I can still hear the faint sound of my rumbling stomach bouncing off the adobe walls in Santa Fe’s vast emptiness. Why there was not another single soul in this place on a weekend at lunchtime is beyond me, but at least the service was personal and attentive. Of course if we were the only people in the place, the waitress was pretty much screwed on tips if she abused us. The irony of the fiesta banners outside is not lost on me, but I can’t help but feel that any place with margaritas on the UES is bound to pack in the young couples on Saturday night–despite our rather lackluster experience to the contrary. The faux Tex-Mex interior is actually pleasant, and would lend itself nicely to a nice tequila buzz. The fajitas were decent, but certainly not remarkable. The menu is simple, and they have Negra Modelo, so things are easy to manage and manage to go down easy. I’m not really sure what that means, other than this is probably a pretty good neighborhood joint that might want to think about pumping up their lunch strategy. [MF]
244 E 79th St.
212/537-7745