Northern New Mexico has come by its "mañana" reputation honestly. Usually change happens . . . tomorrow. But there are some lively additions in the region well worth exploring.
Santa Fe
For the third year straight, Santa Fe won second place in the Condé Nast Traveler magazine annual poll of reader's favorite places to visit in the U.S. The "City Different" placed second behind San Francisco, but beat out Chicago, Charleston S.C., Carmel, Calif., Honolulu, Aspen, Seattle and Sedona, which also made the top 10.
Where to Stay
Santa Fe's newest hip digs, the Opis Villas, 300 E. Marcy St., (tel. 505/795-0278; www.opisvillas.com), offer luxury accommodations in a renovated 1930s apartment complex, walking distance from the Plaza. It's owned and was restored by the noted Hollywood designer Jay Payne, who has worked for such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey and Sylvester Stallone. The seven one- and two-story units cluster around a courtyard decorated with a fountain and statues. Inside, the units have hardwood floors, colorful tile work, state-of-the-art appliances and sound systems, flat-screen televisions, and are decorated in plush colors set off by ethnic art pieces. The most notable is the Kama Sutra suite with a Roman soaking tub. Units range in price from $400 to $1,200 per night, depending on the season.
Where to Dine
While making your way from restaurant to restaurant, be sure to pick up a copy of the new publication Edible Santa Fe. It's part of Edible Communities, a company devoted to building relationships between farmers, food producers, and community residents through newsletters, events, and a website -- www.ediblecommunities.com. Published quarterly, with the seasons, the magazine is available for free at restaurants, grocers, farmer's markets, and other public places.
Baleen, at the Inn and Spa at Loretto, 211 Old Santa Fe Trail (tel. 800/727-5531; www.hotelloretto.com), has come under the spotlight recently. New executive chef John Cox offers festive New American cuisine that is pleasing palates here. The ambiance is elegantly comfortable, with hardwood floors and a kiva fireplace. During warmer months, diners can sit out on the patio in the shadow of the famed Loretto Chapel. The menu is seasonal; diners might feast on bacon-wrapped Sea of Cortez prawns with corn puree and Chimayo green chile, or slow-roasted bison with a potato gratin. An award-winning wine list accompanies the menu. Prices range from $10 to $15 at lunch and $22 to $35 at dinner.
For those of you desperately seeking veggies, Annapurna, 905 West Alameda (tel. 505/988-9688; www.999dine.com/nm/annapurna/Index.html), offers plenty, spiced for flavor and health. This restaurant and chai house just a five minute drive from the plaza cooks ayurvedic cuisine -- vegetarian food made with Indian spices combined in ways to help tune the physical body with the cosmos. The décor is simple and bright, with Indian prints hanging about and little curtained rooms for those who like to sit on cushions and eat in private. Breakfast brings pastries and unique cereals, but my favorite is the chapatti roll -- flat bread rolled with tofu and vegetables, served with sweet tamarind/date chutney and coconut chutney. At lunch and dinner, you might try the samosa, my favorite, a pocket filled with a spicy mixture of peas, carrots and potatoes, served with date/tamarind chutney. Wash it all down with housemade chai. Main dishes are around $7.
Side Trips from Santa Fe
Just a 25 minute drive from Santa Fe, the Lamy Station Café, 150 Old Lamy Trail, in Lamy (tel. 505/466-1904; www.lamystationcafe.com), offers inventive diner-style cuisine in a restored 1950s Atlantic Coastline dining car. The restaurant is the inspiration of Michael Gintert, who has been involved in the Santa Fe Restaurant scene for many years. He's partial to traditional diner-style food, not the greasy-spoon kind, but the homey kind from mid-twentieth century. At breakfast the place fills up with locals sipping coffee and eating blueberry pancakes, eggs with hash browns and good bacon, and amazing pecan cinnamon rolls. The menu changes with the tides of Michael's creativity. You might have a pulled-pork sandwich with smoked cherry barbeque sauce, served with cole slaw and baked beans, or, my favorite, a grilled bacon and green chile cheese sandwich served on old fashioned bread from the notable Fano Bakery in Albuquerque. Another delectable selection is the brisket sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. While in town, step across the street to the Lamy Railroad and History Museum, the outfit that supplied the train car to the restaurant. It's full of railroad and Lamy memorabilia. The café is just getting its hours worked out, so call before heading out. All menu items are under $10 -- what a steal.
If you're headed from Santa Fe to Las Vegas, New Mexico, plan breakfast or lunch at the Risa Café in Ribera, on NM 3 (tel. 505/421-3883; www.elvalle.com/larisa), about halfway along the trip. With a patio full of Hollyhocks in summer and a dining room filling an old adobe home with walls painted peach, the Risa Café has a festive feel. "We're happy people. We wanted to make it a happy place," says the 11-year-old son of the owners. He sometimes mans the restaurant's gallery on-site, selling locally made paintings and jewelry. The New Mexican food here is tasty. You might try the hangover stew for breakfast, an inventive dish of green chile stew topped with two eggs and served with a tortilla. Also of note, at lunch, are the blue corn cheese enchiladas. If chile isn't your deal, you may select from a number of sandwiches. All menu items are under $12.
Albuquerque
Few travelers imagine that Albuquerque has a beach, but it does, the newly restored Tingley Beach (tel. 505/764-6200; www.cabq.gov/biopark/tingley). Don't expect white sand and turquoise waters, though. Instead, bring along your fishing rod and a sense of adventure. This series of ponds recently restored and stocked with rainbow trout not far from the Rio Grande has become a peaceful oasis to while away an afternoon. As well as fishing, Tingley offers covered paddle boats to rent and an 1890s scale-model train, the Río Line, connecting Tingley Beach with the Rio Grande Zoo, the Albuquerque Aquarium, and the Rio Grande Botanic Garden. Also on this 19-acre site are walking paths, worth strolling along to see the geese, ducks, and great cranes that come to this area on the Rio Grande Flyway. Hawks, owls and eagles sometimes come here too. To get to Tingley from I-40, take the Old Town exit and then head south on Rio Grande Blvd. to Central Avenue. Travel west and travel three blocks to Tingley Parkway, and turn south. It's open from sunrise to sunset.
After Dark
The new night spot for the well-heeled Albuquerquians is the Q-Bar at Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town, 800 Rio Grande Blvd., NW (tel. 505/843-6300). Decorated in contemporary warm reds with plush couches, the bar has plenty of room to lounge and schmooze. If you prefer to be entertained, head to the back where a private screening room holds a large flat-screen television, and next door, a luxurious billiards room.
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