ALL IN THE FAMILY
Santa Fe’s Palacio 2 follows in footsteps of original
Dropping in for breakfast at Palacio Cafe 2 at the end of August, we stumbled on some of the greatest green chile in town.
Who knew? Somehow, we’d managed to overlook 2’s parent, Palacio Cafe (on Palace Avenue, of course), which opened three or four years ago. Now, owner Damian Muñoz and his family have spun off 2 on Don Gaspar at Alameda. They definitely have our attention; in fact, we circled back the same week to sample a sandwich at the original.
Like its parent, Palacio 2 serves New Mexican classics, plus sandwiches and salads. We wanted chile, so we devoted ourselves to the breakfast menu and settled on Palacio’s breakfast burrito and a plate of huevos rancheros. There are several non-New Mexican options, from pancakes to eggs Benedict, but after tasting that chile, we could hardly see the point.
The smothered burrito ($9) was huge and included a choice of the usual breakfast meats, along with scrambled eggs and potatoes. My guest opted for sausage, and luckily, as it turned out, ordered her green on the side. Once I tasted it, I was glad it was safe in its own bowl where I could filch at will.
Palacio 2’s green chile was fresh and smoky, savory and
picoso all at once. It tasted almost as good as the air surrounding a roaring chile roaster smells. It made our day!
The red atop my huevos ($9) was very good, too — definitely housemade, with a little less heat than the green. The eggs were perfectly medium, as I had ordered — not, in my experience, the way things always turn out. The accompanying hash browns were nicely crisp — again, just how I happen to like them. We both appreciated 2’s light hand with cheese on both our breakfasts.
The lunch menu at both locations includes cheese enchiladas in addition to vegetable and chicken variations, and a respectable list of sandwiches hot and cold, plus salads. It’s a menu catering to tourists and locals alike, a sagacious strategy in Santa Fe’s downtown.
Hankering for more of that green chile, we dropped by the original location and ordered a green chile cheeseburger to go. The original Palacio wasn’t completely jammed when we arrived midmorning on Zozobra day but, when you added up the number of folks, like us, coming in for to-go orders with those at the occupied tables, it became clear that fiesta crowds were already in evidence. The cooks and waiters were up to the task, but it was still a good 20 minutes before our burger ($9.50 with green chile) was delivered.
As we unpacked it at home, we were again impressed. Good-quality bun. Nice, thick meat patty cooked perfectly medium as we’d ordered. The chile was dark green and flecked with patches of red.
The fries were good, too; the condiments were in order — thick tomato slices, fresh onions, leaf lettuce. And a dill pickle wedge. As we waited for the burger, we saw plates of huevos and a couple of breakfast burritos on their way to neighboring tables. They looked exactly the same as they did at the new Palacio 2 on the other side of the Plaza — a comforting thought.
We also were impressed with the service at both Palacios. It’s efficient, if a little harried at the original, and especially gracious and friendly. There’s a family pride here — pride in food and place — that’s infectious.