wonderful service, low prices, but very mediocre food.. the service at the pepper box is great! friendly, helpful, prompt. the guy at the register (where you order) is really nice. and the prices are very reasonable. so, i wish we'd liked the food! however, the food was on the low side of mediocre.
my dining partner and i lived in new mexico for over twenty years, in both santa fe and albuquerque, and we've eaten a lot of new mexican food in that time. the food at the pepper box could have been really good, as they use chile from bueno foods, (located in new mexico), which is the best (almost as good as roasting and freezing fresh chiles yourself). however, their preparation of the green chile (we didn't try the red) ruined it! the chile was kind of gelatinous -- seemed as if they used cornstarch to thicken it. and they way they seasoned it was odd and detracted from the green chile flavor. the carne seemed as if it was made of good meat, but it also was seasoned oddly, not at all like new mexcican carne adovada. my friend had a different meal (huevos rancheros, i think), also with the green chile, and also disliked the preparation of the chile.
too bad, as the folks running the place are a real joy, so i'd have liked to give the cafe a great review.