Venerable Tomasita’s knows how to do chile
Eatery also surprises with some variety
Tomasita’s is synonymous with great New Mexico-style chile. We renewed our acquaintance with its red and green recently, and were pleased. But the managers at its flagship restaurant in Santa Fe’s Railyard should take a sharp look at details: Sticky tables and lukewarm servings detracted from an otherwise very good meal.
My guest, visiting from out of town, especially wanted to eat at Tomasita’s, so I put aside my suspicion that we would have to wade through crowds and wait for a table. That may still be true at dinner, but apparently not for lunch: We were promptly seated at noon on a Friday.
The daily special Fridays turned out to be carne adovada, one of my favorites. But I hadn’t eaten enchiladas in a long time and Tomasita’s has my all-time favorite in that category, with blue corn tortillas and a fried egg topping ($10.50 for the meatless version).
It was excellent, with plenty of cheese. The red chile was hot enough for me and very flavorful. But the dish was just barely heated through — the cheese was melted, but things cooled off quickly.
My guest’s chile rellenos ($10.50) were served piping hot, however, and very tasty, as well. They know chile at Tomasita’s, and these were superb: meaty, well-flavored and not too spicy. The cornmeal batter was nicely browned and crunchy, the jack-cheese filling suitable oozy. Both our plates came with better-than-average pintos. (Posole is another featured side dish.)
My guest also ordered a taco on the side ($3.50), and it was everything she expected: plenty of ground beef and green chile in the filling, with cheese, lettuce and tomato.
Sopaipillas arrived fresh and hot, too, with the obligatory honey — Tomasita’s gets this (and, of course, the chile) locally.
Tomasita’s menu also lists just about every kind of New Mexico chile preparation you can imagine: You can build a bowl of red or green, with beans, posole and the meat of your choice; omelets and huevos rancheros are there for the breakfast-minded; the burger can be ordered on a bun or on a tortilla; and the steaks, large and small, can be customized with New Mexico sides, as well.
But at Tomasita’s, you can get the unexpected, as well: stuffed grape leaves, for example, or a Greek salad with feta cheese. There’s good reason for this, too: Tomasita’s is owned by a family with Greek roots, as is its sister restaurant, the Atrisco Bar and Grill in De Vargas Center.
In October, a new Tomasita’s will open in Albuquerque. That’s a return to roots also: Family members originally opened a restaurant in the Duke City in the 1940s but moved north to open Tomasita’s in the 1970s.