As soon as I walk in, I find myself staring at someone behind a counter. Not the usual restaurant setting. Turns out the majority of tables at Tia Sophia's are along the side walls of this hometown spot. Although I imagine there were more 'round the corner, I failed to see any.

This was the first time I'd made my way over to the downtown New Mexican restaurant, if you hadn't already guessed.

I was pushed and shoved by a friend who swears Tia's has the best New Mexican food (a common statement heard by most, I might add). He said his family went there all the time. His mom even tried to get me to order the chicken enchiladas, apparently her staple. I went for breakfast though, and that means eggs in my book.

Sitting down, I didn't even get a chance to look at the menu. A breakfast burrito was ordered for me. At least I got to pick the chile: green.

Now, Tia Sophia's is the sort of place that looks like it really has been around forever. It's across from the Lensic Performing Arts Center on San Francisco Street.

The walls are decorated with ristras and paintings of horses; it's mostly booth seating. My friend told me about how this or that waiter/buser had been there since he was a kid.

Finally, the food arrived.

Tia Sophia's is the kind of place that serves everything on fajita plates (a thin metal insert over a regular plate); you know it just came out of the oven.

The burrito was crispy, the cheese and chile bubbling (oh, by the way, they only come with one egg; if you want two, it's extra).

I would say the highlight was the chile, because anyone can wrap a burrito. It was tasty and spicy. So was the red chile, which I tasted from my friend's burrito.

The place is a family restaurant; cash and credit cards are accepted, but no checks. I had to ask for a receipt, which meant writing the price of the meal (an estimate, by the way) on a waiter's notepad. But, it's good.

Zerach Wieder, 17, has graduated from Santa Fe Community College. You can reach him at zerock123@hotmail.com.