A beautiful day......what more can we ask for! After a rather leisurely morning Fr. Roast coffee and the 1st Lady's tea.......we headed into town. Following the map, we soon were driving up Canyon Dr, the home to almost 300 .....YES, I said 300 art galleries!!!! This entire city center of Santa Fe and the 3/4 mile of Canyon Drive is soooo filled with art and sculpture.......WOW......what a place, what a place!!!!
So, we found a place to park on the narrow street and began wandering in and our of the open doors of the adobe, pueblo-styled buildings housing galleries of modern and traditional art, sculpture, baskets, and fabric works of art. Superlatives of the works of art pale beside actually being there and seeing them! Some we liked, some we didn't, but the enjoyment of being able to just view them in a wonderful setting was fabulous.
There were many of the entrances, patios, etc., etc. that also served as venues for bronzes, copper, marble, etc., etc. of statues and various new designs of wind twirlers. My biggest disappointment????????? That I didn't have nearly enough money to purchase some of these so that I could enjoy them on a daily basis........the lowest item we saw was $2000.....and the most expensive that I actually saw was for $153,000. Out of my league, I'm afraid.......damn it!!!!
After about three hours of wandering and enjoying and making this day even brighter than the weather made it, we went to the truck and drove to the city center around the Plaza for lunch.
OK........we made an EXCELLENT choice as we once again had been advised by several people where we should eat today. And our choice????? Pasqual's Cafe!!!!!! OMG.....what a wonderful place, ambience, and food was discovered there by the 1st Lady and myself!!!!!
The cafe/restaurant was located on a corner.....and the door opened right on the diagonal. The looks from the outside my lead one to question this place as one where you might to dine, but......looks are deceiving, as I learned from my 12 trips to Europe. As there were others standing around on the sidewalk, I went inside to leave my name with the young man at the computer.
Returning to the street, I began talking with others waiting for a table. I noticed while inside that the seating was really VERY limited, but the aromas........what can I say??? I was intoxicated by the time I had just left my name! Everyone waiting for a seat were from out of town....and all had heard of Pasqual's.....and heard of the great cuisine here. It wasn't long before the three member family from Chicago that I had been visiting with.....discussing the Berghoff closing and our trip to Chicago just for dinner at Berghoff's last year......well, they were called inside as well as the 1st Lady and myself, and two young ladies that we later discovered were from Denver.......educators.
AND....we were all seated at the same oval table, as well as one gentleman who was "known" by the restaurant staff who was seated next to me. Before long we were all introducing ourselves and learning more and more about each other and the lives we are currently leading. Just the kind of conversation I most enjoy!!!!! As it turned out, the gentleman next to me eats lunch at this cafe 4-6 times EACH WEEK!!!!.
Of course.....we asked him for recommendations on what to order. But......when the last couple whom we had not met..... was seated at our table.......we were in such animated conversation and discussions that we had to quickly make decisions as to our choices. Pasqual's serves New Mexican cuisine using the spices, herbs, and chiles of the northern area of the state. As I have said, the aromas emanating from the kitchen......well, they were almost erotic.
I ordered "Mole Enchiladas".....which was the chef's "free-range organic chicken wrapped in white corn tortillas served with Cilantro rice and cotija cheese"........and the entire ensemble was covered in the Mole sauce......chocolate and chile sauce.......and.......well, what can I say??? This was the best meal we have had during the 12 weeks we have been on the road.....and THAT is really saying something!!!! The Mole is a sauce that comes from the Oaxaca area of Mexico.....and WOW.....what an intense experience this particular rendition provided!!!!!
The 1st Lady ordered "Plato Primo".....and she was literally oohing and ahhing with each bite which she consumed. This dish is "Chile Relleno with a Tamal served with Cilantro Rice with a free-range organic chicken mole tostadita"......and after sampling it myself.......the one bite was another experience that I just can't describe.......I just don't know what to say.
Other than........get yourself to Pasqual's Cafe in Santa Fe!!!!! Write it down someplace where you can refer to it when you have the time to get out here for a few days. The service was outstanding....quick, pleasant, and business-like servers who seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. As you can imagine, our table conversations turned to the flavors, the preparations, the presentations(gorgeous), and the entire dining experience that we were enjoying. Everyone's food was perfect!!!!
The entire experience of the hour and a half was one of the most pleasant that the 1st Lady and I have had in many years. What helped that??? Not only the incredible meal, but the sitting at the table with so many others from different areas of the country, as well as backgrounds which made for such great conversation.
We all left the table at various times to continue the day.....and the 1st Lady and I did some last minute shopping/looking in the stalls on the sidewalks and the shops around the Plaza square. We left a bit later and returned to TheHowserHouse.........and just relaxed and enjoyed the remainder of the day. Sort of a warm glow from the meal continued to affect us for the afternoon......
Tomorrow, we leave for the night in Amarillo, TX. Hopefully, we will be able to meet up with our friends from F'town for a late lunch.......it all depends on the trip ahead of us and them so that we arrive at approximately the same time coming three hundred miles from each direction. This should be interesting..........
A great day, a great dining experience, a wonderful place to spend a couple of days........and....
LIFE IS GREAT!!!!! And, I hope it is for all of you, also!!!
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