Anne Hillerman - Santa Fe Flavors

SANTA FE
FLAVORS SANTA FE
FLAVORS BEST RESTAURANTS AND RECIPES ANNE HILLERMAN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DON STREL First Edition
13 12 11 10 09 5 4 3 2 1 Text 2009 Anne Hillerman
Photographs 2009 Don Strel All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review. Published by
Gibbs Smith
P.O. Box 667
Layton, Utah 84041 1.800.835.4993 orders
www.gibbs-smith.com Designed and produced by mGraphicDesign / Maralee Nelson
Printed and bound in China
Gibbs Smith books are printed on either recycled, 100% post-consumer waste, or FSC-certified papers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hillerman, Anne, 1949
Santa Fe flavors : best restaurants and recipes / Anne Hillerman ; photographs by Don Strel. p. cm. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4236-0318-4
ISBN-10: 1-4236-0318-4
1. Restaurants--New Mexico--Santa Fe--Guidebooks. 2. Cookery, American--Southwestern style. 3. I. I.

Title.
TX907.3.N62S26 2009
647.95789'56--dc22 2008025261 To Don, my favorite dining companionContents I deeply appreciate the generosity of all the chefs and restaurant owners who made this book possible. I'd like to thank Ellen Kleiner for getting the project underway, and Don Strel, Brandon Strel and Cindy Bellinger for their valuable suggestions on the manuscript. Winifred Rusk helped me round up the stragglers. I'm ever appreciative of my grandmothers, Margaret and Lucy, who understood the importance of a good meal. Most of all, heartfelt gratitude to my fabulous mother, Marie, who taught me two of life's most important skills: how to read and how to cook. Eating Your Way through Santa Fe S anta Fe is a fabulous town for food.

Last time I checked, the city offered more than two hundred restaurants from mom-and-pop diners to elegant gourmet establishments. As a restaurant critic for the Albuquerque Journal's Journal Santa Fe since 2001, I've had an opportunity to eat my way through much of northern New Mexico. I've enjoyed some wonderful meals and suffered through some dismal ones. I wrote this book to help people avoid dining disasters. In my line of work, I expect the best food and service in an atmosphere that makes dining out a pleasureand so should you. Some of us lucky enough to live in Santa Fe have the benefit of asking our friends where they like to eat, if they have tried the newest place, or if they've sampled a seasonal menu.

Since visitors (and some locals) lack these friendly, informed connections, the goal of this book is to help you find memorable meals. There were dozens of excellent restaurants from which to choose as I made my selections for this guide. In many cases, the decision was agonizingly difficult. The book offers a wide range of restaurants, from beloved establishments that have been open for decades to relatively new eateries. You'll find some of these places consistently mentioned in national travel guides touting Santa Fe's culinary charms. Others appeal to my sense of whimsy or my affection for small, owner-chef establishments.

I've included gourmet 4-star restaurants that offer distinctive City Different ambiance, and local hangouts with generous servings, family-pleasing prices and maybe even a TV for watching the big game, even out of town. The book includes spots for first-rate steaks, fine breakfasts and all-American comfort food. Some reflect modern Santa Fe's sophistication with their combinations of global flavors and international dining influences. In other restaurants, you might find dishes new to you, what we fondly call New Mexican food. Menu choices like posole and blue corn enchiladas have deep roots in Northern New Mexico's history as a Spanish settlement surrounded by Indian Pueblos. The question I'm asked most often as a restaurant reviewer, and have the most difficulty answering, is which place is my personal favorite.

Usually, it's the last restaurant where I ate a great meal. I would take my friends to any of these restaurants. That's why I'm sharing them with you. I've done my best to give you accurate information, but life is about change. Restaurants can move to different locations, switch chefs and change focus. If dining at one of the places mentioned is especially important to you, please double check before you plan your evening, or your vacation, around that meal.

Each chef selected the recipe that is included here with no prompting from me. Every restaurant I have included participated by invitation. No one paid to be included. I appreciate the generosity of these great restaurants in sharing their recipes. At my request, the chefs reduced the amount of food their recipes normally make to suit the needs of home cooks. Since Santa Fe sits at 7,000 feet, you'll need to tinker with the baking recipes if you live closer to sea level, and we have included simple instructions to do that.

Enjoy! Our Price Guide$ Inexpensive; Most entres under $10 $$ Moderate; Most entres under $20 $$$ Expensive; Most entres under $30 $$$$ Very expensive; Most entres over $30 Insiders Tips for
Dining Out in Santa Fe Call ahead for reservations, especially from Memorial Day through Labor Day and during the holidays. Even if reservations aren't accepted, you'll get a sense of the waiting time. No restaurant in Northern New Mexico requires men to wear ties, and you'll stand out from the crowd in some places if you do. But don't be shy about dressing up for dinner at a 4-star place. Some restaurants serve only beer and wine. Some have full bars.

Some have no alcohol. If this matters to you, call ahead. Many of the restaurants included have lovely patios. If you plan to dine outside but get cold easily, bring a wrap even at the peak of summer. The air is thin at 7,000 feet and cools off quickly once the sun sets. The altitude also means that food and drink grow cold more quickly here.

If you come from the flatlands, you'll notice that a glass of wine or other alcoholic libation will go to your head faster. Because Santa Fe sits in the high desert, restaurants are conscious of wise water use. In most places you'll be asked if you want water, and in some of the more casual spots, you may have to ask for it. Don't be offended. Santa Fe is an expensive town for waiters and bussers to live inbe generous to your servers. Any resident worth her posole will tell you that traditional Northern New Mexican restaurants make Santa Fe a special place to eat.

These establishments serve simple, delicious fare that combines both Native American and Hispanic traditions. (New Mexican food is different than Mexican cuisine. Mexican food will often include tasty seafood and the tart citrus flavors of limes and tomatillos.) Try blue corn tortillas, posole, chicos and local lamb.We locals crave this as our comfort food. The following list includes some items you might find on the menu: Blue corn isn't spoiledit's fabulous and, some say, healthier for you than the traditional yellow corn.You'll find it used for tortillas. If the slightly nuttier taste appeals to you, you can buy fresh blue corn tortillas and blue corn tortilla chips in Northern New Mexico groceries. Carne adovada, often the hottest dish on the menu, is pork permeated with a red chile and oregano marinade. Carne adovada, often the hottest dish on the menu, is pork permeated with a red chile and oregano marinade.