I t came as a shock to many when John and Bonnie Eckre, who for years ran famed Santa Fe burger joint Bobcat Bite, shut their restaurant down earlier this year after disputes with the landlord over their Old Las Vegas Highway location. Known for its slow, cast-iron grilled 10 oz. green chile cheeseburgers, Bobcat Bite had been a popular community staple for years. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the Eckres opened Santa Fe Bite, which is virtually the same restaurant, but located downtown inside Garrett’s Desert Inn. The Eckres even got to bring along one of their cast-iron grills from the old location. The atmosphere in the new restaurant is more open than the previous location, with a bar, a patio and plenty of seating in the dining room. The setting may be posh—four violinists performed classical music on the patio on the restaurant’s opening day—but the prices are identical to Bobcat Bite (in other words, cheap). A breakfast menu complements the famous burgers, which are served with a pile of homemade chips.
311 Old Santa Fe Trail, 982-0544
