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There’s something comforting about their suburban reliability: the sprawling menu, the faux-Texan aesthetic, the sizzling skillet of fajitas that makes everyone look up when it’s carried across the dining room.

And in an end-of-episode closer about the “Real Housewives of Santa Fe,” the sketch was more about steaming fajitas than the featured housewives.

One sign that this year was different from the others was the menu: Beef fajitas, tortillas, pico de gallo, chips, beans — but no chicken.

I spotted it right above his head in our corner booth: he was deciding between beef and chicken fajitas during a staff party for his historic 2005 mayoral victory.

It’s like hearing the sizzle of fajitas being paraded through a dining room, creating a Pavlovian response.