On a recent Sunday, we ventured to Lamy to pick up a friend at the train station. I had always wondered about the Legal Tender Saloon and Eating House. The name is a cool one that conjures up scenes of the old West in my head. Legal Tender was a delightful place to be on a cloudy Sunday afternoon.
Right away, you are transported back to the old West as soon as you enter the Saloon. The place has been restored to the glory of the olden days. Just look at that bar.
The menu:
To start we had the gougeres(9)( I had never heard of). If it has cheese and green chile, it is bound to be good. Well, the gougeres were beyond my expectation of good. They were delicate and light, not at all greasy. And the green chile sauce was just delicious.
The presentation was amazing. Just look at that serving plate. I loved that the gougeres were served in a towel. Who does that? Fancy restaurants do.
We were so impressed with our starter that I wasn’t sure that my entree would match it. But you know what, it sure did.
I chose the cheese enchiladas(14) that were made with Tucumcari Cheddar, served with green or red chile, lettuce, tomato, and onion. As you can see this beautiful dish was also served with black beans and rice. They also gave us a soft and warm tortilla.
Ok, you can believe me that underneath that pile of cheese sat my enchiladas. Both the red and green chile were delicious additions to this dish.
Legal Tender has an extensive cocktail collection. Just look at the menu on the below right. We just had a beer, The local Kolsch(5) by Marble Brewing and the Scenic West(5) a hazy IPA by Bow and Arrow.
We were filled with the cheese enchiladas so we didn’t have any dessert. They were indeed tempting.
Our server was efficient and helpful. I checked out the Eating House. It wasn’t really open until after we started eating. It was a beautiful dining room. Maybe next time. I really enjoyed eating in the Saloon.
Legal Tender is located at 151 Old Lamy Trail right across the street from the Amtrak Train Station.
Legal Tender is open Wednesday-Sunday 3-8pm. Dinner Reservations begin at 5pm. The Saloon seating is a first come first serve basis and opens at 3pm. Phone Number: 505.466.1650
We are definitely going back. Maybe when we are in Eldorado, which isn’t that far away.
Legal Tender Saloon and Eating House is right across the street from the Lamy Depot. For some reason I wasn’t able to load a Google Map for Legal Tender. Go Figure
Santa Fe City Different Foodie 