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For two years I worked in my company's New York office. The boss who was a serious gourmand (and cooked in his corner office) knew her well. I was lucky enough to meet her and join the two of them for many New York lunches. She more than anyone encouraged me to get serious and learn to cook; something I've never regretted. In those days, I thought the New York Times film critic was the best in the country, read everything he wrote. I followed Ms. Sheraton that way, too. And, yes, I have many of her books.

Sorry to be adding this so late in the thread... I, too, loved St. Estephe in Manhattan Beach in the day. John Sedlar is Chef/Owner of a Santa Fe restaurant in a hotel here. Eloisa is the restaurant; in the Drury Hotel a few blocks east of The Plaza. As I recall Sedlar had a partner in St. Estephe who is also a New Mexico native, Estevan Garcia. He also cooks in Santa Fe but they are no longer together. Eloisa is among the very best Santa Fe restaurants. Space is large and the kitchen is visible from a counter if that is important.

Someone I've read and "followed" for many years. Clipped and saved his columns and, now, own his books. Of course, I wish him the very best. To be sure, I'll read him again wherever he lands.

Bon ApetitFood & WineLouisiana Cookin'Louisiana Kitchen & CultureFine CookingSaveurCook's IllustratedSome read porn; for me cooking and wine publications are my porn. Oh, and I particularly like Cajun and Creole food hence the two Louisiana publications.

+1. This was going to be my own comment. I find an offset handle a must where particularly crusty/dense bread is involved.

I'm a transplant To New Mexico, now living in Tesuque on the north side of Santa Fe. Chile is taken seriously here and that grown in Hatch is taken very seriously. Hatch is in the southern part of the state and is quite small. The farms are mostly all family operations, nothing big or "commercial". Year-in and year-out when the chiles are harvested - anywhere from late August to early October - all over town here in Santa Fe vendors pop up in parking lots with roasters attached to propane tanks and banners saying Hatch Chile ! Some tout Soccoro Chile. The man that cuts my hair in Albuquerque was born and raised in Hatch and still owns the family property there though it is no longer actively farmed but for a few rows of true Hatch chiles just for family. We have a good laugh each year about the commercialization of New Mexico chile. The State Legislature has passed bill upon bill trying to rein all this in with little success. The truth is most of the chiles sold as New Mexico chile for sauces and the like are grown in Mexico regardless of how they are labeled. http://www.hatchchilefest.com/

Anyone who eats three meals a day should understand why cookbooks outsell sex books three to one. - L. M. Boyd

Two here in Santa Fe. Produce selection/prices/weekly specials are quite good. For me, the reason to visit. Here they carry Rosie chickens.

And, bonus ! Betty and Veronica are there, too.

In a word, no. Pity, too because once-upon-a-time I thought his opinions were ahead of the curve, cutting edge. Now it seems more like he is simply "shilling" for people with products.

San Francisco Chronicle Food Section over the years has had many articles on the variety of butters readily available in supermarkets often with Tasting Panels. What follows are links to a selection of articles. Organic Butter Tasting Panel SFC Tasting Panel Organic Butters General Discussion of Butters and What Makes Them Different (note last half of article is recipes) San Francisco Chronicle - Butter Another Lengthy Article & Tasting Panel's Preferences (at the end of the article Article II with Tasting Panel European Style Butters & Tasting Panel (KerryGold is #5) SFC Tasting Panel - European Style Butters

Add me to those who've already been critical of the the new, improved Bon Appetit. What is most telling (imo) is Gyneth Paltrow on the cover. Yes, she is excellent actress and the cookbook is better than many and I do know Father's Day is soon upon us; still. There is a place for an article/review of this book and its somewhat different premise in the magazine. To make it "cover material" implies that it is the most important topic in the magazine which does not portend well for where this publication is heading.

For me this method is simple and reliable. And, I have no problem doing it with fish though only with thicker cuts of fish fillets; salmon, halibut and sea bass. I would not do it with tilapia, or sole.

A search for "Propane BTU's vs Natural Gas BTU's" yielded many useful results including the following: http://www.propane101.com/propanevsnaturalgas.htm Doing a total kitchen remodel in an older house that was all electric in Tesuque, New Mexico at 7600 feet altitude, I specifically wanted a gas cook top. A six burner Wolf was my choice. Cook tops are available for propane rather natural gas. Note that Tesuque is close to Santa Fe but natural gas is not available due to considerations involving crossing Indian land and the electricity can frequently go out during summer thunderstorms. The higher the altitude the less efficient propane is. That said my propane usage is low and a stock pot of water comes to a rapid boil (for pasta) in ~ 6 minutes. Hope this helps.

An after-the-holidays followup note... To all who recommended possible problems with sprayer holes or sprayer arms that might not be rotating, note that my dishwasher is not like the ones used as demonstrator models at some appliance dealers; usually the "high end" places. It does not have a see-through door so if it is running I can't really see if it is running properly. That said, when off, all of the holes look clear. I did slightly adjust a clip that holds the heater element in place since it looked like it might cause some resistance to proper arm rotation. This did not improve things, however. What has made a difference is switching from Cascade (the soap of choice for more years than I can count) to Finish - Powerball soap (thanks poster mhjoseph). Used three times now with much improved results if not totally perfect. And, thanks to Beanie for the link to Gardenweb. I've visited there in the past but it never occurred to me to look there for this issue. I will buy the referenced product if it looks like the Finish product is no better than Cascade. Happy New Year to all here and thanks again for everyone's thoughts.

Sorry to report that most recent load was dirtier than ever. Spotting on glass coffee pot worst ever. To reiterate, this is a new problem for me (30 days at the most). I add that because I was surprised that phosphate-less dishwasher soap is not a new thing. I thought otherwise.

Answers to everyone with questions and a few further points as clarification... - Yes, a rinse agent is used. - Quite a while ago, I had already cut back on the amount of soap used having read that most people, generally, just fill the container thereby using too much soap. - I DO pre wash but mostly because I'm located outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico and sewerage is a septic system. That and plumbing that is somewhat "fragile"; slope to the septic could be better etc... I'm wary of too much in the way of solids (something I never considered when living in big cities). Dishwasher is only a few years old and supposedly "chews up" washed off solids before advancing the solids into the waste stream. Color me a sceptic. - FWIW the water while not a perfect pH is neither very hard nor very soft. When we worry about our water here it is because of excessive radium and uranium. - Filter might need cleaning. Thanks for that. And, thermostat point too. I cannot vouch for water temperature beyond saying that if I interrupt the cycle to add a utensil or two it is hot enough to fog my glasses. -chilehead mike... it WAS the NPR item I heard last week where someone doctored her soap. Finally... machine is running as I type, with even less soap. Thanks again to all. I'll report back before I burn the house down in frustration.

Have read several articles describing how the removal of phosphates from dishwasher soaps has resulted in dishes not being as clean as before. I had not noticed a problem until now. So I'm asking if anyone has successfully done something (or changed soap brands). For years I've used Cascade brand. Now there is a haze and spotting on everything. I always pre-washed by hand though the machine manufacturers said, don't bother. Now pre-washing is essential just to get things clean whether hazy or not. I'm not ready to junk the dishwasher though I could make good use of the extra storage space that would yield. Over the weekend I heard/read of a woman somewhere who went out and bought some form of phosphate and has "doctored" her dish soap successfully. Anybody wish to share ideas ? Thanks in advance.

Writer John T. Edge did a New York Times piece on the Sonoran Hot Dog in 2009. Link will take you to it... NYT - Sonoran Hot Dogs

Gil Garduno writes a blog from Albuquerque but covering the state that is an excellent resource. You'll see many places I think that will satisfy your interests. The site is broken down by food type or location. New Mexico Restaurants/Food

Tap water; as others have said it would not occur to me to use bottled water. My water is well water from a community association for ~ 60 households. Water quality is tested four times a year and the only problem is too much uranium (!?!) which I guess explains why there is a slight glow to my pasta dishes.

Sorry I can't answer how porcinis ended up in this forest; a picnic basket gone wrong ? I only know people who go up there to search and harvest. From time to time I'm lucky enough to share in their bounty.

Mushrooms collected around the Santa Fe ski basin are usually porcinis.

About the J.C. Penney Burrito on the menu... Just a guess but their location might have been where the Taos J.C. Penny store was located in another era. (I'm not in Taos but on the northside of Santa Fe so I'll have to ask around.) Perhaps they served food the way stores like Woolworth's once did. You may make me drive to Taos tomorrow or Tuesday just to ask. Doc Martin's in The Taos Inn (across the street from Graham's Grill) is another Taos option; decent food with a big lobby-bar scene. It's a place with a real "history" of its own. You also asked earlier in the thread about The Pink Adobe in Santa Fe... Before I lived in Santa Fe and was a visitor there were few restaurants of any real consequence. The Pink Adobe was one however and was where you could begin that love affair with green chile. Now, with many very worthy and sophisticated restaurants offering "fine dining", places like The Pink (as it is known) are "second tier" but still worthy; especially for signature dishes. At The Pink those dishes are Green Chile Stew, Gypsy Stew and Steak Dunnigan. Summer isn't really the best time for either of the stews imo. Think cold and brisk; late fall/winter/snow. As well, every restaurant has some version of an excellent steak. The Steak Dunnigan at The Pink Adobe is a well grilled New York steak topped with a green chile concoction that is terrific; not a sauce and not a marinade but more of a relish with heat. I buy it as a to-go condiment and use it on hamburgers ! They hype the sides and a stuffed, twice baked potato that come with it but they are forgettable and, frankly, dated/old fashioned. The heart and soul of The Pink Adobe was Rosalea Murphy who opened the place in 1944. While Santa Fe was small and things were slow then everyone headed to Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project had to check-in in Santa Fe. The wife of a friend in Los Angeles was the infant daughter of a medical doctor at Los Alamos and the family lived in the house that is now the Geronimo restaurant space on Canyon Road. The offices where those going up the hill to Los Alamos did their checking in and got things like housing assignments is where The Shed restaurant is on Palace Avenue in Santa Fe today. Murphy succeeded initially because there were new people here. Slowly she expanded as business allowed. She passed away a few years ago with her children running it. It has since been sold but the new owners seem to be respectful of the restaurant's place in the community. Appologies if this is more than you wanted to know.

The Compound is very good; doubt you'll be disappointed. Chef/owner Mark Kiffin was James Beard Best Chef of the Southwest in 2005. You also mention considering lunch at The Apple Tree in Taos. Just my opinion, but... don't. It is nothing special and at times is downright poor. In Taos, depending on types of food you are craving, consider Orlando's on the north side of town for New Mexican dishes, Graham's Grill on the main street of Taos, just north of Kit Carson Road or Joseph's Table in the La Fonda Hotel on the south side of the Plaza. Graham's Grill Joseph's Table and lastly, a recent New York Times Travel section writeup of Joseph's Table - New York Times - Joseph's Table