A Tempting Taco With an Evil Spirit

Although Santa Fe has become known as an artists’ colony and the home of fashionable nouvelle Southwestern cuisine, the outskirts of New Mexico’s capital are still quite rustic. It is old-time New Mexico food that Phillip and Sharie Romero present at Cafe Santa Fe in Hermosa Beach.

“This is the type of food you would find in the small towns outside of Santa Fe and Albuquerque,” said Phillip Romero, who grew up in one of those small towns, Belen.

While the food may not be what is currently the rage in Santa Fe, the decor certainly mimics the style the city has become well-known for. The booths, for example, are not-so-subtle shades of bright orange, purple and red. An equally bright quilt is displayed prominently. The backs of the blond wood chairs are cut out in the pattern of a zia, the sunburst that is New Mexico’s state symbol.

One of the specialties of the house is the stuffed sopaipilla , a puffy, lightly fried pastry with a variety of fillings. The chile verde sopaipilla ($6.95) is overloaded with pork, beans and potatoes and topped with Cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses and a light green chile sauce. Spanish rice accompanies it.

Another specialty is the tortilla soup ($4.75), a puree of tortillas, vegetables and cilantro mixed with strips of chicken breast, topped with tortilla strips, cheese and avocado.

Although you would look high and wide for a fish taco in small New Mexico towns, Romero says many customers would ask for one because they had heard it’s the dish to get in Santa Fe. (Why, neither he nor I know. Anyone looking at a map could deduce that the odds of finding a cod in New Mexico are only slightly better than finding a Bengal tiger in Lomita.) Still, aiming to please, the Romeros put Zozobra tacos on the list of lunch specials ($5.25). Named after the evil spirit that is set aflame at the annual festival in Santa Fe, the tacos are stuffed with grilled cod, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Cafe Santa Fe is at 1101 Aviation Blvd., Hermosa Beach. (310) 798-8594. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.