Santa Fe Bite – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Glass-half-full nay-sayers will tell you it shouldn’t have worked. Housed in a ramshackle building some might describe as being “in the middle of nowhere,” it defied the number one rule for restaurant success: location, location, location. It was Lilliputian in size, incapable of accommodating everyone clamoring to get in. Long waits were common with only a small porch and limited eating as a “waiting area.” Seating was in personal space proximity. in winter and rare rainy seasons, the dirt and gravel parking lot could become rather messy.

From a debits and credits perspective, these were the debits, the factors which worked against the Bobcat Bite ever becoming a success, much less a legendary dining destination. Fortunately the Bobcat Bite was frequented by diners with a glass is half full perspective, not by accountants and their ledgers. The Bobcat Bite was not beloved in spite of the aforementioned debits; it was beloved because of them. Well, those “debits” and the fact that it served the best burger in the known universe.

In a twist of cruel irony, the Travel Channel’s May 13th, 2013 airing of the Burger Land program celebrating the Bobcat Bite debuted just a few days after the announcement that the world-famous Bobcat Bite as we all knew and love it would be forever changed. An official statement, issued on May 9th, announced the restaurant renowned for its outstanding green chile cheeseburger would shutter its doors in June, 2013. The press release read: After 12 years, Bonnie and John Eckre will serve their last famous Bobcat Bite burger at the Old Las Vegas Highway location on June 9. They will be vacating the premises June 14th at the demand of the building’s owners, the Panzer family.” It was an announcement warranting flying the flag (or a chef’s apron) at half mast or upside down as a sign of distress.

The sizzle had barely cooled on the fifty-year-old cast iron grill on which so many wonderful burgers had been prepared before owners John and Bonnie Eckre announced they would be relocating their beloved restaurant near the Santa Fe Plaza, the heart of the city. While they could relocate their recipes and the personal homespun friendliness which made the Eckres as beloved as their burgers, legalities prevented them from taking the name “Bobcat Bite” with them.

In August, 2013, the newly christened Santa Fe Bite opened its doors in a space attached to Garrett’s Desert inn, a Route 66 motor court style motel within easy walking distance of the famous Plaza. The new digs were much more capacious than its predecessor with indoor seating for 80 guests and 36 more on a patio overlooking Old Santa Fe Trail. Cushioned booths against the west-facing windows and east wall flank the dining room where seating is more utilitarian than it is comfortable. Mirrors backdrop a bar where you can order not only milk shakes, but beer and wine. Walls are adorned with Route 66 style memorabilia.

Where the Bobcat Bite’s hours were abbreviated, the Santa Fe Bite was open every day but Monday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A significantly expanded lunch and dinner menu included such additions as street tacos, green chile chicken enchiladas, chicken flautas and fish and chips (Fridays only) as well as steaks and chops. The breakfast menu featured most New Mexican and American favorites while the Sunday brunch was the best of both breakfast and lunch, featuring such treats as cast-iron-fried buttermilk free range chicken, cornmeal pancakes, frittatas and so much more. Burgers were available at all hours, even for breakfast.

When the Eckres were unable to reach an agreement on lease terms with Garrett’s, they contemplated retirement (not for the first time). Prompted by Angela Mason and Armando Rivas, house manager and chef respectively of The Bite, a search for a new location began.  As fate would have it, the space which formerly housed the Tecolote Cafe became available.  Almost simultaneously former Santa Fe Bite employees Jaclyn Gomez and Tomás Baca approached the Eckres with the idea of taking Santa Fe Bite to Albuquerque.  In the summer of 2019, Santa Fe Bite – Abq launched on Central Avenue.  Sadly, the “magic” of  the Santa Fe legacy couldn’t be duplicated and the challenges of operating in the post-Cabrona virus age proved to much.  Santa Fe Bite – Abq closed in 2023.

On 1 January, 2023, another transition took place. Bonnie and John Eckre passed ownership of Santa Fe Bite over to Angela Mason and Armando Rivas, both of whom had already been involved in the restaurant’s day-to-day operation.  The expanded menu when the Bobcat Bite became The Santa Fe Bite was largely Chef Rivas’ creation.  For those of us who love the Eckres as much as we love the fabled green chile cheeseburger, the great news is that both Bonnie and John will remain with the restaurant they made world-famous.  They’re no longer involved in restaurant ownership, but still show up to work–as employees.

There are two things vastly more essential to the success of the Bite’s rebirth than an expanded menu and increased capacity. The first is the cast iron grill on which burgers were perfectly prepared for eighteen years at the old Bobcat Bite. John Eckre was able to bring one of those magnificently seasoned cast iron grills with him to each of the two new locations, ensuring continuity of the singularly delicious magic which earned him a reputation as Santa Fe’s premier burger meister. More than any burger meister I’ve ever seen, John has mastered the art and science of preparing burgers your way. No matter your desired degree of doneness–from medium rare to well done–your burger is prepared to your exacting specifications every single time.

NOTE: For optimum flavor and juiciness, make sure you request your burger at no more than a “medium” degree of doneness.   This beef is far too good to spend too much time on the grill.  During our September, 2023 visit John wasn’t manning the grill. My request for a “medium” degree of doneness was delivered at the desiccated level of “medium-well” as depicted below.  It’s not the green chile cheeseburger at its best.  John would never have let it out of the kitchen.

The second is the genuine warmth and charm of Bonnie Eckre. Watching Bonnie work a room is a study in quiet graciousness and hospitality. Bonnie’s radiant smile is matched by her smiling eyes, the mirror to a beautiful soul who is absolutely beloved by her guests. Over the years she’s come to know many of the “regulars,” treating one and all as she would friends visiting her home. The wait staff is friendly and engaging. You’d expect no less at Bonnie’s home away from home.

When it comes to burgers, it’s all about the beef and that’s where The Santa Fe Bite has the edge over the competition. John Eckre still grinds beef daily on the premises, using only hormone-free chuck shoulder and chuck tenders then forming the patties by hand, careful to control fat content. Each burger is a thick and juicy ten-ounce slab of beautiful beef served with an American and Swiss cheese blend, green chile, lettuce and tomato. Mustard and ketchup are available on your table and you can ask for mayonnaise and sliced (or even better, grilled) onion if you’d like.

If you do opt to use a condiment on your burger, use it sparingly because it’s the beef that may bring tears of joy to your eyes. That’s why true burger aficionados don’t whine about the green chile not being especially piquant. The only steak in New Mexico even comparable to the utterly erotic deliciousness of the coarse ground beef patty at the Bobcat Bite is the peppery elk tenderloin at Geronimo. The cast iron grill ensures consistent, even heat distribution. At medium, the thick patty has a perfectly pink center and is juicy to the tune of four to five napkins. The buns are made on the premises with a gluten-free option available. Burgers are accompanied by lightly salted and wonderfully crispy housemade potato chips.

One last word about those burgers–over the years I’ve heard time and again about some upstart burger that’s “as good” or “better than The Bite’s.” That The Bite is the rarefied standard against which all burgers in New Mexico are measured is fitting, but let’s get one thing straight: there is no better burger in the Land of Enchantment! My friend Sandy Driscoll visits Santa Fe once a year and always makes The Bite her last meal in the City Different. Though surrounded by some of the very best burger purveyors in America in her Los Angeles home, Sandy knows burgers and finds The Bite’s burgers unequaled.  My friend John Martin enjoys his green chile cheeseburger on a tortilla and at medium-rare.  It’s just as good as a burger betweeen buns.

If you’ve ever been curious what type of wine would go well with The Bite’s beauteous beef, you’re free to explore. Others who cherish the time-honored pairing of burgers and shakes will appreciate The Bite’s shakes. Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry are available and if the chocolate shake is any indication, you’re in for a real treat. The chocolate is an adult chocolate which means it’s not cloying. The shakes are served cold and thick in the style of all great shakes.

While the green chile cheeseburger may be the raison d’être for our visits to the Santa Fe Bite, my Kim reminds me there are other items on the menu.  Thankfully so does my friend Lynn Gardner who has fallen in love with The Bite’s guacamole and chips.   This guacamole is velvety smooth and creamy.  It’s made with avocadoes at the peak of freshness and is studded with onion.  Lynn insists there’s a piquant element to the guacamole, but unless the piquancy is as hot as Mount Vesuvius, it doesn’t faze me.  The chips are rather on the thin side are are likely to shatter should you attempt to scoop up a Gil-sized portion.

Like Ponce de Leon scouring the New World for the fountain of youth, Lynn has long been searching for New Mexico’s most fabulous fish and chips.   She’s had better luck than de Leon who passed away (from wounds) at the ripe old age of 47.  Lynn loves Santa Fe Bite’s fish and chips. Cod is the most popular type of fish served in most restaurants, although paddock—another white fish—is becoming a common substitute.  Cod is what The Bite serves. The fish planks are tender and delicious in a thin and crisp batter.  Tartar sauce is served with the fish, but after living in England for three years only malt vinegar will do.  Also served with the fish is a coleslaw made with a dressing not based on mayo.

In the 2011 movie The Help, Minny Jackson, a downtrodden maid tending to the every need of racist high society in Mississippi sagely observed “Fried chicken just tend to make you feel better about life.” The Bite’s cast-iron fried buttermilk free range chicken will not only make you feel better about life, it’ll make you wish every day was Sunday. This chicken–three pieces of golden, juicy and tender bird with delightfully crisp skin– is available only for Sunday brunch. You’ll make quick work of this chicken, reducing it to bones in mere moments. The coleslaw has lip-pursing qualities and is tinged with pepper.

The Bite offers several desserts plus a daily special. Good fortune will shine upon you if the daily special is the apple pie a la mode. This is an apple pie the way apple pie should be made. That means plenty of sliced, sweet-tangy apples and a delicate, flaky crust not some pectin pretender. It’s served hot, plated right next to vanilla ice cream which renders the pie cool enough to eat. Few things in life go as well together as apple pie and ice cream.

With an expanded menu offering so many new and exciting options, you’d think this gastronome would be clamoring to try something new. Instead, I’m counting the hours until my next Santa Fe Bite green chile cheeseburger. It’s the very best in the universe and it may just be a while before anything else on the menu will entice me enough to forgo ordering one or three.

Santa Fe Bite
1616 St. Michaels Drive
Santa Fe, New Mexico
(505) 428-0328
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 15 September 2023
1st VISIT: 29 November 2013
# OF VISITS: 3
RATING: 23
COST: $$
BEST BET: Chocolate Shake, Green Chile Cheeseburger, Housemade Potato Chips, Sweet Potato Fries, Fried Chicken, Apple Pie A La Mode, Fish and Chips, Guacamole and Chips