A Review of the Whole Hog Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Nothing else in town looks like the Whole Hog Cafe. It's a barn of a place, with concrete floors and tables seating about 180 customers. The restaurant is licensed by a company that began as a competitive barbecue team. Duplicates of some 60 of their trophies out of hundreds they've won decorate the walls. Other than that, the decor is mostly two huge stainless-steel smokers at one side of the room. Each cooks up to 1,600 pounds of ribs, loins, shoulders, beef briskets, and chickens at a time. Unlike some meat in New Mexico so flavored with smoke you can hardly tell trout from ham, here the smoke didn't overwhelm the taste of the meat. They say it's because they use pecan wood instead of mesquite. Ribs are served under a light glaze that allows the porky flavor to come through clear as a bell.

I admired the ribs, which can be ordered in slabs of four, six or 12, and the pork loin, too, thin-sliced and juicy. I wasn't as happy with the beef brisket, sliced equally thin, but dry. The half-chicken on the bone was stellar- crisp-skinned, slightly smoky, perfectly cooked. Since barbecued chicken on the bone can be messy, even for barbecue, you may want to consider it for take-home, especially if you think barbecue is mostly an excuse for the sauce.

I found most of the meats good enough that 1 didn't need to do more than dab a bit of sauce on a mouthful now and then. Six sauces ranging from very sweet molasses to mildly tang)' vinegar sit in an old six-pack carton on each table, along with a roll of paper towels. (A habanero sauce called Volcano is available by request only at the counter; the restaurant worries about little kids seriously damaging themselves.) I liked Number 3 - a slightly "hot, vinegar-based sauce - but what I most enjoyed was playing mix and match. My favorite combination was the very sweet molasses Number 5 mixed with a shot of the very hot Volcano. The pulled-pork shoulder was disappointingly mushy on two occasions. The pulled chicken, while not bad in a sandwich, was no competition for the half chicken. (Pulled barbecue, by the way, is extra-tender meat pulled into large shreds.) All the meats except the ribs and the half chicken are available either on a plate or as a sandwich, both of which can be ordered regular or jumbo-size. The plated version includes a small bun and a choice of two sides: coleslaw (very good), potato salad (too rich for my taste though friends found it addictive), and so-so baked beans. A big handful of jalapeno slices reminds us we're in New Mexico.

Everything's filling. The jumbo platter and sandwich both hold just an ounce under a half-pound of meat. Combination platters even larger let you sample up to four meats. There are salads topped with barbecue and baked potatoes stuffed with barbecue.

The menu is written both on a large display hanging from the ceiling and behind the counter, where two or three people in logo-imprinted T-shirts take your order and your money and give you a number. The line, if there is one - and there usually is - moves quickly. A sign promises beer and wine will be available soon. For now, Whole Hog offers iced tea, and there's a soft-drink machine with free refills.

Table clearing is fast but polite - no grabbing your dish without asking. Dessert consists of cellophane-wrapped brownies; they're not bad and not great but welcome, believe me, even in the middle of your meal if you have accidentally helped yourself to too much Volcano sauce. They're thinking of smoking whole turkeys for Thanksgiving. Sign me up.The Whole Hog Café is located at 3006 Cerrillos road in Santa Fe, New Mexico; 474-3375.