The drive from Santa Fe to Albuquerque is, with traffic Gods cooperating, one hour and fifteen minutes. I go to Albuquerque a couple times a year with a list of things I can’t find in smaller Santa Fe. Equally important is my list of “I really want to try this place” restaurants. So on this very hot July afternoon, shopping finished, all I wanted was to chill out in some relaxed setting. And to eat some healthy farm fresh food. Vinaigrette Restaurant was the perfect choice.
A Little History
Truth be told, I was not only interested in a fresh cool salad,. I was intrigued by the history of the three Vinaigrettes. The first to open was in Austin, followed by Albuquerquehttps://vinaigretteonline.com/albuquerque/ and Santa Fe https://vinaigretteonline.com/santa-fe/. The owner, Erin Wade, a graduate of Harvard and former fashion designer, is also the owner of two farms. I don’t know what came first in this chicken or egg story, the restaurant or the farm. But it is nice to know that your salad will be made with the freshest ingredients. What these three restaurants all have in common is that they are renovations of derelict spaces that cried out for help. And each includes an outside garden space where you can eat in warm weather.
The waiter and I were headed toward the outside garden when I spotted a quiet space in the back corner of the restaurant. It looked quiet and cool and I was happy to claim it as my table. There is enough variety of salads on the menu to make it hard to choose your favorite . Mine was an easy choice. I went in knowing that it had been a long time since I had had tuna. Good choice for me that day and enough to be satisfied and to not want more.
A Last Note
I went to the counter to pay and ask why there was no space for a tip on my bill. She explained that they don’t do tips there. Possibly tips are included in the price of the salads which I will admit are a little higher than you might find elsewhere. But for me the price was good for the food and yes, for the service, too.
Traveling to or passing through Austin, Albuquerque or Santa Fe? Vinaigrette Restaurant is the perfect choice for casual and farm fresh meals.
