**** No food in this one; but if you'd like to see photos of what was once considered one of the crossroads to the west, along with what is considered the oldest statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, read on.
After spending the evening in Prescott and visiting Montezuma Castle National Monument and having lunch at a favorite spot of ours, we headed off to our next destination. Taking the 40 East, then transitioning to the 25, we bypassed our next destination for the night, Santa Fe, and went to Pecos National Historic Park. Once upon a time, the Glorieta Pass was considered the most direct route to the west. Everyone from the ancient Pueblo Indians, to the Spanish, to the settlers head to the west used this pass. In fact lest you think that New Mexico was too far west, the decisive Battle of Glorieta Pass was fought here during the Civil War. The park is fairly large and sprawling, nearly 350 acres.
The main area I wanted to check out was Pecos Pueblo.
Here stand the ruins of the Pueblo, with the foreboding walls of the Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles rising up from the area.
There actually a recreated Kiva. Which really stirred one's imagination of how things must have been.
The large eye-catching ruins are of the Pecos Mission Church.
The first church was completed on these grounds headed by the Franciscans who gained permission from the Spanish. Of course, the labor was provided by the Puebloans. To quote the NPS page:
"Construction of the Mission Church and the Convento were supervised by the Franciscans, but Pecos people provided the labor; the Pecos received no pay for their work, raising questions today about the nature of slavery in the Southwest."
In 1680 the Puebloans rejected the religion and rule in the Pueblo Revolt and the church and convent were razed.
In 1693, the Spanish retook the land and reestablished control and the current structure was built.
We had parked, seen the ruins and immediately headed on over. In retrospect, I'd recommend heading over to the visitors center first as it provided history and context.
And we loved this map as it added to what we had learned about trading of the native peoples during our visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City.
Pecos National Historical Park
Pecos, NM 87552
It was a mere half hour drive to Santa Fe from here.
The Missus wanted to make one stop on the way to our hotel at Kakawa Chocolate again.
Where She restocked on some of Her favorites from our previous visit.
Kakawa Chocolate House
1300 Rufina Circle A4
Santa Fe, NM 87507
As before, we stayed at the Inn of the Governors. And as on our previous visit, our room wasn't quite ready yet, but we were able to park and do some exploring.
On our previous trip to Santa Fe, there was a place I wanted to check out but it was closed during our stay; the Saint Francis Cathedral.
On my previous trip, I found the following statue to be fascinating, so I did a bit of research…..
This is a status of Kateri Tekakwitha, the First Native American Saint. If you're interested in a bit more, this entry might be of interest.
As we entered the church, I was struck by how brightly colored it was.
At the Northeast part of the Cathedral is a chapel that was once part of another church that stood on these grounds. It is the oldest part of the Cathedral.
In this chapel resides the oldest existing statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, often called "La Conquistadora".
You can read even more about that here.
We enjoyed our visit and then headed off to our next stop. I've mentioned the architect Mary Colter a couple of times in posts; she the Desert Watchtower and one of our favorite hotels, La Posada in Winslow. I had read that she had also designed the interior of the very popular La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe. So, we decided to head on over.
The restaurant looked lovely, but we had reservations at another place for dinner.
There is however, a bar on the rooftop of La Fonda, which is open from 3pm to Sunset during weekdays. The clock had just struck 3 so we headed up the elevator.
And then to the host stand. Luckily, we had gotten there right when the place opened.
There were people who had gotten in before we did! I guess they waited for the place to open?
The Missus got a Frozen Sangria and I got a Spicy Serrano Margarita.
And we relaxed and enjoyed the view.
Bell Tower Bar (in the La Fonda Hotel)
100 E San Francisco St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Open from May – late October
Hours:
Mon – Fri 3pm – Sunset
Sat – Sun 1pm – Sunset
Before strolling back to the hotel to check in. We were looking forward to our dinner!
Thanks for stopping by!
It turns out that in December, we had time to decorate Rose Parade floats on three occasions from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and wanting a nice meal before heading home in traffic, we decided instead of driving aimlessly to look for a place to eat, we would return to Tam's. The Mister began reading directions from the phone (since I don't know how we got here the first time) and at one signal light, noticed 
It turns out there is an "Afternoon Tea" menu offered daily from 3-5 and we were just before 5 and were able to order from this special menu. 
Y1.- Wonton Noodle Soup ($12.99). A very large bowl of a not-salty but deep flavored pork based broth filled with ten thin-skinned wontons, each filled with meat and shrimp. Bok choy and springy noodles filled this bowl. Very filling and flavorful.
The Mister decided to order the Y10. – Deep Fried Chicken Wings with Salt & Pepper ($12.99). Four large, meaty drums and four large meaty flats, fried to a delightful crunch while lightly coated in salt, pepper and topped with garlic, chili and green onion and not really spicy. 
This Afternoon Tea menu, just like the Breakfast Menu, includes a beverage. The lemon tea was great- a very strong tea with lemon slices and the coffee, served with a small pitcher of Black & White brand evaporated milk were kept constantly refilled.
The interior is kept clean and everyone seems very organized. We were helped by at least five different people after being seated. 
Mabo Tofu ($15.95) was a hefty serving. The soft tofu was plentiful and added a calming touch to the spicy pork based sauce. It was good, definitely made with quality ingredients but missing a bit of saltiness (we both added soy sauce from the table) or maybe the 'umami' that The Mister enjoys in other Mabo sauces. Still, there were leftovers. The large bowl of rice was $3.75. A pot of hot tea was $2.25 per person.
My 'baseline' order, vegetable Egg Foo Young ($16.95). I always enjoy seeing how different chefs prepare this common dish. The version here was filled with vegetables (peas, carrots, onions, mushrooms and a few bean sprouts) and the pancakes were nicely eggy. Crisply fried and covered in a not too salty gravy with some more peas, carrots, mushrooms and onion, the crunch lasted for the majority of the meal. 
We had to ask for chopsticks.
Hot tea is now $1 per person (no complaints; it used to be free, then it was 25 cents for years).
Okonomiyaki ($8.95) was one of my choices this day. This savory pancake, filled with cabbage and eggs, a sort of egg foo young, crisp fried and served with Kewpie mayo and topped with bonito flakes. This could be a meal.
I also chose the agedashi tofu ($6.95) as an addition (since I knew The Mister and I would be sharing). The soft tofu cubes are dusted with cornstarch then lightly deep fried. It's served hot in a soy sauce/dashi/mirin broth. We do like the version here.
The Mister always pretends to read the menu then ends up ordering the Mabo Ramen ($11.95). Mabo is a salty-spicy sauce with a base of fermented beans and chili along with minced meat (pork). This is served with tofu cubes and pork broth over proper (springy, not mushy) ramen noodles. You could also order Mabo Udon or Mabo Soba (Chopstix is a Noodle House; everything can be customized).
One meal I enjoy here (especially on chilly days) is Nabeyaki Wafu with soba ($13.95). Nabeyaki is two shrimp tempura and a poached egg. It's served with soba noodles in the wafu (fish and soy) broth. Fishcake, shiitake mushrooms and green onions complete this bowl of soup and noodles, served in an iron kettle. This is a favorite order.
When you walk in, there is a bar area to the left and the 'main' area to the right. 
All the way back is a small stage which has mariachis or a DJ or a local band is located on weekends.
A basket of warm chips along with a mild salsa were brought out with the large, interesting menu.
We ordered Queso Fundido with Chorizo to share ($14.95). This was served in a large/deep plate with warm corn tortillas. A good crisp chorizo (you know I am 
My craving this day was for a shrimp ceviche tostada ($6.95). Look carefully at the large menu, you can find good prices for basic items. The chopped shrimp, cooked in lime juice and mixed with tomatoes really hit the spot. There are more tostadas on the tabletop, if you run out,
The Mister was looking at the "Filete Especiales" portion of the menu and chose the Relleno de Mariscos ($26.95). A large piece of fish (Didn't ask, but it was a thick, meaty filet) stuffed/topped with shrimp, octopus and marlin as well as tomatoes and onion all cooked in butter. Served with rice and steamed vegetables (which went well with the butter) this was a tasty meal with leftovers.
Green Onion Pancake ($5.75) is always nice to share. Flaky layers with a light crunch and a delicate spring onion flavor to the (not oily) pastry.
Spicy Sesame Wonton ($12.50) was another great sharable choice. Most of the other tables had large steamed buns delivered and these more delicate wontons had a great pork and vegetable flavors as well as a pleasant chile based sauce which was used for dipping. Complimentary heat, not numbing.
Beef Chow Mein with Pickled Vegetable ($14.99). The beef was tender and not chewy with a nice salty flavor, probably imparted by the pickled vegetables, which also had a pleasant bitter undertone. The noodles were properly cooked and the other vegetables added a good texture to each bite.
Hot Tea ($3.99). I always order tea and must say the quality of this particular pot was excellent. Fresh, flavorful and just right.
The texture of the ahi was good. Not too much connective tissue. The fish was highly sauced, and the sauce was on the sweet side. There wasn't a huge amount of limu and the sweetness of the sauce pretty much overshadowed any of the briny-oceany flavor provided by the seaweed, though the textural crunch provided much needed contrast. The fish was of decent quality and nicely prepped.
As I walked back to the car, I realized I forgot to ask the folks the burning question about the place I had in mi cabeza. Sigh! Anyway, on this visit, the Spicy Garlic Ahi, wasn't particularly spicy, nor was it garlicky, at least to me. The fish was on the chewy side but decent. As with my previous visit the Ahi was swimming in sauce.
This time, I didn't forget that question, you see, that "fish mash" brought me back to a place that won the 
