Posting more approvals…finally
Posted by Al on August 11, 2009.
Well, it's been a while since we posted to the site. No excuses really. Al just dropped the ball. Recently he's picked it up again, and if he doesn't fumble it, he'll be posting more approvals regularly. Our goal is to have eight approvals posted by the end of 2009. As evidence of some progress check out our latest (#2) approval of the Saigon Cafe (below). We've also got some sections of the site to flesh out (About, etc.). In any case, if you have any questions or comments, please contact us.
Approval #2: Saigon Cafe, Santa Fe
Posted by T&A on August 10, 2009.
T&A live in the
middle of nowhere. We like it that way. We're also really fortunate to have a city like Santa Fe nearby. The city's
status as a tourist destination, as well as being a desirable second home location for folks with some
serious cash, allows it to support a relatively large and diverse restaurant scene. We don't know the
actual statistics, but we suspect that Santa Fe supports many more restaurants (and non-chain ones at
that) than comparably sized cities elsewhere.
Having said all that, there are limits to the level of culinary diversity that Santa Fe can support. For example, take Vietnamese cuisine. Not a lot of bench depth in that area in Santa Fe (or all of northern New Mexico for that matter). Thank goodness then, for the Saigon Cafe.
Now, we don't claim to be arbiters of culinary authenticity. Heck, we don't even consider ourselves as foodies. But, we've been around. We've eaten Vietnamese food in Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City. We think we know a pretty good (even if possibly not totally authentic) bowl of noodles or plate of spring rolls when we taste them. The Saigon Cafe delivers the goods and we're lucky to have it in Santa Fe. Perhaps the best way to recommend it is to say that it's similar in breadth of entrees and quality to many other Vietnamese “joints” we've eaten at in other cities. It's not a beautiful or fancy restaurant—it's a neighborhood place to stop in a get a decent Vietnamese meal.
The Saigon Cafe serves up the usual array of satisfying Vietnamese food including spring & egg rolls, pho, catfish, vermicelli, egg cakes, and numerous noodle dishes. We’re particularly partial to both the egg and rice noodle plates. Either can be had with chicken, grilled pork, or shrimp. The rice noodles have a particularly flavorful, slightly smoky, character. Delicious.
We’ve been dining at the Saigon Cafe for many years. There is always a nice young lady ready to greet you and take your order. The food is delivered hot and in rapid fashion. We’ve not had a bad experience there. So, if you're a local and have somehow missed out on the Saigon, or if you're just visiting Santa Fe, stop in for a nice change of pace from our (admittedly wonderful) focus on chile!.
Remember, just because we approve a restaurant for one mealtime, say breakfast, it doesn't mean that other times aren't just as good. We find ourselves drawn to an establishment for particular meals so those are the only ones we can approve. You may try another mealtime and find that it's the one you like best!
Launch Approval: The Guadalupe Cafe, Santa Fe
Posted by T&A on February 22, 2009.
When we decided to build this site there was never a question about which
restaurant would be our first, or launch, approval. We have been enjoying breakfast
at the “Guad” since Al traveled to Santa Fe to interview for a job in early 1990. Since
then, we have visited the restaurant at least 100 times. Really. It's probably
closer to 150 times but we'll keep our estimate conservative.
Throughout all that time the restaurant has remained unbelievably consistent. How do we know? Well, Al has eaten exactly the same thing since his early visits: carne papas burrito with sausage, green chile, and dry whole wheat toast. Really. It's a remarkably satisfying dish consisting of a flour tortilla filled with sausage and potatoes, covered with excellent green chile, and sprinkled with melted cheese. The dry toast is great for dipping in the extra chile and cheese. Fair warning though: be careful not to cavalierly order a “breakfast burrito” unless you really want a spinach filled veggie burrito. Carne papas is the magic phrase for carnivores.
This wouldn't be much of a review if it only covered one entrĂ©e. Al's not very adventurous here (he knows what he likes) so Theresa supplies the diversity. Her favorites include the breakfast tostada with ham or sausage, migas with eggs, and sausage and cheese enchiladas all doused with the excellent green chile (we tend to prefer a single color of chile at certain restaurants—at the Guad it's the green stuff). She'll also occasionally have pancakes or one of their fine cinnamon rolls. They even serve high quality toast that is delivered with intensely flavorful fruit purees on the side.
The Guad is located on Old Santa Fe Trail right next to the state capital "roundhouse" in an old adobe structure. If you're lucky you may get to sit by the kiva fireplace on a cold winter morning or enjoy the patio on one of New Mexico's plentiful sunny days. The restaurant can get quite busy during tourist season but it's usually a fairly short delay for the excellent fare that awaits. Overall, a very pleasant atmosphere that serves up great breakfasts to locals and visitors alike. We hope to keep visiting for another eighteen years.
T&A Approved Launches
Posted by Al on February 22, 2009.
T&A Approved is finally online after a last minute rush to keep a promise to Theresa that the site would be up by Sunday (today). The site is really just a skeleton. Most of the pages are not currently accessible as we have very little content right now. However, now that we have the site fleshed out we will begin adding content on a regular basis. The most important stuff is of course the restaurant "approvals". We've got a bunch of reviews in the can and will be posting them soon (starting with our launch review in a day or two). We will also shortly populate the About T&A page and the Contact page. We'll post a quick note when they're up.
We're just getting started, but as we add approvals we hope to quickly become your trusted source for Santa Fe and northern New Mexico restaurant reviews.