it was phenomenally good, particularly given its included fresh strawberries and blueberry compote. My companion’s rice pudding was decidedly less thrilling and far more grainy than you’d expect even a rice pudding to be. When I think rice pudding, I think thick and sticky, though any restaurant can change and innovate however they want. This one bordered on watery, however, and was left unfinished.
Days later, Spitzer told me Executive Chef Kim Müller has been developing a new dinner menu we’ll likely see this fall, and hats off to Chef de Cuisine Antonio Caballero for those kickass tacos. Opuntia is so close to great I can taste it. It’ll just take a little time. I’m totally good with that.
