Drop In, Dig In at the Tune-Up Café

I like the Tune-Up Café. This new restaurant is simple and unpretentious, friendly and inviting. Tune-Up Café features a menu that fits the cozy space, a small but delicious assortment of American favorites, New Mexican choices and a few Salvadoran touches. It has a stay-and-sit-a-spell ambiance.

The space, a few blocks off St. Francis Drive near St. Anne’s Church, is the former longtime home of Dave’s Not Here. The new owners, a husband and wife with restaurant experience, spruced up the space with some cleaning, fresh paint and a touch of remodeling. (This is not only a Mom-and-Pop place, the owners’ charming baby comes to work sometimes, too.) Customers step in and up to the front counter, where they order their meal, pick up their drinks and then head off to a table for the food to be delivered. The chef posts specials on the blackboard.

At a recent lunch, a friend and I were both captivated by the beautiful deep pink watermelon agua fresca ($1.50). These traditional Mexican fruit drinks are perfect for warmer weather because they are light and, in this case, no sweeter than the sweet fruit itself. I especially enjoyed the way some of the fruit was left in larger pieces. The agua fresca came with a spoon, a beverage and a glass of fruit all in one.

You can order El Salvadoran pupusas ($8.50) in two flavors. The ones I tried at Tune-up had a bit of tasty flank steak, chile and cheese inside. The vegetarian version is made with refried beans, zucchini and cheese. These pancakelike treats come with hot salsa on top and a serving of curtido, a slightly spicy cabbage slaw. They remind me of a quesadilla made with thick corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. I’d have them again.

We also shared the Yucatan fish tacos ($9). This plateful of food included plenty of grilled, marinated fish in the tacos. The warm corn tortillas were soft and fresh. The tacos came with rice and refried beans, both of which tasted freshly made.

The lunch menu also includes sandwiches and burgers with hand-cut fries, a Tune-Up salad available with or without meat, some New Mexican choices, banana leaf wrapped tamales and a soup of the day.

A few days later, another buddy and I stopped in for breakfast. First off, the coffee was good and we didn’t have to beg for refills. The owner came by with the coffee pot several times. We started with a shared piece of blueberry coffee cake that had a pleasant, slightly chewy texture and plenty of fruit ($2). My friend had huevos rancheros, marked by a green chile sauce with just the right amount of heat. The dish came in a bowl with fresh eggs attractively arranged on top of the beans and sauce ($7.25). The huevos El Salvadorenos were good, too. The scrambled eggs, mixed with green onions and bits of red tomatoes, had a festive look. The plate included grilled banana slices, refried beans with cheese, and the wonderfully soft and fresh corn tortillas ($7.50). Very nice — and filling. Other choices include eggs and chile rellenos, fruit-stuffed French toast, buttermilk pancakes (you can add chocolate chips), breakfast burrito and an omelet with ham, spinach, mushrooms and sour cream with chile sauce on top.

In addition to indoor seating, some of which is communal, the café has a small front patio where you can enjoy the day. I’m looking forward to eating there again.

Tune-Up Café

WHERE:

1115 Hickox, Santa Fe, 983-7060.

HOURS:

Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. — 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. — 3 p.m.

PRICE:

Breakfast $5.25-$8.50; lunch $6-$8.50.

AMBIANCE:

Casual, partly self-service.

FOOD:

New Mexican and some Salvadoran influences.