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SANTA FE ®· ALBUQUERQUE · TAOS The Story of Local Food, Season by Season
Off the Beaten Path ISSUE 37 · SPRING · APRIL/MAY 2015
it’s closer than you think.. Local ingredients, served locally. We seek out the freshest, seasonal organic produce, meats and fish. Then we serve it up with flair and attentive service right in your neighborhood. Join locals supporting locals. Deliciously.
OLD TOWN ALBUQUERQUE 505.766.5100 www.seasonsabq.com
HISTORIC NOB HILL 505.254.ZINC(9462) www.zincabq.com
ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS 505.294.WINE(9463) www.savoyabq.com
Amyo Farms in Bosque Farms and Albuquerque, NM.
ALBUQUERQUE, SANTA FE 505.850.2459 www.tasteabq.com
. .truly local.
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APRIL/MAY 2015 DEPARTMENTS 2
GRIST FOR THE MILL By Sarah Wentzel-Fisher
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CONTRIBUTORS
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LIQUID ASSETS Not Your Grandparents' Cider by Sam Melada
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COOKING FRESH
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WILD THING
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LOCAL HEROES
Cheese and Larder by Valerie Ashe Fly Fishing the San Juan by Rachel Shockley Andrew Cooper, Bang Bite, and Justin de la Rosa
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EDIBLE COLLABORATION Garden of Georgia O'Keeffe, Revisited by Katherine Mast
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AT THE CHEF'S TABLE
60 EAT LOCAL GUIDE 64 LAST BITE The Bang Bite Liquid Burger
FEATURES
O N T H E C OV E R
edible
MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES
SANTA FE ®· ALBUQUERQUE · TAOS
30 NOTES FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF LITTLE TEXAS
The STory of LocaL food, SeaSon by SeaSon
By Willy Carleton
36 IN THE LAND OF CHILE AND PECANS By Katherine Mast
43 LITTLE WATER, BIG VISTAS By Amy White
Off the Beaten Path ISSUE 37 · SPRING · APRIL/MAY 2015
50 MAGIC IN NAVAJO BORDERLANDS By Sarah Wentzel-Fisher
Cheese.
A Chef's Love Affair with Landscape by Erin Frye
Curated by John Gutierrez, Cheesemonger of Santa Fe.
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EDIBLE NOTABLES
Photo by Stephanie Cameron.
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TABLE HOPPING Best Eats in Rural New Mexico by Terry Burner WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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grist for the mill In this issue, we venture off the beaten path to the far reaches and remote corners of our state to discover its hidden gems. Tourism has a deep and rich history in New Mexico, starting with Fred Harvey’s railroad destinations. He understood that tourists needed and wanted a certain level of comfort and familiarity, mixed with just enough authentic, exotic, and unknown. All told, Harvey opened eighty-six hotels, restaurants, and cafes across the southwest staffed by pretty, young women who served fresh food shipped in on proprietary refrigerator cars to accommodate those needs. In many ways, modern tourism in the US, and in New Mexico, is rooted in the ways Harvey drew curious travelers to our region. New Mexico is known as a place to pass through, a place to enjoy wide-open spaces, and a place to experience the wildness of Western landscapes. But part of this idealistic perception is rooted in hard realities. Our state ranks forty-five in population density and fifth in total area by comparison to other states, meaning we have very few people and they generally live great distances from each other. Our approximate seventeen people per square mile presents an interesting challenge in how we work together to support each other economically and how we care for our land responsibly. Doing basic math (and not accounting for factors like water and public lands), if each New Mexican were to tend a garden that was an equal portion of the state, we would each need to look after about thirty-seven acres. I think about our demographics this way because it helps me understand just how much we rely on each other in New Mexico, and just how much our rural communities must shoulder. Tiny communities often balance precariously between thriving and failing because of the commitment of a few people who choose to patronize each other's businesses, volunteer on each other’s projects, and generally look after one another. Our numbers don’t mean we need more people, only that we need to think creatively and work in collaboration for our economies and our food systems to work with any sort of resilience. One of the ways we can build that resilience is through visiting, exploring, and patronizing the rural places that make up New Mexico. In the following pages we take you on a tour of our state through the lens of food. While local food is more and less available in many places, food, wherever it comes from, is often the glue that holds a community together. Frequently the local diner or gas station serves as community center, and the proprietor as its leader. Whether it’s the short trip from Albuquerque to Placitas, or a trek from Santa Fe to Tularosa, we hope these stories inspire you to pack your picnic basket and overnight bag for a trip in state. Be brave. Don’t judge a business by its sign. Ask questions. Take the back road. Stop often. And look for good food and friendly faces in unexpected places.
Sarah Wentzel-Fisher, Editor
PUBLISHERS Bite Size Media, LLC Stephanie and Walt Cameron
EDITOR Sarah Wentzel-Fisher
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jodi L. Vevoda
COPY EDITORS Margaret Marti, Willy Carleton
DESIGN AND LAYOUT Stephanie Cameron
PHOTOGRAPHY/ILLUSTRATIONS Kelli Cameron, Stephanie Cameron, Michael Clark, Jeremy Wade Shockley
WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Stephanie Cameron, Sarah Wentzel-Fisher
ONLINE CONTRIBUTORS Ashlie Hughes, Joseph Mora, Nissa Patterson, Amy White
VIDEO PRODUCER Walt Cameron
ADVERTISING Walt Cameron, Gina Riccobono, Jodi L. Vevoda
CONTACT US: 3301-R Coors Boulevard NW #152 Albuquerque, NM 87120 info@ediblesantafe.com www.ediblesantafe.com Phone/Fax: 505-212-0791
SUBSCRIBE ∙ BUY AN AD ∙ LETTERS 505-212-0791 WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM We welcome your letters. Write to us at the address above, or email us at INFO@EDIBLESANTAFE.COM Bite Size Media, LLC publishes edible Santa Fe six times a year. We distribute throughout Central and Northern New Mexico and nationally by subscription. Subscriptions are $32 annually. No part of this publication may be used without the written permission of the publisher. © 2015 All rights reserved.
Stephanie and Walt Cameron, Publishers Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pintrest
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contributors
VALERIE ASHE
KATHERINE MAST
With her husband Jonathan, Valerie co-owns Thunderhead Farms in Bosque Farms, where she enjoys keeping bees and writing about food and wine.
Katherine Mast is a freelance science writer with a life-long love of all things growing. She has often kept earthworms as pets, collecting them as a child during spring garden planting, and employing them now in her compost bin in Santa Fe.Â
TERRY BRUNNER Terry Brunner travels the highways and byways of New Mexico as the State Director for Rural Development at the USDA. Appointed by President Obama in 2009, his organization has invested more than one and a half billion dollars in New Mexico during the last five years in housing, small business development, utilities, and local foods programs. When not working, Terry reads, writes, or fly fishes. STEPHANIE CAMERON Raised in Albuquerque, Stephanie received her undergraduate degree in fine art. After having two children, she began a career in marketing and web design so she could stay at home with her family. She took a small event company, Createasphere, to the international stage over thirteen years with her marketing and design expertise. After photographing, testing, and designing a cookbook in 2011, she fell in love with food. Today, Stephanie is the art director, head photographer, marketing guru, publisher, and owner of edible Santa Fe. WILLY CARLETON Willy Carleton, an avid vegetable grower, forager, and editor, currently works on a dissertation about the agricultural history of New Mexico in the twentieth century. ERIN FRYE Erin’s passion for sustaining small, natural food producers recently pulled her away from her city job and back to her roots. She now combines ten years of business experience with two degrees in agriculture in a consulting business and a journey she calls The Harvest Trail.
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SAM MELADA Sam Melada is a full-time RN in the UNM Hospital neurosciences department and is pursuing a masters degree in linguistics at UNM. He is also a food and wine writer with a strong desire to make the history, language, and culture of wine and food more accessible and enjoyable to everyone. RACHEL SHOCKLEY Rachel Shockley began fly fishing just a few years ago, as another way to connect with nature. The freelance writer admits taking home fish for dinner was also a huge motivation. A self-proclaimed foodie, Shockley enjoys thinking about cooking her catch almost as much as eating it. Follow her travels on Instagram @shockleyrach. SARAH WENTZEL-FISHER Sarah Wentzel-Fisher is the editor of edible Santa Fe. She also works for the National Young Farmers Coalition, and wants you (yes, all of you) to consider becoming a farmer. In her free time she visits farms (she highly recommends this activity), experiments in her kitchen, and keeps chickens in her backyard. AMY WHITE Amy White teaches science classes for teachers at CNM and owns her own business, Orilla Consulting LLC. She has developed programs such as RiverXchange and the Arroyo Classroom Program to teach kids about ecosystems and water resources. She also writes about urban foraging, gardening, and cooking on her blog, Veggie Obsession www.veggieobsession.com.
OUR NEWEST EXHIBIT Discover how the Harvey Girls tamed the Wild West, one linen napkin at a time
liquid assets
Not Your Grandparents' Cider by Sam Melada · Illustrations by Kelli Cameron
Long before the brewers, vintners, and distillers captured the hearts and livers of Americans, the mighty apple held a special place in the mind of the average citizen. European immigrants brought apples to the New World about four hundred years ago, but it wasn’t for Brown Bettys or Apple Pan Dowdy; those early settlers made cider. Before modern food safety and sanitation, cider was a sensible beverage for every household. Nutritious and refreshing, it could be made by nearly anyone with access to apples and a press. The alcohol content provided preservative properties while also lifting the spirits of those who drank it. Two hundred years later, the story of John Chapman, a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed, includes cider as an integral part of his epic seedling 6
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propagation plan in the early nineteenth century. Most of his trees bore fruit with little resemblance to the modern day Gala, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith. His were not the fruits to bring your teacher or to keep the doctor away. His unpredictable and inconsistent fruits were ideal for cider making, as good cider is more delicious if made with (at least some) apples that are virtually unpalatable to eat fresh. Alas, by the 1830s the temperance movement began to persuade citizens to avoid all alcoholic beverages and this not only decreased consumption of cider, but also led to widespread destruction of apple tree nurseries and orchards. William Kerrigan’s 2012 book Johnny Appleseed and the American Orchard is an excellent history of John Chapman’s complicated life.
With Prohibition driving what seemed to be the final nails in cider’s coffin in the early twentieth century, the art of turning apples and other fruits into a refreshing adult beverage all but disappeared. Fortunately cider resurfaced in the 1970s with the publication of books like Vrest Orton’s The American Cider Book: The Story of America's Natural Beverage. In the 1990s ciders such as Ace Pear and Woodchuck slowly crept back into the market, though with the reputation of being for people who also enjoyed wine coolers and other fruity drinks. Within twenty years, however, the makers of the Irish Bulmer’s Cider (a favorite quaff of Ernest Hemmingway) would purchase Woodchuck in America for $305 million in 2012. Now that ciders have regained popularity and presence in the past decade, consumers have a wider variety of styles to choose from: sweet, sour, off-dry, or very dry. Each also ranges from highly carbonated to slightly effervescent. New Mexico, a state with an entire mountain range named Manzano, has a burgeoning cider industry. While many New Mexico breweries and restaurants such as B2B, Red Door, and Tractor offer their own ciders on tap, here are a few you can purchase from your local retailer and enjoy at home.
MONTE’S H A R D CIDER
Albuquerque’s Skarsgard Farms began making small batches of Farmer Monte’s hard cider roughly a year ago. Demand rose quickly, and they soon expanded production with the aide of local winery Casa Rondeña in the North Valley. In addition to selling it through their grocery home delivery, Farmer Monte’s now appears on local restaurant menus from Flying Star to Artichoke Café. Effervescent with a bright golden hue, this hard cider is made in a slightly sweet style. Its flowery aromatics and perfect amount of sugar offers a refreshing alternative to fruit-forward national brands; Farmer Monte’s is not the Jolly Rancher. The crisp tartness is nicely balanced with perfect effervescence and a light to medium body that finishes dry yet lemony. Bright citrus flavors linger after the bubbles fade, and leave you wanting another sip. The City Different has cultivated a few cider makers who have given it a leg up on Albuquerque recently. Jordana Dralle’s and
Lambert’s strives to create a sanctuary for our guests, where they will enjoy delicious food, wine, and cocktails in a relaxed, yet refined, atmosphere.
123 Bent Street, Taos ∙ 575-758-1009 ∙ LambertsofTaos.com Lunch: Mon-Sat 11:30-2:30; Sunday Brunch: 10:30-2:30; Happy Hour: 2:30-5:30; Dinner : 5:30-close. WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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Michelle Vignery’s Santa Fe Cider Works produces two excellent ciders that harken back to an earlier time in the history of cider making. The Cider Different is a traditional non-carbonated cider made from one hundred percent locally grown apples. It is light, crisp, and off-dry to dry, with a hint of sour that shows they know how to balance their sugar without drowning out the characteristics of the underlying aromas and crispness of fresh apples. It only comes in seven hundred fifty milliliter bottles (the size of an average wine bottle), so this is one to savor with a friend.
straw-like color only hints at its flavor. For wine drinkers, it was recently and aptly compared to California Chardonnay in the Santa Fe Reporter. Medium bodied and lightly fizzy, I might also liken it to a Portuguese Vinho Verde with a fruitier backbone than the Loureiro or Albarinho grapes have to offer, while maintaining half the alcohol content. Santa Sidra’s other offering is the Dry. This cider— clear with a light brassy color—reminds me of the lighter slightly yeast-scented sparkling Cava’s of Spain. Zercher achieves incredible subtlety of aroma from long, cold fermentation while maintaining light and playful flavor notes on the palate. This is an ideal New Mexico summer beverage with or without food.
SANTA FE
They also make an incredible blend called Enchanted Cherry. It’s made from twenty percent juice from Montmorency cherries blended with eighty percent juice from New Mexico apples. This bottle has slightly more carbonation, but still far less than the average beer. The apples and cherries blend and balance the sweet with the tart. Where the cherry skins and fruit hover on the nose and palate, the apples anchor the flavor in a slightly sweeter, medium-bodied mouthfeel. It evokes a gustatory experience almost like off-dry Spanish sherry. This cider makes an excellent food-friendly accompaniment to spicier New Mexican or even Asian fare. The bottles are bigger and so the prices are a little higher than a six-pack, but the value of sharing something that puts you touch with an ancient tradition is priceless. About the time that hard cider made a commercial comeback in the 1990s, Mike Zercher of Santa Sidra came to New Mexico from Pennsylvania. He has made an indelible impact on the New Mexico cider scene in the twenty years he has brewed. He makes two ciders from one hundred percent New Mexico apples that would otherwise end up on the ground in the fields where they grew. Although he may develop more offerings in the future, his initial products are spot on. The Ligeramente Dulce—“a tad sweet”—evokes a certain expectation, but is actually significantly drier than the average cider. The 8
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SANTA SIDRA Spring is upon us. You might find that New Mexico ciders are a pleasant and refreshing treat on your porch or patio (spring winds permitting). Farmer Monte’s, Santa Fe Cider Works, and Santa Sidra aren’t the only ones to reach for. New Mexico Cider and other local breweries will provide additional options in the coming months. Remember, when you open your mind to new and old traditions, you help maintain and care for a rich and vibrant cultural history. The art and craft of New Mexico cider makers connects you with the burgeoning present while putting you in touch with old roots. Farmer Monte’s 505-681-4060, www.skarsgardfarms.com Santa Fe Cider Works 575-513-SFCW, www.santafeciderworks.org Santa Sidra 505-424-6122, www.santasidra.com New Mexico Cider 505-455-2826, www.nmcider.com
Welcome Spring! with our only brunch menus of the year!
Rasa
Easter Brunch Sunday, April 5 • 11:30am–3pm
Rasa is a modern juice bar and vegan café, offering organic plant based foods and cold pressed juices as well as innovative detox and cleansing programs that reflect the most current perspective from the Ayurveda, conscious eating and live food movements.
Mother’s Day Brunch Sunday, May 10 • 11:30am–3pm
LUNCH • DINNER • BAR
cold pressed juice super food smoothies vegan glutenfree desserts cookies & pies cultured vegan cheeses and yogurt raw breads and crackers plant based entreés soups and pizza ayurvedic consultations herbs and treatments cleanse and detox
Make your reservations today! 505.982.4353 653 Canyon Road compoundrestaurant.com
815 Early Street
505 989 1288
www.rasajuice.com
photo: Kitty Leaken
Photo by Genevieve Russell at Story Portrait Media
No Time To Waste Don’t forget, summer water restrictions start May 1. From May through the end of October, water your yard before 10 am and after 6 pm and no more than three times a week. When it’s rainy or cooler, you can water even less or not at all.
NO WATERING - NO WA TER ING -
NO
WA TE RI
NG
No matter how much rain or snow we get, water is scarce in Santa Fe and we can’t waste a drop.
Save Water Santa Fe
Saving Water Is Always in Season City of Santa Fe Water Conservation Office 505.955.4225 savewatersantafe.com WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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cooking fresh
Grilled Cheese 10
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and Kimchee
Cheese and Larder
ABUNDANCE IN THE PANTRY WHEN PRODUCE IS THIN by Valerie Ashe · Photos by Stephanie Cameron John Gutierrez owns the newly minted Cheesemonger of Santa Fe on Marcy Street. A bright, high-ceilinged foodie haven, the store is what Gutierrez describes as a mash-up of old European cheese shops and New York delis: bright glass cases filled with cheeses and charcuteries, shelves stocked full of fresh-baked local breads, pantry items, and serving accessories. Gutierrez came to Santa Fe by way of Germany, Oklahoma, and San Francisco. As a self-described military brat, he grew up in Germany, and, after arriving in Oklahoma for college, found himself craving the breads and cheeses he remembered from childhood. He acquainted himself with the owners of a European-style deli in Oklahoma City, where he worked part-time through college and cultivated a passion for cheese. After pursuing various subjects in college, studying and making cheese eventually became the “noodle that stuck to the wall.” His profession was born. Just after college, he moved to San Francisco where he managed Say Cheese, a neighborhood cheese shop in Cole Valley. He then worked a stint at the Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes, learning to make the dairy’s celebrated bloomy rind and washed rind cheeses before landing in Santa Fe to start his own shop. Gutierrez passionately supports artisan dairies around the US, as well as local dairies and food producers in New Mexico, and showcases their products in the store. “Cheesemongers and small, handcrafted cheese makers can’t exist without one another,” Gutierrez says. “We represent the cheese makers who are in our cases. We’re their link to the customers.”
While the long hours and weekends he puts into running the shop afford him little time to travel, Gutierrez is a fount of knowledge about the styles of cheeses he carries, the dairies that supply his cheese makers, how the cheeses are made, and the stories behind them. In Europe and the US, cheese is generally made from one or a combination of four types of milk: cow, sheep, goat, and buffalo. Cheese styles range across six categories: fresh, bloomy rind (or soft ripened), washed rind, blue, semihard, and hard cheeses. During my visit with Gutierrez, we tasted cheeses across these categories and discussed unique yet complementary pairings and recipes that showcase the flavors, aromas, and textures of the cheeses. In addition to cheese, Gutierrez carries a variety of local, regional, and imported pantry items such as Lusty Monk mustards (Albuquerque); Southwest Chutneys (Taos); goat, pork, and fennel sausages by Avalanche Cheese Company (Basalt, Colorado); fresh baked bread from Wild Leaven Bakery and Don Diego Breads (Santa Fe); and even a seventeen-yearaged aceto balsamic vinegar produced from trebbiano wine grapes grown in Monticello (see page 40). Even in the winter months when local produce is scarce, it’s possible to stock your pantry and cheese drawer with both local and artisanal goods from small food producers who rely on stores like Cheesemonger of Santa Fe to thrive. 130 East Marcy Street, Santa Fe, 505-795-7878 www.cheesemongersofsantafe.com
From left, clockwise: John Gutierrez, owner of Cheesemonger of Santa Fe; showcase of cheese; grilled cheese and kimchee sandwich. Above: meat showcase.
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A Guide to Cheese Illustrations by Kelli Cameron
CHEESE STYLE
CHARACTERISTICS
VARIETIES
PAIRINGS
FRESH
No rind, moist and soft, fresh cheeses have a mild, delicate, pleasantly tangy flavor. The whey is gently gravity-drained from the curd, leaving a light, spreadable cheese.
CHÈVRE, FRESH MOZZARELLA, FETA
White wines that are crisp, fruity, grassy and light in color.
Velvety, edible rinds. Interiors are glossy and soft, with a smooth, buttery taste. Rinds form by the application of molds and yeasts that bloom like tiny flowers on the exterior of a ripening cheese, which are patted down over time to form the rind.
BRIE, CAMEMBERT, EXPLORATEUR, CANA DE CABRA
Rich white wines or fruity red wines.
BLOOMY RIND
WASHED RIND
BLUE
SEMI-HARD
HARD
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Orange-red, shiny, damp rinds TALEGGIO, LIMBERGER, and powerful, pungent aromas. MUNSTER Rinds are washed repeatedly with brine, wine, beer, or spirits as they age. Soft, supple interiors ranging from mild to bold.
Local Suggestion: St. Clair Pinot Grigio (Mimbres Valley)
Local Suggestion: Milagro Vineyards Chardonnay (Corrales)
Aromatic white wines, robust reds, dark beers, or sweet dessert wines. Local suggestion: Wines of the San Juan “Girls are Meaner” Gerwurtztraminer (Blanco)
Marbled with bluish-green veins that develop after the cheese is pierced and air is allowed to enter as the cheese ages. Textures range from crumbly to creamy.
CAMBOZOLA, GORGONZOLA, White or red dessert wines such as Sauternes or Port. Also ROQUEFORT, STILTON try a brown ale or chocolate stout.
The broadest category of cheese. Curds are pressed into forms, and aged for several months, forming thick, grey rinds. Cheeses are sometimes finished with a wax rub to reduce moisture loss.
CHEDDAR, GOUDA, EMMENTHALER, RACLETTE
Hard cheeses are made with cooked curds, pressed firmly into forms, and aged for several months or years. Textures range from solid and slightly crumbly, to very dense and flaky. Known for pronounced, complex, fruity, nutty, and spicy flavors.
CHEDDAR, MANCHEGO, PARMIGIANO REGGIANO (PARMESAN), PECORINO ROMANO
Local suggestion: Canteen Brewhouse Dark & Lusty Stout (Albuquerque) Full-bodied white wines such as Chardonnay or mediumbodied red wines. Local suggestion: Camino Real Winery Barbera (Tome)
Prosecco, the Italian sparkling wine, is a classic pairing with Parmesan cheese. Pair other hard cheeses with sparkling wines or medium to full-bodied reds. Local suggestion: Gruet Rosé (Albuquerque)
Recipes and Pairings: Cheesemonger of Santa Fe by Valerie Ashe
Spicy Chèvre Crostini
The following recipes celebrate the artisanal cheeses that Cheesemonger of Santa Fe carries from around the US, as well as locally produced pantry products, breads, and nuts.
SPICY CHÈVRE CROSTINI WITH HONEY AND PISTACHIOS This recipe brings savory, sweet, and hot flavors together into an appetizer or dessert that would pair wonderfully with a light, sweet white wine. 12 slices of baguette, 1/2-inch wide on the bias Olive oil 2 ounces spicy chèvre (Old Windmill Dairy Chili & Hot) Honey 1/4 cup pistachios, shelled and crushed Preheat the oven to 300° F. Lay the baguette slices on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toast for 15 – 20 minutes, turning slices after 7 minutes. When golden and crispy, remove from oven. Spread chèvre liberally on toasted slices. Drizzle each slice of bread with honey, sprinkle with pistachios, and serve.
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GRILLED CHEESE AND KIMCHEE SANDWICH ON RYE SOURDOUGH Inspired by John Gutierrez’s upbringing in Germany, this sandwich introduces texture and fire to the traditional American grilled cheese. Its success pivots on using a local kimchi, a Korean-style spicy sauerkraut. 4 slices German-style rye sourdough (Wild Leaven Bakery, Santa Fe) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 ounces British-style goat cheddar, thinly sliced (Avalanche Dairy, Basalt, Colorado) 4 ounces kimchi (Mi Young’s Farm, Santa Fe) Preheat a cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium heat. Generously butter one side of each of the bread slices and place bread butterside-down onto hot skillet. Add cheese to two slices of bread. Continue to grill bread until lightly browned and cheese is melted, about 3 – 4 minutes. Place 2 ounces of kimchi on top of each slice of bread with cheese. Place the undressed slices over the melted cheese and kimchi. Serve sandwiches with a tossed green salad and a local IPA.
SWEET POTATO FRITTERS WITH CHUTNEY
BABY GREEN SALAD WITH BLOOMY RINDED GOAT CHEESE, PEARS, AND PECANS Dressing 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon honey 3 tablespoons white wine, apple cider, or white balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil Salt and pepper Salad 4 cups mixed baby greens 2 large pears, sliced 4 ounces Sofia soft rind goat cheese, thinly sliced or gently crumbled (Capriole Goat Cheese, Greenville, Indiana) 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped Mix the first 4 ingredients for the dressing, then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss greens with the dressing, top with pecans, sliced pears, and goat cheese. Cheese pairings with local libations: To get suggested cheese and wine pairings from Valerie Ashe, visit www.ediblesantafe.com/cheese
2 large sweet potatoes, steamed, peeled, and mashed 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta 2 tablespoons butter, melted 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey 2 tablespoons peach chutney (Taos Southwest Chutney) 1 teaspoon red chile powder 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 whole egg, beaten 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons coconut oil In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk to thoroughly combine until smooth the mashed sweet potatoes, ricotta, butter, maple syrup, chutney, chile powder, and cinnamon. Stir in the egg until combined. In a separate small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold flour mixture into the potato mixture and blend well. Meanwhile, add the oil to a large skillet and when shimmering, carefully place heaping tablespoons of the mixture into the skillet. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Cook until fritters are goldenbrown on both sides, about 3 – 4 minutes per side. Using a spatula, remove fritters from the skillet and place on paper towel–lined plate until ready to serve. Suggested meal pairing: grilled spring lamb chops and wilted winter greens.
Honey Wheat Crackers 14
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SALTINE CRACKERS Crackers are nice to have on hand. Most people never think of making them at home, but actually they're fast and easy. Experiment with different spices in this recipe, like rosemary, onion powder, or even ground sun-dried tomatoes. Homemade crackers don't keep as long, however, because they don't have the preservatives of store-bought versions. 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Combine the dry ingredients, cut in the butter, then stir in the milk. Round into a ball and knead a few strokes. Divide dough into several pieces and roll out very thin on a floured surface. Lay sheets on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and prick with a fork. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Bake at 375° F for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
HONEY WHEAT CRACKERS, NEW MEXICO STYLE The following recipe is adapted from the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking cookbook. 1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for topping 1/2 teaspoon red or green chile powder 4 tablespoons cold butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for topping 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 1/4 cup water Preheat oven to 400° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix flour, half the salt, and half the chile together. Cut butter into small pieces and work in with fingers or a pastry cutter. In a separate bowl, dissolve honey in water. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture forms a ball. Don't knead too much; the dough should be a bit crumbly. Divide into two equal parts. Roll out one ball of dough to about 1/16-inch thickness. Cut into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 5 minutes, making sure they do not get too brown. Then bake up to 4 minutes more. Removing crackers individually with a spatula as they become brown. Cool crackers on a parchment-lined wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 8 dozen.
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wild thing
Fly Fishing the San Juan by Rachel Shockley · Photos by Jeremy Wade Shockley
Conservationist and writer, Rachel Shockley, fly fishing on the San Juan River below Navajo Dam at the recently restored eighty acre Hammond Tract—a favorite among anglers. January, 2015.
In northwestern New Mexico, a short stretch of the San Juan River known as the Hammond Tract is located downstream from Navajo Dam and upstream from the town of Blanco, where the river winds between vast high desert mesas and steep rocky canyons. As you draw closer to the dam, anglers increase in density, until a veritable crowd fishes elbow-to-elbow within sight of the 16
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dam’s wall. According to Mike Sloane, fisheries chief for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, nearly ten percent of the million catchable-size rainbow trout stocked by the department end up in the fifteen mile section of the river between the Hammond and the dam. Keeping time like metronomes, they lash the air and water, letting fly filament string that whips and sparkles in the sun. The world-famous three and a half miles of tail waters directly below the
dam team with so many rainbow and brown trout that the Department of Game and Fish regulates them as special trout waters with a catch-and-release only restriction. These quality waters attract anglers from around the world year round. But the Hammond, located outside of the quality waters, is less known. So when my husband took me there to wet my line, I found it possible to practice a few casts in
the parking lot without hitting an SUV, and without embarrassment. In fact, for a few special hours we had the place to ourselves. In solitude, we watched the sunset rose and gold on the mesas shading the river.
could take more of Carothers advice and hire him, or another knowledgeable guide, to take you fishing. A good guide will help you choose a fly, lead you to fish, and coach you to the perfect cast.
In April and May, fish begin to become more active as the water warms up, says Marc Wethington, San Juan River Fisheries biologist for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. And he should know. Wethington understands the San Juan, and has helped guide numerous restoration projects in this stretch of river to the tune of one and a half million dollars just in the last five years.
Since the water is a chilly forty-two degrees, Carothers suggests renting waders or fishing from a boat. If you guide yourself, almost all of the water accessible from Texas Hole parking lot is good for a beginner. Moving downstream, try out the stretch of water between Cottonwood Campground and Pumphouse parking lot. The special trout waters end above Crusher Hole, so you can harvest up to your bag limit of trout for dinner from here to the Hammond.
According to Wethington, midges and mayflies are about the only insects hatching this time of year, which makes them an important food for insect-loving trout. Anglers impersonate these tiny insects by dancing artificial flies in and across the water. Wethington advises, in his understated way, that although spring winds can tangle your line, it is a good time for fishing. Aaron Carothers, owner and guide for Anasazi Anglers, says the San Juan offers the best fishing between nine in the morning and three in the afternoon. Midges typically hatch in the morning and mayflies are more active in the afternoon because of sun angles and water temperature. Right in the middle of the day the mayfly hatch. But to take advantage of nature’s rhythms, you have to understand insect lifecycles, be able to identify insect species, and have brought the right flies with you. “That’s the interesting thing about the ‘Juan,'” Carothers says. “It carries such a big population of midges, and that’s where fly fisher’s have trouble.” Carothers ticks off several small artificial flies, all about a quarter of an inch or smaller, that in the right hands will allow someone to snag fish all day long this time of year. He recommends the big-mac midge pupa, size twenty-two; a red midge larva, size eighteen; a parachute Adams, size twenty-two; and a gray RS2 baetis emerger, for the afternoon baetis mayfly hatch. If all of this sounds confusing, you
After I lost our last tiny copper bead head nymph, the fly that had worked that day, we walked leisurely to a small pond recently built by Game and Fish. The department installed the marshy area to attract more birds and mammals to the Hammond. A massive restoration project recently undertaken by the department had left the ground disturbed; they had cleared eighty acres of invasive salt cedar and Russian olive and had planted some two hundred young cottonwood trees, along with native New Mexico olives, currants, and sumacs. Various ducks and deer had already moved in, so we quietly made our way back to the truck as the light turned from purple to blue.
Buy a fishing license at www.wildlife. state.nm.us, at Game and Fish offices or over the counter at local vendors. A day license costs twelve dollars and a resident annual license costs twentyfive dollars.
GARDEN FRESH! Grow your own garden with vegetables and herbs from Payne’s Nurseries!
Choose from our large selection of fresh & organic 2015 seeds.
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Do not forget to add the required four dollar Habitat Management & Access Validations stamp and the five dollar Habitat Improvement Stamp needed to access Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Lands in New Mexico.
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17
local heroes
Andrew Cooper BEST CHEF
Andrew Cooper in front of Rancho Encantado's spectacular vista. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.
Why Santa Fe & Rancho Encantado?
What’s best about your work?
I’d always heard amazing things about Santa Fe—there were never any negative comments. I have lived on the East Coast, West Coast, overseas, and on an island, but never in a land locked state. An opening in Santa Fe presented the opportunity. My wife and I looked at each other and made the decision that we had enough of the island life for a while and wanted to experience something completely different.
I love that I can pick up the phone and talk directly to farmers about what they have on hand or what they have coming up. Even more special, I can drive to their farms and talk with them. I love to visit the Old Windmill Dairy goat farm with my family. My children get to play with and feed the baby goats, then get to see the whole cheese making process from start to finish. We leave filled with cheese and amazing stories to take back to my kitchen and to my diners.
I was scared to come here at first—to move to a desert from a place where I had over one hundred sixty different local farmers and where all of the seafood came from the backyard. I kept thinking to myself, where am I going to get my produce? I started researching the farmers markets here and was surprised to learn that Santa Fe had more farmers than the Big Island, and the number of ranchers, incredible! While I miss the catch of the day, I do have a great supplier of sustainable seafood who can deliver six days a week, if needed.
Everything I do is about a story. I love food and I love to create. People always ask me how I come up with my ideas. The answer is very simple. I let the farmers tell me about their products and from there I just expand on it. When my cooks hear the stories and when they get to actually experience the farm trips, they too get inspired—it’s no longer just ordinary produce from a box. I love to tell how Matt Romero roasts the chiles or how Michael and Ed prepare the chèvre or how Adam and Steve at Talon de Gato Farm grow root vegetables. I also love the ones about the beets from Monte Vista organics, the mushrooms from Chris, the surfer dude at Freshies New Mexico, the pigs from Robert Kyzer’s farm, the lamb from Naturally New Mexico, and the corn from Schwebach Farms. I also love the tomatoes from J&L Gardens and Orozco Farms, not to mention the wines from Vivac Winery or Estrella del Norte Vineyard.
The culture, history, and people also drew me to Santa Fe. And, I love to experience the seasons again. Hawaii is one temperature all year round and it’s hard to build a snowman on a beach.
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All the farmers are amazing here but so are all the chefs who work with them. We all rely on each other to do what we do. We live in an amazing community that supports the local economy and the people.
das. I looked at him and said, “Ummm, what do you mean?” (A nice Jewish boy from Long Island, what did I know about Christmas!)
Why do you do what you do at your restaurant? Who inspires you? A lot of people inspire me: my family, the community where I live, the farmers, the local chefs, local organizations like Cooking with Kids, Gerard’s House, and the Food Depot, just to name a few close to my heart. Cooking with Kids is one of the best organizations I have worked with. I love to teach children what real food is all about. I love hearing from children (even my own) how they love to cook with their parents. Food and cooking bring everyone together. Talk about family bonding!
Where do you like to eat? What are your favorite foods? I love to eat out, I love to go to all different types of restaurants. Of course, working the hours that I do, it’s hard to eat out as much as I would like. I also love a simple, home cooked meal—I love comfort foods. Harry’s Road House, The Pantry, Santa Fe Bite, The Bar at Luminaria, Il Piatto and Osteria D’Assisi are just a couple favorites. As for my favorite foods, I can eat pasta all day. I love a great meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Now that I live in New Mexico—enchiladas all the way! When I first came to Santa Fe and I went to the Shed for lunch, the waiter asked me if I would like Christmas on my enchila-
This is my mantra: Understand where your ingredients come from, buy in season, keep up with current trends, and listen to what your guests are asking for. In order to become successful you have to believe in what you do. I love going to the markets wherever I am, listening to farmers tell their stories, bringing them back to my kitchen to inspire my team. Of course, getting feedback from my guests is critical. I bring people into my kitchen with my Chef ’s Table series because I love to share my kitchen and the inspiration that comes out of it. In warm months, we cook from the garden and grab the ingredients right off the vines or out of the ground, then walk through the dining room with a basket filled with fresh veggies. This is what cooking is all about, the passion, the love, the determination to do the best that we can using the best ingredients possible. Being at the Chef ’s Table, you get to experience this firsthand. You put on an apron and cook—it’s like watching a Broadway show except you are in it. Terra at Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado 198 State Road 592, Santa Fe 877-262-4666, www.fourseasons.com/santafe
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19
local heroes
Bang Bite
BEST FOOD TRUCK 路 AN INTERVIEW WITH ENRIQUE GUERRERO
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edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2015
Why did you open Bang Bite? Bang Bite gives me the chance to express myself. I serve what I like, say what I want, hire who I like. My trailer is freedom. By 3 or 4pm, I'm done and on my way to home. Sometimes I wonder how many jobs give you the chance to have this kind of freedom? By the way, I start to work around 10am.
What do you love most about your work with local food? In the trailer, I have all the equipment I need to produce any kind of food, but I really love when we get all the components from our local food sources. I can create a great dish that can have simplicity, graphic impact, elegance, texture, and great flavors. This dish, maybe a simple burger, succeeds in every way. There's nothing clever about what I do at Bang Bite. I just borrowed an idea and try to make it better than anyone else. So, for me it’s very important to bring in as many ingredients from local sources as I can. It makes it taste better—trust me.
Who inspires you? My son Diego’s appetite!
Where do you like to eat? What are your favorite foods? Joseph's Table, Taberna, Mu Do Noddles, Paper Dosa. I love a great taco. I love any style of food so long as it has good flavor.
Why do you do what you do at Bang Bite? Because it makes me very happy—you know, I follow the ABCs: Always Be Cool.
Why are food trucks important? It's a way of living and it could be a way to make better food than a lot of restaurants.
How does Bang Bite speak to the heart of your work? We have a regular costumer who stopped by last month to celebrate his ninetieth birthday with his family—all eighteen of them. He said: “I want to come to eat here because this is the best burger that I ever have had in my life and I want to share this moment with my family.” I think that was pretty f-ing cool.
Anything else? Thank you, Santa Fe, for all your support. Bang Bite 502 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, 505-469-2345, www.bangbitesf.com From top left to right: Cubanito, the Bang Bite crew: Latia, Eddy, Esmeralda, Papi (Enrique Guerrero), and the Bang Bite food truck. Photos by Stephanie Cameron. WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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local heroes
Justin de la Rosa BEST FOOD WRITER
Why do you write about food? I didn't set out to be a food writer, but I have always loved food. Originally, I planned to get into music journalism— you know, tour the country with a band and write about them. (Maybe I watched “Almost Famous” one time too many). However, after I interned for Local iQ, my editor, Mike English threw a restaurant review my way for a place called The Grill. Shortly after that, it was Farm & Table, and everything clicked—I realized my passion is for writing about food.
What do you love most about local food? Food plays a largely definitive role in our cultural identity. Take green chile, for instance. At the communal level, just about every New Mexican can say that green chile is a part of our culture's identity. However, individually, we all have our own special way of serving and enjoying it. That's what's so fun about it—we all know and love it, but in different ways and for different reasons. If we take the passion and pride we have for green chile and apply it to other types of locally sourced food, that's when you'll really see our farmers and restaurants shine.
Who inspires you? First and foremost, my parents. They taught me to have an appreciation for the food at the dinner table. Even if it's a simple dinner, prepare it well and give attention to presentation—it makes the meal so much better. Chris Medina, owner of Holy Cow and of Gravy, took a chance on me. I had never served a table before and he has taught me so much about the restaurant industry over the past three and a half years. He pours his heart into what he does. Even as the owner, he'll jump on the floor and serve tables or get his hands dirty back in the dish pit—whatever it takes to keep the wheels turning. We can always talk about restaurants and food and learn from each other. From the first time I got to work with Cherie Montoya, owner of Farm & Table, I knew she was a special person. What she's done with Farm & Table is a wonderful addition to Albuquerque. We always have great conversations that leave me feeling inspired and encouraged knowing there's a mind like hers pushing local food forward.
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Justin de la Rosa. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.
I worked under Amanda Faison, the food editor at 5280 magazine for an internship in Denver. We worked on 5280: The Cookbook together, and she introduced me to an entirely different world of food writing. Her ardor and knowledge for food was an inspiration to me every day. She coached my writing to the next level and I'm so grateful for the experience and her friendship.
Where do you like to eat? What are your favorite foods? The first and easiest answer to this question would be at home. My love of food began there with my family's cooking. As far as restaurants go, I'm a big fan of Farina, Elaine's, Farm & Table, and Vinaigrette. For some quick, fun bites, Taqueria Mexico, Thai Cuisine II, Cervantes, Kokoro, Duran Central Pharmacy, and Loyola's. When I get the chance to head to Santa Fe, it's The Shed, Coyote Cantina, Geronimo, Jambo Cafe, and Shoko. I'm sure I’m leaving out many places, but I doubt there's enough space to list them all.
Why are food writers important? Food writers should have both a palate and mindset that are not just educated, but objective as well. It would be counterproductive for me to report on a restaurant or dish simply from my personal preference. For example, I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes, but I know when a dish that features them is prepared well and when it's not. I won't tell you a dish is bad because I don't like an ingredient—that's not fair to the reader, the chef, or the restaurant.
The Q STeak Rub
Advise to other food writers? Traveling and dining, and working in restaurants have been critical to my food writing. You get to see how they do it in other places. I always come home inspired, ready to look around Albuquerque to see if trends I see elsewhere are here as well. As for working in a restaurant—this will sound cliché coming from a server—everyone should do it. Understanding a restaurant from front to back is so important, and the best way to learn about it is being in the weeds at 7:30 on a Friday night. It gives you a different perspective on dining out.
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edible collaboration
Garden of Georgia O’Keeffe, Revisited SECOND SEASON
by Katherine Mast · Photo by Michael Clark
Georgia O'Keeffe's Garden in Abiquiu.
In 1945 Georgia O’Keefe purchased a fixer-upper atop a hill in Abiquiu overlooking the Rio Chama. She drew up plans for the renovation, which included a garden watered by the springfed acequia that flowed down the hillside. Throughout her life in Abiquiu, O’Keeffe tended the garden. She harvested its produce, which she put up for the winter for herself and her guests. Since her death in 1986, the garden has remained largely inactive, but this past summer eleven local high school students helped change that.
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Partnering with the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum offered paid summer internships for junior and senior high school students from nearby communities. They reconstructed portions of O’Keeffe’s garden by pulling weeds and harvesting berries. They also planted a few heritage varieties of squash, corn, and beans that Pueblo people had planted on that same piece of land generations before O’Keefe. Throughout the summer, the students took home produce to share with their families. They enjoyed peas, turnips, radishes, and onions, and tried new foods like kale.
They learned new gardening techniques, such as planting marigolds to deter pests, and learned about the community’s history. For Victoria Lovato, a high school junior, agriculture was a familiar subject, but working on the O’Keeffe property was a unique opportunity. “Instead of being like every other kid who worked at a restaurant this summer, I got to work at a historical site,” she said last fall at a celebration dinner at the garden to commemorate the year’s work. “It felt like being in a time capsule.” “We’re always trying to show aspects of O'Keeffe’s life,” said Carolyn Kastner, curator at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, during last fall’s dinner. “To bring this garden to life is so great!” From July through September—the months the students were on grounds—the garden produced close to one ton of beets, melons, greens, eggplants, chile, squash, and more, says Mollie Parsons, education director at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. The garden continued to produce through November and netted three hundred fifty pounds for the Food Depot, which delivered the produce to families in the Abiquiu region. Parsons is gearing up for a second season and is happy to have a lot of the initial challenges worked out. “It’s nice to have done it once and know that it works!” she says. For last year’s program, she and adult volunteers researched how O’Keeffe arranged the garden, but the environment has changed since the artist last tended the soil. For instance, trees have grown taller and throw shade where sun used to shine. Now, with a lot of the major considerations ironed out, Parsons says they will fine-tune the system. She hopes to expand the program further this year. She’s brought on Francesca Davies, a landscape architect and long-time volunteer to help operate the program. Students came to the garden once a week last year. Having an additional adult leader this year allows the cohort to visit twice as often. If funding comes through, Parsons hopes to double the number of student participants, possibly drawing individuals from Espanola. She invites junior and senior high school students from Abiquiu, Espanola, and Ojo Caliente to get in touch to find out more, and she welcomes more adult volunteers with gardening experience. “We can use as much volunteer help as we can get,” she says. It’s not for everyone, though—unless you live nearby, getting to the garden is a trek, and cell phone service is limited at the historic house. But for Parsons, that’s one of the benefits. “You have to pay attention to the little things,” she says. “It’s meditative.” Georgia O’Keeffe Home and Studio Tours Abiquiu, 505-946-1098, www.okeeffemuseum.org
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Raaga (“sweet melody”) prides itself on offering superior taste and flavor. With each mouthwatering bite, guests can distinguish and savor the finest spices and the freshest herbs. New Indian Tapas Lunch starting at $4.95 Many vegan and gluten-free option • Beer & Wine
Monday − Saturday: 12:00pm to 9:00pm
544 Agua Fria Rd, Santa Fe • 505-820-6440 • raagacuisine.com Free parking at Sambusco Center
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at the chef's table
A Chef's Love Affair with the Landscape KEVIN BLADERGROEN, BLADES' BISTRO
by Erin Frye 路 Photos by Stephanie Cameron
Kevin Bladergroen back of house and front of house. Photo by Stephanie Cameron. 26
edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2015
Blades’ Bistro’s chef, Kevin Bladergroen, has always been comfortable in the kitchen. After forty years, he has the experience many chefs only dream about. When he graduated from high school in 1975 Bladergroen moved from Florida to New Mexico and took a position at Casa Vieja in Corrales. Bladergroen left New Mexico to attend La Varenne in Paris, one of the first cooking schools in France to offer simultaneous accredited instruction in French and English for professional culinary degrees. After attaining his degree, Bladergroen stayed in Europe and worked for many different restaurants, gaining experience and knowledge in varied cuisines as he traveled from country to country. In addition to professional experience, he also met his Dutch wife Anja while working in the Netherlands. In 2002, Bladergroen returned to the US with his wife to tour around the country in a motor home, working for chefs he admired. All of this experience primed Bladergroen for his return to New Mexico to open Blades’ Bistro in 2008. Bladergroen says the spirit of New Mexico never left him and the beautiful surroundings continue to inspire him, playing a big part in why he settled in the small mountain town of Placitas. Even though Bladergroen has been addicted to chile since cooking at Casa Vieja all those years ago, his cuisine at Blades’ is French in nature. He does, however, offer some chile options on the menu, saying the French are known for using whatever ingredients are available. With a laugh, he says he is working on perfecting a cactus soup. Bladergroen says Blades’ offers French cuisine because of his training and because New Mexican food is done so well by locals. He loves the New Mexican culture and flavors, but prefers to stick to what he knows best. Bladergroen loves the New Mexico landscape and his neighbors. He and Anja work hard to preserve the environment by recycling almost everything at the restaurant, from the water to the glass and boxes. Every year, they participate in Road Runner Food Bank’s Souper Bowl, an annual event featuring forty restaurants, which provides samples of soups and deserts to donors. He sources local products (especially meats) whenever possible. Bladergroan loves feedback, and offers an open kitchen policy for his patrons. He says this communication informs his menus and keeps him in touch with his friends and followers.
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Come Celebrate the Earth with La Montañita Co-op Education & Ecology Farming & Gardening Bedding Plants Arts & Crafts Local & Organic Food Music & Dance
La Montañita Co-op organized the first Earth Day Fest in Nob Hill 25 years ago. The Co-op is proud to host an event that brings our community together to cultivate a sustainable future for our planet.
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from our digs to yours
on Silver Ave SE, Carlisle to Tulane 10am-6pm
Blades' Bistro 221 Highway 165, Placitas, 505-771-0695, www.bladesbistro.com NATURAL FOOD MARKET
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edible notables ALBUQUERQUE REPRESENTS IN NATIONAL IPA CHALLENGE In this year’s National IPA Championship put on by Brewing News, saw a dozen New Mexico contenders, most of which hailed from Albuquerque. Heavy weights La Cumbre, Bosque Brewing, and Canteen Brew House all clobbered their way to the semi-finals with Project Dank, Scale Tipper, and Exodus, respectively. On March 15, Bosque Brewing and Canteen Brew House went head-to-head and made Burqueños proud of the brewing prowess in their city. In 2014, La Cumbre brought home the gold with their Project Dank. Albuquerque now proudly claims the title for two years running. Stop by Bosque Brewing to toast them on the win, and then go commiserate with the losers over a pint at one of the many other amazing breweries in town.
FOR OUR LAND, COMMUNITY AND FUTURE: THE DESERT OASIS TEACHING GARDEN By Karen Temple Beamish The Desert Oasis Teaching Garden (DOT Garden), a new living learning laboratory in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights, invites the community to participate in workshops and lectures, volunteer with our team, and enjoy our space. The DOT Garden will replace almost two acres of water-intensive turf grass with a desert adapted, multistory agro-ecosystem that will restore soil structure, nutrients, and microbiology. Over the last year, we have used cover crops, soil sponges, our own campus-generated compost, and sheet-mulching with recycled cardboard and donated wood chips to start healing the earth. We learn as we go and we want everyone to learn with us. We’ve brought in experts like ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan, water capture specialist Brad Lancaster, Global Water Policy Project director Sandra Postel, and the late and greatly beloved regional historian Juan Estevan Arellano to give free public lectures and consult with our DOT Garden team. In our workshops, we draw on traditional growing methods from our diverse New Mexican cultural heritage, as well as technological innovations and materials improvements to address issues from desert tree care to natural pest control. Our dream is a community filled with expertise, with neighbors helping neighbors care for the land and each other.
and partnerships with other schools, we teach students to value the natural world and themselves, and provide hands-on opportunities to solve problems in real time. www.thedotgarden.com or on FB @TheDesertOasisTeachingGarden
SIMPLE. SUSTAINABLE. ELEGANT. In February Erin Wade, proprietor of Vinaigrette, opened Modern General, a food and farming boutique all about keeping it simple. Next door to her Santa Fe salad bistro, the Modern General, inspired by the historic general store, focuses on the essentials for kitchen, office, and garden. Wade has curated house wares, gardening supplies, and body products made from quality materials, organic ingredients, and built to last. In addition, the store offers a menu of breakfast items and baked goods, specialty sandwiches, juices and smoothies. Like its sister restaurant, Modern General will focus on local and seasonal fresh vegetables sourced from Wade’s farm. Modern General will unveil its new gristmill early in April. Working with the family owned and operated Arizona Hayden Mills, the store will carry a wide variety of regionally grown heirloom grains, like purple barley and white Sonora wheat, for gluten lovers and gluten-free eaters alike. Further, Modern General offers a beautiful line of reusable containers like grain sacks and jars in an effort to minimize packaging and encourage reuse. Wade hopes the store will build community with a focus on the simple and sustainable. She says, “We want this to be a community gathering place, a place for people to come hang out, read the books— that’s the spirit of the general store. It’s more than just a store.” To this end, Modern General will offer Sunday Afternoons, a monthly seminar series beginning March 29. In the first series, Fearless Vegetable Gardening, Wade will present her years of experience on the farm. 637 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, 505-930-5462 www.moderngeneralnm.com
Global climate change is just one of many sources of uncertainty for our future. Here in New Mexico we can likely expect general increases in temperature and decreases in total rainfall, as well as changes in precipitation patterns. The DOT Garden focuses on adapting by fostering an environment that nourishes self-confidence, social responsibility, and teamwork as students cultivate practical skills, practice navigating challenges, and find pleasure in locally produced foods. Through a garden-based curriculum at Albuquerque Academy Erin Wade at the Modern General. Photo by Narrative Media. 28
edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2015
edible ROAD TRIP
Time to Drive! 2015
LE T’S GE T LO CA L
O S L A E SE
Visit ediblesantafe.com/travel for more road trip desinations.
For this issue, we sent four writers into the field to collect stories and develop travel guides for different quadrants of New Mexico. We asked each writer to plan a two-day itinerary to one corner of the state. During his or her journey, each journalist investigated food and agriculture in that area. Each sought producers and entrepreneurs who: go the extra mile to source local food; bring community together in unusual and inspiring ways; care for their land and heritage; and celebrate place with passion, authenticity, or both. The following stories chronicle the trips each writer took. While these explorations are not a comprehensive travel guide to places off the beaten path in New Mexico, we hope these stories demonstrate how a weekend getaway can offer abundant adventure, new friends, and lots of local food. In fact, we wrote too many stories to fit in the pages of this issue, so be sure to see our website for more great tales from the road and extensive lists of other suggested sites. Finally, we would love to hear about the places you love to visit in New Mexico: share your story with #offthebeatenpath, or email us at info@ediblesantafe.com.
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Notes from the Mountains of Little Texas SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO by Willy Carleton · Photos by Stephanie Cameron
On an unseasonably warm Saturday in February, I hopped in the car with Stephanie and Walt Cameron, publishers of this magazine, for a two-day journey to the mountains of southeastern New Mexico in search of the culinary pulse of “Little Texas.” Extensive internet research beforehand proved largely fruitless, so we ventured south with a vague itinerary and, at least in my case, a little nervousness about whether we’d find any good local cuisine at all. As we drove south along Highway 54, the horizon flattened and our stomachs growled. We passed irrigated farms and vast ranchlands but few places to eat. We spotted the occasional adobe building with elms growing in the parking lot and walls advertising “cafe” or “chile” in peeling paint for long-gone businesses. We found one open cafe, stopped on a whim, and found delightful service but stale coffee. The cafe had the nostalgic adornments of a rich, vibrant rural life—old farm equipment on the wall and burlap bags of Moriarty pinto bean growers—but not the real food to match those adornments. We paid the bill and continued south, still slightly hungry, and keenly aware of how our local food movement has yet to provide substantive economic uplift for many rural communities. Rural cafes that sell local agricultural nostalgia but not local food testify to this failure. 30
edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2015
As our trip unfolded, however, we also discovered a richness of the region’s local food scene that a casual stop at a roadside cafe can easily miss. We passed small mountain orchards of organic cherries, apples, and apricots; large pistachio and pecan farms; vineyards; roadside diners, dive bars, coffee shops, and restaurants that serve escargot. We stopped at many, and took note of most. Our trip confirmed what many readers will already know: finding good food on the road often takes extra time, a willingness to talk to locals, and an open mind. After all, sometimes the local gas station serves the best homemade tacos in town. I returned to Albuquerque with an appreciation for more than just the food of the Sacramento Mountains. As we stumbled on some of the hidden and not-so-hidden gems of the region, we met workers and business owners whose deep commitment to providing good food and drink sprang from an even greater commitment to their community. If I had to sum up some lessons from the trip, I would offer these: the best cuisine often hides in unassuming buildings; often the best places to find good food are the places that also most value building a broader sense of community; and Texas isn’t that far away—and that can be a good thing.
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82 No Scum Allowed Saloon Located in White Oaks, this old gold-town bar offers a nice view with a cold beer. 933 White Oaks Avenue, White Oaks, www.noscumallowedsaloon.com Nuckleweed Place In La Luz, this small restaurant offers a cozy atmosphere with its homemade meals. Be sure to bring cash. 526 Laborcita Canyon Road, La Luz 575-434-0000, on.fb.me/1NXNOJa
Sacred Grounds
ALSO SEE The Lodge at Cloudcroft Inside the cozy walls of The Lodge Resort, a storied past lingers. The Lodge offers a tantalizing blend of history, charm, and allure. Rebecca's restaurant at The Lodge is named after their resident ghost. Serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an elaborate Sunday brunch. 601 Corona Place, Cloudcroft, 800-395-6343 www.thelodgeresort.com
Located in Ruidoso, Sacred Grounds is nestled in a warm and inviting building alongside the tranquil Rio Ruidoso. 2704 Sudderth Drive, Ruidoso, 575-257-2273 www.sacredgroundscoffee.net
Tularosa Vineyards Located in Tularosa, family-owned Tularosa Vineyards produces a large variety of wines, from full bodied reds to supple, fruity aromatic whites. 23 Coyote Canyon Road, Tularosa 575-585-2260 www.tularosavineyards.com WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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No Scum Allowed Saloon
down smoothly, with a somewhat sweet, gentle burn. We postulated to ourselves in soft, near-whispers: Rum? Bourbon? Cinnamon schnapps?
The first thing we noticed as we rolled up to No Scum Allowed Saloon in White Oaks, New Mexico (population eighteen), were two horses in front of the bar hitched alongside a row of shimmering parked motorcycles. “Steel horses and real horses,” said a large bouncer, squinting in the midday sun and following our eyes, and then, “Come on in.” We had planned to stop in only for a quick beer, but plans changed. To our surprise, White Oaks, once known as the liveliest town in the territory but now considered a ghost town, still had some life to it.
Before we could get too far with that, however, a man wearing full western regalia and a proprietary smile greeted us with a friendly handshake. Marlon Coffman, we learned, owns the bar with his wife Teresa. They had visited the No Scum for years and bought the place four years ago on a lark. They drive most weekends from their home in Abilene, Texas, four hours away. After chatting for a few minutes with the lively and congenial owners, the sign above the door bearing the phrase “A Taste of Texas” began to ring true.
No Scum Allowed Saloon entrance.
Two dogs greeted us as we entered the dark bar. Barmaids in elaborate Victorian dresses poured drinks; bikers in black leather and bandanas talked quietly on barstools; and a few ranchers in Wranglers and cowboy hats walked past us. Was this place for real? I took a more detailed survey of the place: a picture of Billy the Kid adorned every wall; a mounted buffalo head wearing a sombrero stared at me from across the bar; Willie Nelson, in an old framed photograph with a former No Scum owner, smiled from the wall behind me; and in the corner a lewd Barbie-like mannequin, wearing tiny underwear bearing the words “Snakebite,” looked right past me. Real enough, I guess. I scouted the bottles lining the bar for signs of some local beer, wine, or spirits. I spotted none, though a mysterious large bottle with brownish red liquid and a homemade label marked “Snakebite” caught my eye. We inquired. “That’s a recipe handed down by every owner of this place,” said the woman behind the bar, who we later learned owns the place with her husband. “Despite what you might hear, it’s not just everything left over from the night before poured into a bottle.” So, I pressed, what is in it? She shot me a nice-try smile and said, “Even the girls working here don’t know.” For this article’s sake, we ordered a shot of Snakebite. It came in a miniature red party cup, giving it a distinctly fratboy aesthetic that added to my nervousness. I took a not-so-cowboy sip. To my surprise it went 32
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Marlon took us for an extended tour. We walked by the main dance floor and the covered patio into the outdoor patio where people drank beer at picnic tables in front of a covered stage. A large meat smoker billowed tantalizing smells of slow-cooking brisket. In the distance, a few old Victorian mansions stood as silent reminders of former boom times amid the otherwise juniper-dominated foothills. Marlon told us about the popular bike rallies, ATV rides, and trail rides the bar hosts over the summer. Nearly every weekend at No Scum features live music, along with free hot dogs and free camping. On special occasions, Marlon serves brisket he slow cooks for thirteen hours. This particular special occasion, we learned, was not only Valentine’s Day but also the arrival of a Discovery Channel cameraman later that day. This news only partially explained the movie-set feel, and certainly proved that you never really know what you’ll find in a remote saloon off New Mexico back roads.
Marlon Coffman and Whiskey Bill warming up the crowd.
The tour ended with an impromptu concert by local legend Whiskey Bill. “When I bought this place,” Marlon explained with a wry smile, “I was told Whiskey Bill came with it.” The crowd, soaking in the unseasonably warm sunshine, hushed as music began. First, Doug Muchmore, a local rancher who raises heifers outside Mountainair, struck a tune about ranching in New Mexico. Whiskey Bill followed with his original and unofficial song of the No Scum Allowed Saloon. The crowd, hushed in attention, broke its silence only to chime in on the chorus. The song ended and, thoroughly charmed by the music and completely nose-struck by the brisket smoke, we left with a promise to return later that night.
And we did return. As we arrived, the Discovery Channel cameraman shot footage of a mock shoot-out put on by locals. Walt, who also came with his camera blazing, vied for position with the cameraman in their meta-shootout. We listened to the honkytonk band, ate brisket and Texas-style chili, and drank beer. The brisket, though not local, lived up to its smell and melted in the mouth like butter (the closest thing to local meat to be found at the No Scum, it turns out, is at their annual bare-butt chaps contest in May.) As I watched the two cameramen vie for the best shots of the band, doing their own kind of two-step around the two-steppers, I considered the unique vision of the mythic West that inhabits the No Scum. It’s “a taste of Texas” in New Mexico, where steel horses mingle with real horses; where digital camera shoot-outs accompany staged Old West shoot-outs; where ranchers, bikers, and food writers buy each other drinks at the bar; and where supposed lines of contrived authenticity blur into something more real.
Tularosa Vineyards Between visits to the No Scum, we drove south on Highway 54 to Tularosa to check out Tularosa Vineyards. Rows of trellised brown grapevines contrasted the purple volcanic soil as we navigated the long driveway. At the parking area, a Great Pyrenees slept beneath similarly dormant fruit trees beside a large covered deck. When he spotted us, he rose with a wagging tail that shook his entire body. We climbed the stairs of the deck, our arrival announced by his inquisitive barks, and entered the small tasting room. Jack Bradley, a soft-spoken man in jeans, a plaid shirt, and baseball cap, greeted us with a smile, offered us a seat at the counter, and placed three glasses before us. Soon owner Dick Wickham, donning similar attire and a similarly warm smile, joined us. He grabbed a fourth glass for himself, and explained a bit of the story behind the wine.
M
IDTOWN
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It’s Springtime. Come enjoy your meal on our lovely patio. Join us for Easter and Mother’s Day Brunch.
505-820-3121 for reservations
Open Monday - Saturday Lunch 11am - 2:30pm | Dinner 5pm - 9pm Sunday Brunch 11am-3pm. 901 West San Mateo • Santa Fe, NM MIDTOWNBISTROSF.COM
Jack Bradley, the Great Pyrenees, and Dick Wickham at Tularosa Vineyards.
Tularosa Vineyards grew out of Dave Wickham’s love for agriculture. He grew up on a dairy farm in New York and, after a career as a sergeant in the Air Force, wanted to reestablish a personal connection
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to the land through agriculture. He knew the region had a long tradition of viticulture and that the volcanic soils, dry air, and sharp temperature swings made it optimal for high-quality wine grape production. He planted the first vines in 1985 and began selling wine four years later. His son, Chris, has overseen the winemaking side of the business since 1995, and today they produce six dry wines and ten sweet wines that combine to make twenty five thousand bottles a year. Except for the Reisling and Sympohony wines, which they make with grapes grown in Deming, all the wines the Wickhams produce derive from grapes grown in Otero county. After sampling and thoroughly enjoying a few wines, the awardwinning Sangiovese—dry and light—stood out as my initial favorite, followed by the sweet Mission wine. The Mission grape, I learned, comes from genetic stock originally planted at the mission of San Antonio de Padua in Senecú, New Mexico, in 1629. Wickham obtained his original cuttings from a backyard grower in La Luz, New Mexico. In addition to grape wines, Wickham also makes a cherry and apricot wine from fruit grown at Nichols Ranch in La Luz. The apricot wine, the first of its kind I’ve tried, had a sour, not-too-sweet, full apricot flavor that makes it a nice choice as a dessert wine. While Tularosa wines can be found at many grocery stores in the greater Tularosa area, a visit to the vineyard is well worth the trip. The covered deck overlooking the vineyard and small orchard provides a pleasant atmosphere for enjoying a glass of wine and a Tularosa sunset.
Nuckleweed Place We drove through the rolling, juniper-spotted hills of the Lincoln National Forest, winding our way up Laborcita Canyon from La Luz and gazing at the rocky trickle of La Luz Creek below, questioning our GPS. When we finally arrived at Nuckleweed Place, the first glance at the sleepy looking mobile home-turned-restaurant strengthened our doubts. But once we stepped into the small restaurant and warm smells from the kitchen and the cacophony of sizzling bacon, clattering coffee mugs, and laughs from the dining room greeted us, our doubts quickly dissipated. The cozy atmosphere of the restaurant felt instantly comforting, almost like being in someone’s home. The staff and owners know nearly every returning customer by name; make everything to order; and supplement their ingredients with garden produce from raised beds in the front yard. In warmer months, a large deck overlooking the Lincoln National Forest offers a spectacular view with the meal. Cozy atmosphere aside, the food at Nuckleweed Place makes the drive up the canyon worth the trip. I opted for their signature stuffed French toast, a dish I usually avoid. After just one bite, though, I knew I had made a good decision. The toast was light and fluffy; the cream filling rich and decadent. My breakfast left me completely satisfied, though after sampling the eggs Benedict and getting an occasional whiff of the pork chops grilling from the deck, I doubt I could have ordered anything here that would have left me feeling otherwise. 34
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Nuckleweed Place in La Luz.
A word of advice: be sure to make reservations, even for breakfast, and bring cash or a check. We were the only walk-ins all morning, were lucky to get a table, and had to drive twenty miles to find an ATM.
Sacred Grounds After leaving Nuckleweed Place, we wove through the Lincoln National Forest, east then north, en route to Ruidoso. We pitstopped at The Lodge in Cloudcroft. Built over one hundred years ago, this Territorial-era vision of luxury still offers a cool, relaxing mountain getaway full of creaky floorboards and ghost sightings, decadent cuisine and spas, a golf course and volleyball court, and even a view of White Sands from its tower. If you go, though, be sure to avoid room 256. From Cloudcroft, we continued north to Ruidoso. Although Ruidoso has its fair share of tourist traps and is, as one business owner freely admitted, “not a gourmet hotbed,” a few places in town offer good options. Several locals mentioned the burritos at Porky’s, the kale soup at Cafe Rio, and even the tacos on Tuesday nights at the Club Gas gas station (seriously) as particularly good choices. We were in the mood for a good cup of coffee, however, and decided to try Sacred Grounds. For years Sacred Grounds owners Willis and Rebecca Ponder, congenial Texas transplants with a love for food, coffee, and the performing arts, have built a space—which recently got much bigger—for their community to come together. Willis, with his cousin, designed a large new building for the coffee shop, which opened just four days before we arrived and which provides a beautiful, spacious environment for a variety of activities. The back deck has the best view of the river in town; the main dining room features a brand new projector for movie nights and a stage for regular open mic nights; and two more rooms offer ample space for reading or quiet conversations.
Even without the brand new building, the food and drink at Sacred Grounds warranted a visit. The Ponders buy fair trade, organic coffee beans (sixteen different varieties of coffee) and roast them at the shop; they make nearly all their food from scratch; and offer regional wine and micro-beer on tap. In addition to their high-quality coffee, several features of their menu stand out. Their fresh salads come with a poblano pecan dressing that is just about, as Willis Ponder claims, “good enough to drink,” and their homemade salsa might be the best in town. Their warm green chile apple cobbler, however, steals the show. Not too sweet and with just the right amount of chile, the cobbler leaves a subtle but distinct burn that lingers at the top of the throat “like a memory almost” (to use Willis’s words) after a particularly contemplative bite.
Sacred Ground's Rebecca and Willis Ponder in conversation with edible publisher, Walt Cameron on the left and edible writer, Willy Carleton on the right.
Both the cuisine at Sacred Grounds and the building it’s served in speak to the Ponders’ commitment to their town. Whereas many restaurant owners in Ruidoso live elsewhere, the Ponders live in town and have connected deeply to the community their business serves. “We like these people,” Willis laughs with mock surprise, as he ruminates with clear fondness for his adopted town. One reason he loves having a coffee shop, he adds, is that it often feels “like inviting people to your house.” After seeing how welcoming Willis and Rebecca were with us, not the slightest part of me doubted his sincerity. We bid the Ponders and Ruidoso goodbye with bellies and
as I stared at the dark expanse of the desert through the car win-
ER
TY G YM
New Mexico. Somewhere on the long drive back to Albuquerque,
LIB
minds equally full with the cuisine and culture of southeastern
dow, we crossed the invisible line of Little Texas and returned to a land where they spell hot peppers “chile,” rather than “chili.” No matter the spelling, however, our trip confirmed that they taste best served with good company. Our search for good food led us, as it often does, to good people. The stories, jokes, and songs we heard on the trip, perhaps even more than the food itself, left their mark, lingering like a chile's subtle bite.
www.libertygym.com no initiation fees | new members receive free personal training orientation 505.884.8012 | 2401 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
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In the Land of Chile and Pecans SOUTHWESTERN NEW MEXICO by Katherine Mast · Photos by Stephanie Cameron
Agriculture in southwestern New Mexico generally means just a few crops. Pecans and chile top the list; cotton, dairy, and onions enter the story. Vineyards near Deming and Mesquite provide grapes to many of the state’s wineries, and a number of small farms help make farmers markets in Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences lively, bustling places. Chances locally grown produce will appear on a restaurant menu are slim, but New Mexico beef and Hatch green chile often make an appearance. To really see a community’s landscape, one has to get off the highway. At seventy-five miles an hour on I-25, occasional pecan groves and chile fields only hint at the richness of the landscape a little further west, and at the reasons the region in known as the Green Chile Capital. The side roads paint a different picture. The slower route from Las Cruces to Truth or Consequences parallels the interstate, but tucked in the Rio Grande valley, it passes through a smattering of small communities that tend the famed agriculture of the region. Not far from Las Cruces, pecan groves rise in carefully manicured rows—evenly spaced lines of pruned trees with a remarkable lack of anything growing beneath. 36
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Highway 185 parallels the Rio Grande, coming so close that only a few willows separate the road and river. The media has reported in recent years about how little water runs through the river, but the cracked and dry riverbed is still shocking to witness. In the winter months, just a trickle snakes through, winding from bank to bank, evaporating completely in sections, and reappearing further south. Eventually, the rows of pecans give way to fields of harvested cotton and acres of last year’s chiles. Tufts of white on brown earth are evidence of cotton production. Chile farms still hold bare skeletons of stalks and leaves, with desiccated red fruits hanging from the dry stems. In spite of abundant agriculture in the region, the local food movement is nascent compared to Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Several restaurateurs, from Las Cruces to Socorro, said that finding locally grown produce in the quantities they needed was a major impediment to sourcing locally. Others, marketing New Mexico salsas and pecans topped with spices, sugar, or chocolate, seemed unaware of ingredients—like fruit—that could be sourced within the state. The food is there—its just not making it to local markets yet.
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Old Monticello Organic Farms Located in Monticello, Old Monticello is a certified organic farm that produces traditional balsamic vinegar along with many other products. www.organicbalsamic.com The Restaurant at Sierra Grande In Truth or Concequences, The Restaurant at Sierra Grande offers fine dining with creative cuisine by renowned chef and restaurateur Tatsu Miyazaki. 501 McAdoo Street, Truth or Consequences 575-894-6976, www.sierragrandelodge.com
Passion Pie Cafe Located in Truth or Consequences, Passion Pie Cafe serves up home cooking and art. 406 Main Avenue, T or C 575-894-0008, deepwaterfarm.com
Amaro Winery Located in Las Cruces, Amaro Winery makes several outstanding red and white, sweet and dry wines. Enjoy a glass in their beautiful tasting room or outdoor patio.
ALSO SEE
402 South Melendres Street, Las Cruces 575-527-5310, www.amarowinerynm.com
Mountain View Market Co-op
Greenhaus Food Truck Located in Las Cruces, the Greenhaus food truck provides healthy, high quality, and local food. The Greenhaus likes to know where their food comes from.
This Las Cruces co-op opened in 1975 as a group of health-conscious people from New Mexico State University who realized that by pooling their buying power, they could afford to ship in items like specialty cheeses, teas, and bulk grains not available at conventional grocery stores. 1300 El Paseo Road, Las Cruces 575-523-0436 mountainviewmarket.coop
575-322-2774, www.thegreenhausnm.com WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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Greenhaus Each Saturday as vendors from southern New Mexico prepare tables of produce and crafts at Las Cruces’ multi-block downtown farmers market, food trucks take their spots alongside vendors, on side streets, and in parking lots. The city may not rank high on the list of foodie destinations, but a growing cadre of food trucks offers the city a mobile menu of quick, delicious meals. The local food movement may not have taken deep root yet in New Mexico’s second largest city, but Las Cruces’ newest food truck has taken the issue to heart.
a good way, to better the world and people’s health and the environment, and run a sustainable business.” While it’s always been her dream to run her own restaurant, Ordaz decided to forgo brick-and-mortar for a smaller, mobile option. With the help of an investor, the start-up costs for a food truck were within her reach. She likes having the option to relocate if business is slow and to participate in local events like the live music on Friday nights at Amaro Winery. Entering the food truck business in Las Cruces was daunting, says Ordaz. She expected to find a competitive field, but in contrast, discovered a group of business owners happy to share their knowledge and to help her get started. Russ Smith, who sells hotdogs from the Happy Dog food truck; Ivan Sanchez, proprietor of the theatrical Mexican street food truck, Luchador; and Ben Wood, who prepares sandwiches with flavors from around the world in the 138 Food Truck all helped Ordaz navigate the world of permits and health inspections. “I feel so lucky to live in such a nice community,” says Ordaz. “We all feel that the more people who like food trucks, the better we’re all going to do.”
Amaro Winery Greenhaus food truck in Las Cruces.
Greenhaus, opened its windows for service on February 16, 2015. Under the creative direction of Ana Ordaz, a young, vibrant entrepreneur, the brightly colored truck features healthy, delicious fare made from local ingredients. When she dreamt up the Greenhaus, many people assumed she’d sell burritos, says Ordaz. Instead, her menu— written in colorful chalk on two blackboards that lean against the truck—features sandwiches, smoothies, and gourmet fries. With vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, she offers something fantastic for everyone. Ordaz purchases her breads, sprouts, and eggs from vendors at the farmers market, and sources local beef and chicken through Mountain View Market. In an effort to keep processed ingredients to a minimum, she makes her delicious chile and red pepper aiolis on-site. As winter wanes and famers bring more produce to the market, Ordaz plans to add even more items to her list of locallysourced ingredients. Ordaz, who holds degrees from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute and New Mexico State University, has long been interested in food. Growing up in Juarez meant fresh, home-cooked meals were part of her everyday life, and encountering new cuisines during international travels deepened her love for flavors. More recently, Ordaz has developed a passion for creating healthful food and for supporting environmentally-friendly agriculture. When her mother developed cancer several years ago, Ordaz began exploring the connection between food, environment, and human health. “I had a huge disappointment in our current food system,” she says. “I wanted to use my career in 38
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The Amaro Winery is easy to spot, if one knows where to look. At a former lumberyard in the industrial district between Las Cruces and Mesilla, a metal sculpture pushes against a cool stucco building. This anthropomorphized wine bottle with arms extended and feet askance seems to be bracing the wall. It sets the tone for the laid-back, imaginative atmosphere that owners Kelly Allen and Benjamin Maier, in partnership with their families, have created inside. Just beyond the sidewalk, a gated, covered courtyard offers pet-friendly outdoor seating, and a brightly colored interior welcomes guests with a hodgepodge of furniture, art from local artists, and some of New Mexico’s heartiest, full-bodied wines. Established in 2009, Amaro has won several awards for its wines, which are all made on-site from New Mexico–grown grapes. A shelf behind the bar holds a lineup of previous years’ wines, many of which wear medals around their necks. The winery offers twelve to fifteen different wines—it varies from year to year—and all are produced and bottled on site. From Malbecs and Tempranillos to Chenin Blancs and Gewürztraminers, these wines stand out for their bold, dry flavors in a state better known for its sweet wines. Maier, Amaro’s head winemaker, comes from a long line of German vintners—his father, Bernd Maier, is the state viticulturist through New Mexico State University’s extension program—and that generational knowledge comes to bear in Amaro products. Despite their success in the wine world, Amaro has a relaxed, welcoming feel—and this is by design. “We try not to be wine snobs!” says Allen, who heads up the sales and marketing and operates the tasting room. “Whether you know everything about wine or nothing
Tasting room at the Amaro Winery.
about wine, we want you to be comfortable getting to know wine.” The tasting room feels cozy, a little like home. Indeed, the Maier and Allen families brought furniture from their own houses to fill the space and purchased other tables, chairs, and doors from the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. “We like to support the local community,” says Allen, whether that means repurposing local materials or displaying local art on their walls. Amaro has also become a community gathering spot, especially on Friday nights when local musicians perform and food trucks idle on the street offering exciting dinner options. They host Salsa Saturdays twice a month, with free thirty-minute lessons to kick off the evening. They also invite comedians and poets—from novices to professors at the nearby NMSU—to share their words in a monthly open mic. Allen says that in addition to wine, she serves up at least one hundred hugs on a Friday night. “We’re like ‘Cheers,’” she says, “where everyone knows your name.”
Bringing together local food, farmers and the community! See our website for a list of special dinners & reservations.
8917 4th St NW
Albuquerque, NM 87114
505.503.7124 Farmandtablenm.com
Dinner: Wed-Sat open at 5pm Brunch: sat-sun 9am-2pm
The Restaurant at Sierra Grande Two enormous palm trees flank the entrance to the Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa in Truth or Consequences, a two-story hotel built in 1929. In addition to seventeen private rooms, casitas, and an elegant spa with private hot spring tubs, the Sierra Grande also offers the county’s newest fine-dining establishment. An evening at The Restaurant, which opened on New Year’s Day 2015 under the direction of internationally recognized chef Tatsu Miyazaki, offers a feast for the senses. Miyazaki, who also runs the Savoy de Mesilla and Aqua Reef restaurants near Las Cruces, says his newest restaurant concept features contemporary American dishes with both southwestern flair and global influences. Take, for example, the restaurant’s Hot Rock Steak, which draws on the teppan-yaki tradition where customers cook their own food, as well as luau cooking in the Polynesian Islands where meat is slowly cooked on hot rocks in the ground. Miyazaki offers guests an interactive dining experience. Several thin cuts of raw, marinated steak on bamboo skewers arrive at the table along with a sizzling
Take a little trip. LODGING, DINING & LIVE MUSIC NIGHTLY at The HISTORIC TAOS INN
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five-hundred-degree-hot river rock. Diners cook the steaks at their own pace and to their preferred doneness.
Miyazaki loves his role at Sierra Grande. He had visited the lodge’s restaurant years ago under previous management, but never imagined he would one day be its chef. “It’s an amazing opportunity to partner with Ted Turner and bring our vision of fine dining to Sierra Grande,” he says. Serving produce in-season and sourcing his ingredients locally are top priorities for Miyazaki, but it is a challenging endeavor in southern New Mexico. The menu features two dishes—a bison burger and a bison fillet—made from livestock raised on Turner’s ranches, and locally grown green chile and onions are fairly easy to source. “It’s a work in progress,” he says, but echoed a statement made by other restaurant owners in Las Cruces: it is a challenge to find enough local produce to meet the demands of a restaurant in southern New Mexico.
Hot Rock Steak at The Restaurant at Sierra Grande.
While the Hot Rock Steak is the restaurant’s only hands-on option, Miyazaki works presentation magic throughout his dishes. Siphoned coffee is made at the table like an elegant chemistry experiment, using a flame beneath a two-part glass apparatus suspended in air to create a smooth, rich drink. When preparing ice cream, the restaurant’s servers get a workout: this at-table creation uses liquid nitrogen—at negative two hundred degrees—to transform thick vanilla custard into creamy decadence in minutes. Perhaps the most visually stunning desert is the creme brûlée. A variation on the typical theme, this custard served atop vanilla cake arrives floating in a fishbowl billowing in a cloud of dry ice. The Restaurant at Sierra Grande is media mogul Ted Turner’s latest investment in New Mexico. Turner purchased the Sierra Grande in 2013 and has since worked to re-open its kitchen, which sat vacant for the last eight years. The Restaurant now offers a complimentary hot breakfast to guests at the lodge and is open to the public for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It will also provide meals for guests who want to take part in eco-adventures on Turner’s Armendaris and Ladder Ranches, which together span more than five hundred thousand acres in southern New Mexico. The lodge and restaurant are also slated to provide rooms and meals for Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport visiting astronauts. 40
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Chef Tatsu Miyazaki at The Restaurant at Sierra Grande.
Old Monticello Organic Farms Thirty miles northwest of Truth or Consequences the tiny town of Monticello nestles at the far end of a long canyon. Once a bustling agricultural community with more than one thousand families, the valley is now home to roughly one hundred residents, and Monticello is often called a ghost town. It is literally one of the quietest places on earth—surrounded by mountain ridges and mesas, even the wind whispers through the valley. While the population has dwindled, losing its members to foreign wars or economic opportunities in the cities, the
valley is still rich with farms. Some of the finest—and most interesting—products come from the fifty-acre Old Monticello Organic Farms at the edge of town just before the road turns to gravel and winds back into the mountains. Steve and Jane Darland, who own Old Monticello, moved to New Mexico after their children finished college. Tired of the rat race in the California’s Bay Area and in search of quieter lives, they settled in Monticello full time in 1998, having planted their grapes six years earlier. They grow a variety of unusual squash, beans, herbs, and almonds, raise eighteen kinds of heritage apples and more than two hundred pomegranate trees, including nine rare varieties. Committed to the local community, they helped start the Sierra County/Truth or Consequences Farmer’s Market, and sell their certified organic produce there. The farm’s most unusual product, however, is traditional aged balsamic vinegar made from the sweet white Italian grapes they grow.
Steve Darland talking about the science behind pruning the grapes.
Traditional balsamic is completely unlike anything one might find at the grocery store. Readily available balsamic usually contains added sugars and coloring, and can be made in just a day. Traditional balsamic takes a minimum of twelve years to produce, has only one ingredient —grape must—and is thick, rich, and complex like a fine wine. The Darland’s balsamic is now seventeen years old and is the one of few USmade traditional balsamic on the market. It’s also the only traditional balsamic available made from organic grapes.
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Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale originated in Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, centuries ago and is made by slowly evaporating the water from fermenting grape juice and transferring the increasingly dense product through a series of smaller and smaller wooden casks. It took the Darlands three years to acquire their battery of casks, which Francesco Renzi made from a variety of woods by hand in Modeno at his family’s five-hundred-year-old cooperage. As the vinegar ages, the acid slowly eats away at the wood, imparting unique flavors to the balsamic. Traditional balsamic, unlike its industrial counterpart, is a product of slow concentration. Juice from two hundred pounds of grapes makes just one four-and-one-half-ounce bottle of balsamic, which the Darlands sell for one hundred fifty dollars each. As water evaporates, which happens quickly in Monticello’s seventeen percent humidity, the balsamic thickens, becoming dense and viscous. It’s one of the reasons the Darlands are so committed to using organic grapes—any chemical residue would become part of that concentrated finished product. The Darlands are world travelers and spend the winter downtime visiting new places and learning, but they also want friends and family to come to them. In addition to their house, a guesthouse, and the vinegar house on the main property, the Darlands have a casita with a commercial kitchen, with two additional casitas on another property half a block toward town. These they rent out to guests seeking solitude and introspection. The quiet of Monticello offers a perfect getaway for musicians and writers who need to unplug. With no cell phone service in the valley, the casitas are free from the distractions of the internet and television. Guests must bring all their own food because the closest grocery store or restaurant is thirty miles away, and there is no air conditioning in the hot summer months, but for the right person, Monticello is a haven. “Out (here) in the middle of nowhere, time is elastic,” says Steve. It’s a place you can dig in deep and discover. The sounds of roosters and mourning doves, horses neighing and sparrows chirping wake guests who lodge in the casitas. Water gurgles in the acequia down the hill fed by a mountain thermal spring. Neighbors wave to visitors on the quiet streets in a way only small town residents do.
Passion Pie Cafe
direly needed a coffee shop. Passion Pie was their solution to that problem. The trio refers to themselves as The Trifecta, and the boisterous, fun-loving team brings a unique set of skills and unbridled humor to their work. They prepare nearly everything on the menu from scratch, and the trifecta likes to come up with fun, irreverent names for their dishes. Come for breakfast to feast on one of many waffles, including the Fat Elvis—which mixes bacon into the batter—or the Passionate Pear Wafflewich made of fruit, nuts, and cheese stuffed between two waffles. They can’t help but chuckle at old women who order the stuffed chocolate cookies they’ve named Who You Calling a Ho-Ho. Estes’s quiches are always a hot menu item. Edible Santa Fe’s publisher and photographer, Stephanie Cameron, said the fluffy zucchini, hominy, and feta quiche was “probably the best quiche I’ve ever had.” And Estes would hope so—she’s been perfecting the dish since she was just eight years old. Her culinary delights are “the culmination of forty years of experience,” she says. Her latest undertaking is a series of gluten-free nut cakes. The simple confections, made of nut meals, fruits, and eggs, are moist and decadent. “I try to make sure there’s something for everyone,” says Estes. In addition to providing a local gathering spot, Passion Pie also supports the work of other community members. The cafe’s colorful handmade tabletops are in constant flux—almost all of them are for sale. Painters display their canvases on the brightly colored walls. And a few dishes have featured local ingredients and products. For a time, in homage to Jane and Steve Darland of Old Monticello Organic Farms, Passion Pie offered a pizza drizzled with the farm’s traditional balsamic and called it the Darland Dream. Passion Pie is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch nearly all year, but the trifecta also tries to strike a work-life balance. They take a few holiday breaks and close for two weeks each August for vacation. But even while they are away, they know they are loved; their neighbor across the street sends them notes from home with pictures of forlorn customers peering sadly into the locked glass doors. Customers love the Passion Pie because the people at the Passion Pie love what they do. When you bite into something at the Passion Pie, Estes says, “You have just tasted something someone loved making.”
On a late Saturday afternoon, less than an hour before closing time, a gentle stream of people still pass through the doors of the Passion Pie Cafe in downtown Truth or Consequences. Most of the two-seater tables in the small storefront are occupied and a few people wait in line at the counter in back, ordering lunch or coffee and a pastry. “We’re all sold out of everything,” exaggerated Terry Estes, one of the cafe’s three owners and head chef, or, as her business partners call her, The Queen of All Things Food. While enough options are left for a light lunch, the day we visited proved to be the highest traffic day in the cafe’s nearly three-year history. When Judy Reagan, the cafe’s business manager, and Jia Apple, an artist, first met Estes in 2010, they all agreed Truth or Consequences 42
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From left to right: Passion Pie owners; Jia Apple, Judy Reagan, and Terry Estes.
Litt le Water, Big Sky NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO
by Amy White · Photos by Stephanie Cameron
In late February, edible publisher Stephanie Cameron and I journeyed through northeastern New Mexico, from fertile river valleys to high mountains and beyond into the rolling plains. Heading north from Española, New Mexico’s first Spanish capital, I always feel the weight of centuries of isolation that forged the culture of northern New Mexico. With a short growing season and little rainfall, settlers struggled to grow food in this region. They developed a high degree of self-sufficiency because anything not produced locally was, by necessity, transported long distances. Continuing east out of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains through Cimarron Canyon, it occurred to me that perhaps more than any other corner of the state, ranching, rather than farming, dominates the landscape. This is real cowboy country, where shortgrass prairie stretches as far as the eye can see, and where nearly everyone you meet is involved in ranching.
These high, dry plains simply can’t support much agriculture besides grazing. The upper Canadian River and its tributaries provide the only surface-water irrigation in the region. In dry times, the shortgrass prairie, a mix of hardy grasses and forbs that don’t need much rainfall to survive, cannot provide enough forage to support large herds of cattle. People here are keenly aware of the drought that has hit ranchers hard in the past fifteen years. In conversation with locals, we discovered that many eat food they produce or gather, either beef from the ranches they work on, trout they have caught, or elk and venison they have hunted. But local produce is hard to come by. A few restaurants serve local game or beef, however, it must be processed at a USDA-certified facility and most of the region’s cattle are shipped off to feedlots for finishing.
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Ojo Caliente
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs is one of the oldest natural health resorts in the country. In addition, Ojo now offers farm-to-table dining at the Artesian Restarurant. 50 Los Banos Drive, Ojo Caliente, 505-583-2233, www.ojospa.com Angelina's Restaurant In Española, you will find the unpretentious Angelina's Restaurant which offers many New Mexican specialties made with local ingredients. 1226 N Railroad Avenue, Española, 505-753-8543, www.angelinasnm.com
ALSO SEE Aztec Mill The Aztec Mill—built in 1864 and capable of grinding fifteen thousand pounds of flour per day—represents a time when local food was the only option, because transportation was risky and expensive. The historical society now uses the building as a museum featuring all kinds of artifacts, and has preserved some of the mill’s huge gears and grinding stones. 220 West 17th Street, Cimarron 575-376-2417
Cimarron Canyon State Park The Cimarron River flows through this narrow, forested canyon, located near Eagle Nest on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.
Cimarron Angus In Maxwell, Cimarron Angus is run by Bill and Barbie Gobel. The Gobel's are committed to raising grass-fattened meat; offering lamb and Angus beef. 575-375-2972 44
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In my worldview, the first rule of traveling in northern New Mexico is this: always stop in Española for lunch. The former capital hosts a disproportionate number of outstanding New Mexican restaurants, such as La Cocina, El Paragua, and the original El Parasol, but my favorite is Angelina’s. This unpretentious Española institution offers a bright, airy dining room packed with local characters every day of the week. Backed up to the river just off of Fairview, fields and fruit trees surround the restaurant.
Bon Appétit!
Fine Southwestern & French Cuisine
229 Galisteo Street, Santa Fe ̇ 505-989-1919 ̇ www.loviviersantafe.com
Angelina's Restaurant
Chile rellenos at Angelina's Restaurant.
Angelina’s specialty is lamb, which, although the menu doesn’t mention it, is actually local and organic from Shepherd’s Lamb in Tierra Amarilla. Another highlight is the rare northern New Mexico specialty known as chicos—dried roasted sweet corn, which can only be local because commercial production elsewhere is generally nonexistent. Their rellenos are some of my favorites anywhere, with an incredibly crispy crust, made from certified New Mexico–grown chile, of course.
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort The resort's luxurious new suites incorporate green building techniques such as locally harvested fire-salvaged timbers, energyefficient building materials, low VOC paints and finishes, natural WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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daylighting, and geothermal heating using the springs’ water after it has flowed through the pools. Owner Andy Scott has reworked the water delivery systems, and in 2008 he led efforts to improve New Mexico hot springs water testing regulations. Garden Manager Jane McKay has converted much of the landscaping to xeriscape, utilizing native and drought tolerant plants. McKay’s idea of developing a farm-to-table program for the restaurant sprouted after success growing greens and herbs in a traditional waffle garden. Last spring they hired farmer Mark DeRespinis to grow produce for the resort’s Artesian Restaurant, and the on-site one acre Ojo Farm was born. In the summer of 2014, Executive Chef Paul Novak, former chef de cuisine of Geronimo, joined the team. This spring the farm will expand to two acres.
couldn’t sleep. Novak, too, is personally committed to local food. As a child, he never had candy or store-bought baked goods until he started school. He recalls getting wet and dirty pulling weeds in his mother’s garden and the smell of bread rising, memories that inform his work today. Both chef and farmer are thrilled to be at Ojo, and to work together. Surveying the field, the two of them are like little boys, excitedly making plans for what they’ll grow and serve in the coming seasons.
Wood plank salmon at Ojo's Artesian Restaurant.
In the past year, DeRespinis grew more than forty different crops, including squash blossoms, sweet bell peppers, jalapeños, and heirloom tomatoes. Novak produced garden-grown salads from mid-June to late November. For two and a half months all the salsa served in the restaurant came from the farm. In February they had carrots and potatoes in storage, overwintered scallions and Walla Walla sweet onions still in the ground, and fall-planted spinach still yielding about ten to twenty pounds a week from under cloth covers. A few times, they were overwhelmed with certain crops; Novak recalls leaving two hundred pounds of potatoes in the break room one day, and being pleased to find they had all been taken home by staff at the end of the day. With the short growing season spanning late May to mid-September, this is no small feat, especially since the field is in a low spot that consistently registers about seven degrees colder than the surrounding area. Last year, DeRespinis built a twelve-foot by one-hundred-eighty foot hoop house; this year he plans to build a larger, sturdier high tunnel. The rest of the field is set up on a permanent raised bed system, and DeRespinis uses winter cover crops such as oats, peas, rye, and vetch to build the soil. Chef Paul Novak and farmer Mark DeRespinis on Ojo's farm.
DeRespinis met us at the farm gate with some of the sweetest carrots I’ve ever tasted, fresh out of storage from his fall crop, eager to show us his progress. He described how after meeting McKay at a young farmers’ gathering, he was so excited about the project he 46
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Growing for a restaurant requires the farmer to produce a continuous supply of small amounts of veggies. For example, DeRespinis grows romaine lettuce as many months of the year as possible, because Caesar salads are a popular item in the restaurant. This spring, he plans to plant blackberries, raspberries, and asparagus a little further
up the hill. The kitchen showcases special vegetables as they come into season, like broccolini in spring and green beans in summer. Growing food at Ojo has been a learning experience for everyone, Novak says. Customers can tell the salad is different—fresher—and that’s satisfying. But one day not long after he’d started, while talking to the kitchen staff about using the chard coming out of the field, he got a funny feeling. He stopped and asked, “Who knows what chard is?” No one raised a hand. Now he considers it his mission to educate his staff about vegetables and healthy eating. Signature dishes include local El Rito lamb chops, bison burgers, seasonal soups, a gorgeous spinach salad straight from the farm, wild-caught Pacific salmon with baby bok choy, and Chimayó red chile and cinnamon truffles. Ojo Caliente strikes a rare balance between luxurious and unpretentious, managing to appeal to all kinds of people. And it just keeps getting better.
Taos Diner and Market Taos Diner might just be my new favorite breakfast spot. They serve the expected diner fare, prepared exceptionally well. Those who aren’t looking for it might not even notice that the hash is made with local, organic potatoes, and the burgers with local, grassfed beef.
W IN E B I S T R O It’s Spring... Fresh Greens, Bright Flavors, Exciting Wines... Come Join Us!
Lunch & Dinner Monday–Saturday Sunday Supper 304 Johnson St, Santa Fe 505-989-1166 • terracottawinebistro.com
Southwestern Breakfast at the Taos Diner, two eggs scrambled with chorizo and cheese topped with red chile, home fries, and tortilla. WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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Owner Annie Powell is seriously committed to supporting local food producers and has quietly sourced local produce and meat for over a decade. After working at the original Taos Diner on the north side of town for five years, she and her husband Jay bought the business from pal Josh Wright in 2004. They opened Taos Diner II on the south side of town in 2010. And last fall, the Powells started a new venture, Taos Market, specializing in local organic foods, right next door to the first restaurant. Opening the market just seemed like the next step in forming stronger relationships with farmers, Annie says. Southern Colorado rancher Kelly West supplies organic eggs and the same grassfed beef they use at the restaurants. The market offers gluten-free products including a grain-free flour blend and baked goods from another new local venture, Deborah’s Dao-Nuts. It also features local pork, lamb, cheeses, and baked goods, as well as wheatgrass and sprouts from Grass Roots Farm, and come summer, it will source more local and organic produce. Even more exciting, the Powells have already started construction on a greenhouse to grow some of their own produce.
produce, but there simply aren’t many farmers in the area, so about once a month she makes the two-and-a-half hour trip to shop at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. The cafe also serves as an informal local produce exchange—local gardeners can bring her their excess produce in trade for a few free lunches, or she might bring back extra produce from Santa Fe to sell or trade. Customers also sometimes meet up there to barter eggs or milk. As we chat, Smith shares other local food-related news. Philmont Scout Ranch has also leased the historic Chase Ranch where they hope to restore the gardens with the help of Colfax County Master Gardeners. She sends us on our way with a recommendation to visit her brother, Roger, at the Colfax Tavern.
Colfax Tavern
The Colfax Tavern.
Across the vast expanse of northeastern New Mexico plains, just in the middle of nowhere, a sign beckons: Cold Beer, in six-foothigh white letters across a red wall. The place might seem abandoned, except for the newness of the paint, and the tiny “Open” sign in the window. The building has stood in this location since 1929, just a stone’s throw from the now-razed ghost town of Colfax, which from 1908 to 1930 had a post office, a school, a two-story hotel, and a dance hall that could hold one thousand people.
Sharon Smith, owner and chef at The Porch Market and Deli.
The Porch Market and Deli This homey little cafe is where many locals like to eat lunch. Owner Sharon Smith serves up delicious pies, soups, and sandwiches made to order, using the freshest ingredients possible. She’d love to serve local 48
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Owner Roger Smith, a genial character who spent part of his childhood in Cimarron, bought this place twenty years ago. His sister, Sharon Smith of the Porch Cafe, helped him fix up the old building, and as he says, “It just seems to have taken on a life of its own.” On a Thursday afternoon in February, the characters at the bar included a local high school teacher and a biker-looking guy who makes beautiful silver bracelets. A sign on the wall advertised a raw oyster feast for Fat Tuesday. In the summer the tavern has live music almost every weekend, and it’s a popular hangout for the hundreds of camp counselors and troop leaders from Philmont Scout Ranch. Even in the winter, the watering hole still draws a decent crowd of motorcyclists every weekend. Smith
offers a few local brews on tap, although Bud Light remains his best seller. He cooks up excellent pizzas, burgers, and the occasional steak. In July, he will throw a big twentieth-anniversary bash. The first Saturday in June is the tavern’s annual “golf ” tournament, which consists of hitting golf balls out across the pasture with barrels for the holes.
fatten up on high-quality grass, and are sold at eighteen to twentyfour months. They’ve learned that to get really good grassfed meat, the animal has to have a good life all the way through, so they don’t buy calves from the sale barn. Genetics matter too, because different kinds of cattle are bred for tender meat, better flavor, and the ability to mature earlier and get fatter.
Cimarron Angus
After fifteen mostly dry years, the changes they have made tell the story of how drought impacts a family farm. Lack of water to raise beef the way they want meant that last year they produced only five beeves for sale. This year they have ten steers and ten heifers, but the heifers will be sold for breeding because right now they are more valuable as replacement stock than as beef. The US beef herd is at its lowest since the 1960s, and now that the rain has come, many ranchers want to rebuild their numbers.
Above: Bill and Barbie Goebel of Cimarron Angus. Right: ewes and Angus on the Cimarron Angus range.
Bill and Barbie Goebel live and work on 639 acres just outside of Maxwell, near the Vermejo River, surrounded by a sprinkling of small lakes and the Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge. Even in winter, the landscape is gorgeous, with rolling fields of grass stretching all the way to snowy mountains. They produce most of their own food—hundreds of pounds of produce from two big gardens, pastured poultry, milk from two Jersey cows, beef, lamb, and occasionally pork. They also raise border collies that work as cattle and sheep dogs on the farm. Irrigation water comes from a ditch off the Stubblefield Reservoir. When it holds enough water, they use it to flood one field, and to pump through a thousand-foot-long center-pivot sprinkler to irrigate one hundred acres of pasture.
The Goebels hesitate to grow their cattle herd. They plan to raise more grass-fattened lamb, because sheep, with their smaller size, require less time and forage to finish. Even with the drought, there’s plenty of grass for sheep to thrive. Fat ewes bear many lambs—last year the Goebels had thirty-nine lambs from seventeen ewes. They also produce lots of milk to so their young grow up healthy. The lambs fatten up by eating grass in addition to their mothers’ milk, and are harvested at about one hundred twenty five pounds, around six months of age. Thoughtful, resourceful people, the Goebels are committed to raising grass-fattened meat because they believe it’s better for the animals, the land, and our health. Barbie attends the New Mexico organic farming conference every year, and Bill attends the Quivira Coalition’s annual conference to stay current with latest research and to connect with like-minded producers. Come what may, they adapt to the challenges presented by today’s climate and economy.
For twenty years, the Goebels have raised grass-fattened registered Angus beef on this land. Animals born on the farm grow to maturity, WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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Magic in Navajo Border lands NORTHWESTERN NEW MEXICO by Sarah Wentzel-Fisher · Photos by Stephanie Cameron
The last weekend in February edible publisher Stephanie Cameron and I, en route to Farmington, faced the blizzard of the decade. We crept along highway US 550 while sheets of ice accumulated on the windshield and in the wheel wells. Despite the less-than-ideal driving conditions, the rare snow-blanketed landscape reminded us that almost any season in New Mexico offers beautiful reasons for a road trip. While most people would consider the southern part of the state borderlands, the truth is, so is the northwest corner. The Navajo Nation, known for its code-talkers and Canyon De Chelly, Monument Valley and mutton, has much to offer to the curious visitor in search of
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a strong and unique food culture. While our journey only took us to its edge, all of our experiences reminded us how much conflict a border can create—socially, economically, environmentally—and how much opportunity it offers to learn from people who experience the world through a different cultural lens. We looked for local food, and found a little. We sought locals’ perspectives and found individuals deeply committed to their neighbors and their places. For me, hearing their love and passion is really at the heart of what makes a great road trip—these individuals reveal the magic of small, ordinary, off-the-beaten-path places by inviting you in.
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Casa Blanca Inn Situated on a bluff overlooking Farmington, Casa Blanca Inn is one of the finest in the Four Corners region. The Inn offers guests peaceful gardens, trickling fountains, and exquisite accommodations. A sumptuous breakfast is served each morning featuring home-made-recipes cooked with thoughtfully sourced ingredients.
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505 E La Plata Street Farmington. 505-327-6503, www.4cornersbandb.com Three Rivers Brewery Located in Farmington, Three Rivers Eatery and Brewery was established in 1997 by John Silva and Bob and Cindy Beckley. The unique decor consists mostly of priceless items found in the building during the renovation. 111 E Main Street, Farmington 505-325-6605, www.threeriversbrewery.com
Hunt's Sweetmeats
ALSO SEE El Rancho Hotel Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the El Rancho Hotel is the embodiment of America’s Old West. The hotel was a home to movie stars throughout the 1930s to 1940s who filmed Westerns in the area. 1000 East 66, Gallup 505-863-9311 www.route66hotels.org
Tse’ yaa’ ak’ ahi means grease below the rock in Navajo, but these words also mark the home of Hunt’s Sweetmeats, a fourth generation abattoir and butcher shop specializing in traditional Native American delicacies. Located on Highway 64, Waterflow, 505-598-6050
Ancient Way Cafe Located in El Morro, the Ancient Way Cafe brings you a healthier, more natural way to dine. The area is rich in artists and their work is proudly displayed throughout the cafe. Mile Marker 46 Highway 53, El Morro 505-783-4612, www.elmorro-nm.com
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Spring to your nearest farmers' market and bring the harvest home! Up-to-the-minute market information is available at www.FarmersMarketsNM.org
Casa Blanca Inn After our harrowing drive, we navigated our way to the Casa Blanca Inn where we would stay for the night. At the dead end of a residential street a small, lit yard sign told us we had arrived. Pulling into a bricked driveway, two Tesla charging stations stood erect at the edge of the pavement. Eighteen months earlier, Elon Musk had come to stay and had the stations installed before his arrival. Bobbie Curtis, the genial innkeeper, told us that since their installation, only two other guests had plugged in their cars, but most guests found their presence novel—perhaps like the first gas pumps to arrive in a cow town. The residential neighborhoods in Farmington are testament to the 1950 population boom—from thirty five hundred to thirty five thousand in a three-year period as a result of the San Juan pipeline build out. The distinctive "Leave it to Beaver" architecture of the city's housing stock makes it feel like a time capsule.
Blue corn mush at Casa Blanca Inn.
Casa Blanca Inn echoes that boom time. Proprietors David and Shirley Alford have meticulously maintained the details of this mid-century gem (allegedly built by the mayor), and have built an addition to complete a large courtyard with two additional guestrooms beautifully accented with eclectic, but tasteful, southwest and Latin American décor. Our room, the once–master bedroom on the second floor of the main house, adjoined a bright south-facing sunroom complete with house plants as old as the house and a variety of comfy chairs for sitting while watching the garden below.
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The next morning, we met with Curtis in the atrium, which doubles as the breakfast room, for coffee and a conversation about what Farmington offers tourists interested in food and agriculture. She served us a traditional bowl of blue corn mush, alongside less traditional French toast and coffee. In addition to her position at Casa Blanca, she also helps her parents manage their family farm—about four acres of mixed vegetables. The food they raise mostly goes to feed family and neighbors, but they sell some at
the Shiprock and Farmington farmers markets, and occasionally through roadside farm stands, which she recommended checking out during the summer months.
Three Rivers Brewery After settling into our room, we headed into the falling snow to find food. Farmington pales in comparison to its northern neighbor Durango in terms of dining options, but the Three Rivers Brewery in the heart of downtown came highly recommended by everyone we asked. We entered the packed dining hall and knew it must be the place to be because the hostess told us to expect a half-hour wait for a table, and two other groups gave their names immediately after us.
vital
foods
NM
924 Coal Ave. SW @10th | vitalfoodsnm.com | 505.243.3922
Vintage ceiling at the Three Rivers Brewery.
Shortly, two stools at the bar opened up, and we sidled over to order beer while we waited. A sassy, no-nonsense bartender, who poured with one hand while washing glasses with another, recommended everything but the cider. We sampled the Roustabout Stout, IPA, and Papa Bear’s Golden Honey Ale before settling on a pint. WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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The hostess finally called our name and seated us at a table beneath a 1930s vintage Phillip Morris poster at the front window. We perused the menu—a ten-page jumble of appetizers, burgers, specials, sandwiches, history, and jokes. We ordered a house-made green chile bratwurst and a quesadilla featuring slow roasted pork and tart apples. Clearly, someone in the kitchen cared about well-prepared meat. After our meal, we decided to explore. The dining room continued through a hallway into the adjacent storefront and brewing equipment lined another hall near the kitchen. Vintage odds and ends, beer labels and coasters, and irreverent signs covered almost every surface of the interior. Usually this sort of chaos makes me claustrophobic, but we poked about appreciating all the detail. A short, burly, energetic man, noting our interest, introducimg himself as Jon Silva, owner, operator, and sometimes dishwasher of the 3RB.
and a tray full of ach'íí'. When the elder asked if he could help us, we explained we worked for a food magazine and couldn’t help but stop at a place called Sweetmeats. Raymond “Squeak” Hunt proudly offered to answer our questions while serving us both one of the fatty roasted ribs in a silver tray under a heat lamp. He explained that they raise most of the sheep they sell, about one hundred whole animals a week, on several different properties they own in the area. He said they sometimes buy animals from neighbors’ flocks. He explains that the younger man behind the counter is his son, Shorty, that his father, Slim, opened the business in 1958, and that someday, his grandson, Skeeter, would take over.
Silva and partners Bob and Cindy Beckley opened the brewery in 1997 as a way to repurpose the Andrews building, the original Farmington Drug Store. Committed to honoring the history of the store and its place in the community, Silva chose to rehab as much of the existing interior as possible, and incorporated the glut of remnants from the pharmacy into the décor. But Silva’s passion for history and community run so much deeper than his restaurant’s ambiance. In addition to the restaurant, the Three Rivers team purchased half the block to open a billiards hall and taproom, a pizza parlor, and a banquet hall—each with a unique character catering to slightly different crowds. The Three River businesses employ more than seventy fulltime staff, making them one of the largest employers in the area. Silva understands that Three Rivers is more than a place for a night out on the town. For every story he tells us about the history of his storefronts, he tells two about his employees, friends, and fellow Farmingtonians.
Hunt’s Sweetmeats Next we headed west toward Shiprock along Highway 64. Oil and gas machinery and angry signs about political corruption and pollution color the pastoral landscape of orchards and small farms along the San Juan River. We pulled over in Waterflow, famous for two things—coal-fire power plants and mutton. Tse’ yaa’ ak’ ahi means grease below the rock in Navajo, but these words also mark the home of Hunt’s Sweetmeats, a fourth generation abattoir and butcher shop specializing in traditional Native American delicacies like ach'íí' (a length of sheep intestine wrapped around a piece of colon), blood sausage, and menudo. We entered the shop greeted by smells of roasted meat. Two tall blue-eyed men, one pushing seventy and the other in his mid-thirties, welcomed us as we admired an immaculate cold case, an antique collection of butchering tools, a half dozen perfectly cut legs of mutton,
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Raymond "Squeak" Hunt at the butcher's counter.
He showed us to a number of framed letters on the wall from a senator thanking him for his testimony before Congress about pollution from one of the two coal-fire power plants a stone’s throw from Waterflow. Squeak explained how angry and frustrated he has become with the environmental and cultural degradation as a result of collusion between utility companies and the government. At the register, a handwritten sign reads: “Cash, check or pawn.” Squeak boasts he has one of the most extensive collections of Navajo rugs and jewelry anywhere. Though he didn’t say it, I get the impres-
sion he never turns a customer away—feeding his community is the most important part of his business. While we chatted, a steady stream of customers entered the shop. Shorty greeted the first customer in Spanish and they chatted, laughing at casual jokes. An older Navajo couple entered to a warm yá'át'ééh, followed by what I’m guessing translated from Navajo was something like, “How have you been? Nice to see you. How bad is the mud on your road?” I marveled at his trilingualism realizing that this place is not only the confluence of three rivers, but also of (at least) three cultures.
Dip ‘n Dine The Artesian Restaurant Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa
E xECUTi v E ChE F PAUL N OvAk
Come to Ojo for a relaxing soak and enjoy sublime cuisine featuring vegetables grown in our 2-acre farm. Your palette will be rejuvenated too!
505.583.2233
ojospa.com
ojocaliente
Less than an hour north of Santa Fe
Hunt's Sweetmeats proclaimation as the oldest operating ewe slaughterhouse in the US.
USA Today Travel Ten Best Restaurants in the Santa Fe Area
Gallup Our journey continued south along the eastern edge of the Navajo Nation. In good weather, this road offers hints of the dramatic landscapes of Monument Valley and Canyon De Chelly just to the west—both of which merit a trip. After more inclement weather, we arrived in Gallup late in the afternoon, just as the sun started peaking through the clouds. Both in need of a cup of coffee, we went in search of the Blunt Brothers—a drive-through shed in the parking lot just east of the Auto Care Express on Route 66. Unfortunately, we arrived an hour after their 2pm close time. While I can’t speak from experience, more than one coffee snob has recommended this stop. We decided to stretch our legs and explore downtown. Gallup, full of convenience stops and trading posts, has the distinct feel of a border town. This gateway to the Navajo Nation, in spite of extreme economic challenges, has an engaged and hard-working core group of community members who make Gallup a place residents can be proud of. The committed staff of the La Montañita Co-op natural foods grocery on Main Street comprise part of this core group. On the second Saturday every month they participate in the Main Street arts crawl and will host an Earth Day party this year on April 20.
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On our stroll, we stopped in for a snack and to scope the scene. The tiny storefront offers four packed-to-the-ceiling aisles of an amazing selection of natural, organic, and local food. A long line of customers with full baskets waited patiently as the cashier at the store’s single register made small talk while ringing up and bagging groceries.
hour from both Grants and Gallup, El Morro and sister community Ramah are far from regular food supplies, but locals have banded together to make their community more food secure through a number of enterprises: the Ramah Farmers Market, Candy Kitchen Community Garden, Davis Ranch, and El Morro Valley Ranch, just to name a few.
Our walk took us to the other end of downtown and through a residential neighborhood to El Metate, a tamale shop that Jamie Oliver visited. He wrote about learning to make traditional tamales with proprietor Carlos Martinez in Jamie’s America. Martinez, a Mexico City native and UFC fighter, has proudly operated his restaurant and shared his love for good food with Gallup for a number of years.
A gentleman with a hint of an East Coast accent answered my call and told me that the store would close at 4pm and the owner had just left for the day. Disappointed we had missed our opportunity, I thought our trip would quickly come to an end, but before I could hang up he said, “But you should really go to the café, the food is amazing. You’ll need to call and make a reservation.” I took his advice and called immediately—and, yes, they had space for us.
Highway 53 between Gallup and Ramah.
The drive between Gallup and Ramah offers a number of breathtaking views and unusual geology. We enjoyed these vistas under a dappled sky as the sun set at our back. We continued twelve miles past Ramah, past the sandstone bluff that is Inscription Rock, to the Ancient Way Café and RV Park where our dinner awaited.
Carlos Martinez of El Metate Tamale Factory in Gallup.
Ancient Way Cafe and RV Park At 3:30pm, I realized the hour and stopped to telephone what I thought would be our last stop on our northwest New Mexico road trip—The El Morro Feed and Seed. Kate Brown, the owner and operator of the store, sells more than just chicken scratch and hay. She makes a point of purchasing local supplies whenever possible, and has started carrying people-food items, such as grassfed butter and local eggs. An 56
edible Santa Fe | SPRING 2015
We pulled into a parking area on the south side of the road under colorful, hand-decorated signs announcing the Ancient Way Café. We entered in tandem with a foursome, and knew by the six parked cars we were wise to call ahead. A handsome, jovial man with a sparkle in his eye named Maqui greeted us and showed us to a table in the notmore-than-four-hundred-square-feet dining area. After seating us, he explained that they offered a fixed menu determined by the chef—the evening’s offerings included a twelve-ounce pan-seared ribeye with a chile, espresso, cacao rub, scallion cream cheese mashed potatoes, fresh asparagus with lemon and butter, and a salad of young greens. We munched on our generous salads accented with a refreshing lime cilantro dressing and listened to a local musician expertly play a harp in the corner. As Maqui brought us our steaks, he informed us that across the street at the gallery at 7pm we could experience community open mic night, if we wanted after-dinner entertainment. We savored the
well-prepared food and felt warm, welcomed, and truly relaxed for the first time on our two-day trek through the snow. When we finished eating, Maqui asked if we wanted dessert. I wanted dessert because the pastry case was full of beautiful pies and cookies, but neither of us could eat another bite. Before we headed across the road to the open mic, Maqui introduced us to Standing Feather a tall, regal individual who also helps manage the café, cabins, and RV park. In the days prior to our arrival, they had just completed renovations on several cabins, including installation of a large claw-footed tub in the Horse Cabin. Year round they rent each for ninety-nine dollars a night, with dinner for two included—arguably one of the best staycation packages in the state. The community that supports and operates the Ancient Way Café and the three other small businesses at the gateway to the El Morro National Monument come from diverse backgrounds and with eccentric, generous, and caring personalities. We crossed the road to the art gallery to appreciate a little live entertainment, entering to an a capella performance of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” A crowd of cowboy hats, pony tails, green and purple hair sat at rapt attention while a man in a top hat crooned from a small, formal stage. Carefully curated walls showcased the work of local artists, and an elderly woman tended a coffee urn at a small concession near the entrance. The unexpected and wonderful discovery of the Ancient Way Café provided the perfect conclusion to a great, albeit challenging excursion. It reminded me how, when a few energetic and openhearted people work together, even if they live in remote and rural places with few resources, they can create vibrant places full of community.
The crew at the Ancient Way Cafe from left to right: Anthony Lovato, Kyle Denetsone, Maqui, and Standing Feather. WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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table hopping
Best Eats in Rural New Mexico by Terry Bruner · Photos by Stephanie Cameron
From left to right: Passion Pie Cafe, Kewa Cafe, and El Bruno's in Cuba.
Driving seventy-five miles an hour on New Mexico’s highways, the tendency is to blow by the places along the way. But if one slows down for a minute to look around, the state’s back roads offer some hidden treasures— particularly local restaurants. I work for USDA Rural Development and my job is to get to know the communities in the vast areas beyond Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces. Much of our New Mexican identity comes from the culture, traditions, history, and people of our state’s rural places. And if we are what we eat, rural New Mexico restaurants certainly represent what it is to be New Mexican. Here are a few restaurants that I’ve encountered in my travels within a couple of hours of urban areas that I enjoy regularly. These eateries are great places to get off the highway and appreciate what rural New Mexico has to offer.
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El Bruno’s—Cuba I vaguely remember the day Curt Cobain died and I sort of remember Lady Diana’s demise. But I definitely remember watching the 10pm news on June 5, 2006, the day El Bruno’s restaurant in Cuba burnt to the ground. Behind the television reporter stood a few walls and firemen spraying the empty hull of what was a New Mexico institution. But like a phoenix, El Bruno’s rose from the ashes across Highway 44 from its original location. The restaurant is a welcome stop on the long drive from Albuquerque to Farmington. Cuba is the gateway to the eastern Navajo Nation and the much under-appreciated western side of the Jemez Mountains and the San Pedro Parks Wilderness. El Bruno’s serves great New Mexican food and I’m especially fond of their enchiladas and their salsa. Their indoor dining room is bright and cozy and they have a lovely patio where one
can sit under the cottonwoods not far from what remains of the famous Rio Puerco. Dying for a taste of Cuba in Albuquerque? You’re in luck, El Bruno’s has a Los Ranchos de Albuquerque location too. 8806 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque, 505897-0444 North end of Cuba on Highway 550, 575-289-9429, www.elbrunos.com Kewa Cafe The last thing that seems to be on the mind of those traveling the racetrack that is I-25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe is slowing down and stopping for food. But just off the highway lie several Indian Pueblo communities and their eateries, which always have a unique indigenous twist on New Mexican cuisine. I enjoy stopping at Santo Domingo Pueblo with its impressive plaza and church. On the way into Santo
Domingo Pueblo, just off the interstate exit, the Kewa Cafe behind the old gas station serves up simple and delicious fare. I like to get a simple bowl of hot red chile and beans—there’s nothing better. The bright red chile is as smooth as velvet and the rest of the menu of burgers, burritos, and stews offer a view into some Pueblo staples. 1 W Highway 22, I-25 Exit 259, Santo Domingo Pueblo, 505-465-2236 Laguna Burger Laguna Pueblo launched the Laguna Burger venture at Laguna Pueblo and also across from the Route 66 casino on I-40 west of Albuquerque. At the Route 66 location, just about fifteen minutes from Albuquerque, Laguna Burger is in the gas station and they serve burgers, shakes, and fries as they were meant to be. I like my burger too big for the diner’s plastic red basket, and the fries have a hard time keeping themselves organized. Want a shake with that? Done. Want to fill up your gas tank? Done. Want a turquoise eagle-feather Dream catcher to hang from your rear-view mirror? Done. Laguna burger prides itself on the use of high quality beef—a half-pound, handmade burger is just $3.99. There’s nothing you can’t spell on these burgers—no chipotle sauce, no Portobello mushroom, no Gruyere. 14311 Central Avenue NW, Laguna, 505-352-7848 Minnie’s Dairy Delite I have long mourned the demise of the rural diner—a place where one can get a burger, a slice of pie, and a shake. Some remain, but definitely not enough. On the frontage road off I-25 by the exit north of Springer, Minnie’s Dairy Delite is a flashback to the old roadside diner. They offer a wide variety of shakes, malts, and sundaes in lots of different flavors like apple pie and butterscotch. That’s enough for me, but the food is great too. They are only open during the warm months when they are a must-stop for cowboys and tourists alike. If you get the chance, check out the Santa Fe Trail Museum in the
old Colfax County Courthouse. It features an old electric chair and a hangman’s noose over a trap door that drops from the top floor—not for the faint of heart. 42 Highway 56 Springer, 575-483-2813 Passion Pie Cafe The town of Truth or Consequences is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. If you haven’t stopped by in a while, it’s worth a look. Besides the many hotel options and hot springs soaking opportunities, they have a lot of great restaurants cropping up. Ted Turner has opened a new restaurant at the Sierra Grande Lodge (see page 42) and the Café Bella Lucca is a wonderful, modern Italian restaurant. One of the newer additions to town is the Passion Pie Cafe, which, nestled between antiques and clothing shops, serves breakfast, coffee, specialty teas, and lunch. I enjoy their sandwiches, and their baked goods are even better. You’ll never know who you might run into at the Passion Pie; last year I was surprised to meet a reporter from Le Monde, the Parisian newspaper, noshing at the Passion Pie. 406 Main Avenue, Truth or Consequences, 575-894-0008, www.deepwaterfarm.com Pete’s Café Just a short drive from I-25 and twenty-five minutes south of Albuquerque is Pete’s Café in Belen. The Torres family just celebrated sixty-five years of serving traditional New Mexican food right in the middle of historic downtown Belen. Their rellenos, posole, chile, and other dishes are all terrific and the restaurant has a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Pete’s Café sits across the street from the train depot and the historic Harvey House Museum. The Museum is a treasure of antiques and artifacts from the railroad and the Harvey House days. If you have time, it’s worth the trip. The family also owns the Luna Mansion and Teofilo’s in the heart of Los Lunas. Both are great—and you can take the train from Albuquerque to both. 105 North First Street, Belen, 505-864-4811
575-758-8866 www.thegorgebarandgrill.com located in the historic Taos Plaza
EAT DRINK LAUGH
(NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER) WWW.EDIBLESANTAFE.COM
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ALBUQUERQUE
MIUM PRE
Authentic
LO
Delicious
CA
L LY S O U R
D
EAT LOCAL GUIDE CE
colombian bistro
now open
tuesday-saturday 11am-8pm
3216 Silver SE, Albuquerque 505-266-2305, www. ajiacobistro.com
2929 Monte Vista NE, Albuquerque 505-554-1967, www.amoreabq.com
Ajiaco’s varied Colombian cuisine is influenced by a diverse flora and fauna found around Colombia. Cultural traditions of different Colombian ethnic groups play a roll in our choice of ingredients.
New Mexico's only certified authentic, handcrafted, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. Handmade mozzarella, dessert pizzas, local beers, Italian wines. Casual atmosphere and rooftop patio.
5
The
Brew by
villa myriam
311 Gold SW, Albuquerque 505-814-1599, www.villamyriam.com
8917 4th NW, Albuquerque 505-503-7124, www.farmandtablenm.com
Family owned from farm to cup, we are steeped in three generations of coffee excellence.
A wonderful dining experience! Enjoy delectable seasonal dishes created from scratch, sourced from local farmers and our beautiful on-site farm.
300 Broadway NE, Albuquerque 505-265-4933, www.hartfordsq.com
11225 Montgomery NE, 505-271-0882 3403 Central NE, 505-266-7855 10701 Corrales NW, 505-899-7500 www.ilvicino.com
Our seasonal menu features local ingredients and changes weekly—enjoy the variety! Breakfast, lunch, and dinners-to-go. Sunday Brunch. Specialty coffee. Wonderful baked goods. Catering.
A contemporary Italian Trattoria, offers authentic Italian wood-oven pizza, entrées, salads, sandwiches, baked lasagna and more. Enjoy our own micro-brewed ales and home-brewed root beer.
4003 Carlisle NE, Albuquerque Downtown Growers' Market every Saturday 505-884-3625, www.nmpiecompany.com
1403 Girard NE, Albuquerque 505-792-1700, www.piattininm.com
Handmade sweet and savory pies with an emphasis on simple, pure flavors, and premium ingredients. Locally roasted coffee and espresso drinks compliment our pies.
Piattini, “small plates” in Italian, serves small and large plate Italian creations in a warm and friendly neighborhood atmosphere, using local, fresh ingredients and featuring a beer and wine bar.
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5901 Wyoming NE, Albuquerque NEW: 1710 Central SW, Albuquerque 505-821-1909, www.5starburgers.com Fresh beef, free of hormones or antibiotics. Best burger in New Mexico says USA TODAY. A wide selection of sandwiches, salads, a kid’s menu, beer and wine. Happy hour 4 - 6 every day.
4803 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque 505-344-9297, www.lospoblanos.com Rooted in organic ingredients from our own farm and the Rio Grande Valley region. Join us at La Merienda, Wed-Sun 6-9pm, by reservation only.
10601 Montgomery NE, Albuquerque 505-294-9463, www.savoyabq.com California wine country in the Northeast Heights. Farm-to-table dining from the area's best farms. Wine tastings and happy hour.
ALBUQUERQUE eat local guide
2031 Mountain NW, Albuquerque 505-766-5100, www.seasonsabq.com
109 Gold, Albuquerque 505-244-3344, www.soulandvine.com
Oak fired grill, local ingredients, and the best patio dining Old Town has to offer!
Come experience traditional American-style tapas. We serve beautiful wines and local craft beers. We invite you to fall in love with our ambiance, food, drink, and staff. Cheers!
88 Louisiana SE, Albuquerque 505-268-0206, www.talinmarket.com
600 Central SE, Albuquerque 505-248-9800, www.thegrovecafemarket.com
Talin T-Bar Traditional flavors Made quickly and with love Ramen. Thursdays and Fridays: Dumplings!
The Grove features a bustling café experience serving breakfast, brunch and lunch. Local, seasonal, organic foods, Intelligentsia, coffee and tea, beer, wine, and signature sweets.
1828 Central SW, Albuquerque, 505-842-5507 www.vinaigretteonline.com
3109 Central NE, Albuquerque 505-268-9250, www.yannisandlemoni.com
Our salad-centric philosophy focuses on bold flavor combinations and savory proteins to compliment a huge variety of organic greens.
Yanni’s and Lemoni Lounge, located in Nob Hill for twenty years, serve the freshest seafood, steaks, chops, pasta, gourmet pizza, and homemade desserts.
LOS LUNAS
New Mexico has its own unique food traditions —from Hatch to Chimayó—and we’d like to help you find some of the area restaurants and chefs that create the distinctively New Mexico dining experience. Restaurants are chosen for this dining guide because of their emphasis on using local, seasonal ingredients in their menus and their commitment to real food.
Support these restaurants, and support local food communities.
2933 Monte Vista NE, Albuquerque 505-433-2795, theshopbreakfastandlunch.com Come in for breakfast or lunch, creative American classics with Latin and creole influences, made from local and organic ingredients.
3423 Central NE, Albuquerque 505-255-8226, www.zacatecastacos.com Zacatecas features recipes handed down from generation to generation with flavors that are true to the history and culture of Mexico. Zacatecas is a real taqueria.
PLACITAS
Creative Casual Cuisine
3009 Central NE, Albuquerque 505-254-9462, www.zincabq.com
5 Thomas, Los Lunas 505-866-1936, www.greenhousebistro.com
A three level bistro featuring contemporary cuisine with a French flair. Dinner daily, weekend brunch, fabulous cocktails, and tasty bar bites!
Good food always puts you in a good mood! Fresh, seasonal ingredients provide the basis for a meal that promotes healthy living.
221 Highway 165, Placitas 505-771-0695, www.bladesbistro.com Chef and owner Kevin Bladegroen brings together fine and fresh ingredients, artistic vision, and European flair in every dish. Sunday brunch, fabulous cocktails, and an award-winning wine list.
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SANTA FE
5 604 North Guadalupe, Santa Fe 505-983-8977, www.5starburgers.com
502 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe 505-469-2345, www.bangbitesf.com 222 North Guadalupe, Santa Fe 505-954-1635, fireandhopsgastropub.com
Fresh. Local. Tasty. A bunch of food enthusiasts obsessed with serving the very best crafted food we can get and delivering it the way it was meant to be enjoyed.
Upscale pub food in a casual setting. Eleven craft beers on tap, select wines, and artisanal ciders.
Fresh beef, free of hormones or antibiotics. Best burger in New Mexico says USA TODAY. A wide selection of sandwiches, salads, a kid’s menu, beer, and wine. Happy hour 4 - 6 every day.
95 West Marcy, Santa Fe 505-984-1091, www.ilpiattosantafe.com
321 W San Francisco Street, Santa Fe 505-986-8700, www.ilvicino.com
428 Agua Fria, Santa Fe 505-982-1272, www.josephsofsantafe.com
A local favorite since 1996, boasting an authentic Italian farmhouse experience, sourcing its ingredients directly from local farms, dairies, and ranches. Extensive wine list.
A contemporary Italian Trattoria, offers authentic Italian wood-oven pizza, entrées, salads, sandwiches, baked lasagna and more. Enjoy our own micro-brewed ales and home-brewed root beer.
Joseph's is the latest incarnation of Chef Joseph Wrede's mission to bring together the finest ingredients, artistic vision, and delightful, surprising flavor to every dish.
CAFFÉ BAR TRATTORIA
100 East San Francisco, Santa Fe 505-982-5511, www.lafondasantafe.com Showcasing contemporary interpretations of old favorites with New World influences and classic New Mexican cuisine, accompanied by an award-winning wine list.
901 West San Mateo, Santa Fe 505-820-3121, www.midtownbistrosf.com Midtown bistro, featuring Executive Chef Angel Estrada, offers Santa Fe gourmet fine dining with a Southwest flair.
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L’OLIVIER 229 Galisteo, Santa Fe 505-989-1919, www.loliviersantafe.com
228 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe 505-989-1904, www.mangiamopronto.com
Chef Xavier Grenet creates elegant and refreshing cuisine combining classic French culinary techniques with southwestern flavors and ingredients.
A little slice of Tuscany in Santa Fe. Enjoy italian comfort food, gelato, espresso, wine, and beer all day long on our beautiful sidewalk patio.
505 Cerrillos and 1098 South St. Francis, Santa Fe 505-982-9692, www.ohoriscoffee.com
544 Agua Fria Road, Santa Fe 505-820-6440, www.raagacuisine.com
The original specialty, local micro-roasted coffee source since 1984. Along with our fresh beans, we serve espresso, pour-over, teas, pastries, donuts, burritos, chocolates, and more.
Raaga (“sweet melody”) prides itself on offering superior taste and flavor. With each mouthwatering bite, guests can distinguish and savor the finest spices and the freshest herbs.
SANTA FE
815 Early, Santa Fe 505-989-1288, www.rasajuice.com
20 Buffalo Thunder, Santa Fe 505-819-2056, www.buffalothunderresort.com
An organic juice bar and café committed to offering delicious plant-based foods, cold pressed juices, and innovative cleansing and detox programs.
Red Sage at Buffalo Thunder is perfect for your next romantic night out. Fare rotates seasonally. Enjoy the extensive wine list.
304 Johnson, Santa Fe 505-989-1166, www.terracottawinebistro.com
653 Canyon Road, Santa Fe 505-982-4353, www.compoundrestaurant.com
A smart, casual restaurant located in a charming one-hundred-year-old adobe. Seasonallychanging, globally-inspired cuisine and an extensive, valued-priced wine list.
The Compound Restaurant has a heritage rich in history and regional influences. Chef Mark Kiffin continues to preserve a landmark tradition of elegant food and service at his Canyon Road institution.
TAOS
505 Cerrillos, Santa Fe 505-780-5073, www.talinmarket.com Talin T-Bar Traditional flavors Made quickly and with love Ramen. Monday: Dumplings!
709 Don Cubero Alley, Santa Fe, 505-820-9205 www.vinaigretteonline.com Our salad-centric philosophy focuses on bold flavor combinations and savory proteins to compliment a huge variety of organic greens.
5 124 F Bent Street, Taos 575-758-0606
THE BEST COFFEE IN TAOS! Fair trade, organic espresso, chai frappes, smoothies, gelato, and pastries. Featuring the only ROCKBAR ever! Come on in and drop a rock in YOUR drink!
125 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos 575-758-1977, www.taosinn.com Serving lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. Patio dining, fresh local foods, award-wining wines, and margaritas. Try our signature chile rellenos.
1032 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos 575-758-8484, www.5starburgers.com Fresh beef, free of hormones or antibiotics. Best burger in New Mexico says USA TODAY. A wide selection of sandwiches, salads, a kid’s menu, beer, and wine. Happy hour 4 - 6 every day.
TAOS DINER I & II
123 Bent Street, Taos 575-758-1009, www.lambertsoftaos.com Lambert’s strives to create a sanctuary for our guests, where they can enjoy delicious food, wine, and cocktails in a relaxed, yet refined, atmosphere.
908 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, 575-758-2374 216B Paseo del Pueblo Sur, 575-751-1989 www.taosdinner.com
103 East Taos Plaza, Taos 575-758-8866, www.thegorgebarandgrill.com
Home to New Mexican and American homemade, homegrown, and organic breakfast, lunch, and dinners. Gluten-free choices. Beer and wine.
Our menu is straightforward yet eclectic, and chock full of favorites made from scratch using as many fresh and local ingredients as possible.
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last bite
THE BANG BITE LIQUID BURGER So it’s 5:30 somewhere and this slutty sipper with a bacon straw just begs to be slurped down. 6 ounces Santa Fe Spirits Silver Coyote Whiskey 1 1/2 cup spicy pickle juice 1/2 tablespoon Tabasco Sauce 3 cups of Bloody Mary mix 1 tablespoon liquid smoke or Worcestershire sauce 5 crispy bacon strips 2 tablespoons seasoned salt Spicy dill pickles Cherry tomatoes Basil leaves Mix whiskey, 1 cup pickle juice, Bloody Mary mix, Tabasco sauce, and liquid smoke. Set aside. With the remaining 1/2 cup of spicy pickle juice wet the rim of your glasses, then dip the rim of the glass in seasoned salt. Add ice to your glass. Add one strip of cooked crispy bacon per glass. Fill glasses with whiskey mix, garnish with a cherry tomato-pickle-basil-leaf skewer, and serve. Serves 4 — 5.
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Photo by Stephanie Cameron.
Anybody
who doesn’t think that the best hamburger place in the world is in their hometown is a: a) nincompoop
d) dunderhead
b) numskull
e) fool...
c) schnook
502 OLD SANTA FE TRAIL • 505-469-2345 • BANGBITESF.COM
MASTERS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP Building & Remodeling Award-Winning Custom Homes in Santa Fe since 1981
prull.com • 505.438.8005
photo: Kate Russell
Great chefs deserve great kitchens!