El Rito Cheato

This year's El Rito studio tour was different from the last few. I’m not sure, but it felt like there were a lot less mapped out stops and a lot more conglomerative efforts. Which was disappointing to me because, if I am being completely honest, I mostly go to these events to sate my intense passion for real estate. I love it all. Architecture, landscape design, people’s personal and ever eclectic choices in furnishing and art…wait, art, that’s what it’s all about! Back to topic here. So…. There was a lot of amazing art. I particularly was drawn to the fiber arts this year. So many soft, woven lengths of home spun or uniquely brought together fibers. I’m amazed by the vision and the patience one must have to create these wonders. 

I was happy to finally see behind the sleepy curtain of Northern New Mexico College. They were slated to have 30 plus artists, live music and food available to tour goers. We arrived at noon and it was hopping with action and people and cars and music. We were hungry and glad that there was food at this stop. But, there wasn’t any food left. They had run out, at noon, on day one. Oops. Hangrily, my wife and I made the rounds to ogle every single table laden with every expression of art out there. We left feeling satisfied, art wise, hungry and determined to finish the tour anyway.

We didn’t quite make it to each and every stop but I am very glad to have stopped at number 9, David McClister’s house, which used to be a gas station and was very intriguing, as was David and his work. If you don’t already know, he’s a photographer whose interest seems to be famous musicians. He’s had sessions with Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, Emmy Lou, Willie Nelson and countless others. Assuming that he gets to choose his subjects, it’s clear that we have similar musical taste. We ended our tour with the El Rito library, hoping for food. There were several, long tables filled with sweets and a couple of tables boasting hot dogs, but no actual hot dogs. I did grab a bowl of red chile con carne and was very thankful for the generous library folk for providing all the free sweet fare, of which my wife and I grabbed some to go. Still ravenous, and with much more of the day ahead of us than we had planned for, we decided that we’d make the long trip to Santa Fe because we all sometimes need to. This is our thirteenth article on the local run around in Abiquiu and this one is taking us to Santa Fe. If we are all honest, we all need to go there time and again. Thus, El Rito, Cheato.

Having lived in and around Santa Fe for thirty plus years, I know the food scene there well. Out of all the choices in front of us, we chose, as we often did when we lived within walking distance of it, The Pantry Restaurant on Cerrillos. This place never never lets me down. It is always perfectly delicious. So much so, that one winter, many years ago, I gained 20 pounds solely due to The Pantry and my lack of self control. My kryptonite is the “Buenos Días”. There was a time when we didn’t even need to tell the waiter our order. They sat us without menus and placed our order right away. Here it is: “Buenos Días, crispy potatoes, over medium, green, no tortilla, sub English muffin, crispy, a four slice side of bacon, crispy and a side of red. Thank you, also, water please.”

This heaping plate of marvel is started with a generous layer of flavorful sliced potatoes, then slathered with shredded cheese and chile, topped with your egg of choice then salamandered to a melty excellence. We enrich this beauty with the aforementioned crispy bacon crumbled atop and an English muffin to help with the efficient scooping into our mouths. I have strayed from this oft usual order and have been very happy with every item I have chosen, but always have, and likely always will, fall back on the Buenos Días, which they serve all day, making it an easy go-to any time. To make access easier to scrumptious comfort food, The Pantry now has two other locations in Santa Fe, one at the Community College and one downtown.  Though, in my experience, the OG Pantry on Cerrillos is still the best.
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Now, full beyond comfort, looking forward to the upcoming Abiquiu studio tour, all of our Santa Fe errands done, we made the pleasant hour drive back home to our beautiful Abiquiu valley and bed.