Shake Foundation

Hello readers! It has been about a year since I have updated this blog so I figured I'd give you all an update. The last year has been filled with some pretty major changes - I decided to finally follow my dreams and pursue a professional certification in group fitness instruction which will (hopefully lead to a new career), I was given more responsibility at the law firm where I was employed, Nate graduated from NC State with his PhD and that led to the biggest life change...WE HAVE MOVED BACK TO NEW MEXICO! That's right! We are back in the Land of Enchantment! We have been here for a few weeks and are having a great time exploring all the outdoor activities in our new-old home (because New Mexico is still closed so what else are we going to do other than hike and unpack the house).

Now that you're all caught up with the highlights of Hart 2019, let's move on to a restaurant review!

Shake Foundation

Our first few days in Santa Fe were spent visiting at our most missed old haunts (looking at you Dion's Pizza and Golden Pride) and of course eating delectable green chile on absolutely everything! Santa Fe is home to a vast number of fantastic restaurants with multiple types of cuisine so after catching up with our old favs we had to take advantage of the opportunity! 

Golden Pride #1 Burrito (Potato, Cheese, Eggs and Green Chile)

505 Pizza (Pepperoni and Green Chile), Greek Salad with Greek Dressing and Green Chile Ranch from Dion's Pizza

No sandwich is quite as ubiquitous in New Mexico as the Green Chile Cheese Burger and as a vegetarian finding a satisfying substitute at a restaurant was nearly impossible - until now! I am totally loving all the vegan meatless options mainstream restaurants are offering at the moment (yes, I am still a pescatarian) and on Saturday after watching 3 dedicated and burly men unload our belongings off a 53 foot truck, I definitely had a hankerin' for a good ole' GCCB.

Nate was recommended Shake Foundation by a co-worker and after looking at their menu online it sounded like the perfect restaurant to try out together!

Shake Foundation is located at 631 Cerrillos Road, Santa Few, New Mexico and is essentially a building large enough to house a kitchen, walk-up order and pick-up windows and a few picnic tables - basically this restaurant was built for quarantine 2020. 

The menu includes burger stand regulars such as burgers, fries, and as the name would imply shakes. There are also a few surprising items like a New Mexico-raised Lamb Burger, a Fried Oyster Sandwich with Red Chile Mayo and a Beyond Meat Burger for vegans and vegetarians. 

Green Chile Cheeseburger with Beyond Meat and Double Order of Shoestring Fries

I ordered a Beyond Burger and added Green Chile ($0.50 up charge), Jack Cheese ($0.50 up charge), Lettuce (free), Tomato (free), Cooked Onions (free), and Shake Mustard Sauce (free); unfortunately my Shake Mustard Sauce was left off my burger so I can't speak to what it tastes like. My burger was perfectly grilled and seasoned, the chile was hot, the cheese was expertly melted, the onions were sweet and caramelized and the lettuce and tomato were fresh and crisp; the only downsides to this burger were the lack of mustard I ordered and the bun was very soft. I hate when I'm eating a burger or a sandwich and the bread gets soggy or falls apart when you're eating it so all the delicious fillings fall onto the plate. 

Double Foundation Green Chile Cheeseburger, Coffee Shake and a cup of Dion's Green Chile Ranch Dressing

 Nate ordered a Double Foundation Green Chile Cheeseburger and said the burger was expertly grilled and the chile and cheese were the perfect accompaniments to the beef. He did have the same complaint about the bun that I had. 

I would be remiss to have not ordered a milkshake at an establishment called Shake Foundation - lactose sensitivity be damned! The ice cream used at the shop is proudly made in Albuquerque and the rotating list of flavors can be made into a sundae, shake, float, or served up in a cup or cone. The flavors offered on the day we went included Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Coffee, Peach and Cookies & Cream. I went with a Strawberry-Peach shake - the strawberries and peaches were both fresh with chunks of fresh fruit throughout. I would definitely order it again if given the opportunity. Nate went with Coffee, which tasted like the best whipped coffee drink I've ever had in my life. The texture was thick and creamy with full-bodied coffee flavor. 

Everything at Shake Foundation is served a la carte so Nate and I split a double order of fries. The fries were shoestring cut and fried to golden and crisp perfection. Personal opinion but I am not a big fan of shoestring fries because I'm a dipper. I love to dip fries in ranch dressing or hot sauce and shoestring cut just aren't ideal for that. I would probably forgo the fries when I return to Shake Foundation. 

Since we are all dealing with COVID, I thought it may be useful to describe some of the precautions they are taking now. Guests are encouraged to be 6 feet apart when ordering and picking up, employees were all wearing face masks and kitchen staff were wearing gloves, cashier sanitized her hands between transactions and all picnic tables were roped off to discourage "dining in". 

I would love to return to Shake Foundation in the future and soak up some beautiful New Mexico sunshine from their outdoor dining room once Coronavirus is a thing of the past, I would love to eat in any dining room that isn't in my house at this point.

Thank you for reading my humble little blog and I hope you and yours stay well, happy and sane!