First off, congrats to relative new kid on the Santa Fe dining block, Jambo Café (2010 Cerrillos Road in College Plaza, 473-1296), for taking Best Soup (and Best Savory Soup) honors at last Saturday's Souper Bowl fundraiser to support The Food Depot, Northern New Mexico's food bank! It's a title well-deserved for one of Santa Fe's most talked-about ethnic restaurants.

Kenya-born chef/owner Ahmed Obo is no stranger to Santa Fe's professional kitchens (he cooked at the Zia Diner for more than a decade), and he has gained a devoted following since opening Jambo Café last August. Now, Chef Obo, the trick becomes keeping enough "Island Spice Coconut Peanut Chicken" soup on hand to feed the devoted — as well as the new diners you wowed at the competition!


Here's a great deal: The Plaza Café Southside, whose owners recently announced that they will be donating up to 1 percent of the café's profits to La Familia Medical Center until further notice, is offering a "Snow Day" special. If it's snowing outside in Santa Fe (many forecasts are calling for snow in the area throughout today, by the way), head over to Plaza Café Southside (3466 Zafarano Drive, San Ysidro Shopping Plaza, 424-0755) and mention the snow-days offer. You'll get 10 percent off your bill! Find out more by visiting the café's Facebook page.


Speaking of Plaza Café Southside: The space next to Quality Inn (3011 Cerrillos Road) that once housed the café has a new tenant. Lulu Chinese Cuisine is open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 7 days a week. Lulu Ree, a longtime server at Yin Yang Chinese Restaurant in The Design Center, opened her new restaurant Feb. 1. Serving standard Americanized Chinese food and a few nods to more authentic Asian fare, Lulu Chinese Cuisine provides a much-needed alternative to the few remaining locally owned and operated Chinese restaurants in Santa Fe. You can order à la carte or try one of the chef's signature "complete dinners," and the restaurant also serves beer, sake and wine.

Starting this weekend or next week, the restaurant will provide a Southwestern/American breakfast daily, beginning at 7 a.m., for hotel guests (and whoever else wants a breakfast burrito or huevos rancheros from a Chinese restaurant). And you can't beat the price: Entrées range from $7.95 to $12. 95, and complete meals run about $12. There are no immediate plans for delivery service, but I bet if enough people ask for it, Lulu will see the benefits of adding delivery — but perhaps only to a limited area.


In honor of the New Orleans Saints heading to the Big Game for the first time, Chef Patrick Lambert at Cowgirl BBQ is offering a special selection of Cajun and Creole-inspired dishes (like crawfish étouffée and jambalaya) alongside the regular menu. And of course, the special menu will be available at least through Mardi Gras, which falls on Feb. 16 this year.

I asked co-owner Barry Secular what would be served to represent the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday, and ... silence. But if there's something I would feel comfortable calling "Hoosier State cuisine," it's the region's popular pork loin sandwiches and hearty comfort food of all manner, especially smoked hams, sweet potatoes, fried chicken and pie. So you see, Colts fans: to a great extent, Cowgirl BBQ (319 South Guadalupe St., 982-256) has been serving Indiana-style cuisine all along!

Are you running with a fork, too? Send tips on what's happening in the local food and restaurant scenes to Rob DeWalt at rdewalt@sfnewmexican.com. You can also follow Rob and TASTE on Twitter at twitter.com/sfnmTASTE. You can read more
food- and wine-related content by visiting etastesantafe.com.