Last October, The Fork passed on to readers the delicious virtues of La Risa Café in Ribera, 40 miles north of Santa Fe. Operated by Laura Boyd-Martinez (formerly of Café Pasqual's, Harry's Roadhouse and other places of culinary note in our fair city) and Jake Martinez, with the help of their boys, Jason and Randy, La Risa — "the smile," in Spanish — closed its doors in November for a winter hiatus, and The Fork just learned that it is once again open for business.

After a rough winter in 2009 due to the slipping economy, it looked like 2010 was going to be an equally rough year for the Martinez's business. In fact, there was some question as to whether or not the restaurant would reopen this spring. However, the community rallied around the restaurant during its last few days of service in November, and the outpouring of support convinced the family to reopen last month.

A recent email sent to The Fork by the family read, in part, "People came, and we went out with a bang on our last day, much more than we could have hoped. I must admit ... I was toying with the idea of not reopening at all ..." The community's response in November "gave us all a much needed reaffirmation that what we have tried so hard to accomplish was not in vain. We are back, freshly painted, cleaned up and ready ..."

Folks, this family-owned dining establishment is a genuine slice of rural Northern New Mexicicana. From the green chile stew, grilled cheese with pesto and tomato, the carnitas diablo and stuffed trout, to the green chile burger, cinnamon French toast and steak ranchero, La Risa has something for every palate and exudes a friendliness that seems impossible to duplicate in many Santa Fe and Albuquerque dining establishments, casual or otherwise.

The Martinez family does this out of love — and you can taste that love in the food. I'm not waiting again until October to dig into some of their home-style cookin', and neither should you. La Risa Café's hours are hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday (closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday). From I-25 heading toward Las Vegas from Santa Fe, take Exit 323, the Villanueva exit, and turn right, heading 1.5 miles south. If you get lost, or if you just want to welcome the Martinez's back, give them a buzz at 575-421-3883. For more information on the café and to peek at a sample menu, visit http://www.thelarisacafe.com

The Zia Diner (326 S. Guadalupe St., 988-7008, http://www.ziadiner.com ) continues its Zia Gives Back program, and this month, there are three remaining Tuesdays to help make a difference for a local nonprofit or other organization. Each Tuesday, Zia Diner will donate 10 percent of its profits from that day to a charitable cause. On April 12, the recipient is Santa Fe's Interfaith Community Shelter (http://www.interfaithsheltersf.org). On April 19, the Zia helps out one of The Fork's favorite animal causes, Assistance Dogs of the West. And on April 26, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts gets a boost. I can't think of a better excuse to have Zia's famous green chile meatloaf, asparagus tempura and milkshakes every Tuesday for the entire month and, if they keep up the Zia Gives Back program, perhaps forever!

The giving spirit continues on Thursday, April 7, with Angels Night Out, the annual fundraiser for Kitchen Angels, a local nonprofit that provides free and nutritious meals to homebound citizens facing life-challenging conditions. Participating restaurants will donate 25 percent of sales (not including alcohol sales) on April 7 to Kitchen Angels clients. Restaurants include Andiamo!, Pranzo Italian Grill, Bamboo Asian Cuisine, Café Pasqual's, Louie's Corner Café, Ristra, Cowgirl BBQ, Pizza Espiritu, La Boca, India Palace, Osteria d'Assisi, Josh's Barbecue, O'Keeffe Café, El Mesón Restaurant, Mariscos Costa Azul, Vinaigrette, Plaza Café Southside, Terra at Encantado, Clafoutis, Counter Culture café, Galisteo Bistro and Café Café. Where applicable, making reservations is highly recommended. Visit http://www.kitchenangels.org for more details.

Also on April 7 is Osteria D'Assisi's monthly cheese fondue/wine pairing night. Featured wines this moth include Segura Viudas Cava (a sparkling wine), Tapena Rose, Columbia Winery Gewürztraminer, Markus Molitor Reisling and Henry Fessy Beaujolais Régnié Château des Reyssiers. Fondue night, which begins at 5:30 p.m., is $10 per person, and the wines used for the pairings are available at local wine retailers. Osteria D'Assisi is located at 58 S. Federal Place, call 986-5858 or visit http://www.osteriadassisi.com for reservations and more information.

At 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, The O'Keeffe Café (217 Johnson St.,986-2008, http://www.okeeffecafe.com) hosts a special dinner titled "An Evening of Fine California Wines." The four-course prix fixe meal (plus passed hors d'oeuvres) presents an array of California wine pairings such as a 2006 Ramey "Ritchie Vineyard" Russian River Valley Chardonnay and a non-vintage Anderson Valley Brut from Roederer Estate. Dishes include seared sea scallops en papillote with creamed spinach and truffle-scented risotto; roasted, boned quail stuffed with veal mousse Macédoine; grilled petite veal chop with hedgehog mushroom tempura, tarragon and seared foie gras demiglace; and raspberry-mascarpone-filled éclair with sabayon and dark chocolate ganache. Dinner is $140 (plus tax and gratuity) with wine pairings, $65 for food only (plus tax and gratuity), and space is limited.

Contact Rob DeWalt at taste@sfnewmexican.com. or on twitter at twitter.com/sfnmTASTE.