Santa Fe Coffee & Burrito Company

I used to love Swanky Frank's. It's smokey grossness was part of it's charm. But I'm totally biased about retro diner/cafe places. I could be eating with a rodent AT the table and I'd still think it was a cool place. I do like rodents though...

But Swanky Frank's is long gone and has been replaced by the Santa Fe Company.

It is charming and pleasant with NO grossness.

The first time I went I wasn't in the burrito mood so I went for a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and sausage. It was delicious. Nice homey pancakes. Mmm. Mom had a burger with AWESOME french fries. They should serve fries with everything there. Next time I go back I might just get breakfast with fries. Don't judge. It's basically the same thing as hash browns.

The owner is so sweet I could pinch his cheeks. He definitely wants to make sure everything is good and you are properly taken care of.

The second trip was pretty exciting. I got a breakfast burrito. And by “burrito” I mean-- tortilla wrapped monstrosity of tastyness. (This is mom's arm next to my breakfast.)

 

Aside from it's hugeness it was yummy. Usually when you get potatoes in a burrito it's more of a filler than a taste addition. These potatoes were so GOOD. I don't know why. It's a mystery. But they weren't mushy, they were flavor coated.

Mom got the oatmeal which was surprisingly exciting! She got a little assortment of raisins, Craisins, brown sugar, and cream. I ate several spoonfuls. It was good enough for me to pause on the burrito front and save it for later so that I could eat the rest of my mother's breakfast. It was also a very cheap, filling, tasty breakfast. What else can one ask for breakfast?

Mocha maybe...which I had. It was more coffee than chocolate, which works for coffee people but next time I'll ask for more chocolate. He came over and said he could add more but I was more interested in drinking it than bothering the sweet man.

I'm sure it gets busy busy at peak breakfast times but I always go a little later and it's very nice and the service is quick.

I would go there every single morning for breakfast if I had the funds for it. I look forward to trying more menu options but we'll see if I actually order something new next time I go or get the oh-so-exciting oatmeal! How do they make it so nice??

I also love the classic car that's always out front. So pretty...

Lettuce burger?

Oh yes, I'm a big fan of the lettuce burger.
If you're wondering what kind of mutation that is....it's just a regular burger, but instead of a bun it's wrapped in iceberg lettuce. To get one of these, you need to go to Red Robin.
The mom and I had a post-mother's day outing planned so I could soothe my burger craving and she could have a raspberry shake.
Mom is gluten-free so she goes bunless (Red Robin does offer gluten-free buns for a little extra.) but I just like having a less bulky, gut-filling burger. The crunchy lettuce goes nicely with the meaty, cheesy, BBQ mess that I'm fond of.
I'm not a big fan of the usual steak-style fries that you get at Red Robin so I opted for the sweet potato fries for an EXTRA $1.29. I get the substitution charge, but that much EXTRA? Are they really worth so much more than your other fries? If a whole side is added, then ok, but just to substitute? Geez, I say! Geez.
That certainly didn't turn out to be worth it.

We sat out on the patio, which is lovely as good patio dining is somewhat rare in Longmont, and mom spotted a sad little tipped over robin's nest with cracked eggs that some creature made a snack out of. (Kinda gives a new meaning to...Reeed Robin...yummmmm...)

My Coke was...what is that taste...? Stale? I'll go with stale. It was drinkable but not very refreshing.
My fries were a little overdone and I've been spoiled with amazing sweet potato fries at Mike O'Shays for years. They weren't all that hot either. Kinda chewy.
I initially thought I had the wrong burger because I didn't see any bbq sauce; since mom and I both ordered the Whiskey River BBQ burger, and her's was overflowing with sauce, I thought maybe I got something else. But nope...I discovered the dollop of sauce in the bottom of my lettuce pocket. It still had the good BBQ flavor even if it wasn't running down to my elbows. I do very much love the onion straws. I get them on the side so I can just eat them on their own.
Even though they wouldn't allow her to get a child's size, mom got her raspberry shake with NO SPRINKLES, and was happy with that.
(Family Guy fans might know the Stewie quote..."NO SPRINKLES! For every sprinkle I find, I shall kill you!" She's not quite the violent about her sprinkles but she does not like them!)

So, the point of all this is that I left wondering, "why did we go there?"
It was fine. But over $30 (inc. tip) for ~fine~ is something I think can be improved upon. If I go to Wendy's/Taco Bell/Burger King/etc. and it's fine then that's acceptable. I want a little more out of my sitting down establishments. (I'm not sure if this is normal or not these days...as far as chain places go.)
Next time, I think I'll stick to what's good and go to Mike O'Shays!
Or, on budget days...stay home and grill burgers and enjoy them out on the deck with Debita!
Salad from the garden, chips, lavendar lemonade, and my newly invented "pickle salsa."