Real Food Nation, 624 Old Las Vegas Highway, 466-3886, is taking the south side of town by storm; all my foodie friends were telling me they'd been there so I had to go check it out. The comfortable café was buzzing when we arrived at lunchtime and it took a little cajoling from the friendly helpful counter staff to line us customers up in an orderly fashion so we could place our order with the cashier in the corner. It's an interesting concept — the dishes on offer are on display, including salads, sandwiches and pizza; things are wrapped and ready to go. You grab a tray and choose and pay for the dishes you want and off you go to the bright modern dining room. There is a corner area with throw pillows and a sort of futon settee should you want to really relax — I don't think I could have gotten up after eating!

My pulled-pork sandwich ($7.95) was moist and meaty on a nice crusty roll, at first I wished there was a barbecue sauce slathered on it as well, but the pork was tasty enough so I appreciated it for its simplicity. I found the crust on the pizza ($3.50) to be too thick and dense for my liking, but the generous size of the portion certainly would thrill a carb-lover. Sides of a tabbouleh salad ($2.95) — tart with lemon — and roasted beet salad ($2.95) with a hint of orange zest, were fresh and healthy tasting — great prices considering the quality of the ingredients and pedigree of the chefs at work here.

Owner/chef Andrew Maclauchlan and co-chef Kim Muller were smart to create a food outlet that has the potential to be all things to all people — a tricky endeavor considering the adage "you can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time." There's a drive-thru window for take-out meals, a children's playground outside, as well as deck with tables and chairs for al fresco dining. The 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday hours of operation covers peak eating hours for busy families and suburbanites. Although while I commend Maclauchlan for wanting weekends off to recharge and spend time with his family, I expect his growing number of fans will press him otherwise, to open seven days. My least favorite part of Real Food Nation: the paper plates — the olive oil on my beet salad enjoyed soaking into them. My favorite part: the perfect, soft, chewy, chocolate chip cookie I was offered a sample of as we left — I'd drive out there just for another one of those.

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I heartily corroborate the positive review Pasatiempo gave La Dolce Vita (625-4500) last week; I had it on my list to rave about. To add to the praise: I froze half of the fabulous Quattro Formaggi 16-inch pie I enjoyed three weeks ago, wrapped tightly in foil and then plastic, and it warmed up perfectly weeks later — as delicious and crispy as the first night I discovered the wonders of these true Italian wood-fired pizzas. And they deliver!

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I am sad to report that this my last Side Dish column for The Santa Fe New Mexican. It appears that I'm another fatality of the shifting economy as well as the paper's desire to move in some different directions with the food pages. I hope to continue my online cooking classes on the e-taste Web site and perhaps will incorporate some interviews with local foodies to give the videos a wider focus of the food scene.

In my first column, dated June 8, 2005, I wrote, "Santa Fe and our area has an exciting, inexhaustible wealth of culinary riches."

The financial roller-coaster we are on has not altered that fact one bit, and for that I am thankful. The greatest support and encouragement I ever got about my writing has come from all the readers who have taken the time to e-mail me or stop me in stores to tell me that they agreed or disagreed with my column. It's always great to know someone is listening.

I look forward to hearing your opinions and food discoveries at my various other ventures in town, and I guarantee my words will still be out there somewhere; I eat therefore I write.

To share a tip or dish about the local food scene, send an e-mail to chefjohnnyvee@aol.com or call (505) 699-3419.