Lean southern dining

Where were we? Ah, yes. Santa Fe.

We made good time huffing it down to the New Mexico capital. Our host for our 12 hour stay, Veronica, saddled up to our pace and waisted no time getting us out to the Santa Fe plaza. Santa Fe looks just as I had imagined - quaint, desert-camouflaged town selling equal amounts of turquoise and chili.

We did the Santa Fe-night right with drinks at the Coyote Cafe, delighting in a hot pink prickly pear margarita, followed by more margaritas and a chili-blanketed Mexican meal at the local eatery, The Shed. The chili there is no joke. We tested out the home-grown Sante Fe green chili stew as an opener to their indiginous spice. A local staple, the green chili stew was SO tasty, surprsingly so, that it was gone before the cup cooled. In case you're chili-curious, it boils down to two options - there's the red (dried, smoked) and the green ('raw') and then there's Christmas (a mix of the two). As I can't order on my own accord, I followed Veronica's lead and tested out the Christmas mix. The red was a sucker punch to my amateur New England taste buds, but the green, as with the stew, was just the right amount of heat, taste and sweetness. I'm hooked.

By morning, nursing a bit of a margarita hangover, we went back into town for more burritos and chili and a quick walk around in day light. As recommended by Veronica we ate at the Tia Sophia and had the best breakfast burrito - it's true - ever. Smothered in cheese and green chili there's no doubt that there was a party in my mouth and everyone was invited.

Oh, there was some culture too. We sped in and around the Georgia O'Keefe museum, tried on a cowboy hat or two, bought some smoked green chili salsa, fondled some Indian jewelry and hopped back in the car.

The trip from Santa Fe to Austin is long so we spent a 'Friday Night Lights' evening in Abilene, TX. Prior to our eight o'clock arrival I checked out some local websites for restaurant recommendations. When most sites offer up between 3 and 5 stars to buffet joints, I couldn't help but worry about what we would find. We settled on Alfredo's Mexican - an authentic hole in the wall that was delicious. We inhaled a few burritos and Dr. Pepper and flew to make a 9:50 showing of Pineapple Express (you can see where our priorities are). God it was stupid. But, considering a meal of fancy take out and a teenage-boy movie pick, it really seemed a quintessential night in Abilene.

I sense that from my first burrito in Santa Fe on out, that the rest of our trip will be a big 'ol meat fest and I welcome it with an open tum. We're a mere few hours away from our destination and looking forward to a frolic in a river and then (drum roll please) some AWEsome BBQ at The Salt Lick, as recommended by everyone who has touched Austin soil. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

We're only in Austin for a night, which seems scandalous I know, but we're on a mission and time is winding down (tear). Try to keep up.

Image closer: a shot of a Santa Fe street (that we totally walked down) and the central Cathedral