Santa Fe
Alone

PRACTICAL SAMPLE

Dining Alone Without Hesitation

Casual dining (breakfast, lunch, or casual dinner): These are the easiest rooms in which to eat alone. Sit wherever works. Order, eat, pay. Examples: coffee shops, casual Mexican restaurants, sandwich shops, casual brunch places.

Mid-range dining (good quality, moderately upscale): These restaurants usually have bar seating or single-table service. Examples: local bistros, good quality New Mexican restaurants, farm-to-table establishments.

Fine dining (upscale, special occasion): Geronimo is the fine-dining example here. These restaurants can accommodate solo diners, though a single cover is less common. When you make the reservation, say that you are dining alone and ask about seating options.

Choose the version you want: a counter seat at a busy New Mexican kitchen (easy), a bar seat at a tapas room (moderate), or a reserved table at a fine-dining room (ambitious). If you plan one dinner somewhere moderately upscale during your stay, choose a place that interests you for its cuisine, reputation, or setting, make a reservation, order what you want, and eat slowly.

A free excerpt from Santa Fe Alone.