Santa Fe & Taos recommendations

Have a solo trip coming up in late March for a few days. I've been to both places but not in several years. Looking for good options for lunch and supper.

Particulars:
* Dining alone
* Want excellent beer lists, or at a min. more than the usual macro suspects
* Would like some regional cuisine options among the list
* Cheap to average pricing (easier to come by even at finer places for lunch menu)
* Probably will still be too cool when I go for alfresco dining, sadly
* In Santa Fe will mostly be on foot around the old town center, not driving

Here are some Sante Fe recommendations...

Santa Cafe - Great, great bistro style
Maria's - Get the Carne Adovada! They offer a bazillion margaritas.

And for the beer:
Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery

Orlando's was the best tex mex we had in either Santa Fe or Taos, and cheap (they have a very typical, limited Mexican/American beer list, though):
http://www.orlandostaos.com/menu/#

The Shed in Santa Fe was much trendier/creative, and quite good, but not as good as Orlando's in my opinion:
http://www.sfshed.com/home.html

Another vote for The Shed. We liked it, although I don't specifically remember what I had. But I remember liking the place a lot.

Another vote for the Shed.

The Pantry has great breakfast.

In Santa Fe, Blue Corn was okay, but I like Second Street Brewery better:

http://www.secondstreetbrewery.com/

Wow are we in good company. Reading this thread I thought, I totally agree with Leah on The Shed. I tried several locations' margaritas, including Maria's, but the food and the margarita's at The Shed were the best. THEN I read Roger mention the 2nd Street Brewery versus Blue Corn Brewery. Blue Corn was very good, but 2nd Street was awesome. It just shows that great minds think together. Ha. Ha. Thanks to Leah and Roger for reminders of good times in Santa Fe 2006.

My wife and I just returned from Santa Fe this Sept. We were there for 9 months. These were some of our favorites that are a easy walk for any hotel on or around the Plaza.

il paitto Italian Farmhouse located on Marcy St. Not yout typical Italian fare( dinner only)

El Meson on Washington Ave Spanish food including great tapas (dinner only) n

Santa Cafe on Washington about 2 doors down from El Meson (lunch & dinner)

The Shedd on Palace Ave going north right off the Plaza


A little farther walk but still do able

Cowgirl BBQ Gauadalupe St Quirky kinda like Lynns Paradise Cafe

El Farol Canyon Rd. The oldest restaurant/bar in Santa Fe on the most famous street in Santa Fe
Go for the tapas find a seat in the bar and take in some music. GREAT atmosphere.

A very short drive from the Plaza

La Choza sister restaurant to the Shedd close but tricky enough to find that it's mostly locals. 905 Alarid St. In my opinion THE best New Mexican food in the city.

The Pantry great family style diner great new mexican and american standards on Cerillos Rd the main drag going north and south. Open for 63 years so they must be doing something right.

Clafoutis authentic French cafe on Guadalupe St. Family owned and yes they are from France! breakfast, lunch and a great bakery.

Taos
Hands down Orlando's

Too many more to mention. Hope this helps. Also go to the rooftop bar at the La Fonda Hotel right on the plaza. Grab a cold beverage and watch a breathtaking sunset.

La Fonda Hotel! That's the place I was trying to remember!! It's beautiful. Great guacamole. I tried the Tres Leches cake, assuming it would be authentic, and discovered that, yes, it's a disgusting dessert everywhere. JMO.

Thanks to all for your suggestions, it is more than I'll be able to get to. Great to have trustworthy info instead of just what's in the official tourist info.

We drove through Santa Fe returning from a ski trip in southern Colorado and stopped for Sunday brunch at the Inn of the Anasazi...excellent.

Though it's closer to the slopes and Taos Pueblo than to the town of Taos, Taos Cow is a great place for ice cream. They use top quality ingredients, and are not afraid of unusual flavors.

And in Santa Fe, I really liked the blue corn enchiladas "Christmas style" at Maria's, but, to be fair, I had a couple of margaritas beforehand, so maybe my judgment wasn't totally top notch.