It's not comfort food per se, but the cuisine at the Pink still bears founder Rosalea Murphy's thoughtful, elementally nurturing stamp of simple luxury. Murphy passed away five years ago, but her legacy of filling, expertly prepared basics has endured. Try the succulent lamb chops, with their indulgent (but perhaps unnecessarily so, considering the tenderness of the meat) slathering of butter and topping of mint sauce. First-timers, take heed: You must order the Pink's signature dish, the Steak Dunigan, a New York strip smothered in mushrooms and green chile (the best around). And the Pink doesn't fool around with overly fancy side dishes-a crispy-skinned baked ***image1***potato will suffice, lest it detract from the main menu item. The meat entrees satisfy perfectly in the winter, but for the days when the sun shines 'til 9 o'clock, the crispy fried shrimp or lobster salad, piled with a giant amount of the shellfish and zingy seafood dressing, will leave you full, not sleepy. The ambiance at the Pink is earthy, with its sloping ceiling, dark lighting, crackling fires in the winter and pleasant, airy cross breeze when the large windows are open in the summer. When the gentle wind blows the curtains next to your window-side table, you can almost hear Murphy's ghost whisper: "Order the rum-sauce apple pie for desert."

406 Old Santa Fe Trail, 983-7712.
Dinner nightly.
Lunch Monday through Friday. $$$
www.thepinkadobe.com