Benjamin B

This thread seems to have been dead for a while, but... I've recently quit drinking and although I still do wine tasting at work (spitting), I would like to do some drinks that are either Mocktails/NA Cocktails, or some sort of non alcoholic pairings that will match food (maybe something like the French Laundrys Non-Alcoholic Pairings?). Anyone have recipes or suggestions?

Eric is back in the kitchen. Most of the menu seems to have taken on a serious Asian influence. I've heard mixed reviews of the new menu but I haven't been yet. I plan on going in the next month or so to check it out.

We went out to eat at Aqua Santa last night. Fantastic meal, Wonderful Service. Brian Knox (owner and executive chef) was cooking and greeted us on the way in. It appeared that each meal was cooked to order by Brian and his Sous Chef with one other assistant working in the back of the small exhibition style kitchen. The plates were either floral print around the edges or light blue transparent glass. It all fit with the theme of "Slow Food" quite nicely. We started with 2 glasses of the house Bordeaux (Sarah did not want a white because she was cold). I had the Grilled Calamari Salad with Wilted Greens and Aioli, Sarah had the Pappardelle with Crab, Pears and Peppermint. Both were amazing. The pappardelle was home made, and had a wonderful texture, the crab was abundant and the pears and peppermint just blended perfectly with the cream sauce to create a dish that very well could have been the main course...and perhaps, was the star of our meal. My calamari was over wilted romaine lettuce with a dollop of aioli and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Toasted bread (almost like perfect little micro-croutons) was mixed in for texture and the whole dish came in together with such freshness that it seemed that it just as easily could have been from a village favourite on the coast of italy as from a small converted house on the north-west side of Santa Fe. Before our main courses came I asked for a suggestion on wine. I had ordered the Pan Seared Chorizo Stuffed Quail with Golden Rasins and Fingerling Potatoes. Sarah ordered the Braised Shepherds Lamb with Wilted Greens, Heirloom Tomatoes and Feta. The server suggested a Gary Farrell 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir and I took his suggestion. The Lamb was succulent and fall apart tender and the wilted spinach was wonderfully salty in contrast to the rich lamb flavour. Excellent all around The Quail was semi boneless and stuffed with chorizo and golden raisins. It was perfectly cooked, not in the least bit dry. The chorizo and golden raisin stuffing was just slightly spicy. The fingerling potatoes appeared to be pan fried in the fat from the quail and all together it was a hearty yet delicate meal for a chilly night. We finished our meal with a Pear Crisp with Creme Fraiche. I had a glass of Dow Tawny Port and Sarah had an Espresso. The Pear Crisp was seemed to have almost no sweetening other than the ripe pears. The creme fraiche had a nice tart tanginess that mixed with the sweet pears and the light fluffy crisp on top to create a desert that could have easily paired with many cheeses. Honestly, being someone who dislikes most sweet desserts, this was perfect for me. Sarah, as someone who prefers simple desserts, thought that it was perfectly executed and exemplary of a home made pear crisp. In the end, our waiter forgot to charge us for the wine, and when I notified him that he had omitted this (an $80 charge) he added it and said "Oh well, even if you hadn't caught it it wouldn't have mattered because it was such a pleasure to serve you". Never was there a rush. Never were we asked "how things were" but rather asked about our experience: "Are you enjoying yourselves tonight?" "Are you having fun? Good, you look like you're having a great time". Effortless service, unrushed in every way and very friendly without being overly informal. It was like coming into a friends house and eating expertly cooked food while being served by a gracious host who was glad you'd decided to come over. This is an experience we will be repeating again.

Awesome, I'll see if I can get that at Whole Foods or at my local wine shop. Any advice on the main course?

I want to cook some Risotto al Barolo but I can't really justify spending $50 on a bottle of Barolo right now. What is a good substitute? I was thinking Barbaresco or Gattinara but I'd like to keep it to about $25 if possible and the cheapest Gattinara I can find is $37. Also, Risotto al Barolo is usually served before the main course, so what is a suggested main course to follow? I'm hoping to cook this dish this evening and dinner is in about 5 hours. Help a fellow cook out with a little advice on the fly!

The "Porcinis" are actually Queen Bolete mushrooms, which are related to the Porcini. We went on a 75 mile backpacking trip from the Ski Basin to Truchas peaks and all around in the Pecos Wilderness. On the way up there were literally hundreds of Bolete mushrooms everywhere in the Puerto Nambe area. I picked a few on my way back down at the end of the trip and used them when we got back to Santa Fe. We went back up a few weeks later and we couldn't find anything but Anamita Muscaria (Fly Agaric). I have a friend who goes up and brings down pounds of chanterelles and hedgehogs. I have also heard rumours of there being psychedelic mushrooms up there, but since that's not really something I want I've never looked for them.

To my knowledge there are no shitakes that grow up in the Pecos Wilderness. Perhaps these were boletes? The most common edible mushroom in the Pecos. I know that Eric had made some pickled boletes recently. Anyone heard any buzz about Martin Rios's new place Restaurant Martin? I'll be working there and I was wondering if anything is being talked about outside Santa Fe.

I prefer La Choza over most places in town for New Mexican food. The margaritas are good and I like both their green and red chile. I think cafe pasquals is a good choice for breakfast/brunch... but that it's overpriced and overrated for dinner. Their chorizo burrito is probably my favourite breakfast burrito in town.

It's been overhauled, perhaps, but it's barely working. Most of the links are not hot. ← I guess I just opened it and looked at the menu. The menu links worked for me. Hopefully, you will be able to take a pass through it. It is a controversial place in SF. Most of this is due to the strictly enforced "no fragrance policy." The owner is a bit of a character from Brooklyn and some people are not fans of his or how he enforces the policy, but he has always treated me well when I have dined there. He also has provided decent wine selections from a fairly extensive Itallian focused list. All of this aside, I think the food is truly fantastic, especially the pastas. The chef has remained with the restaurant, which is unusual in Santa Fe. She deserves a lot of credit for creating great Italian food in a climate where everyone wants to focus on Southwestern. It looks to me that the pricing has been scaled back some. I know in January, he had reworked the menu to make prices more reasonable due to the economy. It is still not a cheap meal, but one I have always found to be worth it. ← I've never gone to the restaurant, mostly because I've been told by a number of friends in the food/wine industry in the area that the owner is one of the biggest a$$holes in town. He apparently has been quite a bully towards people in the industry who were simply unsuspecting friends, and I've personally seen him be beyond sleezy to young women (and women in general). Supposedly the fragrance policy is his way of being able to do whatever he wants in his restaurant. If he doesn't like you, he simply kicks you out and cites the no fragrance policy. In all honesty, the policy makes sense (I never wear fragrances of any sort, nor do I wear products that are fragrant), but his implementation is suspect. That being said, I've been told that the chef is possibly the most skilled in town, and it is likely that my curiosity will outweigh my dislike of Eric's actions.

I decided to try the recipe for the very basic sauce that slkinsey recommended. We made some gnocchi to go with the sauce, a basic spinach salad with roasted balsamic onions. It was a perfect match for the freshly made gnocchi. Thank you for the recipe, I've never made that sauce before.

It's still kicking. I hear the economy is hurting it quite a bit right now.

Looks good on paper. Did it taste good too? Any favorites on this list? ← Yeah. Sorry about that, I posted and intended to come back and put in more information... and then I forgot. 1. Grilled Asparagus wrapped in Smoked Salmon with Goat Cheese, Capers and Pickled Red Onions. Wine was a Verdejo. My least favourite of the meal, not because it wasn't good, but because it was so... plain. Very good, but I make it at home just as well. 2. 3 Sausages: Morcilla with a Piquillo Pepper Sauce, Pork & Fennel with a Pomegranate Sauce, Spanish Chorizo with a Quince Paste. Pickled Peppers. Wine: A Dry Muscat and Gewürztraminer blend. The sausages they use here are excellent. I'm not sure where they get them or if they are made in house. I suspect that they are made in house, but I have no real reason to believe that other than the fact that they always seem a cut above what I get. The wine they used was also quite good and something I'm trying to get my wine guy to pick up for me. 3. Crab and Scallop Cannelloni in a Manchego Sauce, Stuffed with sage. Topped with Fried Sage. Wine: Burgans Albarino This was actually my favourite of the meal. The scallops were perfectly tender, the sauce was incredibly rich but not overwhelming, the sage went well and wasn't overdone. Albarino is one of my favourite whites and I found that it complimented the seafood perfectly. 4. Pan Seared Steak {Flap Steak I think} with Smoked Salt, Smoked Paprika in a Caramel Sauce. Wine: [This was a Spanish Red, very strong coco and caramel finish with a tannic start] This whole menu was a bit more brute force flavour than the last one I had here, but once again, everything was excellent. The steak was perfect temperature and the caramel sauce was delicious. I still need to go back and ask about this wine because I forgot to write down what it was. 5: Cabrales Cheese with Dried Mission Figs in a Saffron Honey. Wine: Muscatel A nice desert. I would rather have cheese and figs for desert than creme brulee or pot de creme any day. We had Espresso with lemon after dinner.

Dinner at La Boca for our Anniversary Dinner: We did the tasting menu at La Boca. 5 Courses with wine parings: 1. Grilled Asparagus wrapped in Smoked Salmon with Goat Cheese, Capers and Pickled Red Onions. Wine was a Verdejo. 2. 3 Sausages: Morcilla with a Piquillo Pepper Sauce, Pork & Fennel with a Pomegranate Sauce, Spanish Chorizo with a Quince Paste. Pickled Peppers. Wine: A Dry Muscat and Gewürztraminer blend. 3. Crab and Scallop Cannelloni in a Manchego Sauce, Stuffed with sage. Topped with Fried Sage. Wine: Burgans Albarino 4. Pan Seared Steak {Flap Steak I think} with Smoked Salt, Smoked Paprika in a Caramel Sauce. Wine: [This was a Spanish Red, very strong coco and caramel finish with a tannic start] 5: Cabrales Cheese with Dried Mission Figs in a Saffron Honey. Wine: Muscatel We had Espresso with lemon after dinner.

Good to know. What places in town serve with totally fresh squeezed lime? I know Lazy Dog does...

Another couple of additions: Saigon Cafe: I love the Vietnamese food here. It's always fresh, Always pretty fast and it's basically a diner with a very diner like attitude. Try the egg rolls, they are the best I've ever had, anywhere. The Canh Chua is good and comes in a huge bowl. Remember to order a side of limes/cilantro/shiso/bean sprouts if you get a soup. Is it authentic? I have no idea. I've never been to Vietnam. I do know that a lot of my friends make it a point to go there once a week or so. Oh, and it's cheap. Eat lunch there. Maria's: I haven't eaten there at all. We had fantastic margaritas there the other night. Expect to pay for your margarita though, we had 2 margaritas and the bill was $33 + tip. Not bad at all if you love your liquor, but some people get sticker shock. You can order $50 margaritas there. I love tequila, so if you can spend it... do it. All my Santa Fean friends say this is THE place for margaritas so go there to drink and go elsewhere to eat. From what I've seen, I agree.

I'm surprised this thread doesn't get a bit more bumping than it does, but I guess I'm as much to blame as anyone else for that. Updated/New: Old House: Ate some pre-dinner/bar snacks there one night recently. Seems they've done away with their little mini-tasting menu at the bar. They do have a 1 hour long "Pre-Theatre" menu that is 3 courses and gives about 3 choices in each course. It's like an "Early Bird Special" sort of thing. I had pan seared scallops with a saffron veloute and prickly pear puree. The scallops were very nice, not over or under cooked, seared properly. They were buried under a pile of Kataifi which went well with the dish. The prickly pear added a nice tartness. I also had their "East Meats Southwest" and Lump Crab dish. Neither of these really stood out and were good, but nothing too excellent. I must say that when I went in it was about 8pm and they were DEAD. I think we were the only people left in the restaurant, which was shocking compared to the last time I was in there. They were very nice and gave us free amuses to start (in house cured salmon and american sturgeon caviar) and some hand made gelee candies at the end. Hopefully I can actually get out and do the tasting menu with pairings next time. It looks reasonable for $75 food only or $100 with pairings (6 courses). I ate at the Anasazi a while back and I wasn't that impressed really. Since Martin Rios moved off to Geronimo I hear the quality has dropped way off. This was probably 4 months ago so I won't go into it much, but I hear consistent things that indicate things haven't changed much since I last went. Speaking of Martin Rios, I spoke with him while I was catering a dinner with him a couple months ago and he said he was planning on expanding the bar menu at Geronimo and doing some other "economically friendly" things to get people out and about during these dreary economic times. I haven't gone to see him yet, but I'm looking forward to going to Geronimo and seeing what changes have been made. Ore House is still a good place to grab a bite to eat and have a margarita if you are right around the plaza. Food is Ok, not amazing. Drinks are good and the tequila selection is very nice. The balcony is perfect in summer/fall and they have live music on weekends. La Choza is definitely my choice for New Mexican food! The menu has all the classic new mexican items and if you go at lunch you can get things pretty darn cheap as well. The margaritas are OK, not great but the food is top notch in comparison to Tomasitas or other "classic" Santa Fe tourist trap New Mexican food places. Not to say that Tomasitas is bad, just not nearly as good. Kohnami is my choice for Japanese food at lunch. The deals are nice, the service is very very friendly and fun and the sake isn't terribly priced either. I have eaten here at dinner and it is still very good but if you want sushi then Shoko is the best in town. The white tuna at Shoko was as good as any I've had in NY or SF and the sashimi is always amazingly fresh. I ate here on my birthday and had a ridiculous quantity of sashimi, nigiri and maki as well as quite a bit of sake and every single thing was fabulous. I've eaten there since and be I can't say that its over all quite on par with top notch sushi houses in the major US cities in every aspect, but it's damn good for being in Santa Fe... in the desert. As always, La Boca is probably my favourite for "best bang for your buck" gourmet food/wine in Santa Fe. Oh, and to answer your question about Pasquales: Yes. I've eaten there a couple more times, always for breakfast/lunch and it has always been DELICIOUS. The one thing I always here about Pasquales is this: Eat there for Breakfast/Lunch, not dinner. I don't know if this is true or not, but almost all the locals that I talk to about food (many of which are in the food industry) say this. I also hear, but have not confirmed, that Coyote Cafe is now the best food in Santa Fe. I hear this from several of my catering friends and a couple of chefs. I hope that helps!

I haven't seen any action in this thread for a while so I'll throw this in here. La Boca: We just did the Spontaneous Chefs Tasting Menu which was very reasonably priced @ $55 for 5 courses and $25 for Wine Pairings. As usual everything was quite nice. We were there late and this is the off season so the restaurant was pretty empty. 1: Fried Oyster with Caper Aioli and Watercress Wine Pairing: Prosecco 2: Shrimp Chimichurri with White Anchovies Wine Pairing: Dry Manzanilla Sherry 3: Pan Seared Sea Scallop with Ibores and Pancetta in a Piquillo Pepper Sauce Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc (French, Sancerre) 4: Duck Breast and Morcilla with a Sherry Reduction. Wine Pairing: Pinot Noir (French) 5: Flat Iron Steak in a Caramel Sauce with Homefries Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentinian) Everything was very good. The Duck breast and Morcilla dish stood out above everything else. The sherry reduction was exceptional . We had Lunch at Cafe Pasquals and it was excellent. I had the Chrozio Burrito and Sarah had the Blue Lady Enchiladas with chicken. I think I might say that's my favourite breakfast burrito I've had since moving to Santa Fe.

I just moved to Santa Fe in September (After a short stop over in Las Vegas to eat at Bouchon on my birthday) and I have had occasion to eat at a few places. I noticed that people were wondering about the new chef at the Anasazi and I happened to go there on Dec 3rd for dinner. Here are a few impressions: Second St. Brewery: Far better beer (IMO) than SF Brewing Company. The St. Georges IPA is particularly good. Food is straight forward pub/bar food for the most part. Growlers to-go are a pretty good deal and many of my friends carry them in the car (empty of course) just in case they decide to swing by to get some for home. Kohnami Sushi: I only have had lunch here, but the sushi bento was particularly fresh and well priced. I believe it was only $9.99 for the pieces of Nigiri and Miso soup. The fish was thick cut, thicker than most I have seen, and the hamachi was excellent. They also had bluefin toro available, but I did not try any. Pranzo: The food was OK, not excellent. I had the early bird deal on a Sunday and had the Petto Di Pollo. The chicken was a bit dry, but otherwise it was ok.. Nothing to write home about. Wine by the glass was half price at the time for a few hours and I was on my own so I just relaxed for a while and drank a few glasses... it was early, and empty. La Boca: This consistently gets great reviews from everyone I talk to. I went and had mussels in a truffle creme sauce along with a couple glasses of wine. The one white they picked for the mussels was very good and I will have to go back in a couple days to both have it again and get the name to order it from our wine buyer. My companion had some of the Boccadillas with the La Boca salad and said they were excellent. I tried her salad and it was quite good. We shared the chocolate pot de creme and it was very rich, creamy, perfect consistency... too much for one person, neither of us could finish. Ore House: I didn’t eat here, I just sat at the bar and had drinks. The margaritas were good. I also sampled some of the nicer tequilas. The prices for the top end stuff was definitely on the higher side ($20-30), but it was excellent tequila (some I've had, some new). The bartender was very knowledgeable, and also entertaining. The view of the plaza is good, and the balcony is heated. This was in December, and people were happily eating out on the balcony in open air. I will need to go back for drinks again. As a side note, the house brew beers (both of them) were not very good and I was disappointed with them, but in compensation the bartender recognized that I wasn’t enjoying and removed them from the bill without being prompted. Old House: We simply went for drinks and a small meal in-between meals. We had a couple glasses of wine, but they were quite overpriced. The server talked them up and from his description I recognized the description as being a Las Vascos Cab, one of my regular inexpensive choices when I buy wine for everyday drinking. I said, why not... it was $12 a glass. A bottle is $9.99 at Whole Foods. I don't expect it to be CHEAP... but whatever. Enough complaint. We had a little Chefs sampler of 3 dishes which came out in 3 small crocks/pots on a single long plate. One was an orzo which was very good and stood out as the best of the set, another was a shrimp dish and finally a set of sausage and greens with figs. All three were nice and well done, perfect for a snack in-between meals at the bar. Service was quite good. I have also had a margarita there that was exceptional, some sort of house margarita named for I think Dave or Dan. I will go back for a full dinner soon. Anasazi: We went for dinner, fairly late. It was a Monday and there was no wait. The dining room was almost completely full. The atmosphere was great, the service was exceptional. We started with the semi boneless quail which had some foie gras and figs incorporated into the dish. The quail was very nicely done and had a wonderful smokey flavor making me think it was probably done in a wood burning oven. Certainly it would make sense as that many places in Santa Fe have kivas and wood stoves blasting at this time of year. Next I had Lamb Two Ways and it was incredible. The mustard chop was as better than almost any lamb I've ever had and the bacon wrapped lamb was also tremendously good. Both were a perfect mid-rare as I requested and accompanied by a small stack of tiny potato/corn pancakes. My friend had the pan seared sea bass and the bite I had was very good and nicely done. She enjoyed it a great deal, but since I had been dragging her around making her eat all day she was unable to finish everything. I had already ordered a cheese course and we picked at it some for a while over conversation before I had a candied beet salad with endive and butter lettuce for desert. I like salads for desert, and it was a very nice light finish to a very heavy meal. The waiter suggested a port to accompany it and it was definitely a very good pairing. I would say this was overall the best I've had here in Santa fe so far. I hope that this give a little bit of a clue as to the current state of things, although I think I don’t quite have the knack for "reviewing" as some do. Thanks!