Best Places for Breakfast -- 2

Continuing our search for the best breakfast from among the candidates noted yesterday, we return to the Pantry....

This time we were seated in the back dining room, which I didn’t realize existed on our initial visit (see blog on August 16th of this year). But that explains how they manage to seat all of the people from the cars that pack the parking lot.

While this room lacked the Southwest charm of the front room, it did have its own unique features. First, the back wall contained a large mural that “depicts Spanish conquistadors and map of New Mexico populated with ‘Old Forts, caverns, wagon trains and the Rio Grande’” (foodgps.com).

But it was the—are they prints or photos—that were hung on the walls. So I got up and walked across the room to get a better look at the photos. They were taken by Kirt Kempter, who is "a geologist and educator living in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

His primary field study areas include the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico; Copper Canyon, Mexico; and Rincon de la Vieja volcano in northwestern Costa Rica. Kirt also leads educational tours for the Smithsonian Institution, including Iceland, Antarctica, and numerous exotic sites in between” (newmexicooutdoor.com).

This work was titled “Fall Along the Rio Chama.”

Mr. Kempter works with a process called geomosaics which are “high-resolution digital images, allowing for large-format printing. Most of the images are horizontal or vertical panoramas, formed by the digital merging of multiple photographs. Kirt has developed his own techniques for photographing, merging, and printing to make the final image appear as real as possible to the natural view or vista” (geomosaics.com).

On our previous visit, Chuck had ordered the Stuffed French Toast, so staying with the same theme, this time ordered the Stuffed Pancake. This was a large buttermilk pancake that was folded omelet style and stuffed with blueberries—lots and lots of blueberries—and whipped cream.

While he enjoyed it, in the future he would order the Stuffed French Toast because of the crunchiness of the corn flake coating.

Let’s not forget that he is the man who coined the phrase: “Every meal must make noise” as an excuse for eating potato chips with pasta.

And you don’t think he would let a meal go without potatoes, did you?” So he added a side of the Pantry’s potatoes, which, unlike Tecolate Café’s, do deserve the description “famous.”

And I still think our server at the previous visit left out a seasoning other than paprika. Maybe some red chile?

I so enjoyed my chile relleno on our earlier visit that my choice this time was the Chile Relleno Omelet. I am very fussy about omelets. I don’t like it when so much air has been whipped into the eggs that you get this mile-high mass that is nothing but air.

Nor do I like it when the eggs are spread thinly on the flat top and then folded and folded and folded. This was perfect. Fluffy yet substantial. Folded inside was a lightly battered chile relleno. And the green chile was wonderful and on the same level as my favorite green chile in New Mexico served at Sophia’s Place in Albuquerque.

Time for dessert. Yes, dessert at breakfast in the form of a terrific sopapilla, which, when drizzled with honey, was the perfect end to the meal. We won’t be eating again today until late in the evening.

I wish we had enough time in Santa Fe to return again to this 5.0 Addie restaurant, but there are still so many restaurants and so little time.

To review the role of Adler, Kitty Humbug, and the Addie rating system, read the November 14, 2011 blog.