50 Days to 50 Years, Day 09: Santa Fe Foodie Excursion and an evening with Evan O'Connell
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Day 2 of the Santa Fe Foodie Excursion started with this gorgeous view outside our condo. Who wouldn't want to wake up to that every morning? Well, at least we have one more morning to enjoy it.
Even though downtown Santa Fe was a mere four blocks downhill, the thought of walking uphill with full bellies was not something either Lynn or I wanted to look forward to; so like the Angeleans that we are, we drove, and paid for parking. You can take the O'Connells out of Los Angeles....
And our bellies were definitely filled to the brim! Carlos of Food Tour New Mexico was our guide for the day's excursion. He did a great job of mixing the love of food with the love of culture, along with a sprinkling of New Mexico history.
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Our first stop on the tour was San Francisco Bar and Grill, in the heart of the Santa Fe Plaza.The Plaza is the central part of the city, hosting Indian and Spanish markets, along with community gatherings and cultural events, so it was a short walk from the center of the Plaza to the restaurant. They served us an awesome Chicken Enchiladas with Chimao Red and Hatch Chiles, commonly known as "Christmas" style.
Stop #2, and my personal favorite, was to Thunderbird Bar and Grill, which boasts over 100 different tequila varieties, extensive wine and beer offerings, and other spirits. The Green Chile Pork Soup with Acedero (a Mexican form of Mozzarella) was simply divine. Carlos offered a little foodie tip: To increase the flavor of meats boiled in liquid, allow the meat to cool in the liquid. You could definitely taste the infusion of richness in the pork. I could have had another bowl, but it was on to the next leg of the tour.
To cleanse our palates, Stop #3 was to The Original Santa Fe Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Company. Carlos made us a "Birthday Cake" combination of Pineapple Balsamic Vinegar and Avocado Lemon Olive Oil. You could have it over ice and drink it, it was that scrumptious!
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In between stops we were treated to some historical wonders and spectacular views from the La Fonda rooftop, the rooftop of the 5th Floor Presidential Suite of the Inn and Spa at Loretto, the Rosary Tree, and the Miraculous Staircase at the Chapel Loretto.
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We also continued to meet some fun people. A couple of the participants in the Johnny Vee cooking class were there, along with some new faces. Three friends in particular captured my writer's interest: Brittany, Julie, and Katie decided to take a mini-respite to Santa Fe, so Brittany and Katie drove up from Midland, Texas, and Julie flew in from Florida to meet up. I just love stories, and friendships like that. Katie also won the award for most fashionable, with a great dress and hat combination.
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Since we had adequately walked off the burrito and the soup, we headed to Stop #4: Upper Crust Pizza for a New Mexico specialty: Hatch Green Chile Pizza.
Upper Crust Pizza is in an historical building in the oldest part of town. The crust is unique to this region; can't be replicated anywhere else... kind of like Chicago Deep Dish! I was sold—both the Hatch Green Chile and the Red Chile pizzas were well worth the wait; and I was happy we had walked off the earlier fare so I could scarf down three slices!
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And, of course, what would a foodie tour be without dessert! Stop #5 was to Senor Murphy Candymaker, which has been serving Santa Fe for 71 years. We sampled a quartet of treats including Bolitos and Pinon Fudge. The shop specializes in Pinon treats ("Pine Nuts" to the rest of the U.S.) which is a nut found exclusively in the state of New Mexico.
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This leg of the excursion ended at Senior Murphy's, and Lynn and I did a little bit of exploring the open air market, looking at the historical spots along old Route 66, and admiring some of the unique artistic endeavors that characterize Santa Fe before heading back to our condo to meet up with Evan.
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One of the nice bonuses of marriage is that you get an extended family. I love Lynn's brothers and sisters and their kids, and often wished they lived closer; but then, we wouldn't have an excuse to visit if they did! Albuquerque is an hour south of Santa Fe, so Lynn's nephew Evan wanted to drive up to see us this trip—so very sweet of him!
Evan met us at the condo, and we drove back into downtown Santa Fe, and stopped at a French restaurant for dessert. L'Olivier (how apropos) had a lovely patio, the manager played Getz/Gilberto in the background, and to add to the magical, Franco atmosphere, it rained!
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One of the best features was a quote painted on the inside wall of the restaurant:
Evan is an exceptionally talented artist, and through his studies, is getting well-versed in architecture. We walked around the Plaza at night, talking about the church structures and unique features of some of the monasteries in the West.
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All-in-all, a pleasurable ending to our second day in Santa Fe.