Things to do / Travel Guide
Food in this region runs the gamut from cheap to expensive and the Hispanic, Native American, and European influences are easy to recognize. One of the features of a trip to this region is sampling (or gorging, depending on your appetite) the native cuisine. Mexican food is definitely the local specialty but many other kinds of food can still be found. In Santa Fe and Albuquerque, fine dining is readily available as there are many restaurants catering to the tourist market, as well as the ever-more cosmopolitan residents of these cities. Continental cuisine, sushi, and steakhouses are all common in these two areas and tourists will find that a lavish meal in a fine restaurant here will be considerably more affordable than in other areas of the United States.
Mexican Food
The most popular regional cuisine by far is Mexican food. Most Mexican food is quite affordable. Full meals can be as cheap as just a few dollars, for a filling taco plate, to no more than $10-$15, for a full-blown meal that will leave you feeling like a stuffed piñata.
Those who are fans of “Mexican food” (or what is considered Mexican food in the United States) will be pleased to see such mainstays as tamales, burritos, enchiladas, and chips and salsa on the menus of most every “Mexican” restaurant in the region. Beans and tortillas are the staple food of this cuisine, while chilies are the heart and soul. People around here take these hot peppers very seriously and they seem to find their way into all types of dishes, so those with a sensitive palate beware.
As is the case throughout the Southwest, margaritas are something of an art-form. A world-class margarita with a bowl of chips and salsa on the porch of a local restaurant as the sun starts to set over the mountain scenery is the perfect way to end a long day of touring in the region.
Nouvelle Southwestern Cuisine
Chef Mark Miller is considered one of the founders of this innovative style of cooking. He opened his Coyote Café in 1987 in Santa Fe, where his distinctive, nouvelle Southwestern cuisine combines cornmeal, beans, and chilies in new ways in order to “connect with the earth and a simpler time.” Locals are big fans of Chef Katherine Kagel's Café Pasqual's (named after the folk saint of kitchens and cooks, San Pasqual), she combines the culinary traditions of Old and New Mexico with Asia. Both of these restaurants are moderately priced.
Native American Food
If you're looking to sample some very authentic Southwestern cuisine, make sure to try some Native American food. At roadside stands near pueblos and reservations, Native Americans sell fry bread, a deep-fried bread cooked over an open fire, for about a dollar a loaf.
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