I reached up and clicked off my headlamp. The spotlight on the rickety barn diminished, plunging the field into darkness. I knew the barn stood twenty feet or so ahead of me, but without ambient city light I couldn’t make out its sloping form. Hoping the lens was focused appropriately, I opened the shutter. Clicking my headlamp back on, I hopscotched through rows of gangly soy bean sprouts and hurdled knee-high rows of corn to the end of the field. I shone my flashlight back along the edges of the hayloft and traced the wildflowers spraying up from the base.
Nebraska City, Nebraska had beckoned because my family lives there. Visiting for the first time, we had taken a detour through Missouri before heading through Iowa to the farm town. After spotting a granary with wheat trucks lined up to unload their hauls and cruising past acres of cornfields, their rows marching into the distance off I-29, I nicknamed the trip the “Learn Where Your Food Comes From” visit.
My aunt lives outside Nebraska City, along a dusty gravel road. Each morning during my run, I’d jog past a field of grazing cattle. Sprightly calves noticed and trailed after me, their plastic ear tags rattling as they skipped along on spindly legs. Not knowing what the ruckus was about, their mothers joined. Before long, the herd of thirty was following along beside me. When they stopped short at the property line, they seemed confused about how or why they had arrived there. Farther along the road, a farmer, likely up long before I was, had mowed a hayfield and swept the stalks into large rolls. He waved from the seat of his tractor as he growled across the field collecting the rolls.
The next day, we drove into Iowa to visit Hamburg, where last year the banks of the Missouri had swelled through the small town. We visited Stoner’s Drug, a pharmacy and gift shop with an old fashioned soda fountain. Bellying up to the formica counter, we ordered ice cream sodas and malts from a kind high-school student. She dutifully scooped and fizzed our drinks, handing them to us in tall glasses with a vanilla wafer on the side.
One afternoon we toured the town, driving along the wide avenue through downtown and peering into the brick buildings that housed hardware stores, thrift shops, and beauty parlors. My aunt’s narration involved a lot of “Such and such used to be there…” It’s become a common narrative in downtowns these days—stories of what came before filling the spaces of boarded up businesses.
Standing in the darkness of the field with only fireflies for company, I basked in the quiet. This area of the country is an unassuming place where residents draw their livelihoods from the land, even as that becomes more difficult to do so. It felt as though I’d stepped into a snapshot of vintage America—a part of America so often idealized but which many of us so seldom touch.
Health-conscious Santa Fe boasts plenty of restaurants with tasty vegetarian dishes. Here are a few best bets, in no particular order:
1. Le Pod: A new addition to the food-card scene, this dainty Airstream parks near the intersection of Old Santa Fe Trail and Paseo de Peralta, near the Roundhouse. It specializes in tasty French cuisine, including the vegetarian crepes with squash. Their soup of the day is often vegetarian and, if so, always delicious. Prices range from $5 to $8.
2. Vinaigrette: At this salad bistro, practically any of the menu items can be ordered to fit a vegetarian palate. I especially enjoy Eat Your Peas: fresh baby lettuce and sweet green peas, savory white mushroom sauté, and Asiago cheese with a tart vinaigrette—sans bacon and add grilled tofu, of course. 709 Don Cubero Alley, off Paseo de Peralta.
3. Body: This one-stop wellness stop (it has a fitness center, spa, and boutique on site) also features an elegant cafe featuring organic, raw, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and/or biodynamic dishes. It’s difficult to find something on this menu that isn’t delicious. I particularly enjoy the buckwheat soba noodles with vegetables. 333 W. Cordova Rd.
4. La Plazuela: Head to the former patio, now sunlight restaurant, of the historic La Fonda. Check out the vegetable tart or the vegetarian lasagna—both of which are tasty. 100 E. San Francisco St.
5. Santa Fe Baking Company: This bright gathering place offers homestyle fare and larger than life bakery items. Try the Cowboy Bowl with home fries and black beans topped with an egg, or the veggie burger. 504 West Cordova Rd.
6. Backstreet Bistro: This bustling lunchtime spot with excellent customer service offers a selection of soups daily—including vegetarian and vegan offerings such as Hungarian Mushroom. Before you go, check out their specials online. Backstreet only accepts cash, so come prepared! 513 Camino De Los Marquez
7. Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Cafe: You can’t go wrong here with its menu of all-vegetarian dishes, many of which are also vegan. Additionally, the Ayurvedic food features herbs and spices that balance taste and rejuvenate. I usually opt for one of the three steamed vegetables of the day served with basmati rice, but menu offerings include several Indian dishes plus daily specials that draw from a variety of cultures. 1620 Saint Michaels Dr.
8. The Shed: The Shed serves some of the best chile sauce in the City Different. Bonus: It’s vegetarian. Try the enchiladas or the blue corn burrito plate. 113 1/2 E. Palace Ave.
9. India Palace: Indian food is the go-to cuisine for protein-balanced vegetarian dishes. The lunch buffet here offers several suitable options at an affordable price. 227 Don Gaspar Ave.
10. Guadalupe Cafe: Known for their excellent New Mexican food, this intimate cafe with a fab patio also offers a slate of family-sized salads. 422 Old Santa Fe Trail
My recent visit to Denver, Colorado, included a night photography shoot. I’m planning to add a few of these images to my Etsy site—which of these should make it into the shop?
Among those of us who live outside Britain, there’s some confusion over “afternoon tea” and “high tea.” By whatever name you call it, the service at several Duke City tea houses is lovely. The ambiance at each is exceedingly girly (in a good way) with lace doilies, floral-patterned upholstery, and hats befitting the Royal Ascot ready for borrowing. Tea at each destination is a quiet, relaxing experience best shared with friends and family.
1. For an afternoon tea straight out of a Jane Austen novel, head to the St. James Tearoom. The space and menu are equally refined, offering nibbles in savory, bread, and sweet courses. Past menu items have included fennel orange salads, cucumber with grapefruit and mint butter tea sandwiches, butterscotch buns, and custard tarts.
2. Situated on the Westside, Devonshire Adobe Inn offers lovely views of the city. A working B&B, the inn also serves afternoon tea. The plates here also include savory, bread (read: scones), and sweet items; I find the single plates more filling than the petite servings at St. James. However, eating your fill isn’t necessarily what afternoon tea is all about.
(If you’re a vegetarian, be sure to let these two tearooms know in advance so they can ready a fitting menu.)
3. Mes Amis Teahouse in Nob Hill is your best bet if you want to drop in for a cuppa. The teahouse does offer a full afternoon tea with multiple courses, but they also offer single cups of tea and a la carte menu items such as pastries and scones. The traditional cream scone with lemon curd and clotted cream is especially delightful. (I know: “Lemon curd” and “clotted cream” sound rather unappetizing. I have taken to calling these condiments “lemony deliciousness” and “whipped cream butter,” which are far more accurate.)
Tea, aplenty:
New Mexico Tea Co. is an excellent spot to purchase loose leaf teas and teaware. They had a go at serving afternoon tea, but aren’t currently.
Bottger Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Old Town will also serve afternoon tea for a group of eight to 16 people if booked in advance.
Where’s your favorite place in Albuquerque for tea?
Vegetarians get hankerings for burgers, too. Ours are just sated by a bushel of black beans and portobello mushrooms. Here are my three fave meatless burgers in the Duke City (in no particular order):
1. Moo-ve Over Meat Burger at Flying Star Cafe (several locations): This burger is a heavy hitter—in a good way. The spicy black bean patty is filling, which is sometimes difficult to find. The cheddar cheese, Cajun dressing, and perfectly toasted bun make this a full-bodied taste experience. I always top mine with chopped green chile. I am a New Mexican after all.
2. Portobello Stack at Five Star Burger (5901 Wyoming Blvd NE): This burger resembles a Jenga game with grilled portobello mushroom (of course), roasted red pepper, grilled onions, crispy green chile (yep, that’s nearly a whole green chile that’s been battered and fried), topped with gorgonzola cream piled on a ciabatta roll. They had me at “fried green chile,” but this is a delicious meal from first start to finish. Upon first bite, however, the building blocks do begin to fall apart, so your last bite may include licking the gorgonzola cream that’s running down your arm. Don’t be embarrassed. You wouldn’t want to miss that last taste! Five Star burger also serves a classic veggie burger; they even make their patties in house. However, I prefer the portobello stack to that option.
3. Veggie Burger at Holy Cow (700 Central SE): This burger is the light counterpart to Flying Star’s option. The roasted eggplant and chickpea patty is flavorful but not overly filling. The aioli sauce and brioche bun complete the taste profile. Although the sweet potato fries are enjoyable, opt for the parmesan zucchini fries with buttermilk ranch dressing instead. With perfectly light batter, they are a great way to eat your veggies. Put aside some stomach real estate for the chocolate milkshake, too.
Where have you eaten your favorite veggie burger?
It happens to all of us: As everyday tasks overwhelm our days, we become complacent about exploring the destinations in our backyards. I’d heard about luxurious Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa for years, but didn’t make the time to visit. After a vexing year, a trip to Ojo Caliente Resort was no longer a luxury; it was a necessity. So my boyfriend and I booked a Pueblo Suite for a two-day, one-night escape.
The springs at this resort are unique in that the pools have four different minerals: arsenic, soda, iron, and lithia. Each has its own healing benefits, and we availed ourselves of all of them. Set against the cliffs, which afford hiking opportunities should you chose to take them, most of the pools offer incredible views of the high-desert landscape.The exception is the indoor Soda Pool, where the steam shrouds just about everything creating what seemed to us an exclusive soak. We were lucky to have a truly secluded experience in a private pool. In the evening, we climbed the steps to the ours-f0r-an-hour adobe-walled patio, which included a roaring kiva fireplace and pool, lined with New Mexican luminarias in honor of the holiday season. We soaked as night fell and the sky faded to twilight blue. Our booking in the Pueblo Suite allowed us to enjoy the Kiva Pool. (Those staying in the Cliffside and Plaza Suites also have access.) The pool is as large as many of the public pools, but with fewer guests accessing it. Warmed to the perfect temperature, it was a great place to soak and lounge under the rustic shade ramada. But the pools weren’t the only thing helping us relax.
My more than two-hour Ojo Dreamin’ spa treatment, which included a massage, reflexology, and scalp massage, was aptly named—it was a dream come true. During the treatment, as my massage therapist’s hands traced the intricate knots that stress had knitted in my back, shoulders, and even arms, she sighed. “Goodness gracious, girl!” she admonished. But after a few minutes under her determined hands, the muscles relaxed and I along with them. During the scalp massage was so blissful that I fell asleep for a few minutes. Shameful, I know. But apparently my off switch is located in my temples.
We dined at the on-site Artesian Restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As a vegetarian, I’m accustomed to searching menus to find a suitable dish. I was delighted to find several available (and delicious) options for each meal. At lunch, we took advantage of the relaxed dress code and wore our spa robes even as we ate. Other people were doing it, too! We did wear actual clothes for our fine evening meal, however.
Our Pueblo Suite was decadent; it included lovely southwestern decor and bed coverings, and a kitchenette. I only wish we’d been able to stay longer to enjoy it more. However, with day-use rates starting at $18, I’ll be sure to take advantage of this healing destination more often.
