Popular Restaurants in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Restaurants around America rely on local, regular patrons that provide a core revenue stream, along with tourism that can heavily increase the number of patrons who will visit. Some restaurants build a reputation and style through a long, successful tenure and, with it, a potentially strong client base with steady referrals. With a rich local history and a strong tourism industry, Santa Fe, New Mexico is home to many excellent restaurants throughout the small city.

Image Source: koat.com

The historic downtown plaza in Santa Fe is surrounded by restaurants and shops that help each other by referring clients and recommending destinations. Northern New Mexican food is slightly different than typical Tex-Mex or strictly Mexican food, relying heavily on green chile instead of salsas and hot red peppers. Green chile is a piece New Mexico heritage and pride that combines spice with rich flavor, especially when freshly roasted across the city. Popular restaurants around Santa Fe include Tomasita's, a local New Mexican favorite, along with Maria's, which claims to serve the best margaritas in the city. Fancier restaurants just off the downtown plaza include Geronimo, located on the art-rich Canyon Road.

In Santa Fe, it is quickly apparent that no Northern New Mexican restaurant would be complete with a strong selection of burgers. Unfortunately for recent tourists, the old, famous burger dive Bobcat Bites recently closed. Famous for their green-chile cheeseburgers, Bobcat Bites was located just outside of Santa Fe and was smaller than many studio apartments. As guests frequently tolerated two hour waits during off-peak hours, Bobcat was a local favorite. The owners have recently begun a new venture in downtown Santa Fe known as Santa Fe Bite, and tourists looking for the original famous location will now have to go downtown for their famous burgers.

Visit Pete Scamardo's website for more thoughts on popular dining across the United States and restaurant information.

Preparing for my 2014 adventures: Four factors I’m looking at for every travel destination

Image Source: fhtravel.ca

2013 is about to end and I’m working on my final list of travel destinations for the upcoming year. You see, travel is really my passion (as you may have learned already from some of my Pete Scamardo travel blogs) and my way to relax away from the confines of the office.

In coming up with my final list, there are four factors I’m looking at before pinning on the map a travel destination worth my money and time:

Cultural richness: I would like a travel experience to also be a learning experience. What would be a better way to accomplish this than to learn about another country’s culture? A travel destination should impart knowledge. World heritage sites come to mind when I consider this factor.

Hospitality: The hospitality of people in a certain area is always a plus for travelers like me. Usually, before considering a travel destination, I read online reviews from fellow travelers who share their experience dealing with people in that particular place.

`

Image Source: chipconley.com

Hotel accommodations: I usually research first on whether there are hotels near my travel destination and if the services they offer suit my needs. Finding a good hotel is important because it will serve as my new home for quite a while.

Foods: Yes, I consider food experience a huge factor in choosing my travel destination. There is always a plus factor if a place is known for producing certain types of delicacies.

Image Source: hotelclub.com

Follow me on Twitter for more of my travel insights.