Just one breakfast at Tia Sophia’s ought to hold you for about a year, said Deborah Madison in The Art of Eating magazine. This “friendly, local joint” in the historic town of Santa Fe has been serving up iconic northern New Mexico cuisine since the 1970s. The décor is “quirky-festive,” with a bookcase filled with children’s books on one wall, and, oddly, Seminole dresses on another. The restaurant is not open for dinner, and though lunch is available, breakfast is the main attraction. At Tia Sophia’s, that may consist of a bowl of chili or a bowl of blue-corn enchilada topped with red chili and a fried egg.
A murmur of Spanish and English fills the room as you sip your first mug of coffee and scan the modestly priced menu. Many of these New Mexican dishes “may sound Mexican,” but the tamales, enchiladas, burritos, chile rellenos, and pozole lack the intricate seasoning of that country’s cuisine. What you really want to dig in to is a breakfast bowl of green chili stew, huevos rancheros, or a chili-and-cheese omelette. The waitress may ask, “Red or green?”—meaning a side of red or green chili. If you want both, just reply, “Christmas.”
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