A landmark we hope never goes away

Friends and I stopped by recently for a Sunday breakfast and found the restaurant busy with a mix of locals and visitors. The staff was as friendly as ever and the renovated establishment looked much the same, but a little brighter with fresh paint and a subtle makeover in the dining room. The meringue-topped pies in the chilled display case looked as mouthwateringly tempting as ever.

The Plaza has welcomed customers since 1905 in this prime location on the west side of the Plaza. I appreciate having a “regular” restaurant here instead of a fancy spot. The mix of food on the menu includes New Mexican specialties, a scattering a Greek dishes to reflect the Razatos family origins and plenty of American dishes like burgers and chicken-fried steak. Razatos brothers Chef Andy, Daniel, Leonard and Ted operate the restaurant.

	Plaza Cafe LOCATION: 54 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe, 505-982-1664 HOURS: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

The cafe serves breakfast until noon on Sunday, then moves on to lunch. (The lunch and dinner menu are the same.) Friends and I hadn’t been to the Plaza Cafe since it reopened this summer, and we were pleased to discover that the food was as good as ever. Everything we ate was fresh, hot and delicious.

We started with coffee and juice, delivered promptly and with a smile. Throughout the meal, the staff kept an eye on us, refilling water glasses and replenishing our caffeine before we could ask. Although the restaurant was busy the staff remained unruffled, and their calm attitude made our meal all the more enjoyable.

We had to have Huevos Rancheros ($8.50). This traditional version comes with choice of red or green chile and yellow or blue corn tortillas. The two eggs are buried beneath the chile and finished with a sprinkling of cheese. The pinto beans and hash browns were good, and enough to satisfy without tempting our willpower.

The red chile came from the fresh crop at Chimayó and had a lovely touch of smokiness to it. A warm flour tortilla comes on the side. This would be a good choice for a person who wants to avoid some of the giant servings offered by some items on the breakfast menu. Choices include the four-egg Greek Omelet with feta cheese, grilled onions, tomatoes and sautéed greens, or the rib-eye steak and eggs extravaganza.

The breakfast burrito ($8.95) was great, too. The scrambled eggs, wrapped inside a warm, soft flour tortilla, tasted light and fresh. The melted cheese made them more interesting, and I added a bit of salt to perk up the flavor a bit. Unlike some versions, this burrito adds the beans and potatoes as sides. I tried the green chile here, and liked its fresh, spicy flavor. The Huevos Rancheros and the burrito came with good, hot crisp sopaipillas. What a nice breakfast treat.

The blue corn pancakes ($4.75 for one) are very good here, dotted with roasted piñon nuts and cooked to leave in some moisture. If you’ve never had one or are dining with guests who are new to this New Mexican treat, the Plaza Cafe offers a good introduction to this yummy breakfast dish.

My nonchile-eating friend (imagine!) ordered the Plaza Breakfast ($12.95). This was a feast, with two pancakes, a pair of eggs, hash browns and choice of link sausage, house-made turkey patties or thick-cut bacon. Again, everything was fresh and good. This is a big breakfast.

You can order espresso drinks here as well as Mexican hot chocolate and a variety of juices. The menu offers other choices for entrées that sounded tempting: a chile relleno omelet made with four eggs and two stuffed chiles, house-made pumpkin seed granola, posole and menudo.

If you come for lunch or dinner, in addition to a nice selection of New Mexican choices, you’ll find burgers, sandwiches, Indian tacos, fish and chips, green chile meatloaf and a nice assortment of salads.

Finally, in tune with its diner tradition, the Plaza offers as many as five kinds of pie, red velvet and other cakes and a big banana split.

There’s no place in Santa Fe quite like the Plaza Cafe, in part because of its million-dollar view of the Santa Fe Plaza just out those big front windows. The Plaza can be busy and noisy, but that’s part of its decades-old charm. Welcome back, old friend. We missed you.