Restaurants in Tanque Verde

Remaining true to its name, Eclectic Cafe introduces taste buds to an array of fresh offerings from both contemporary American and Mexican cuisines. Chefs sizzle up double havarti cheeseburgers and albacore melts alongside international dishes such as sonoran black-bean torta and the carne asada tostada. They offer gluten-free options, as well as catering services to accommodate those hosting special events or congressional summits in their home or office.

Every pizza on Eclectic Pizza’s menu is prepared with fresh ingredients, has hand-tossed dough made from organic flour, and is cooked in a fiery-hot oven until its cheese is gooey enough to serve as earplugs. Try a Thai-curry pizza (with house-made spicy red-curry sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, sliced chicken breast, red peppers, zucchini, onions, and fresh basil) or a creamy chicken and chorizo pie ($18 for a 12"). Topping options are crafted from local farm produce such as tomatoes, spinach, peppers, and basil. Eclectic Pizza also offers organic gluten-free crusts to satisfy wheat-wary eaters; try a 10” gluten-free cheese creation for $16. A bevy of appetizers, specialty salads ($8–$13.50), pasta creations ($10 average), and made-from-scratch desserts ($2.50–$5) round out the menu into a rolling wheel more delicious than an old hubcap or manhole lid.

Papagayo's dinner menu and pared-down lunch menu offer traditional south-of-the-border treats and elegant chef-created entrees. Pass around a plate of the chimichiquitas (a combination of mini chimichangas, $10.25) to your hungry synchronized hurdling team before leaping simultaneously into the main course. Tamale traditionalists will take heart in Papagayo's wide selection of familiar house specialties, such as the fresh, green chiles rellenos ($13.95) or cabbage-topped shrimp tacos ($15.95). The culinarily curious will want to explore Executive Chef Maria Mazon’s creative creations: Milanesas de puerco ($16) boasts a plate of boneless, breaded pork chops lightly fried and served alongside an eggroll stuffed with chipotle mashed spuds, and the pollo en salsa de chile morron ($16) features a spice-rubbed chicken breast grilled and cozily blanketed in a decadent red-pepper cream sauce.

Serial restaurateur Brian Metzger never lets success with his current restaurants stop him from making his next culinary dream a reality. The Abbey's intimate brick-and-stone dining room marks his second foray into comfortable fine dining. Along with executive chef Virginia “Ginny” Wooters, he drafts a menu full of contemporary comforts, such as their take on updated versions of gnocchi and pot pie. Their influence extends from the kitchen to the full bar, where mixologists whip up craft cocktails spiked with fresh, seasonal fruit juices.

Whether seated on the wrap-around patio or gazing out the windows of the dining room or bar, a rolling vista of foothills tumbles away before diners' eyes, often igniting memories of joyfully rolling down hills as a child or painfully falling down hills as an adult.

Since 2005, Steve and Renee Kreager have garnered abundant acclaim for their pies and pastas, which they concoct with locally sourced, organic ingredients. Along with nitrate-free meats and local grass-fed beef, diverse toppings such as red-curry sauce and vegan cheese adorn the organic dough of the eatery's specialty pizzas, which include vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free varieties. Free-range chicken adds protein to any vegetarian or gluten-free salad, and housemade sauces and meatballs top hearty pastas. Organic wines or brews from the sustainable New Belgium Brewery wash down each tasty dish. In addition to its environmentally conscious cooking, Renee's Organic Oven observes green-minded business practices such as its oil-recycling program, which converts unused olive oil into trees.

The only full-menu vegetarian restaurant in andouille-stuffed New Orleans, Café Bamboo features a playfully eclectic menu of Thai-, Latin-, and Cajun-inspired dishes. The gloriously alliterative caramelized cauliflower crustini ($5) tops crunchy french bread with a sweet browned-onion and cauliflower salad, which pairs wonderfully alongside a coconut-blended tomato-anise soup ($4 cup/$6 bowl) with assorted vegetables. The sampler rice bowl ($13) is a veritable United Nations of flavor, featuring Creole tofu in tomato and pepper sauce, peanuty West African mafe, green Thai curry, and vindaloo over a bowl of white or brown rice. Veggie and meat eaters alike can get a taste of southern soul food with the Sol Chik'n Dinner ($13), savory fried soy "chicken" served with Sol bell-pepper relish, cornbread, and mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, just like your alternate-universe vegetarian grandma used to make. Night owls will enjoy the late-night menu's selection of fingerfuls of fried favorites such as mozzarella sticks (4 for $5/6 for $6), Chik'n nuggets ($6), and mini egg rolls (4 for $5/6 for $6).