A Tour of Santa Fe's Food Scene

At last count, there were 37 variations on the green chile cheeseburger in Santa Fe. Some people get fancy with the bun. Some switch up the chile. But only this place has the unofficial endorsement of Tom Ford (whose table is 11A), Ali MacGraw (hers is 15), and Shirley MacLaine (104). “Our way is simple,” says co-owner Bobby Morean, who moved from Los Angeles 30 years ago. “It’s just ground sirloin, New Mexico sharp cheddar, house-made bun, and chips—and, of course, the Hatch chiles we chop and roast every morning.” Morean, 57, waited tables at L.A.’s The Ivy in the ’80s. He knows his way around both trends and celebrities. “Santa Fe is a ‘hot’ city every few years,” he says. “But the food is always the same.” He laughs. “Ms. MacLaine and Mr. Ford would not be happy if it weren’t!” santacafe.com.

The best time to go to the daily market, down by the train station, is first thing in the morning. Before you and about 6,000 other shoppers graze the aisles of edibles—all grown and baked (and in the case of red chile ristra art, dried) locally—you’ll need a cup of coffee. And a doughnut. Jeff Keenan and his wife, Kari, both 41, started Whoo’s Donuts five years ago, and they quickly became a hit at the market’s café. The California transplants now make Santa Fe’s most popular (and Instagrammed) pastry: the lavender blue corn doughnut (above, at right). “For most, the market is the first taste of New Mexico cuisine they’ll have,” Jeff says, adding that every bit of his signature doughnut, from the corn to the lavender, comes from area farmers. “Santa Fe is so small,” Jeff says. “You can’t ignore local sources—or local farmers.” santafefarmersmarket.com.

First, the crunch of a chapuline (dried grasshopper). Then the kick of chile de árbol and a cool salve of fresh guacamole followed by the warmth of a just-made corn tortilla. That’s only the first bite of chef Fernando Olea’s chapuline taco (above). While Sazón—brightly decorated with portraits of Mexican icons such as Frida Kahlo—is only two years old, Olea has been perfecting his chapuline recipe since coming to the United States from Mexico City 34 years ago. Here the dehydrated insects are infused with olive oil, limes, and chiles, roasted, then served with a side of a vinegar tacuba sauce. “It’s a traditional Mexican dish,” Olea, 66, says. “But all native foods are a blend. I look at Mexican food with Santa Fe eyes.” sazonsantafe.com.

“We are a port city in the desert,” says Eloisa owner and chef John Sedlar. “The trade routes, the Camino Real, Santa Fe Trail, a mixture of cultures, ingredients. My menu reflects that—and how Georgia O’Keefe ate, of course.” Sedlar’s great-aunt—sister to the eponymous Eloisa—served as O’Keefe’s cook for 15 years. Growing up in nearby Abiquiú, Sedlar, 59, learned to make the perfect tortillas from his family. “We’d hold them up for each other and examine the char marks. It’s the carbonization that gives flavor,” he says. Today, at his two-year-old restaurant in the Drury Plaza Hotel, he serves tortillas florales (above), cooked with pansies and rose petals topped with avocado Indian butter—a more refined, tomatoless guacamole. “Santa Fe cuisine is hearty,” Sedlar says. “The elements are tough here. We’re living at 7,000 feet.” eloisasantafe.com.

Just off Santa Fe Plaza, Tia Sophia’s is the town diner. Since 1975, state legislators and artists, university professors and cops have gathered at its blue tables for a breakfast burrito. “It’s known as the birthplace of that dish,” says Bill Richardson, the former New Mexico governor and U.N. ambassador. The menu offers endless permutations, along with the warning: “Not responsible for too hot chile.” “Chile is the best breakfast food because it awakens your senses,” says Richardson, who prefers his slow-cooked pork carne adovada burrito with red chile and topped with a fried egg. For newcomers, he suggests trying it “Christmas-style” (above), with red and green chile. tiasophias.com.