Tia Sophia’s Restaurant, Santa Fe, New Mexico

As Nancy and I were doing our 10k state capital walk in Santa Fe, we happened upon a group of people waiting outside Tia Sophia’s at 210 West San Francisco, just across from Burro Alley.

That crowd looked like a real endorsement, so the next morning we got up at zero dark thirty (we were staying on Eastern Time) and were outside Tia Sophia’s a few minutes after their 7:00 am opening.

We strolled right in and a very friendly host greeted us, followed by an even friendlier server who seated us and gave us menus, followed promptly by coffee. Nancy, who has an uncanny ability to order a healthy, balanced meal anywhere I take her (almost), ordered one egg over easy,

applesauce,

and one blueberry pancake, which I didn’t photograph because my order was just then arriving.

If only I could share the aroma! You might swoon. There you see cheese enchiladas with green chiles topped by two eggs over easy, perfectly cooked, with tasty, crusty hash browns. Embracing everything were more green chiles. Tia Sophia’s menu, like other New Mexico menus, carries a clear notice.

The green chiles did indeed fall on the spicy side, but well within the tolerance of most diners. They were spicier than those at Tres Colores, but not quite as those at Sadie’s in Albuquerque — and not nearly as hot as Sadie’s green Chile salsa, and they were much more flavorful than they were hot. They were spicy enough that I didn’t ask for Tabasco or Texas Pete to dapple my eggs, but not so hot that they did anything but enhance the flavor of everything they touched, including the flour tortilla with which I sopped up every scintilla of chile.

Nancy’s fried egg was, as you can see, perfectly cooked. After her first bite of the pancake she said it was a little dry. I had a bite and thought it was fine. As she took more bite, it turns out that it wasn’t dry, it just didn’t have as many of those small, flavor bomb blueberries that you get in Maine. In the end, Nancy did justice to it, so I didn’t get any more bites.

What a breakfast! This is food — my food, anyway — that you just can’t get outside of New Mexico. Tia Sophia’s is a fine example of traditional New Mexican cuisine, and a great example of New Mexican hospitality. Our server, a long-ago refugee from Wisconsin, was a treat, both for us and for other customers, many of whom he knew by name. At least for some, Tia Sophia’s is a Third Place,

a site where people gather informally between home and work to talk, discuss sports and local events, and to build a community. Those are the best places where, amid all of the shopping and attractions, you can get a feel for the community, where you can get the most out of travel. Tia Sophia’s is a must visit for Santa Fe. Stop in when you’re there for a delicious meal — one you simply cannot duplicate back home — and let me know how you liked their green chili stew. I’ll find out for myself next trip, but I look forward to anticipating it.

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And while you’re at it, click “follow” on our front page to receive blog posts in your email box.  Or bookmark us and check in from time to time.  If you’re planning a trip, you can “Search” the name of the destination city, state, or country for good restaurants (in Europe, often close to sites, like the Louvre or the Van Gogh Museum, that you’ll want to visit in any event).  Comments, questions, and suggestions of places to eat or stories to cover are very welcome.  And check our Instagram and Twitter pages, johntannerbbq.