bobag87

I stand corrected. Thanks for the correction!

Patatas Bravas!

Time to bump this back up to the top as New Mexico green chiles are about to come into season. We are gearing up for our traditional family green chile roast in September. There is nothing quite like a freshly roasted chile right of the grill, peeled and rolled up in a homemade flour tortillia with a light brushing of butter and sprinkle of salt. This is the roaster's reward during the day for standing over the grill. [i know, we should get a barrell roaster, but where is the fun in that.] This is truly one of my family's favorite days of the year. I will try to take some pictures this year of the food and the chiles (200 lbs) and see if we can't stir up some more New Mexico enthusiasts.

This is definitely a blow to the Dallas dining scene. Sorry to see Lola go.

Great Posts! We missed Extebarri on our trip through San Sebastian in March (we chose Arzak and Mugaritz). We may have to start planning a trip back and make Extebarri a priority.

We ate at Charlie Palmer's tongiht and both my wife and I wondered why there is not more buzz about this place. While reservations are typically full and it is always very busy, I do not hear much in food circles about this place. We have eaten here several times and think that it may be at the top of the list in Dallas right now. Are we the only ones? Dinner tonight was a foie gras appetizer that was fantastic, strip steak (for me) that was great with a bone marrow flan that was spot on flavor wise, but was overcooked. The star of the dinner was a side of polenta that was out of this world. Desert was good, but not a stand out. However, over all, this was as good of a meal as we have recently had in town and is in danger of moving up to the top of my Dallas list.

I appologize if I am starting to sound like a broken record, but, I ate at Tratorria again tonight. First, let me say I had a kobe burger at La Posada that was great and a filet with green chile at the Bull Ring that was a great meal on my first two nights in town. I reccomend both. I am trying to branch out. The third night in town I went back to Trattoria and ate solo at the bar. The menu had changed since the last visit in June, but I had a great progressive tasting menu and loved it. The reason I am posting however is to point out an exceptional dish. First, know that I hate mushrooms. Hard to be an egulleter, but it is the truth. However, the staff had been collecting shitake mushrooms gowing wild at the Santa Fe ski basin. Served with pasta (house made), and a browned butter sauce, I ate every bite. A phenomenal dish. Again, this is a place for serious foodies.

Sounds like a good meal.

Make sure you have them. Sorry for the confusion.

Andy -- We had the Naturan menu in April and several of the dishes are the same as what you list. I would say the Carpaccio and Veal are dishes that I would strongly consider.

We ate at Arzak and Mugaritz in April (there is a thread with my thoughts). Both were outstanding, with Arzak being absolutely incredible.

I agree with Fat Guy on 1/4" slices.

I admit, that I am not as knowledgable about food safety directives as I should be and that I may occassionally not comply with respect to steaks and tenderloin. Although I will say that I cool as quickly as possible. I use the technique with quail, but usually smoke for 15 minutes and then cool for no longer than 2 hours before I grill for service. I would be very hesitant to soft smoke poultry and hold for any extensive period prior to final cooking.

Again, my lack of experience is leading me to hit the butchers I know and put myself in their hands. I'm used to checking marbling on the bias slice; what's the best approach dealing with a lengthy muscle? ← I am fortunate in that I have great suppliers for Prime beef here in Dallas so I have not really focused too much when buying whole ternderloins. However, you could have them trim off a portion of the thinner end of the tenderloin to check for marbling. Usually, there case is going to have filets cut from the same tenderloins that they are selling whole and that should give you a pretty good idea as to the quality and marbling.

I think the biggest problem is oversmoking. For a whole tenderloin, it is easy not to oversmoke the meat as you slice it after smoking and cooking so that a smaller portion of the exterior of each serving is in direct contact with the smoke. In addition, because of the the thickness of the roast, it is easy to treat it more like BBQ and have a bold spice rub. Of course, for the same reasons as Sous Vide, meats, I like to finish on a hot grill or in a 500 degree oven to get a suitable outside surface. Steaks to me are different in that there is a larger surface area exposed for each serving. Thus, when I smoke steaks it is simply to get the flavor and not to cook them. 20 minutes is plenty of time to get smoke flavor in and I usually keep the fire as low as possible so as to not "cook" the steaks too much. Also, I think many people then over spice smoked steaks since they are going on the smoker and they want to treat it as if it was true BBQ -- i.e. they use a spice rub. For me, the smoke flavor is what I am going for so I smoke the steaks unseasoned for 20 minutes and then refrigerate. Prior to grilling or seearing in a blazing hot iron skillet, I sprinkle with salt and pepper -- that is it. Everyone has always been happy with both of these techniques. Also, don't overlook the quality of the meat. As for wood, I tend to use fruit (pecan) and mesquite in equal portions. Mesquite is easy to get here and has a bold flavor, but the apple wood should be good. I do not work with Hickory much, but the times I have tried it I felt the profiles was not too different from oak so it should be ok. You might try a mixture as the hickory will be stronger than the apple.

I should note that on the steaks, whether filet mignon, ribeye or strip, I have smoked them the night before and refrigerated them, then grilled them prior to service with great results.

Yes. I have done it that way, but usually, I time it so that it comes off the smoker about 2 hours before service and I don't have to refrigerate. I am sure some of the folks on the souve vide thread are going to say this is unsafe, so follow their advice. All that aside, true BBQ is reserved for tougher cuts that need a lot of time. However, a great tenderloin, smoked lightly (it usually takes about 30 minutes to get to 135), is a revelation. Another route is to get ribeyes or strip steaks (or even filet mignon cuts out of the tenderloin). Lightly smoke them for 20 minutes at 220 and then grill them. Smoked steaks are a staple down here in Texas, but not many people do it right.

If you have a smoker I would suggest the following. Rub the outside of a whole tenderloin in spices of your choice. Traditionally, I use New Mexico Red Chile and salt, but that is for our traditional chile roasting party so it is New Mexican themed. After spicing the outside of the tenderloin, let it come to room temp. Then smoke on a 225 degree fire until the internal temp hits 135. Wrap in foil, let rest and set aside. Bring back to temp in a 300 degree oven or even bring to a more medium temp if preferred. Let rest and then slice into perfect smoked tenderloin slices. This is an upscale version of BBQ, but it has always brought rave reviews and I have served it during more upscale dinners and it has always worked. As for wood, we use a mixture of mesquite and pecan, but, as it does not take long to get the tenderloin up to temp, I think any legitimate smoking wood works fine.

Tragically, Rancho de Chimayo had a fire last year and has yet to reopen. It was a beautiful drive from SF to a beautiful hacienda property with really good food and better cocktails. Their Chimayo cocktail with house grown apple cider and tequila is one of my all time favorites and the local Chimayo red chile used in their food is great. This place truly excelled in its setting and environment. The food was simple and traditional. Honestly some of it was fairly pedestrian, but their traditional New Mexico dishes were great. It looks like they plan to reopen in August. As for the Pink Adobe and its Dragonfly bar, it is good food. Really good food by most standards, but SF has a lot of good places to eat. It is an old Santa Fe institution and would not be a mistake for a casual lunch. For dinner, there are other places that are a must ahead of the Pink Adobe. UE -- when are you going to Santa Fe? I might have some further suggestions if I know when you are going to be there.

UE, really no where in Santa Fe is dressy. I rarely take anything fancier than jeans and a nice shirt. It is definitely a boots and jeans town. Geronimos and the Compound are perhaps the only exceptions to this. Also, you can walk everywhere in the general plaza area, which contains most of the restaurants you mentioned. Geronimos, the Compound and El Farol are on Canyon Road. I am not sure where you are staying, but it could very well be walkable from your hotel as well. Most decent hotels in town have a courtesy shuttle that will cover all of the places mentioned. [Warning -- a non-food paragraph, please forgive me.] I assume by the O'Keffe House you mean Museum. While it is a nice place, please don't overlook some of the other Museums in town. New Mexico's culture (both culinary and otherwise) started and continues with the Native American groups that continue to live there and practice their traditions today. Let me know when you are going, there may be a traditional feast day going on at one of the Pueblos around town and this would be a must see. I would highly recommend the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian (which currently has a fantastic exhibit of Native American painting from artists at the Santa Fe Indian School from the 30s and 40s). Also the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture provides a great exhibit on the history of the Native peoples in the Southwest -- the exhibit was produced in close collaboration with the 19 Pueblos and the other tribes in the State. Both Museums are on Museum Hill about 2 miles from the plaza.

I have not had the green chile stew at the Shed and I will have to try it. I also agree that Pasquals is decent for breakfast, but not a spot I would choose for dinner. I am definitely going to try La Choza on the next trip. Good to see some additional posters ideas.

I have eaten at Mucho Gusto one time about three years ago. From what I can remember, it is a no frills place with decent food, but the food is not traditional New Mexican food. I see a couple of reviews that note that it is Chihuahuan food. If I recall correctly, they had a house specialty stuffed chicken dish that was breaded and was good. I am surprised more folks are not jumping in with thoughts. I know everyone has their own favorites in Santa Fe.

We spent the weekend in Santa Fe and had dinner at Trattoria Nostrani last night. We all arrived (fragrance free) and sat down to a wonderful meal. The owner suggested that we just put ourselves in his and chef Maltezos' hands. The wines selected were good (all Italian with a chardonay for the first courses and a chianti thereafter). Friends with us spotted a bottle that they fell in love with years ago which they had not seen on any other wine list and had to have it as well. [Needless to say the wine bill was a little expensive due to quantity, and skewed the overall bill. The price on food I found to be quite resonable for the quality and the owner has noted to me in the past that in these economic times he has scaled down the menu pricing while serving some exceptional specials that may come at a premium.] The owner also sent out a 1/2 bottle of delicious white sparkling desert wine as well. Good thing we were not driving. I wish I paid more attention to the wine we were served, but I simply enjoyed them and did not write down the specifics. However, lets get to the important part (not that wine is not important), the food. We were started off with a simple selection of red and yellow tomatoes from the restaurant's garden in back. The owner showed us a tomato from the garden, clearly taking pride in the produce that they were producing. The tomatoes were served quartered, with a piece of house made fresh mozzeralla. Sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper (the perfect amount of seasoning), this was a simple, but delicious off menu start to the meal. Look, nothing about this dish was complicated or difficult. However, it speaks volumes about why I have always felt this is some of the best food in SF. They took top notch ingredients and let them speak. The seasoning was perfect, the cheese was outstanding and our friends (who are definitely not big "foodies") were shocked that something so simple could be such a great start to a big time meal. Next we were all served antipasti off the menu. Everyone recieved Asparagi con Pecorino Toscano (Asparagus with Pecorino Toscano Sauce). This dish consisted of delicate asparagus spears with an aioli like sauce with pecorino. This was another simple dish, but delicious. The sauce was bold and worked well with the asparagus. I asked to try the Pesche con Flan di Fegato Grasso (Foie Gras Custard with Peaches) and one serving of this was brought to the table for sharing. This was a well prepared dish and sang of Foie, but it was not my favorite of the night. My wife and I had an interesting discussion as to whether this dish might be better served warm as opposed to cold, but all in all, it is definitely a dish worth trying. The peaches and sauce that accompanied the dish were spot on. Next was Taglierini allo Zafferano (Saffron Taglierini wiht Ricotta Cream and English Peas). I have always thought that pasta is where Trattoria truly excels. This dish of house made Taglierini cooked perfectly al dente, proved my point. Again, the pasta and the peas were the stars of the dish. The Ricotta Cream was lightly applied in the perfect amount to put the dish together. This was followed by an off menu special. Soft shell crab. Each diner was served a beautiful soft shell crab. No sauce, no frills. The crabs appear to have been lightly dusted (wondra flour perhaps?), and were perfectly seasoned. A side plate of cooked broccoli that was well done (but not necessary) accompanied the crab. The crabs had been fedexed in to SF that day. Again, the ingredient was the star. However, this is a dish that is often executed poorly. It may be easy to batter softshells and deep fry them, but to pan saute them with no batter without over cooking them and seasoning them well, but letting the crab shine is not easy. My wife and our friends were terrified (they are Iowans who are not necesarrily fans of most seafood) that they were going to be served this and I was glad that they were. All of them tried it and while they may not have cleaned their plates, they all enjoyed the easier parts to eat (i.e. the claws). My plate was cleaned and to me, this was the best dish of the night. Next, everyone received Scaloppine di Vitello al Vino Bianco (Veal Scaloppini with Tuna Conserva, Capers and White Wine Reduction). The veal was perfectly cooked and, while the items accompanying the veal seemed strange on the menu, they worked well. This was a great rendition of this dish and everyone enjoyed it. However, the real star was an off menu prime ribeye. One steak was brought to the table to share. A perfect medium rare ribeye was served simply with salt and pepper (there was probably a bit of olive oil as well), but it was perfectly cooked. Again, this was a dish that was all about a premium ingredient with no frills. Well seasoned, the beef flavor of an excellent cut and quality steak was the star. We were served two deserts (I do not have the desert menu for accurate descriptions). One was a doughnut type pastry that was very sweet. It was a well executed dish, but not my favorite. The other was (I believe after all of the wine) a ricotta cheesecake and it was fantastic. We were actually dueling for the last bites over the plate. As I have said before on this thread, controversy may surround this place due to the no fragrance policy or other reasons. However, for people interested in fine dining in SF, I would forget any controversy and go here to try what I feel is the best food in SF. Chef Maltezos' food is a perfect example of what restraint can do for quality ingredients.

Selfishly of course I'd love to see something like that in Dallas. But in this economy? Plus, I worry that to quite a bit of the Dallas dining scene, "tapas" has come to mean certain set dishes in people's minds. Rouge, for example, offered really, really good and innovative tapas, but it never caught on. ← We had dinner at Si tonight and I would say that all of the food was great. This is not an innovative or fusion tapas joint. It is traditional tapas prepared well and I thought it was actually a great addition to the Dallas dining scene.