Traditional American Breakfast

2006 Readers' Restaurant Picks
by Eric D. Howerton and Charles Vane
From Crosswinds Weekly (reprinted by permission)

Albuquerque: Operating since 1992 in a variety of locations, the Range Cafe has been preparing "ordinary food done extraordinarily well" with gusto for the past 13 years. Although you won't find any buffalo roaming, nor any deer or antelope playing as the song suggests, you will find Range classics like stuffed French toast, the Kitchen Sink Omelet, and pan-seared trout with saffron rice for prices that don't require scrambling beneath the couch cushions.

Since the original Range in Bernalillo burned down just a few months after opening, owners Tom Fenton and Matt DiGregory regrouped, rebooted and reestablished this much loved diner. The Bernalillo location (925 Camino del Pueblo, 867-1700) has a full bar and houses the Rodeo Lizard Lounge, a smoke-free venue that showcases local talent. Residents of north Albuquerque can mosey on in to the Range on Wyoming (4200 Wyoming NE, 293-2633) and university kids can wander on down to 2200 Menaul NE (888-1660). Did we mention they have oatmeal with cinnamon ice cream, walnuts and strawberries? Ah, life on the Range is so hard. The ever-popular Frontier took second place.

Santa Fe: Right off the bat, we had a five-way tie here. So we broke it with our choice, Cloud Cliff Bakery (1805 Second St., 983-6254) It's not every day you get invited to eat breakfast inspired by a former Zen monk. Maybe Santa Feans love owner Willem Malten and his food because his time at the Zen Center and the Tassajara Zen Monastery taught him to unlock food's transcendental nature. Or maybe Malten's dharmic congruence grants him insight into the permeable balance of fresh ingredients, finely tuned preparation and reasonable prices. Or maybe Malten and Head Chef Tachia simply know what tastes right. Regardless of the reason, Cloud Cliff is the number one SF spot for a classy breakfast date or fresh bread harvesting. Where else in the Santa-scape can you get a goat cheese and green chile frittata made with Taos Farm eggs for $7.50? Or herbed polenta with mozzarella, eggs, and wehani red rice for $7.75? Nowhere. Your other four choices were Baglemania, El Tecolote Cafe, The Pantry and Zia Diner.