Santa Fe | Words & Tricks

Restaurant Recommendation: Tomasita’s in Santa Fe, NM

November 16th, 2006 | 4 Comments | Posted in Advice, Travel by Chris Pommier

The Chile is Hot, The Marguerites are Strong

Tomasita’s Restaurant at 500 S Guadalupe St. in Santa Fe is a Mecca for frequent travelers to the high desert, an icon for locals and a must-see for first-time visitors. Around dinner it is inevitably packed and would-be diners are forced to deal with a long wait. So if you can eat early or very late, you should.

Don’t forget the chile. Think on your choice carefully. Red or green? Vegetarian or regular? Chiles are everywhere in New Mexican cuisine. They eat them with everything, and perhaps at first, the fire will make you wonder why. You’ll surprise yourself by the end of the meal, though, as you’re shoveling spoonfuls into your mouth between gulps of water, sweating and happy. Order a liter of marguerites and share with friends. Rinse. Repeat.

Finally, an entire paragraph must be devoted to the flakiest, warmest, softest sopaipillas in all of America. If you don’t know what a sopaipilla is, you have not lived. Calling it “flat bread” or “fry bread” would only demean it. These are puffy, chewy patry-like clouds of dough. With a fresh squirt of honey on each bite of a piece of sopaipilla at Tomasita’s, the diner is treated to a sweet, fluffy taste of heaven. They make the perfect end to a hearty and authentic New Mexican meal.

How to Live the Good Life While Staying in Santa Fe, New Mexico

November 14th, 2006 | 3 Comments | Posted in Travel by Chris Pommier

Sleeping in a 300 year old adobe building in the desert might sound like a night only a lizard would enjoy, but my partner and I recently had the pleasure of shedding our urban skin for the luxe life in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Hilton on the Plaza offers three casitas behind the main building that are decked out with kiva-style gas fireplaces, kitchenettes, humongous king-sized beds, a Jacuzzi tub and at least two televisions.

A short walk from the front door is the main plaza of Santa Fe where Native Americans sell jewelry and blankets along the Portal of the Palace of the Governors. Upscale dining is everywhere and art galleries line the streets.

The casitas were originally built by the Ortiz family in the late 1600s after a long grueling trip north fom Mexico City. Though the rooms have been restored and upgraded to modern standards, the hotel has left sections of the walls in each room in their original state. Safely shielded behind glass, the old walls are grey and crackled with plaster and the original bricks. Not to fear, though, we didn’t see a single ghost. At over $400 per night, likely any lonely spirits left wandering the veranda couldn’t afford to haunt the place. How did we afford it? A combination of generosity and luck. It never hurts to call up the hotel and ask about availability.