39 replies to this topic

[birder53]

We had a wonderful green chile stew with posole at The Shed back in 2001, our last trip to NM. It was so good that we went back there our last night and drank Margaritas and ate lots of stew for our farewell dinner. Our best meals on that trip were at Pasqual's. Breakfast and lunch there were our favorites.

[thenextmeal]

the only chef i can think of who actually got new mexican cooking right in a creative format was john sedlar, who had the lamented st. estephe in manhattan beach here in southern california. it was no accident that sedlar had long roots to new mexico (iirc, his aunt was georgia o'keefe's chauffeur). john was able to distill the flavors of new mexico to their essences and then re-present them in surprising ways while still being true to tradition. i vividly remember a posole he made that was essentially a perfectly clear consomme that tasted exactly like the best new mexican posole you've ever had, accented with only a few sprigs of tarragon, which melded so perfectly with the flavor of the hominy, it made you regret the herb was too tender to grow well in santa fe.

Wow - that's the first I had thought of St Estephe in a long, long time. What a fantastic place that was. What happened to Sedlar - is he still around?

I had a book I bought that was based on a (mid 80s?) PBS show called "Great Chefs Of The Southwest" and Sedler was in there. So was Mansion on Turtle Creek, Miller (I think), and I also think Border grill, back when they were on Melrose, etc., etc. I still cook out of that book, BTW, so if you ever see one in a thrift store, buy it!

[birder53]

I just returned from seven days in NM. Chile heaven! We were looking at the possibility of relocating to NM early next year and tried to make the visit less of a vacation and more of a due dilligence trip.

Our first meal was lunch with our realtor in ABQ. Cafe Ting on Louisiana Blvd. This was our first experience with Vietnamese food. I tried the Pho since it seems to be a trademark of Vietnamese cooking. It wasn't bad but it wasn't memorable. The flavors weren't outstanding, just good. We also had spring rolls. Maybe we didn't try the right things, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat Vietnamese again.

Excellent dinners in ABQ were had at Ambrozia in Old Town, El Patio and Gruet Steak House. Memorable breakfasts were at Casa de Benavidez and Mary & Tito's Cafe. I thought Mary & Tito's had the absolute best red chile. It had a wonderful fire roasted flavor.

In Santa Fe good food was found at Cafe Pasqual's, Coyote Cafe and Bobcat Bite. Drinks at the bar on the roof of La Fonda provided an outstanding view of the mountains. We ate at the bar in front of the open kitchen at Coyote Cafe and had a great show and conversation with the cooks. The spiciest food of the trip was at CC!

It was a great trip and we hope things work out so we can move there in the coming year!

[estufarian]

Can I push this thread back to the top? (I guess I have). I'm off to Albuquerque at the end of June and will probably spend a day in Santa Fe.
Any updates or new recommendations welcomed.

[zora]

Missed your trip, Estufarian, but just wanted to point out that Jennifer James's Graze is now closed, alas. (Sort of mean to read the whole thread about how great it is, and then drop this clunker.)

But fortunately things don't change too fast in New Mexico--everything else mentioned previously is still there and perfectly delicious....

[Meanderer]

As I recall, Jennifer James left Graze nearly a year ago. Is she involved with any existing or soon to be existing restaurants now?

[Meanderer]

As I recall, Jennifer James left Graze nearly a year ago.  Is she involved with any existing or soon to be existing restaurants now?

I found the answer to my own question: she has now joined the folks at Chef du Jour.

[chow guy]

As I recall, Jennifer James left Graze nearly a year ago.  Is she involved with any existing or soon to be existing restaurants now?

I found the answer to my own question: she has now joined the folks at Chef du Jour.

That just might be old news, since Chef du Jour is where she started cooking, several years ago. It would be kind of odd for her to be back there, at this point. But, stanger things have happenend in this business.

[Meanderer]

As I recall, Jennifer James left Graze nearly a year ago.  Is she involved with any existing or soon to be existing restaurants now?

I found the answer to my own question: she has now joined the folks at Chef du Jour.

That just might be old news, since Chef du Jour is where she started cooking, several years ago. It would be kind of odd for her to be back there, at this point. But, stanger things have happenend in this business.

She is back. We were there Friday night and the food was quite good--and inexpensive, I should add, particularly after spending a week in the Santa Fe area.

Speaking of the Santa Fe area, the best meal we had up there was at O Eating House in Pojoaque. The chef, formerly, I believe, of La Casa Sena, knows what he is doing. My coffee, chile ribeye was as intensely flavored as anything I could want and my wife's salmon was exceptional as well. No complaints about the appetizers either.

[kayb]

Bumping this thread up...I'm headed to Albuquerque, where I've never been, this weekend, there through next Tuesday. Got reservations at Zinc wine bar and bistro for Saturday. What are some killer places to take people?