"Meet Me at the Cowden Café!"
The Plaza Restaurant, a gem of downtown Santa
Fe, to open a new eatery at the History Museum
Pie and coffee
at the door of the original historic Plaza Cafe - Photo
courtesy the Plaza Cafe
Santa Fe (April 29, 2010) - Downtown Santa Fe will soon
have a new gathering spot for enjoying food, beverages,
free wi-fi and a stunning view from an upstairs patio.
The Cowden Café, opening May 20 at the New Mexico
History Museum, will be operated by the historic Plaza
Restaurant. The partnership between the museum and the
restaurant fits into a new trend of museums as community
gathering spots.
The café will serve daily from 10 am until 4:30 pm, and
on Friday from 11 am until 7 pm. Service will be
"upscale self-service without the attitude," said Daniel
Razatos, whose family has operated the Plaza Restaurant
for more than six decades. All menu items will be made
from scratch and designed to be quick, healthy and fresh
- perfect for people on a one-hour lunch break.
Beverages will include premium coffees, teas, beer and
wine, creating an opportunity to enjoy not only the
exhibits but sunset hors d'oeuvres and, sometimes, live
music on the café's Phyllis and Eddie Gladden Terrace.
"Museums are changing," said Dr. Frances Levine,
director of the museum. "It's not just about visiting
the exhibits, it's about being comfortable in public
spaces and providing amenities to help people feel
comfortable. We want our museum to be a place for the
community."
Brothers Andy and Daniel Razatos operate the Plaza
Restaurant, founded in 1905 and taken over by Dionysi
Razatos in 1947. A longtime favorite among locals,
tourists and the occasional celebrity, the restaurant
whips up a mix of Greek, New Mexican and down-home
American cuisines - everything from moussaka to
enchiladas to chicken-fried steak.
"The Cowden Café will be like a little café bistro,"
said Daniel Razatos. "You come in for a little snack,
nothing's very huge or expensive, and it's a nice,
comfortable atmosphere to hang out and read your
newspaper - very European."
Visitors who only want to go to the café can do so
without paying museum admission. Access to the exhibits,
however, will remain limited to paid attendees. Up to 20
people can sit inside the café; the outdoor terrace has
room for 50 people. The museum is working out the final
tweaks to a wi-fi system that will enable members of the
public to log on to their computers while visiting the
café.
The Cowden Café is named for a historic ranching family,
whose holdings at one time straddled the New
Mexico-Texas border from Jal to Santa Rosa. Their legacy
was detailed in the book Riding for the Brand: 150 Years
of Cowden Ranching (University of Oklahoma Press, 2006),
by Michael Pettit.
Part of the 1-year-old History Museum's original design,
the café and terrace have been closed to the public
while details on the café's operation were worked out.
The state Board of Finance agreed to the contract's
terms on April 20, clearing the way for a final
construction push.
The New Mexico History Museum is the newest addition to
a campus that includes the Palace of the Governors, the
oldest continuously occupied public building in the
United States; Fray Angélico Chávez History Library;
Palace of the Governors Photo Archives; the Press at the
Palace of the Governors; and the Native American
Artisans Program. The New Mexico History Museum/Palace
of the Governors is a division of the Department of
Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit
www.nmhistorymuseum.org.
Also see www.thefamousplazacafe.com
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