Dishes are fresh and made just for you

Sunday noon, as it turns out, is an especially busy time in this bustling place. Most of the tables were filled, including the big ones that work well for large groups or serve as shareable community spaces. We found two empty chairs at the end of one of these, parked our coats and studied the menu so we could eventually order at the counter.

Menus here come in two forms. They serve as room décor, filling the space behind the bakery counter/ordering station. Daily specials – three different soups and two entrees this Sunday – are also on the boards. If you want something you can hold, Counter Culture has a stack of to-go menus by the front door.

	Counter Culture LOCATION: 930 Baca St., Santa Fe, 505-995-1105 HOURS: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, dinner until 9 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays BEER AND WINE

For me, part of fun of Counter Culture is the eclectic range of choices, food that includes Asian cuisine, as well as chocolate cake and cinnamon rolls. The restaurant also has an ample selection of breakfast choices from pancakes and eggs to brie and fruit, or breakfast burritos or a pretty parfait with house-made granola. You get free Wi-Fi here if you want it. They have herbal iced tea, as well as the standard – and some of Santa Fe’s best – coffee.

After sufficient deliberation and some conversation, my friend and I agreed on several dishes to share. (We had forgotten how large the portion sizes are here and ordered enough food for four.)

Of all our choices, we liked the Food Truck Tacos ($13) the best. Unlike me, my friend likes her meat and fish well-cooked. When it comes to meat, she doesn’t think pink. So, when the server taking our order at the counter asked how we wanted the tuna prepared, I (who usually says “just seared”) said, “medium.”

When the taco plate arrived, it was beautiful. Three large but thin pieces of fish with grill marks on the outside were sitting on a bed of greens with corn tortillas and a big pile of black beans on the side. I loved the contrast between the mild tuna and the Asian slaw with its complex, vinegary flavor and the hint of sesame and garlic. I never found tacos this good at a food truck! The fish was hot and flavorful, still juicy and, to my surprise, still pink.

Because of the rosy hue of the fish, I wondered if my friend would like it or if she’d want to take it back for extra cooking. But, to quote her: “I didn’t see what color the fish was because of all the slaw. It tasted great.”

We shared the cold sesame noodles ($8). I especially enjoyed the savory dressing, a creative combination of peanuts, lime, a touch of Thai chiles and plenty of fresh cilantro. The noodles themselves were slightly al dente and came with a saladlike garnish of carrots sliced into thin, ribbonlike bands, and a handful of sprouts.

The Middle Eastern plate ($10) begins with a beautifully fresh Greek salad, complete with thin slices of red onion, cucumber, kalamata olives and a side of crumbly feta cheese. We got a large order of mild hummus with pita bread and four crisp triangles of spanakopita, the classic spinach pie in phyllo crust. The juicy filling was totally enclosed, but the crust didn’t get soggy. This dish would make a great appetizer, especially with a bit more lemon and garlic in the hummus. Everything we ate looked as though it had been made just for us, rather than sitting in the kitchen waiting for someone to order it.

We decided to share a cinnamon roll, probably because the sweet aroma filled the room. We laughed when my friend brought it to the table. It was bigger than our sharing plates, a monster of a pastry. The bread was soft and warm and the cinnamon, sugar and butter generously applied ($5).

Counter Culture is one of the few places I know of that doesn’t accept credit cards.