DAY 2 - Gallup to Santa Fe

We were up and out of Gallup, NM at 7am, but before we skipped town we stopped at the “USA Road Trip Book” recommended Eagle Café for breakfast. Nothing fancy, green chili omelet, oatmeal and coffee. We saved some eggs for the pups – they love their eggs and ham!

The dogs were not thrilled with the 7am departure; a bit early for their liking

The drive from Gallup to Santa Fe is three hours, but the heavy snow increased travel time. There was a lot of amazing scenery throughout the drive – massive mesas that looked like oil tankers docked side by side.

Zuma took over driving duties so mom and I could rest a bit

We pulled into Santa Fe around noon and the city was covered in snow and still decked with holiday décor. Temperatures are ranging between 23 and 35. We checked into Eldorado Hotel & Spa – www.eldoradohotel.com. We knew it was a great hotel when they gave us dog treats at check in.


After getting settled we headed out for our first BBQ meal. We walked a few blocks to Cowgirl BBQ and feasted (see THE REVIEW and pics below).

After walking around town a bit and dropping in and out of the numerous Southwestern antique shops we headed back to the hotel to take the dogs for a walk and get ready for dinner. Dinner was at a local Santa Fe staple called Santa Café – www.santacafe.com. Delicious to say the least. Since it was not BBQ we didn’t do a full review, but I will say if you make it to Santa Fe this is a must. Try the seared scallops and mushroom risotto. The coffee bean ice cream with caramel polished it off perfectly (My Mom didn’t let me take pics).

I’m headed off to the hotel bar where they got live music. I’m debating bringing Zena since our initial walk through the lobby caused a stir and every girl in the place walked up to us.

Tomorrow we spend the whole day in Santa Fe exploring the famous cathedral, Georgia O’Keefe museum, city plaza and of course more BBQ.

THE REVIEW - Cowgirl BBQ, Santa Fe, NM

After more than 36 hours, Mom and I finally dove into our first BBQ meal. We hit up Cowgirl BBQ in Santa Fe, NM – www.cowgirlsantafe.com. Cowgirl was a solid way to start off, but we expect improvement across the board later in the trip. Below is our rating of the five S’s.

Mama D. outside Cowgirl BBQ

Cowgirl BBQ sampler platter - brisket, pork ribs, bbq chicken, potato salad, cole slaw and beans

Rating System:
1 - Barely edible
2 - Standard
3 - Good
4 - Very good
5 - Outstanding on every level

Sauce – 3 – The sauce was house made and the best part of the meal. It was served warm, which I don’t recall seeing much, but I enjoyed it. It was slightly tangy with a smoky undertone.

Sides – 2 – Standard at best. We got potato salad, beans, cole slaw and corn bread. All of which lacked flavor and didn’t impress at all.

Slabs – 3 – Good is the right word (not very good). They were meaty and tender and the meat fell off the bone, but the ‘wow’ flavor wasn’t there. The skin wasn’t crispy and flavorful either.

Steaks – 2 – We had the brisket. It was average, but the quality sauce made it tasty. Biggest complaint is that it was cooked medium well, which to me is a bit much.

Sandwiches – Didn't order sandwiches.

Honorable Mentions – Although not a part of our normal review there were a couple items we wanted to call out on the Cowgirl BBQ menu. The BBQ chicken was moist, flavorful and nicely cooked (better than the brisket). The chicken salad with honey vinaigrette dressing was delicious and a nice start to the meal. And finally, the pecan pie was stellar. Crunchy crust topped with big and small bits of pecan and sweet brown sugary filling.

Stupid video we shot prior to our first meal.

Dining area inside Cowgirl BBQ

Me gorging some Cowgirl BBQ ribs