Santa Fe Cafe - Arlington, VA

04/29/2014

Good Morning,

I know I've been out of touch for a very long time, but I've been pretty busy with family things and keeping up with the groups we worked with at SFC. Finally I'm posting the chile con queso recipe we used at SFC as best as I can replicate at home. At least I got it out before Cinco de Mayo. I hope you all are well and enjoy this beautiful and much needed spring.

Chile Con Queso,

8 ounces American cheese (thinly sliced or shredded)
2 tbsp. green pepper, finely diced
2 tbsp. tomato, finely diced
2 tbsp. onion, finely diced
1 tsp. garlic salt (good quality like McCormick's)
2 pinches ground black pepper
4 ounces of water
salt to taste (but taste first as some cheeses and garlic salt combos are heavier in salt than others)

Optional;
1/2 tbsp. hot chiles, finely diced (preferably spicy Hatch green*)

Boil water in small saucepan.
Add green pepper, onion, tomato, garlic salt, pepper (and spicy chiles if using) to water.
Boil for 5 - 7 minutes, until veggies are tender, then turn heat down to very low.
Add cheese in small batches (e.g. a slice at a time or 1/4 cup at a time if shredded), stirring constantly until all cheese is melted and consistency is what you'd expect for queso. If necessary, add a little water, a tbsp. at a time if too thick. Queso will thicken as it cools.
To reheat, get queso hot, stirring frequently over low heat and add water if needed to thin. Using a double boiler is best if you have the time, and a microwave will work in a pinch.

* Hatch chiles are available year round, frozen through www.nmchili.com. They also sell fresh when in season. I've also seen them frozen at Harris-Teeter.

I hope you enjoy!

NM Chili is your Southwest Flavor Food Connection. Chili is a New Mexico, or Southwest tradition and this is your online store for chili or chile.. a true mecca for unique gift ideas.

12/21/2012

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and to a Peaceful and Healthy New Year! My apologies for the disappearing act. The final six weeks of business were probably the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life (not that that’s saying much). The emotional level, with all the memories of the previous 24 years, the appreciation of accomplishing much with the help of so many, and the realizing that there was much more to do and that I wasn’t going to be able to see it all through, was over the top. But let there be no doubt we felt the love. Certainly me, but also the staff and Peg (my wife) will never forget it.

The first couple of weeks after closing were no picnics. 3 full SUV loads of food to the Bailey’s Crossroads Community Homeless Shelter, an auction of everything in the restaurant with the ensuing pick-up of the same with a hurricane in the middle of it, and only God and Tigabu (our dishwasher) know how many trips to the dumpster. Oh, and numerous trips to my one-car garage, which has seen the metal of sheet pans and propane burners, but not an automobile.

Many of you shared wonderful notes and remembrances in the two books we set out. They’ve been the source of many memories and solace. I have looked at the photos of those last few weeks. Thanks for letting me be obnoxious with the camera, you all look great in the pics and I will treasure them (and as promised, not post them here on Facebook).

It is the holiday time, and here’s something to bring some cheer to all the Santa Fe Café regulars. I promised I’d put up some recipes and the first has to be what many say is the best margarita recipe in the world. I hope you use it, share it (giving Santa Fe mention as the source), and enjoy it responsibly.

At Santa Fe, when we made this, it was for 81 cocktails per batch. I’ve broken it down to home friendly quantities that will make 6.75 drinks per batch.

Mix in pitcher;
12 oz. can frozen limeade concentrate
5 and 1/3 oz. fresh lime juice (you’ll need 5-6 med. limes)
5 and 1/3 oz. water
2 and 2/3 oz. pomegranate juice (like POM, but we bought ours at Trader Joes by the quart)

Per drink;
3 and ¾ oz. above mix
1 and ½ oz. gold tequila (you’re only limited by budget as to brand, but I liked Cuervo Gold)
1 and ½ oz. triple sec (although many preferred Grand Marnier)

Mix in shaker or blender with ice, pour into your favorite salted (or unsalted) rim glass, squeeze a fresh lime wedge in and sit back, close your eyes and pretend you’re in one of our booths, enjoying a howling good time with chips and salsa. And remember, the staff at Santa Fe Café wish you a Merry Christmas! I hope you’ll join in and we can get a dialogue going in the coming weeks. I promise brevity will rule in the future. Love, Kip

10/29/2012

Thanks to all of you, Santa Fe Cafe had an amazing final weekend. The cards and gifts you gave our staff, and the hugs and kind words you shared, made a tough time a little easier. Check out the video made by Douglas Galbi of the Ode Street Tribune. He went behind the scenes in the kitchen to show Oscar, Beatriz and Irene preparing dinners on Friday night, then interviewed Julio Cesar, Peg and I. The video captures a very special night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--DuVkODEnw

Santa Fe Café served New Mexican food in Rosslyn,VA, from 1988 to Oct. 28, 2012. It closed because it lost its lease. Santa Fe Café was a beloved small busin...

10/27/2012

Wow! What a send-off. Each and everyone of us at Santa Fe Cafe have felt the love. Thanks to each and every one of you. It's been intense, very long hours, not only for me, but even more so the incredible group of people I am fortunate enough to work with. A very, very fast pace, as we're trying to serve two to three times the usual number of guests with less staff, while trying to prepare a whole heck of a lot more food at the same time. Some of my co-workers are starting at 7 a.m. and going straight through until 9 - 10 p.m. maintaining a hectic pace the whole time. And about Oscar Z., what can you say about the hardest working, most loyal, smart, fun, and best darn chef that I've ever seen in my 40+ years in the business? Man does that guy know how to cook, and cook a lot he does. Every other stellar member of the day and night staff is giving their best for you, too.

Sorry we couldn't do Friday's breakfast, but that was the only few hours where we could manage to round up enough grub for the lunch and dinner shifts. Thanks for understanding, and sorry to
disappoint.

Anyone who was there last night knows it's getting pretty emotional as we get towards the very end of the most incredible run. It's tough when you know your not going to see many very special people again for a long while, or at least not on as regular basis (I do hope to keep in touch!). An unexpected bonus last night: our former dinner manager, Mary Anne C., stopped by from Tennessee -- without realizing it was our 2nd-to-last night in business. Sent by an angel? Maybe.

It's all part of the magic. Tonight's the last night. It will be wild tonight. Expect long waits. We may run out of beer or your favorite dish -- but if you don't run out of patience, we won't run out of love. Howl on!

10/10/2012

After 24 years in business, Santa Fe Café -- the longest-running restaurant in Rosslyn – will close our doors on Oct. 27, having lost our lease. It has truly been an honor and a pleasure to help people have a howling good time at Santa Fe Café. We're having fun every night with great food, fresh margaritas and hugs all around. Thank you for being part of our 'family'!

09/25/2012

Guess who stopped by for lunch today? Tim Kaine, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Virginia. We're honored.

08/30/2012

Fresh green chiles have just arrived from Hatch, New Mexico -- our first 100 pounds of the harvest season! Come enjoy their rich, spicy flavor on Thursday 8/30 and Friday 8/31 -- but we'll be closed for Labor Day weekend (Saturday 9/1 - Monday 9/3). Green Chile Harvest Festival will run for the next few weeks. What is YOUR favorite green chile recipe?

07/24/2012

Santa Fe Cafe will be closed on Saturday, July 28th for a private event. We are sorry for any inconvenience to our wonderful, loyal patrons.

07/06/2012

Eating spicy food DOES make you feel cooler in hot weather. Swing by for lunch on T.G.I.F. or dinner this Friday and Saturday.

06/28/2012

Santa Fe Cafe has donated $1,117 to the Arlington Food Assistance Center -- thanks to the many patrons who ate dinner here last night for the food pantry's benefit. (We donated half of all proceeds, plus several customer's additional cash and checks.) Special thanks to all who publicized the event, including Rosslyn Business Improvement District; the Ode Street Tribune; and A-SPAN (Arlington Street People's Assistance Network). Sadly, demand for food assistance is greater than ever. To support AFAC's work, you can donate food, time or money here. http://afacinfo.org/

The Arlington Food Assistance Center provides supplemental food assistance to Arlington County residents. Read more about our clients and client policies. You can find our most current newsletter here.

06/28/2012

How cool -- just finished catering lunch for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Delivered a buffet of New Mexico specialties to Capitol Hill at the invitation of this month's luncheon host, U.S. Rep. Albio Sires of Jersey City, NJ. (Quick story: After U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico had invited us to supply lunch several months ago, he accompanied a staff member in returning the catering supplies Santa Fe Cafe. Imagine my surprise when I saw Congressman Lujan standing at the back door, holding a big cooler! He said with a friendly grin, "The food was so good, I came back for lunch today.") It's an honor to meet such great public servants.

06/26/2012

Big shout-out to Doug Galbi for his Ode Street Tribune, who posted our menu for the Wednesday 6/27 benefit for Arlington's food pantry! Here's his post: http://www.odestreet.com/2012/06/locavore-specials-this-wednesday-at.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OdeStreetTribune+%28Ode+Street+Tribune%29