Santa Fe Mini-Cation

So Nate and I needed a vacation. Desperately. He's been working so hard in school this semester with design projects, graduate school visits, and late-night labs while I've been working 40 (occasionally 44) hour weeks and going stir crazy; so we decided to take the 45 minute drive to Santa Fe to spend Friday night and Saturday. 

Friday night we stayed at the historic El Rey Inn located at 1862 Cerillos Rd, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505. We stayed  in one of their traditional rooms which was decorated in the traditional New Mexican style; the room was comfortable and the inn grounds were quaint and welcoming (despite it being the off season). 

For breakfast we went to the Teahouse located at 821 Canyon Rd aka the road labeled as "arts and crafts road". 

The space itself is small, around 100 seats. The walls are lined with photographs and art. You are given 2 menus when you sit down: one full of teas of every flavor profile and another full of their delicious food options. Their pastries rotate daily (gluten free and regular scones) as well as rotating quiche. 

We began with a pot of ginger tea and a gluten free strawberry scone served with two classic scone condiments: clotted cream and lemon curd. Now, if you've never had clotted cream shame on you because it's the most incredible dairy product in the known universe; it is as if whipped cream and cream cheese had a baby. The clotted cream is thick like cream cheese but sweet and airy like whipped cream and the lemon curd is tart and citrusy. 

I wanted something substantial to eat as well so I ordered the Blackstone Eggs Benedict; this was a soft poached egg on englisg muffin halves with crispy bacon, juicy tomato slices and thick, creamy and eggy hollandaise sauce. It was served alongside a salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and Kalamata olives lightly dressed with vinegarette.

We finished our meal with a pot of Moroccan Mint tea. 

Decor: excellent, the seating consists of a mixture of comfortable armchairs, small tables and high top tables. 

cleanliness: excellent, the bathroom is clean and well stocked and the tables were turned over quickly.

Food taste: excellent, everything was absolutely amazing. 

Food appearance: excellent, food was served in an appealing manner.

Service: good, the waitress was a little less than attentive. After she brought us our bill we waited 10 minutes (while she kept checking on the tables around us) to have her actually take it. Due to the fact we didn't want to spend the entire morning at the Teahouse we went to the front to pay where we were snippily told that we were to wait at our table to pay. 

Total: 14/15

After our breakfast we decided to go to the Palace of the Governors and New Mexico History museums because neither of us had ever been. The museum was far more interesting than I would've originally thought having lived in this state for the past 20 years. The museum has a student discount so for an entire day (until 5 PM) was only $10 for the two of us! And we could leave and come back if we wanted to. 

We decided to go to Bert's Burger Bowl afterward for lunch located at 235 N Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501. Bert's was featured on the Food Network show Diner's Drive-ins and Dives. This pace is nothing fancy. No fuss, no frills just honest good burgers and fries. 

The space has 6 seats on the inside and 5 tables outside. The menu is very basic: burgers, fries, green chile and cheese. 

Decor: poor, there is no decor aside from a display of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives memorabilia. And there is metal patio furniture inside the resturant.

Cleanliness: good, the small dining room was clean. 

Food taste: excellent, flame-grilled patties and spicy and fresh roasted green chile.

Food appearance: poor, like I said no fuss or frills. Your food is served to you in a paper bag wrapped in parchment paper regardless of where you're eating. 

Service: excellent, friendly staff, and quick service.

Total: 10/15

It was a wonderful weekend with my hubby and the food is always delicious and well-worth the trip (in my humble opinion anyway). 

Quiche Lorraine? Move over Lorraine, there's a new girl in town.

So I have a newfound love for quiche. They're so versatile! You can eat these baked pastry goddesses for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or anything in between (except dessert I guess...) and you can put pretty much anything in them. 

I'm hosting a girl's night with a few of my good friends on Saturday. You know the deal: bad rom coms, wine, gossip, possible crying and/or complaining about significant others, chocolate? No? Well, try it out. I recommend watching a classic like Clueless, Mean Girls, The Ugly Truth, 27 Dresses...basically anything with Katherine Heigl and always go for a cheap moscato. So anyway I wanted to break away from the typical pizza and junk food diet that usually accompanies girl's nights (because let's be honest, women eat like teenaged boys who have the munchies when they're amongst their friends) and go for my new girlfriend: quiche. 

Quiche With Caramelized Onions, Bacon and Swiss; let's dub her "the Suzie" because she's not quite as formal as "Lorraine" but she sure does taste good. 

You begin with the par-baked crust: 

2 cups flour, leveled

1 tbs salt

1/4 tbs sugar

6 oz butter, chilled and cubed

4 Tbs shortening, chilled and cubed

1/2 Cup ice water 

 Combine all in food processor and pulse until it begins to pull from the sides. 

Form into ball on plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a minimum 30 minutes . 

Knead the dough and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness and into a 10 inch circumference. 

Transfer and form into your greased quiche pan or your handy-dandy spring form pan. Pierce bottom with a fork in several places to reduce puffing. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. 

Filling: 

2 cups heavy whipping cream 

3 eggs 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Pinch of nutmeg 

2 Tbs olive oil 

1 1/2 onion

2 slices thick cut bacon 

1 pound Swiss cheese, shredded 

Combine cream, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a bowl with your whisk. 

Dice and Sauté onions in oil over medium heat until browned, this will probably take roughly 15 minutes. You want them soft and slightly caramelized. Add onions to egg mixture. 

Pour out grease and use the same skillet because who wants to do a million dishes? Chop bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry to desired crispness (I like mine to be partially disintegrated but this is totally your call). Pat bacon dry with a paper towel and add to egg mixture. 

Grate your Swiss cheese (by hand which is a death wish or using your fancy food processor) and add to egg mixture. 

After your crust is partially baked, pour egg mixture into it and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes; you want it puffy and browned. 

Enjoy readers :) 

Roti de Porc Poele

So this post is not about something I cooked but rather something my wonderful husband did! 

Our good friend Eli's family lives on the Navajo reservation near Cuba, New Mexico where they raise livestock. He was gracious enough to give us a heapin' hunk of port shoulder (score, right?) after it sat in our freezer for a month or so, Nate was struck with the Julia bug and looked in The Bible for inspiration and came across Roti de Porc Poele (casserole-roasted pork).

Look at this and tell me it doesn't look mouthwatering!!! 

Congratulations to my wonderful husband for making such a delightful Julia meal and a big thank you to Eli and his family for the delectable cut of meat! 

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Trying to be a full-time legal assistant, full-time wife, part-time amateur chef, part-time self-proclaimed "gym rat" and part-time normal 22-year-old (my goodness is that a weird realization); takes an extreme amount of time management. Oh and hard liquor helps, too. 

I am currently reading Julie & Julia 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny kitchen by Julie Powell. I might even go as far to say this woman is one of my inspirations. Major similarities between us (and I suppose by association Julia Child, also). We both work(ed) as secretaries (fun fact: so did Julia!), we both find release in cooking, we both have well-fed husbands (both of whom I'm sure wonder why we put ourselves through the stress of laborious cooking) and both have a rather dark sense of humor (however I don't curse online nearly as often as she does). Given these similarities I am discovering while reading her book, which inspired one of my favorite films Julie & Julia (seriously, just ask Nate how many times he's watched, heard, or known I've watched it in the short 2 and a half years he and I have been together...it's an exorbitant amount I'm sure). I have mad respect for a woman who comes home from work at 9:00 PM and sets to work on multiple French dishes simultaneously. If you've read any of my Julia recipes you know how involved they are - oh and the fact you're standing over your stove or oven for hours at a time all the while dirtying every piece of cookware you, your mother, and every next-door-neighbor you've ever had owns. Don't get me wrong, the food is more than worth the effort but some nights after working and then going to the gym I can't even be bothered to make a ghetto quesadilla

(tortilla + cheese + microwave = a somewhat satisfying, albeit disappointing, meal).

That little aside well...aside? Tonight to secure my role as "working wife" I will be making one of my personal favorite weekday meals: buffalo chicken sandwiches with bleu cheese. I'm serving this masterpiece with ready-to-serve rice because it's cheap and fast...leave me alone. I can't be gourmet all the time. 

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

1 chicken breast, butterflied

1 cup hot sauce (I personally love Frank's Red Hot. I really do put that ish on everything) 

Salt and pepper

Seasoned salt 

Hamburger buns (I like potato buns)

1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese (optional)

So it's best when you marinate the chicken overnight but it's not necessary. To begin, butterfly the chicken breast to create two roughly equal pieces. Season both sides of both breasts with the salt, pepper, seasoned salt; transfer to a bowl and coat with 3/4 cup of the Frank's. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store overnight (or at least for 20 minutes). 

Preheat oven to 400. Bake on a greased baking sheet for 20 minutes, then flip chicken over and bake for 15 more minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with a fork. 

 

Now this is where you can get creative with garnish and bread and so forth. I like to keep mine simple: the remaining Frank's, bleu cheese and a bun. Simple, clean, to the point. If I'm feeling really fancy I'll serve it with some carrot sticks and celery and bleu cheese dressing (or ranch if you have a spouse who is not very fond of the pungent flavor of the bleu).

If you even enjoy reading my blog a little bit I think you'll enjoy reading Julie Powell's book. Happy eating, readers! 

Fork & Fig

I have been looking forward to trying Fork & Fig located at 1234 S. Eat Ave, Albuquerque, New Mexico 88011 ever since I saw the sign go up on the side of the building in fall of last year. Today Nate and I went there for "brunch" and I must say my expectations were definitely not met.

The resturant itself is small with only 40 seats in the resturant and at 11:30 on a Sunday with the promise of a brunch we were the only patrons in the whole joint. When I say "with the promise of a brunch" I mean just that. I looked online at their menu earlier in the week and it said "brunch Sunday 11-3" so I thought "sweet! I love brunch!" Today I was not offered brunch. No brunch menu. No brunch. No eggs. No bacon. No anything even resembling brunch. 

Readers, we have come upon a groundbreaking moment: my first negative review. The chef at Fork & Fig worked as a personal chef in Phoenix and LA before opening this, his first resturant. It is possible that the mishaps you will soon read about are simply an over zealous young chef who bit off more than he can chew or that the staff is just getting into the groove of things. 

Decor: good, the resturant has the now trendy modern-industrial feel with lots of exposed fixtures, dark wood, high ceilings. 

Cleanliness: good, the resturant has only been open for a week now so everything is pretty pristine. 

Food appearance: poor, the food was pretty and presented alright, however the disposable cutlery, cups, plates, bowls, etc. really deterred from the pretty presentation. 

Food taste: poor. I ordered the chicken and tomato "Sammy" with the tomato soup and there were some fatal flaws - my chicken was grilled to a beautiful char, the brioche bun was soft and sweet but the tomato jam (which I was looking forward to the most, by the way) was bland and wasn't even portioned over the whole bun! The soup was spicy but it was served to me at the temperature of the earth's core so it was a little difficult to enjoy it fully. Nate ordered the salmon "Sammy" with the cherry tomato salad. He said the salmon was overly salted. He said the salad, which was cherry tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar was good though. We decided to try the panna cotta and frankly I have no idea what we were given but it sure as hell wasn't panna cotta. It wasn't sweet and it wasn't creamy but it was sort of redeemed by fresh berries. 

Service: good. After walking into an empty resturant with about 6 employees in clear view, we were greeted by only 1. She was friendly and attentive but I was left feeling kind of like an inconvenience walking into a resturant and being stared at by the chefs and wait staff without being acknowledged. 

Total: 8/15

I would perhaps be interested in revisiting  this establishment in a few months to see if they have worked out their kinks and growing pains but the fact is I probably won't. The food was alright but the menu of sandwiches, burgers, wraps and salads for a minimum of $10/plate and the fact that it is located in an area already teeming with delis and quick-service restaurants does not make it much of a destination. At least for myself, but I encourage you to try for yourselves and make your own judgment. 

Havana Restaurant

We decided to try Cuban food today and found that Havana was highly rated on Google reviews.

Havana is located at 5331 Menaul Blvd NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110. The location is less than to be desired; it is in a desolate corner of a strip mall however we walked in and were warmly greeted by a Cuban gentleman who encouraged us to pick a table (of which they were all open). He followed us to our desired table and began telling us about the day's specials. One was chicken and salsa served with rice and the second was explained in Spanish so we had no idea what they actually were...

I ordered the "natural lemonade" to drink and it is absolutely delicious and refreshing on this 65 degree February day...sorry rest of the country...

Decor: poor, the decor is kind of a hodgepodge of stuff...there are two zebra hides, Christmas lights line the booths on the wall, and curtains line the opposite wall. So the location is highly decorated just not exactly cohesive. Only two "problems" would be the booths and chairs are cracked and old, the tablecloths have holes and the tables are covered in the thick plastic table protectors.

Cleanliness: good, the tables themselves were clean as was the floor. 

Food appearance: good, the food was brought out and you can tell the cooks paid attention to detail. Look at these pictures and tell me the food doesn't look great! 

Food taste: excellent, I ordered the cubano sandwich and it was everything I could've hoped for! The bread was crisp and crunchy, the meats tender and warm, the cheese melty and gooey, the pickles crisp and sour. Nate ordered the chicken and salsa and I'm a little disappointed I didn't order it myself. The dish was a stew of chicken pieces and potatoes in a spicy broth served with white rice and fried plantains. The chicken pieces were so tender they practically melted in your mouth, the broth was delicious and flavorful and the potato just soaked up all that great flavor. The plantains, which I have never eaten before today, were fried to perfection and had a starchy texture and a flavor I couldn't quite place. 

Service: excellent, the Cuban man was attentive, friendly, and entertaining because he periodically broke into song. 

Total: 11/15

While Havana received low marks for decor, the food and service is clearly where they excel; I urge you, dear readers to venture to this lonely corner of the strip mall and enjoy this delicious meal; I guarantee you will leave full and with a smile. 

Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet

If you read my previous sorbet post you'd know that I absolutely adore sorbet. It's sweet, fruity, cold, creamy, delicious, decadent; what could possibly be better? 

On Saturday night we have been invited to dinner at our friend's Stephy and Justin's (thanks guys!) and Stephy requested something vegetarian and preferably gluten free...well sorbet definitely fits into those categories. 

I wanted to make a peach Bellini sorbet but unfortunately peaches aren't in season so I had to think fast (seeing as Nate was at the store when he told me peaches wouldn't be available) so I decided on blackberries and Cabernet. 

What you'll need: 

1/2 pounds blackberries, washed 

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup Cabernet (we're using a cheap but perfectly acceptable bottle of Charles Shaw; better known as "2 Buck Chuck") 

First and foremost, put your metal loaf pan (or ice cream bowl) in the freezer until you're ready to pour the sorbet mixture into it. 

Similarly to the strawberry and balsamic sorbet, you must soak the berries in the sugar and wine in a sealed jar overnight. 

After the berries have soaked overnight (or longer if you want them really boozy) pour into a large bowl (or blender) to blend with your handy immersion blender (or with your regular blender if you're into that). 

Now this next step is completely optional but highly recommended: blackberries have lots of seeds and if you're ok with picking seeds out of your teeth for 24 hours after eating the sorbet then don't bother with the following instructions, however if you do not wish to pick seeds out of your mouth I insist on passing your purée through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. The sorbet will be smoother when it freezes and bonus: no seeds. 

Pour the puréed mixture into your loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap (be sure to press the wrap onto the surface to avoid pesky ice crystals) and freeze for 6-8 hours or use your ice cream machine and follow whatever it tells you. 

I'm serving my decadent sorbet with a dark chocolate ganache because let's be honest, what goes better with dry red wine than dark chocolate? Gentlemen and ladies, Valentine's Day is coming up, perhaps you should surprise your special someone with this tasty treat hint, hint! 

Dark Chocolate Ganache

1 cup dark chocolate chips 

Remember the double boiler I created for the avocado brownies? Make that again: 1 2 quart pot filled with 2 cups boiling water, cover the pot with a glass bowl and put the chocolate in it to melt, continuously stir chocolate until completely melted, pour into glass jar for safe keeping or drizzle immediately into your sorbet. 

Enjoy, readers! Oh and really everyone, your special someone will adore this (would probably be delicious after a great steak) think about it! 

Artichoke and Green Chile Dip

It's super bowl Sunday, you've been invited to watch the game at a friend's house in exchange for food; what do you do? Do you bring a bucket of fried chicken? A pack of fast food tacos? No, because both of those are too generic and you, my dear readers are not generic! 

So what do you do? Well make a dip of course! 

Another cook whom I hold in high regard is Ree Drummond, better known as "The Pinoneer Woman". Her recipes are delicious, relatively simple and she's very down to earth. 

This particular recipe is from her cookbook "The Pioneer Woman Cooks"

Hot Artichoke (and Green Chile) Dip

2 14 oz cans of artichoke hearts, drained 

8 oz block of cream cheese 

1 cup real mayonnaise 

Dash cayenne pepper

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbs Bueno green chile (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350. Add one can of artichoke hearts, the cream cheese, and mayonnaise to bowl of a food processor. 

Sprinkle cayenne pepper to taste and add in the chopped green onion. Now, being the Burquena (woman raised in Albuquerque) that I am, green chile runs through my veins so it only seemed natural to add green chile to this recipe but of course I'm sure it's just as delicious without. 

Pulse mixture 6 or 7 times, just enough to blend everything together but not so much that the artichokes get liquified. Mix in parmesan, salt and pepper. 

Roughly chop the artichokes in the other can go get them down to bite-size pieces. Mix in the chopped pieces to the rest of the dip. 

Pour the mixture into a greased, oven safe dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. 

I'm serving mine with tortilla chips (because they were the cheapest) and wheat butter crackers (because I already owned them). 

Bon Appetit!

Last night Nate and I hosted a French-themed dinner party (mainly an excuse for me to practice my culinary prowess for a willing audience). I followed Queen Julia Child's instructions through the Bible (Mastering the Art of French Cooking) and made 2 recipes from it: Swiss Cheese Quiche and Ratatouille. 

I spent about 5 hours total cooking yesterday but the end result was fantastic! 

I began with making the quiche because the dough had to par-bake prior to being filled. 

Pastry Dough

2 cups all purpose flour, leveled

1 tsp salt

1/4 tbs sugar

6 ounces butter, chilled

4 Tbs vegetable shortening, frozen 

Half cup of iced water 

Julia approved of using a food processor to blend the dough so I did just that. 

Measure and level off flour and pour into bowl of food processor fitted with chopping blade. Cut butter into 1/2 inch slices and add into food processor. 

Add in other dry ingredients, put on the top and begin to pulse the food processor. Meanwhile, slowly pour in the water through the spout of the processor. Blend until the dough begins to pull together (DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH)

Empty the food processor onto a floured surface (I like wax paper for easy cleanup) and work dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 1 hour. 

Now if you're like me and do not have a quiche pan, don't fear! I just used my 8 inch spring form pan (worked like a dream!)

After an hour roll out dough to about 1/8 of an inch thickness and around 10 inches circumference. Put into greased pan and cut off any excess dough (you can add a decorative edge if you want). Puncture bottom of the dough with a fork to reduce puffing.

In order to keep the pastry from puffing up or collapsing, press greased aluminum foil in the bottom and up the sides and weigh down with dried beans or rice. Bake the crust at 400 for roughly 8-9 minutes or until just beginning to brown. 

Quiche au Fromage de Gruyere

(Swiss Cheese Quiche)

8 inch par-baked pastry dough

3 eggs (or 2 eggs and 2 yolks)

2 cups heavy whipping cream 

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of pepper

Pinch of Nutmeg 

1-2 Tb butter cut into pea sized pieces 

Ok so how many of you hate grating cheese? Especially when it's a semi-soft cheese? You get out the box grater, the cheese ends up getting gummy and gross and then you have to wash the stupid grater!!! Well I decided to use my food processor fitted with the grating blade and I grated an entire block of Swiss cheese in less time than it took to put the processor together. 

Beat eggs, cream, seasonings and cheese together until blended. Pour into par-baked crust and distribute the butter pieces on top. 

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes (or until puffed and browned). The center of my quiche didn't set in the middle but don't worry, and as Julia says "don't apologize" just roll with it, trust me it was still absolutely delicious! The crust was flaky and buttery and the filling was cheesy, creamy and rich. 

Ratatouille 

(Eggplant Casserole with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and zucchini) 

1 pound eggplant, pealed

1 pound zucchini

1 tsp salt

4 Tbs olive oil

1 1/2 cups yellow onion, thinly sliced 

2 green peppers, sliced

2 cloves garlic, mashed

1 pound firm tomatoes, peeled, seeded and juiced (instructions below) 

3 Tbs minced parsley

2 Tbs Herbs de Provence (optional) 

So here is where Julia and I disagree a little bit. Last night I prepared this dish the way she instructed in the book, however I found the eggplant to be tough and hard to manage so I would suggest dicing the eggplant and zucchini rather than slicing into long pieces. 

Peel eggplant and dice the pieces into 1 inch pieces; dice the zucchini in the same way (peeling not necessary) put both into mixing bowl and toss with salt to remove excess moisture. Put bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

After the 30 minutes is up pat each piece with a paper towel to dry. Sauté veggies in olive oil for about 1 minute each side or until lightly browned and remove to a side dish. 

In same skillet cook onions and peppers in oil slowly for around 10 minutes. You want them to be tender but not browned. Stir in garlic and season with salt and pepper. 

Slice the tomato pulp into 3/8 inch strips. Lay them over the onions and peppers. Cover and cook over low for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes have begun to render their juices. Uncover and baste the tomatoes in their own juices, bring to a boil or until juice has almost entirely evaporated. Season with salt, pepper and Herbs.

In a 2 quart casserole dish, place a third of the tomatoe mixture (tomatoes, onions and peppers) in the bottom and sprinkle with 1 Tbs parsley, then do a layer of the eggplant and zucchini. Repeat this layering until you run out of ingredients. 

Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover and tip the casserole to baste with the rendered juices. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes or until juices have evaporated leaving a spoonful or two of flavored olive oil. 

The flavors of this dish were spot on and despite the fact it was a completely vegetarian dish, the meal was quite filling, we served dinner with a bottle of 2012 Bordeaux and the dry flavors of the wine paired well with the natural sweetness of the vegetables. 

To Peel, Juice and Seed Tomatoes 

There is no bigger pain than peeling tomatoes. 

Being a pot to boil and place tomatoes 2 at a time in the boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove promptly and cut out the stem. Begin to peel off the skin at the stem hole. After all your tomatoes have been peeled, cut them in half crosswise and squeeze out all the seeds and juice.

While Julia and I did not see eye-to-eye on the cutting of the vegetables, these two recipes were incredible! I am already looking forward to the next time I can make a quiche. 

Enjoy, readers! 

Sadie's of New Mexico

Good morning readers! This morning has seen zero productivity. My alarm to go to BootyBarre (best workout class ever) went off at 7:15 and I snoozed it and laid there instead. I got up to make breakfast but returned to bed immediately afterwards where I have stayed for about an hour. Aren't Saturday's great?! 

Anyway, last night neither Nate nor myself wanted to cook so we decided to visit a New Mexican tradition: Sadie's! Ironically, the location we visited last night , Sadie's East located at 15 Hotel Circle NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87123 was the first location I ever visited! This particular location is pretty small, maybe about 150 seats with a separate bar area. 

The menu is full of New Mexican classics and Sadie's is well known for big portions (I recommend doing a la carte; you don't get the rice and beans but I always come home with half my order). The prices are around $10/dinner depending on what you order and I definitely recommend ordering a half carafe of margaritas if more than 1 person will be drinking them (or if that one person just wants to get hammered).

In addition to the food I've come to know and love, their line of salsas ranging from mild to hot are also a New Mexican staple. 

Seeing as Nate and I had both had tough weeks, we indulged a little bit with our drink orders; I started off with a pint of Sam Adams while he went with the house margarita (which tasted like pure tequila...) but then after consulting their menu of specialty margaritas (of which there are 5) we decided to get a half carafe of the Blue Margarita, named for its obvious blue color and it was delicious! It was sour, lime-y, citrus-y and the tequila flavor was present without being overpowering. 

Decor: poor, this particular location isn't decorated at all. 

Cleanliness: good, the tables, chairs and floor were all clean. 

Food appearance: good, food was brought out looking appetizing and neat. 

Food taste: excellent, everything from the salsa brought out before the meal to the chile on our orders was on point! I ordered their famous stuffed sopapilla (fluffy, doughy pillows stuffed with meat, beans, cheese and potatoes) with the spicy ground beef and cheese with Christmas chile with a side of guacamole, of course. While Nate ordered cheese enchiladas with red chile. 

Both were absolutely delicious and worth the hours I'll have to spend in the gym working them off.

Service: excellent, the servers were attentive and refilled our chips, salsa and drinks before we had even noticed they needed refilling! 

Total: 11/15

Sadie's of New Mexico is a New Mexican tradition for their food but don't expect much by way of decor or fancy here (at least at this location; the Sadie's on 4th location is more touristy in decor). Last night it was mainly occupied by people like my husband and I who just wanted to drink away the troubles of the week. However, one thing is for certain, you will not leave hungry! I still have 2 regular sopapillas, a stuffed sopapilla and guacamole waiting for me in the fridge.