Bear with me through this metaphor:
Editing SFR’s annual Restaurant Guide is torture.

Just imagine, for a moment, that you are a person who defines “lunch break” as a cup of coffee and some almonds, consumed as quickly as possible while frantically replying to emails and building campaign-finance spreadsheets. Imagine that, after said break, you must read pages upon pages of mouthwatering details about the pâtés, short ribs, chocolate mousses, bellinis, green chile cheeseburgers, breakfast burritos, seared scallops, fried pork bellies and vegan sandwiches that comprise Santa Fe’s rich, diverse, inventive food scene. 

See? Torture.

Restaurant Guide also has its perks, of course. It’s one of the rare times we humble journalists get to hobnob with the more refined elements of local society and share in the divine food they eat. Unfortunately, there are far too many excellent restaurants in Santa Fe to include them all in our 10 Best and 20 Favorites, but we’ve tried to whittle our fair city’s rich culinary landscape into a few spots readers simply must not miss. Bon appétit!

—Alexa Schirtzinger, Editor