Five & Dime General Store
Address: 58 E San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Phone: (505) 992-1800
Website: www.fiveanddimegs.com
Known For: Frito Pie
What I had: Frito Pie
Price: $4.86 ($1 parking)
Rating: 5 out of 10
I’ve heard about Frito Pie for ages now and have been wanting to try it for just as long. What’s not to like? I love Fritos, I love chili, I love cheese and I love chopped onions. The famed Frito Pie is essentially that all thrown together in the bag of Fritos. Supposedly the Five & Dime serves some of the best available.
After wading through all the tourists and trying to find parking in “downtown” Santa Fe, 20 minutes later I was finally able to get to the store. I was extremely excited to see the Frito Pie, this fabled delicacy. After hearing the shocking price of just under $5 (for what it is) I conceded that it was something that I just had to try. As an option I had mine topped with the previously mentioned chopped onions and dug in…well, it was an extreme let down after all the build up.
It’s nothing more than I could make myself and probably better, definitely cheaper. The Fritos are of course Fritos, onions onions and cheese…a store bought 3-cheese blend. The sad point here really though was the chili…there was nothing about it that stood out, it had absolutely no bite or bark to it. It was bland and tasteless. When I think of chili I think of a rich, hearty pot of meat and spices. This had none of those qualities, it was loaded with beans and in all honesty was completely overshadowed by all the other ingredients in the bag. Looks like I’m still on a search until I can find a Frito Pies that I’m impressed with. Any suggestions? The Five & Dime General Store, although draped in old-time lore, is sadly nothing more than a tourist trap nowadays.
Frito Pie
Bag of Frito Pie
Further reading:
www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Reviews/1381/five-and-dime-general-store
www.yelp.com/biz/five-and-dime-general-store-santa-fe
Sep 1, 2009 @ 12:24
Yup, make it yourself. Have a party and buy one of those packs of 25 or 50 bags of Fritos at Costco or Sam’s club.
I had my first one at the snack bar at Bandelier National Monument outside Santa Fe. I had never heard of it, so the newness of the idea got me and I can’t say today whether the ingredients were particularly good.
By: Eric Riback on November 6, 2009
at 10:37 am
That’s a great idea…a Frito Pie Party…I love it.
By: ETR on November 6, 2009
at 10:53 am
I love the Frito Pie! These are truly great photos as well. I look forward to reading your blog!
By: Jean on November 6, 2009
at 12:42 pm
Thanks Jean…but that makes me nervous 😛
Just teasing…glad you like it!
By: ETR on November 6, 2009
at 2:44 pm
Very good, very honest assessment of the Frito Pie. A few Santa Fe restaurants, like the Five & Dime General Store, dumb down the chile and cater to tourist tastes. That’s a dishonest practice that doesn’t give tourists enough credit for wanting authenticity.
By: Gil Garduno on November 9, 2009
at 5:35 pm
Agreed. I bet they were wonderful back in the day though.
By: ETR on November 9, 2009
at 6:18 pm
Stopping by after you left the link to a photo of Fritos in my Flickr acct. I have a recipe for chile in my post “The Cult of Frito Pie.” The chile makes or breaks it, and I’d say the beans, too, but those are not as bad in a can as chile is. Hope you try making ’em from scratch (chile and beans-wise, that is).
http://redravine.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/the-cult-of-frito-pie/
By: ybonesy on November 23, 2009
at 12:24 am
I live in a nursing home. I am going to get someone to stop by wendys’ and get a chili there and get the chips and a bag of cheddar cheese. onions tomatoes and lettuce. wow, i can’t wait!
By: lukebandit on August 25, 2011
at 4:44 pm