Jambo Cafe - Santa Fe, NM

I visited here in July 2016.  I just hadn't gotten around to posting my visit.

It was dark inside in contrast to the bright NM afternoon outside.  Kind of artsy like so much of Santa Fe. There were two people in African robes. Another white guy dressed like a 16th century Chinese peasant. Not sure what was up with that. Definitely interesting.  I heard lots of different accents; one table of Brits, another table sounded like South Africans maybe.  There were all kinds of African nick-nacks everywhere.

Probably the coolest thing is that the restaurant exists to support the jumbo foundation. The Gemma foundation is a medical clinic in Africa the prince medical care to people who might otherwise not have it.

They had an interesting menu.  I suspect that explains the popularity.  I ordered the salmon salad.   It had some really distinctive spice rub. I'm not sure what it was.  It also had moist capers on top.  It was okay.

Service was good and really fast.

Overall, I would give this place an 8.9.

A couple of storefronts down his jumbo imports. Jumbo imports has African art and spices. Make sure to save your money before coming in here. Some of the art for example to Afton bases were selling for $2500. I saw one vest that was decorated it was also going for $2500.

Jambo Cafe
2010 Cerrillos Rd
Santa Fe, NM 87505
jambocafe.net

Sophia's Place - Albuquerque, NM

My first thought was that this restaurant was kind of expensive.  I had Sophia's salad with chicken then the Panecota desert.  

They served bread which was lightly grilled sourdough.  Grilled asparagus really fresh and snappy. The tomato was a farmer fresh and deep red right through.  Very nice!  This was not ripened in the warehouse produce! A Healthy triple-d, how about that?

Pane cotta was strawberry and creamy. It was really delicious.   

Sophia's really looks like a dive on the outside, so it's within the triple-d scope.

Nice outdoor seating under a metal patio cover with the paint peeling.  I didn't care.  None of my photos came out, so you'll just have to go and see for yourself.

I would rate Sophia's a 9.0 on my own triple-d scale.

Sophia's Place
6313 4th St NW
North Valley/Los Ranchos
Albuquerque, NM 87107
(505) 345-3935

Cecilia's Cafe - Albuquerque, NM

Cecilias is a cool little diner in downtown Albuqureque, New mexico.  It's got a cool atmosphere. It is in a very old typical new mexico style building with lots of exposed brick and rough wood beams. I think that the only heat was from a wood stove in the middle of the serving area which wasn't lit on this January day, I might add.  I had to put my coat back on to stay warm.  I suppose this qualified as a dive.

The lunch menu showed that Guy ate a double patty bacon burger when he was here.  That was a little too much for me so, I just went for one of their burritos for lunch.

Service very friendly and fast.  The table they put me at first was a little dirty but, she fixed that quickly.  I had asked for a slice of lemon for my water.  It sure looked and tasted like orange slices.

Parking limited. Downtown area. Bring change for parking meter.


The burrito was really good.  It was chicken with just the right amount of chorizo spice in a bath of the New Mexico green chile sauce.    This is what you are looking for with a triple-D restaurant.

I would rate Cecilia's a 9.1.  Great points for food, good points for atmosphere, slightly negative points for cleanliness.  I would still go back.

Cecilia's Cafe
230 6th Street Southwest
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 243-7070
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cecilias-Cafe/184663328221698

Standard Diner - Albuquerque, NM

The Standard Diner is absolutely not standard.  It is kind of an upscale diner which means that it is absolutely not a dive either.

The food was creatively put together like you would expect from a triple-d restaurant.  The first clue was the chipotle butter with really good sourdough bread that they serve to you automatically when you sit down.

This was not a finger food joint like you would find in Santa Fe. This is hearty comfort food.  Whereas the people in Santa Fe were dressed in expensive trim-cut designer clothes and sipped white wine, n ABQ the people were wearing jeans and sweaters and drank original formula Coke.

I ordered the monte vista with sweet potato fries.  A monte vista was basically a hot french toast sandwich with a fried egg on top.  Not a good day to skip taking your lipator.

The hot syrup had some kind of spicy kick to it. I don't think that they put jalepeno in it but, there was definitely something spicy added.  The sandwich had ham, turkey and cheese in the middle.

I orderd a cup of their Covina coffee which is grown by some Colombian ABQ residents who went back to Columbia to grow the beans and sell them in Santa Fe.   It was really rich and smooth.  Very nice.

I was there right after new year's eve.  There was a sign advertising "break your resolutions with us."  This would probably do it.

Desert menu looked really good but there was just no way. I'm sure that there are some people that can do it.

I liked it I would give it a 9.5 on the DDD scale. Worth checking out.


Standard Diner
320 Central Avenue S.E.
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 243-1440
www.standarddiner.com

Harry's Roadhouse - Santa Fe, NM

Harry's Road House should have been called Harry's surprise house because I found a few.  The first thing is that it looks like a tiny cafe from the outside.  Even when you first walk in there is a small counter with some 1950's diner looking stools.

But it wasn't tiny.  There were lots of little rooms, each with its own wood burning stove.  One room had a complete bar including a wall full of the expensive alcohol.

The next big surprise was that I would call this a German restaurant.  Not only did they serve German food but it was pretty darned authentic and good.

I ordered the schnitzel and spaetzle.  The pork for the schnitzel was pounded nice and thin, breaded and baked.  I came with just a thin layer of apple sauce. The spaetzle or potato-pasta was not quite as I remembered it in Germany.  I think that the spaetzle was a little over-cooked making it a little dry.  It was still quite enjoyable.

The portion sizes were refreshingly normal versus the huge portion sizes that only seem normal in the US in the past 15 years.

They also served cabbage on the plate.  It very much seemed authentic German to me. A lot of times the cabbage in German restaurants in the US serve Americanized cabbage which is sweet rather than the real stuff with is sour pickle-like.


I also ordered a Santa Fe pale ale which I found to be smooth and not too hoppy.  Something about the mountain air that makes the beer taste soo good.  I was there during the winter but, they had a very nice outside patio area.  Beyond the parking lot, the seating area looks out on the beautiful high desert.  I would like to go back in the summer.


Harry's was not a dive just a divy looking bit of a surprise.  The service was okay.  I would rate Harry's at 8.7.  It was a nice restaurant but, didn't blow my socks off.  I would and probably will go back.


Harry's Roadhouse
96 Old Las Vegas Highway
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505) 989-4629
www.harrysroadhousesantafe.com

Tecolote Cafe - Santa Fe, NM

Tecolote Cafe had a really interesting menu. It is primarily a breakfast and lunch place.  It is without a doubt a New Mexico joint with heavy influence from the typical New Mexican cuisine and it is definitely a Santa Fe joint because of the artistic flair that the locals really appreciate.

The menu itself was really interesting and you just want to try out all of the exotic sounding things. I was there for breakfast and went for the ginger pancakes.  My exotic selection was the jalapeno bacon and some coffee to wash it down. 

When the food arrived I was surprised by the smell.  The ginger pancakes were predictable because they smelled more or less like a gingerbread cookie but, the jalapeno bacon was really something.  I should have asked how they really do it but, it smelled like the thick-cut bacon was smoked with maybe cedar and jalapeno.  The bacon was spicy so, they must have grilled the bacon with jalapeno peppers though they didn’t serve any peppers with it.

The pancakes were definitely good.  It was a clever idea that I never would have thought of it but, it was really tasty.   I ordered two pancakes but, one would have been plenty.  It came with some thinly sliced pear slices on top and a wedge of lemon on the side.   I didn't quite understand the lemon but, whatever.  I'm sure that I'm missing a point here somehow. 

I have not had a bad cup of coffee in Santa Fe and this time was no exception.  I don't think that you could get away with serving the junk a regular diner could elsewhere... and they kept it coming like a good diner should.

Tecolote was a diner but, definitely not a dive.  The decor is like someone's home. It looks like mom decorated with bright cheery white walls with lemon yellow trim and frilly window treatments. There was a whole wall covered with eight framed needlepoint unicorns.  Another one had rainbow needlepoint, I think.

Like so many triple-d places, it is really for the locals and is very family friendly.  Most of the people that came in seemed to know most of the people that worked there.

Service was good.  No real complaints but, I wasn’t blown away with great service either.

Overall, I would give it a 9.0.  They get points for a really creative menu and a really pretty good meal execution.  The atmosphere didn’t have quite the flair that you would expect from a triple-D restaurant.

I was interesting that there was almost no mention of their appearance on the Food Network except for the little logo on the menu posted outside.  

Tecoloto Cafe

1203 Cerrillos Road

Santa Fe, NM 

(505) 988-1362
tecolotocafe.com