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Eating Santa Fe – La Fonda

Nov26

Restaurant: La Fonda on the Plaza

Location: 100 E San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM 87501. (505) 982-5511

Date: March 23-28, 2023

Cuisine: Breakfast and more

Rating: Tasty for hotel breakfast

We stayed at this lovely hotel on the square.

The restaurant was in this gorgeous high ceiling room.

The breakfast menu.

Local Granola Parfait with Seasonal Berries.

Buttermilk pancakes.

Pancakes with Strawberries.

Eggs.

Avocado Toast with Bacon, Arugula, and Egg.

Mushroom Omelet.

Omelet.

Trout and Eggs and Potatoes and Hollandaise.

Fancy Gin & Tonic.

Tableside Guacamole.

Pretty solid. Chips were heavy, however.

Chilie con Queso. This was the way I like it.

Simple Pasta.

French Fries.

Not a bad hotel cafe.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Breakfast, Eating Santa Fe, Hotel, La Fonda, New Mexico, Santa Fe

Eating Sante Fe – Sazón

Nov24

Restaurant: Sazón

Location: 221 Shelby St, Santa Fe, NM 87501. (505) 983-8604

Date: March 28, 2023

Cuisine: Elevated Latin American

Rating: Best restaurant in Santa Fe

We saved the best for last during our lengthy Santa Fe trip.

Originally from Mexico City, Chef Fernando Olea, , Best Chef of the Southwest 2022 James Beard Award Winner, has been enthralling diners in Santa Fe since 1991 with his unique interpretation of contemporary and traditional Mexican dishes. Chef Olea creates sophisticated flavors using Old Mexico’s indigenous and culinary traditions alongside ingredients from around the world. His menu is deliberately small, featuring fresh and locally sourced produce and meats when possible. Nothing evokes the mystery of Mexican cuisine more than mole, a regional dish from the heart of the country. The origin of Mexican mole is mysterious. Some say it was an Aztec delicacy served to the Spanish conquistadors. Others say 16th century Hispanic nuns created it. We’re not sure of the origin, nor can the original recipe be defined! In Old Mexico each cook has their unique mole recipe often handed down generation by generation. Mole is a sauce of complex flavors that usually includes toasted and ground spices, seeds, nuts, chocolate and chile. Many mole recipes contain more than thirty ingredients and some recipes have five varieties of chile alone.

Moles can be defined by their color such as rojo, verde, and negro; the town they are from such as Puebla, Oaxaca, Michoacan; and social class, such as pobres and ricos. Chef Olea is delighted to share his moles that include his “New Mexican Mole” that he created to commemorate Santa Fe’s 400 year anniversary in 2009. The large mural in the main dining room, painted and presented to Chef Olea by Federico Leon De La Vega, a well known artist from Mexico City, illustrates all of the ingredients found in this mole.

Very cool decor.

Mole tasting with 5 moles, sweet black and apricot at the front, moving to tangy green and then two spicy red ones.

Specials.

The main menu.

La Nueva. Xicaru 102 Mezcal, Agave, Angostura Bitters, Lemon Twist.

Maracuya. Silver Tequila, Passion Fruit Purée, Ancho Reyes Ancho, Red Chile Salt.

Manhattan Goes Latin. Knob Creek Rye Whiskey, Carpano Antica Vermouth, Orange and Aztec Bitters, Luxardo Cherry, Orange Twist.

Ensalada De la Casa. baby spinach / mango / cotija cheese / white onion / bacon (omitted here) / cilantro vinaigrette.

Special Crab, Poblano, and Sweet Cream Soup. Pretty incredible actually. Stupendous.

Floes de Calabasa. Stuffed zucchini blossoms with Gruyere, goat and Asadero cheeses, lightly battered. Served over mixed greens. Delicious. Quite sweet actually, but awesome.

Pulpo. Octopus sauteed in olive oil with pork belly and Thai chili. Served with crostini’s. Pretty much like octopus in spicy garlic chili oil.

Azteca. yellow fin tuna crudité / avocado / cucumber / spicy tacuba sauce / crispy corn chips.

Kid’s quesadilla.

Berenjena. stuffed eggplant. zucchini / corn / tomato / gruyère cheese.

Pechuga de Pato. Duck breast with apricot mole served with sweet yams with fried rice noodles and beet chips.

Pechuga de Pato. Duck breast with apricot mole and brussels sprouts. Quite nice.

The dessert menu.

Special of Rubharb Crumble. Not bad at all.

Dulce Sinfonía. Chef Olea’s signature dessert. A masterpiece of flavors and textures. A very strange mix of avocado ice cream, beet sauce, and some other flavors. Not really my favorite, but interesting.

Volcán de Chocolate. For true chocolate lovers! Decadent chocolate cake served with a lava flow of yet more chocolate. They weren’t lying, it was awesome.

Whipped cream, with and without a pork chocolate (not kidding).

Overall, Sazon was pretty awesome. It had this high end artsy/fancy vibe which was tres santa fe and the service was very good — a touch haughty — but excellent and attentive. They almost rolled their eyes at some of our LA dietary restrictions (the vegetarians and keto). The inclusion of lard and chicken stock in nearly everything was a touch of a challenge for the vegetarian. But the food was innovative and extremely tasty, as were the cocktails. I wish I had known about the degustation menu, but I think you had to do it manually in advance by the phone.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Eating Santa Fe, Latin American cuisine, Mexican cuisine, mezcal, New Mexico, Santa Fe, Sazon

Eating Sante Fe – La Boca

Nov20

Restaurant: La Boca

Location: 72 W Marcy St, Santa Fe, NM 87501. (505) 982-3433

Date: March 27, 2023

Cuisine: Spanish Tapas

Rating: Pretty good tapas

Trying to mix up our styles while in Santa Fe.

La boca is more or less classic/modern Spanish tapas.

Busy interior.

The menu.

Some Albarino to start.

DRUNKEN GOAT CHEESE. With Marcona almonds + rosemary. Very nice tangy medium cheese.

OLIVES + ALMONDS. Marcona almonds with pimentón, Sangria olives + oil cured black olives.

MANCHEGO WITH MEMBRILLO. Always hard not to love cheese with “jam”.

LOMO IBERÍCO. With membrillo, tomatoes, black olives + rosemary. Very thin cured meat.

ROASTED BEET SALAD. Arugula, coriander, crushed Marcona almonds + Greek yogurt. Nice salad.

BOQUERONES. With pan con tomate. The boquerones were small and not as vinegary as I like, but still good.

Priorat for red.

ALCACHOFAS. Grilled Roman artichokes with Queso de Cabra, orange zest + mint. Very nice and tender.

PATATAS BRAVAS. Romero Farms fingerling potatoes, spicy sherry vinegar, garlic + roasted garlic aioli. This dish varies a lot. This version wasn’t spicy at all. The aioli was good though and the potatoes were quite salty (which was tasty).

CROQUETAS DE JAMÓN. Traditional fried Béchamel croquetas with Jamón Serrano. Ham was subtle but they were tasty.

GAMBAS AL AJILLO. Sautéed shrimp, garlic, white wine, butter + chile de árbol. This sauce had more color than this often does in spain but these were delicious — and begged for bread.

BAGUETTE. Sage Bakehouse sourdough baguette with extra virgin olive. oil.

SEARED YELLOWFIN TUNA. Sweet pea salmorejo, + crispy Jamón Serrano.

GRILLED EGGPLANT. With melted Manchego, capers + saffron honey. Very nice, pretty much like a Scaloppine Saltimbocca.

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS. Caramelized onion – Oloroso pan sauce, Yukon Gold mash + fried sage. Fairly bland, like “pot roast.”

CHICHARRONES DE ANDALUZ. Fried pork belly, cumin, sea salt, lemon + harissa. Very crispy!

PAELLA CLASSICA. Saffron rice, chicken, chorizo, mussels, shrimp, roasted red bell peppers + English peas. Very tasty with good proteins. Rice itself was very moist and there was lots of it. But there wasn’t the crispy rice thing going on that great paella should have.

VEGETABLE PAELLA. Saffron rice, kale, mushrooms, artichokes, roasted red bell peppers + English peas.

The dessert menu — we were stuffed.

Overall, La Boca was a pretty solid tapas bar. Probably better than most/all of the current LA offerings in a “mostly traditional” arena. Not every dish was perfect, but they did have a big menu of pretty much all the classics and bunch of variants and execution was somewhere between good and really good for most dishes. Atmosphere was packed and lively.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Eating Sante Fe, La boca, New Mexico, Santa Fe, Spanish Cuisine, Tapas

Eating Taos – Azteca

Nov18

Restaurant: Azteca Mexican Grill

Location: 122 Dona Luz St, Taos, NM 87571. (575) 758-3251

Date: March 27, 2023

Cuisine: Mexican American

Rating: Meh

A quick stop at this Toas Mexican.

It was actually one of the best rated (on Yelp) places in this not-so-impressive town. Overall, the place was quite meh.

The menu.

Nice thin chips.

Solid quacamole and salsa.

Fairly lame Ceasar Salad.

Salad with grilled chicken.

Kid’s quesadilla and fries.

Two very poor carne asada tacos with beans and rice.

Chiles Rellenos. 2 chile poblanos, stuffed with monterey jack cheese, covered with an egg batter, smothered in traditional mole, served with pinot beans, rice, and garnish.

Mar Y Tierra. Arrachera steak, shrimp, bacon, onions, red peppers, green peppers, monterey jack cheese, with rice and pinto beans on the side, garnish, and sour cream.

I subbed the rice and beans for veggies.

Overall, for the best rated (on Yelp) place in this not-so-impressive town, the place was quite meh.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Azteca, Eating Sante Fe, Mexican cuisine, New Mexico, Taos

Eating Santa Fe – Geronimo

Nov06

Restaurant: Geronimo

Location: 724 Canyon Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87501. (505) 982-1500

Date: March 23, 2023

Cuisine: 1980s Haute Cuisine

Rating: Tasty, if old fashioned

For our first meal in Santa Fe it was off to a classic. The building is 250 years old and the restaurant is several decades.

Warm and inviting, the elegant “Borrego House” was built by Geronimo Lopez in 1756. Thick adobe walls, kiva fireplaces and wood beams surround.

Geronimo has a very nice 80s-90s nice restaurant feel with a straightforward 2 course ala carte menu. It’s been awhile since I te with this format and it’s kind of a fun throwback.

The cozy table.

The menu.

A plum spritz.

Bread, including Jalapeño Cheddar buns and slightly spicy crisps.

Butter.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. Sweet Corn Purée, Poblano-Sweet Corn Bisque & Baby Greens. Mild, vaguely southwestern flavor, but quite enjoyable.

Fujisaki Asian Pear Salad. Bleu d’Auvergne Grilled Cheese, Arugula, Cashews & Cider Honey Vinaigrette.

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio. Mustard-Horseradish Sauce, Herb Oil, Wild Arugula & Classic Garniture. Rich beef with lots of lemony zest, quite excellent.

Zoom.

Fiery Sweet Chile & Honey-Grilled Mexican White Prawns. Jasmine Almond Rice Cakes, Red Onion, Yuzu-Basil Aioli & Frisée.

Pan-Seared Salmon. Yukon Gold Potato. Gnocchi, Green Peas, Wild Mushrooms & Thyme Beurre Blanc.

Basic pasta.

Tellicherry Rubbed Elk Tenderloin. Roasted Garlic Fork-Mashed Potatoes, Sugar Snap Peas, Applewood-Smoked Bacon & Creamy Brandied Mushroom Sauce.

Prime Beef Rib Eye. Shallot-Mushroom Duxelle, Scalloped Potatoes, Crispy Bacon, Green Onions, Aged Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Veal Demi. Very nice straight up steak with good flavor. The paste to the lower right was very savory. Nice reduction.

Sautéed Spinach. Good with the reudction from the rib-eye.

Le lab.

Overall, a very enjoyable meal. In all ways it was like time travel back to the 1990s. Santa Fe is pretty much a 80s and 90s holdover no matter how you look at it. Still, that’s not always a bad thing. I sort of miss white tablecloths, nice servers, and dining rooms you can talk in. The Southwestern tilt of the cuisine is mild and plating is old-fashioned but neat as a tact (I hate sloppy plating). Flavors were good.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 1980s, Eating Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe

Book Review: Tiger Eyes

Oct25

Title: Tiger Eyes

Author: Judy Blume

Genre: YA Drama

Read: Oct 19 2010

Summary: Loved It.

After reading Forever I went on a bit of a Judy Blume kick, trying to find all the ones I missed that are aimed at teenagers or up (I’m not sure I’m up for an MG novel). I’m determined to figure out how to write normal life scenes this engaging. It almost seems like she could have the characters do anything and make it a fascinating read. They shower, they change their sneakers, trim toenails — all stuff that is generally forbidden in writing guides — and yet it works. Tiger Eyes could have been like an after school special. In fact, it probably was made into one. It’s about a 15 year-old girl whose father is killed in a hold up, and she has to learn how to deal. It’s not preachy. The people are just real, the friendships real, the family dynamics real. The early 80’s Los Alamos setting is even interesting. There’s no sex, no violence (other than the retroactively occurring murder), but there is a lot of excellent dialog.