Local Flavor - July 2013

JULY 2013

SHOW

T IME!

A TASTE OF LI FE I N NEW MEXI CO

S A NTA FE | ALBUQUE R QUE | TAOS

Outrageously Funny!

She’s the Ultimate Cougar

THE

GRAND

D UCHESS OF GEROLSTEIN O F F E N B A C H

Susan Graham portrays a sexy, spoiled aristocrat with an eye for a young cadet at the local military academy.

There’s just one problem: He’s already engaged.

T H I S M E A N S WA R !

PERFORMANCES 8:30 PM: JULY 3, 6, 12, 19; 8:00 PM: JULY 30; AUGUST 7, 15, 21, 24

T H E S A N TA F E O P E R A 2 0 1 3 F E S T I VA L S E A S O N • J U N E 2 8 — A U G U S T 2 4

Love Unmasked

I

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

MOZART

8:30 PM: JULY 5, 10 8:00 PM: AUGUST 3, 8, 13, 20, 23

Only The Heart Knows L A DONNA DEL L AGO

I

ROSSINI

8:30 PM: JULY 13, 17, 26 8:00 PM: AUGUST 1, 6, 14 photo by Kate Russell

All That Blooms Fades L A T R AV I A T A

I

VERDI

8:30 PM: JULY 20, 24 8:00 PM: JULY 29; AUGUST 2, 5, 10, 16, 22

TICKETS START AT $32!

Arrive early with a tailgate supper to enjoy the sunset and mountain views.

505-986-5900 • www.SantaFeOpera.org The Love that Dared WORLD PREMIERE

OSCAR

I

THEODORE MORRISON

8:30 PM: JULY 27; 8:00 PM: JULY 31; AUGUST 9, 12, 17

Jacqueline’s Place

W M E O Santa Fe’s most celebrated cocktail lounge VI ARE NG !

Caffe Greco Open Daily 7:30AM – 8PM

P laza de S uenos y M ilagros JEWEL MARK 505.820.6304 • JACQUELINE’S PLACE 505.820.6542

Local, Organic, Hand Crafted Garden-to Glass and Classic Cocktails Open daily 12 noon l Happy Hour 4 - 7pm l Inside Hotel St. Francis l 210 Don Gaspar

CAFFE GRECO 505.820.7996

once you have stepped into our world you won’t want to leave 233 Canyon Road • Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 • JewelMark.net

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JULY 2013

3

Inside:

Buzz | 08

by Kellly Koepke

What’s in, what’s out, what’s hot, what’s not … that’s the buzz!

Nosotros | 11

by Gordon Bunker

On our cover: Nosotros, with an under-your-skin sound of Latin rhythms, flamenco, jazz, salsa and rock. They are one of the hottest Latin bands in the Southwest—and, that’s right, they are ours … nosotros.

Rancho de Chimayó | 16

by John Vollertsen

For locals and visitors alike, it’s simply not summer without a visit to this iconic restaurant tucked away in the village of Chimayó.

The Making of Oscar | 20

by Dolores McElroy

On July 27 the Santa Fe Opera raises the curtain on the world premiere of the opera Oscar. Opera insider Dolores McElroy takes us to the prop department for a sneak peek at recreating the world of Oscar Wilde.

Far-Flung Wine Regions | 24

by Tom Hill

When you ask oenophile Tom Hill what’s new in the wine world, be prepared for an answer that is equal parts learned and unexpected. Wine from Moldova or Slovakia, anyone?

Budai | 26

by Erin Brooks

Albuquerque is home to one of New Mexico’s most authentic Chinese restaurants. No secret to the Asian community, it’s also on the short list for diners looking for adventure and a genuine ethnic experience.

Taos Hum | 30

by Tania Casselle

It’s showtime in Taos! Meet Shawnee Erskine of Revolving Door Circus and a mother-and-daughter duo who bring music to the mountain—Judy Anderson and Katherine Anderson Knox, of Taos School of Music.

And Now, Live from the Hiland! | 32

by Kelly Koepke

The old Hiland Theatre in Albuquerque is alive and filled with music, dance and the laughter of children. Let’s give it up for the National Dance Institute of New Mexico!

Still Hungry? | 36

by Melyssa Holik

It’s high season at the opera and time to tailgate! Using Oscar as inspiration for our picnic theme, we asked four chefs for their favorite French recipes.

JULY

2013 ~ Publishers: Patty & Peter Karlovitz Editor: Patty Karlovitz Web Editor: Melyssa Holik Art Director: Jasmine Quinsier Cover photo: Gabriella Marks Advertising: Santa Fe: Mary Brophy 505.231.3181. Lianne Aponte 505.629.6544. Margaret Henkels 505.501.2290 . Albuquerque: Ashley Schutte 505.604.2547.

Prepress: Scott Edwards Ad Design: Alex Hanna Distribution: Southwest Circulation Local Flavor Magazine 223 North Guadalupe #442, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Tel: 505.988.7560 Fax: 988.9663 E-mail: patty@localflavormagazine.com www.localflavormagazine.com Subscriptions $24 per year. Mail check to above address.

© Edible Adventure Co.‘96. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used without the permission of Edible Adventure Co. localflavor accepts advertisements from advertisers believed to be reputable, but can’t guarantee it. All editorial information is gathered from sources understood to be reliable, but printed without responsibility for erroneous, incorrect, or omitted information.

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JULY 2013

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SFCA

THE SANTA FE CONCERT ASSOCIATION

presents

Festival Song of

August 4th through August 18th, 2013

Christine Brewer

Paul Appleby

Jake Heggie

Heidi Stober

4:00pm

William Burden

Michael Fabiano

Suzanne Mentzer

Stars of American Ballet August 23 & 24, 2013

Two different programs Lensic Performing Arts Center

7:30 pm

Principals of New York City Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet

Principals and Soloists of the New York City Ballet & American Ballet Theatre

Opening Gala

Concert All-Wagner Program

Heidi Melton, soprano • Brandon Jovanovich, tenor SFCA Orchestra • Joseph Illick, conductor

August 25, 2013

4:00pm

Lensic Performing Arts Center

SFCA

THE SANTA FE CONCERT ASSOCIATION

For more information, go to SANTAFECONCERTS.ORG

Tickets: 505.988.1234

Now Open at The Lodge in Santa Fe Will Leathergoods C.C. Filson

Valspar #10074 Midnight Dreams Valspar #D40-9A Bowl of Berries Black

Kuhl Brooks JanSport

Skip Yowell Collection Blundstone Birkenstock

Come Celebrate with Us!

Randolph

15% Discount on food from Sunday - Wednesday (July 2013)

Engineering Red Wing Tres Cuervos Red Jacket

*Not valid with other promotions *Only one promo per table

235 Don Gaspar #1 Located next to Santa Fe Village 505-992-1233 Open 7 Days

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner

744 Calle Mejia • 505-992-5800 gardunosrestaurants.com • lodgeatsantafe.com

Revel in Summer Memories

It’s Performing Arts Season!

Outdoor dining on The Portal - Our newest feature!

Try our delectable 3-course prix fixe menu just $35 per person, available 5:30-7pm.

View our beautiful sculpture garden and Santa Fe sights while enjoying lunchtime dining from 11am-2pm.

On Sundays, reminisce with friends and experience

Fried Chicken Dinner with a Green Chile Waffle and Homemade Biscuits.

Reservations Recommended 505.995.4530

Daily Happy Hour 4-7pm

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JULY 2013

Eldorado Hotel & Spa 309 W. San Francisco Street EldoradoHotel.com

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534C 1807C

Letter

If it’s July, it’s “Show Time” at Local Flavor! Time to slide into your salsa groove, pack a picnic for the opera, catch an outdoor concert up in the mountains—whatever it is that sings summer to you and brings an extra bounce to your step. It’s time to let your hair down and get caught up in the excitement and sense of immediacy that only happens at a live performance. And it’s time to fall in love all over again with those free and easy souls brave enough to

get up on stage.

&

BO TWIN

e y e s

EY E

GRO U P

o p t i c s S A N TA

FE

DR. MARK BOTWIN DR. JONATHAN BOTWIN DR. JEREMY BOTWIN

444 St Michaels Drive

Optometric Physicians 505.954.4442 BotwinEyeGroup.com

Photo: Melyssa Holik

On the cover is the Latin fusion band Nosotros—born for the stage and born to make music. The photo was taken at Albuquerque’s Kimo Theater just hours before fans packed the house to hear distinctive Latin rhythms infused with elements of flamenco, jazz, salsa and rock. With original lyrics that touch the heart and five albums under their belt, Nosotros truly represents the best of New Mexico, and we’re proud to have them on our cover.

As with all world premieres, there is a great deal of excitement surrounding the opening of the Santa Fe Opera’s newly commissioned piece, Oscar. For the inside scoop on the making of Oscar, we went straight to the SFO’s prop shop director and his shopper to find out what hurdles they encountered in creating the set for the new opera. The single most challenging prop turned out to be the accoutrements for the absinthe that Wilde and his compatriots consumed with such reckless abandon. Be sure to watch for it during the production—or better yet, prepare an absinthe cocktail at your very own tailgate party.

The professional stages are brimming with talent, but who is nurturing the stars of the future? The National Dance Institute of New Mexico. The story of the NDI bringing new life to Albuquerque’s Hiland Theatre was one we could not pass up. It has all the elements that we love: kids finding a safe haven where they can bounce around to the beat of joyous music, caring adults who are teaching the fundamentals of life along with the abc’s of dance, and an entire community feeling new life and energy in a neighborhood that had lost both. And, actually, it doesn’t matter if any of these children ever performs professionally. They’re on the stage in front of moms and dads, sisters and brothers, grandmas and grandpas. And that’s the audience that really counts.

Running a restaurant is very much a form of performance art, and this month we visit Rancho de Chimayó, a jewel in the traditional landscape of Northern New Mexico with a setting that not even Hollywood could recreate. Visiting Rancho de Chimayó is like stepping into the 19th century and onto the grounds of a Spanish hacienda where you have been graciously invited for a dinner featuring the specialties of the area.

You linger over the simple yet bountiful meal, then wander over to see the beloved santuario that is at the heart of this tiny village. Only in New Mexico…

This is the time of year when Albuquerque folks start to feel the heat and slow down a bit, while Santa Fe and Taos swing into high gear to welcome thousands of seasonal visitors. Wherever you are in our beautiful state, we hope you enjoy the “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.”

| Vintage Albuquerque––the perfect summer kick-off!

The editor with Chef Marc Quinones of Bien Shur.

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JULY 2013

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ALBUQUERQUE Downtown Albuquerque welcomes two new hangouts—one to fuel your day, the other to keep your night going. First is Zendo. Pulling coffee drinks from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, this espresso bar/art gallery combines the barista skills of Trevor Lucero with a rotating roster of local artists on the walls. The space, at 413 Second Street SW, includes an outdoor patio.

Lucero previously worked at Galisteo News and Cloud Cliff Bakery (both in Santa Fe) and at the downtown Flying Star Cafe. Pop in for a cuppa and welcome him and Zendo to the neighborhood.

The nighttime spot is Adieux Café, the project of three Monte Vista Fire Station bartenders, Eliot Salgado, Ryan Barnhill and TJ Groff.

The space, at 420 Central (next to Effex Nightclub), came with an adjoining door and two Effex partners: Carri Phillis and Bobby Ganster. The late-night food truck crowd now has a sit-down place to devour appetizers, salad, sandwiches and wraps as they dance until (almost) dawn. Bid bonsoir to Adieux from 6 p.m. until 3:30 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

Photo: Sharon Niederman

Did someone say food trucks? Mark your calendars for the Food Truck Throwdown, July 27 at Marble Brewery, 1111 Marble Avenue NW. Seven popular food trucks will offer innovative beef dishes while celebrity judges—including Nikki Stanzione of KASA Fox 2’s New Mexico Style—will choose winners. Wash down your meal with brews from Marble and enjoy live music. This is an over-21 event, cosponsored by the New Mexico Beef Council. More at marblebrewery. com.

| Food Truck Throwdown With Prairie Star Restaurant and Wine Bar’s new summer menu came a new executive chef, Chris Olsen. He and his staff focus on affordable dishes and excellent service to appeal to more than just the special-occasion

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JULY 2013

From the too strange not to be true file comes Albuquerque’s first cereal bar and coffee lounge.

Right across from UNM and convenient to college kids who now have the freedom to have cereal for dinner, R U Cereal? offers both hot and cold cereals, a variety of milks, fresh fruit (and less healthy toppings), coffee and other beverages and a variety of baked goods. Open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Central and Princeton, R U Cereal? comes from the inspired minds of Joe Chavez, his brother Prajeres and their friend Antonio Reyna. Visit rucereal.com for a menu to see if they have your favorite.

Changes are afoot at Yanni’s Mediterranean Grill in Nob Hill. Co-owners Nicole Kapnison and her mother, Chris Komis, are remodeling Opa Bar and reopening it as Lemoni Lounge.

The grand opening is July 16 right in time for Route 66 Summerfest on the 20th. The lounge takes its name from Nicole’s grandmother Lemonia and will feature a chic Mediterranean feel and garage-style doors like the restaurant.

A new drink menu and happy hour items are on tap, too. Yanni’s celebrates 20 years of Greek delights in Nob Hill this year, and the ladies aren’t resting on the Yanni’s reputation, it seems.

A few blocks up Central, construction has finally started on the new Shade Tree Custom Cycle Works Cafe in the old Bike Co-op space. Jim Hughart, a founder and co-owner of Shade Tree, will move the motorcycle emporiumcum-eatery from its current digs, just across Central from the Hiland Theater. Yes, there will be motorcycles—and music on weekends.

Albuquerque’s funky heart’s about to get a little funkier, methinks. Watch for an August/ September opening and announcements on Shade Tree’s Facebook page.

Our annual celebration of lavandula (aka lavender), the Lavender in the Village Festival, takes place July 12-14 in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. The festival kicks off with a barn dance and auction, then continues with pickit-yourself lavender, children’s events, wine tasting, beer brewing, live entertainment and exhibitions at various village locales, like the Agri-Nature Center, Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm, the Growers’ Market, Casa Rondeña Winery, and a host of Fourth Street merchants. The event showcases the beautiful culture, sustainable agriculture and

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lavender products of the North Valley. It is the most fragrant event in New Mexico! Visit lavenderinthevillage.com for more.

What’s better than a burger? A burger and a shake! Flying Star Cafe announces its Annual Summer Shakedown burger and shake promotion, featuring the classic summer combo. Buy a 100% New Mexico beef burger and add a creamy milkshake for just $2, through September 1. Milkshake flavors include summer favorites such as vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mango and—new this year—mint chocolate chip. If burgers aren’t your thing, try one of the three new seasonal specials: an authentic New York Reuben served on fresh Flying Star–baked marble rye; the Manzano Cristo (Flying Star’s twist on a classic with shaved ham and turkey, Pink Lady apples and havarti cheese on brioche); the panzanella salad. You’re never far from a Flying Star, they say.

July is opera season in New Mexico, and the students of the Opera Unlimited Summer Youth Opera Day Camp are presenting a fully staged abridged production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Iolanthe on July 12–13 at the Highland High School Performing Arts Center. Pianist Natalia Tikhovidova will accompany the 48 cast members as they tell the story of a band of immortal fairies that find themselves at odds with the British House of Peers. For tickets and info, call 505.822.0849.

SANTA FE The Deck at 221. Remember that name because we predict it will be on the tip of everyone’s tongue this summer––the new place to see and be seen in Santa Fe. Especially after dark. It’s the brainchild of restaurateur Rick Smith who owns Tanti Luce, already known and loved for its sassy drinks and delicious food. With the coming of summer comes their new rooftop bar where you can enjoy the same great food and beverages while enjoying stunning views of downtown––day and night.

It overlooks the romantic Spanish courtyard of the newly opened Turquoise Butterfly (more about this hidden treasure next month) and features the cuisine of Chef Tom Kerpon.

| Rocky and Jody Congrats to chef Rocky Durham and Jody Hegarty Durham on their marriage on May 25. The ceremony was held at the Loretto Chapel, and Chef Carmen Rodriguez and David Stone thrilled guests with the wedding feast at the La Posada reception. Rocky is a Santa Fe native and culinary star who trained in France under Chef Jean Jacques Alexandre of Bordeaux and worked in New Orleans at the Royal Sonesta Hotel before returning to Santa Fe to assume the role of chef de cuisine at Santacafé. In 1999, he moved to England to open eight restaurants in eight cities and

created the hit TV show Plates from the States.

Five years later, Rocky again returned to Santa Fe, where he took the helm as culinary director of the Santa Fe School of Cooking. Best wishes to the couple!

Chef Clay Bordan, the new chef/owner of Tabla de los Santos at the Hotel St. Francis, comes to Santa Fe via La Jolla, where he owned Clay’s La Jolla Restaurant. He says that it was time to leave California after seeing the culinary scene losing touch with the food and concentrating more on expensive, extravagant atmospheres. He’d lived in Albuquerque, and thought why not try Santa Fe? He brings wife Julie with him to the restaurant, too. “We just launched our new breakfast and lunch menus with 90% organic ingredients. Dinner will become more contemporary American with a New Mexico infusion, also concentrating on organic and locally sourced items,” he says. He also says his main goal, like in La Jolla, is to cater to locals, not just tourists who stay at the hotel, with prices reflecting local pocketbooks, not just tourist dollars. A new Sunday brunch begins in July.

Summer brings the return to Pranzo Italian Grill of original chef Steven Lemon and his longtime sous chef Eliezar Montalvo. Chef Lemon started at Pranzo before opening O Eating House in Pojoaque, among other ventures. With his homecoming arrives a new menu of creative Italian/Mediterranean dishes that showcase local seasonal ingredients. Not a wheat eater? Have no fear: Pranzo offers rice pasta for those going without gluten. Check out the complete menu at pranzosantafe.com.

Photo: Jennifer Spelman

Buzz b y K E L LY K O E P K E

crowd. Olsen honed his skills at Albuquerque’s Standard Diner, Seasons, Marcello’s Chophouse and the former (sigh) Gruet Steakhouse. Say hello to six new entrée options priced at $20 or less and wines by the glass for $6. Mmmm. Mac and cheese with smoked duck, a gourmet Kobe burger, cherry-braised lamb ragout and elk tenderloin medallions with a killer view? Yes, please! In addition, the wine bar provides live entertainment every Friday evening throughout the summer. Call 505.867.3327 for reservations.

| Chef Honey Yohalem Laissez les bon temps rouler with guest chef Honey Yohalem, at Estrella Del Norte Vineyard’s Cajun Carnival dinner, July 20.

Known for her successful restaurants in both New Orleansand Santa Fe, Honey will feature petite boudin pies and skewered Oysters Rockefeller, followed by shaved mirliton (chayote squash) salad with toasted pecans, blue cheese, roasted peppers and a Creole mustard vinaigrette, crawfish étouffée and dessert of bananas foster. Of course, Estrella Del Norte Vineyard wines and a whole lot of festivity will be had. Matt Yohalem of Il Piatto will be there too, assisting his chef wife.

Visit estrelladelnortevineyard.com for tickets.

Have you tried the award-winning vodkas, gins, whiskeys and apple brandies from Santa Fe Spirits? Soon, owner Colin Keegan is opening a second tasting room where customers can try his distilled liquors made from local ingredients. The new space, at 308 Read Street, will also sell drinks and food to patrons who can learn about how the beverages are made from the staff. Until the new room throws open its doors, head to the original distillery, at 7505 Mallard Way, or visit your local watering hole for Expedition Vodka, Wheeler’s Gin, Silver Coyote Pure Malt Whiskey and Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy.

Just in time for tourist season to hit full swing, C.G. Higgins, the boutique chocolatier, candy maker and purveyor of Chuck’s Nuts Originals, has added a second location at 130 Lincoln Avenue, just north of the plaza. Try the fresh chocolatedipped strawberries and signature caramel apples, as well as handmade truffles, caramel corn, nut brittles and confections made with red and green chile. Owner Chuck Higgins and the original shop on Ninita Street, near St. Francis, were featured on the Food Network’s Road Tasted with Gina and Pat Neely. Visit cghiggins.com for more info on this delicious local business.

Fans of the Pink Adobe are waiting to see how the recent purchase of the venerable restaurant by Leonard and Isabelle Koomoa of the Guadalupe Cafe will shake out. The Pink’s now-former owner, Joe Hoback, sold the building, the business and the liquor license to the Koomoas in late June. The Pink Adobe’s recognizable name is supposed to remain, but no one’s talking much about logistics. Guadalupe Cafe itself, only a stone’s throw from the Pink, is under renovation and will become a second location of Jalapeño’s Restaurant (also owned by the Koomoas). The Koomoas and the Hobacks have been close for years, and everyone involved is optimistic that the transition will be good for owners, staff and diners alike.

A July 11 grand opening is scheduled for Savory Spice, reports owner Kate Wheeler.

Wheeler’s own Savory Spice experience began at the shop’s original Denver location in 2005, and her culinary arts degree from Johnson and Wales University comes in handy as she concocts spice mixtures and special blends. Visit the storefront at 225 Galisteo Street the week before the official opening for samples and coupons. Follow Savory Spice on Facebook for more info on the company’s 400 spices and seasonings, sold in customer-friendly quantities as small as a half an ounce.

Photo: Kate Russell

The Juan Siddi Flamenco Theatre Company premieres its sixth season at the Lodge at Santa Fe on July 2, with performances Tuesday through Sunday running through September 1. The intimate setting of the Maria Benitez Cabaret Theater brings the passion and intensity of the dancers and singers practically into the laps of the audience. Enjoy specially mixed cocktails, tapas and abundant parking.

Tickets are at the Lensic box office or online at ticketssantafe.org.

Break open the champagne for Frontier Frames as it celebrates 40 years of operation in Santa Fe this year. The shop opened in 1973 at Sanbusco Center and now serves Santa Fe’s artistic community from a spacious showroom and artisan workshop in the Allegro Center, on Saint Michael’s Drive.

Bill Peterson, Frontier Frames’ current owner, says, “We continue to be a locally and family-owned frame shop, so I get to enjoy working with my daughter Tiffany and the other employees of the Frontier Frames family.” The shop is open Monday through Saturday. Call 505.473.1901.

A summertime treat for locals and tourists alike is Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (ASFB).

The group’s first program this summer is an adventurous sampling of choreographers and dance styles. Program A, July 12–13, includes two world premieres, one by Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto and ASFB’s newest discovery, Norbert De La Cruz (whose piece Square None had the dance world buzzing last year). Also on the program is Trey McIntyre’s cheeky Like a Samba. ASFB epitomizes innovative choreography and balletic athleticism, all here in our humble pueblo. Go to lensic.org for tickets.

La Casa Sena Cantina continues its tradition of supper and song with Lady Ella & Lady Day, July 7–8. Cristianne Miranda sings Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday with the Bert Dalton Trio. Cristianne has performed with the Paul Tuner Big Band and the Cristianne Miranda Quartet, opening up for such legends as Tony Bennett, Milton Berle and Steve Allen.

She moved to Santa Fe last year and almost immediately began performing at the Cantina. Savor Chef Patrick Gharrity’s New American West cuisine while listening to some of the area’s incredible talent in a warm and intimate environment. For reservations call 505.988.9232.

Opera season means a new dessert menu at the Anasazi Restaurant––a delectable finale to each stunning performance. Executive Chef Juan Bochenski’s mouthwatering desserts, each intelligently paired with a glass of wine to bring out the unique flavors of the dish include a chocolate fudge brownie elevated with a topping of cajeta ice cream and paired with Susan Balbo Late Harvest Torrontes 2009. Or how about a mango crème brulé with coconut sorbet, biscotti wafers and a glass of Oremes Tokaji Aszú 2006. Personally? It’s the almond olive oil cake for me. The bar’s extending its hours on opera nights, so take advantage.

The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival’s 7th Annual Chefs’ Gala is July 16, and it offers you a chance to experience 20 gastronomical gurus from renowned New Mexican restaurants, including Terra, Coyote Cafe, The Compound and Arroyo Vino, in a moveable evening for a good cause. The chefs generously donate their talent to create four-course culinary masterpieces, but guests don’t know which chef will be preparing their meals until they find their assigned tables! The evening begins with a performance by internationally acclaimed pianist Inon Barnatan, then treats guests to cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the beautifully landscaped inner courtyard and sculpture garden of the Santa Fe

A n ew ba r !?

A new outdoor bar in Santa Fe...

Opening in July!

Eat Drink Shop 505-988-2355 • 221 Shelby St. • tantiluce221.com

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Buzz

smoked chile salsa, fresh corn and chile soup, marinated chicken wrapped in banana leaves, rice flavored with chepil and Oaxacan chocolate pudding, now’s your chance.

Trilling’s resume includes two New York City restaurants, a restaurant in Fremantle, numerous books and a PBS series. Visit santafeschoolofcooking.com.

Continued from page 9

Awaken in you that place where music is, most simply, a source of joy.

Convention Center before moving the party to the Sweeney Ballroom for dinner.

The prize drawing includes a 2013 Smart car from Garcia Automotive Group, a Tiffany diamond necklace, a vintage double-strand pearl bracelet and other fabulous items. All proceeds from the Chefs’ Gala support the festival’s annual season, featuring many of today’s top musicians, plus its year-round musical education and outreach programs for children and adults in the greater Santa Fe community.

For details and tickets, visit sfcmf.org/ chefsgala/.

Santa Fe

Desert Chorale

Joshua Habermann, Music Director Every summer the most talented choral singers in the country come to New Mexico to perform for you. Experience a true gift.

| Terra Cotta Wine Bistro Look for the mid-July opening of TerraCotta Wine Bistro, at 304 Johnson Street (the Trattoria Nostrani/Vivre space).

In true Santa Fe tradition, the stars aligned and the timing, location and concept for TerraCotta has all come together under the inspiration of Catherine O’Brien and Glenda Griswold, the owners of Peas ‘n’ Pod Catering. They have often been encouraged by their many catering customers to open a restaurant so that more people could enjoy their unique style of food and presentation. Given their passion for traveling around the world, enjoying interesting foods, good local wines and fun people, this bistro is definitely one to watch.

Summer Festival | JUL 11 - AUG 19 The Road Home: Songs of America in Santa Fe and Albuquerque July 11, 19, 25, 28; August 2

Northern Lights

July 16, 23; August 1, 7

Touched with Fire

July 26, 30; August 6, 13

Romance to Requiem with Susan Graham, Special Guest Artist

Have you voted for your favorite in the Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown?

This Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau event calls attention to one of our finest culinary traditions. Voting began June 29, runs for a month, and several of our goto burger joints have tossed their buns into the ring! Visit santafe.org until July 29, after which six finalists will be chosen to cook off at the Farmers’ Market on September 7 during the Green Chile Harvest Festival. So far, Del Charro, Luminaria, Fuego, Ranch House, Cowgirl, Terra, Bert’s, Burger Bowl, Real Burger, Dr. Field Goods, Anasazi, Capitol Grill, Atrisco and Santa Fe Dining are included.

in Santa Fe and Albuquerque August 10, 11

The Triumphs of Oriana: The Birth of the English Madrigal August 15, 16, 18, 19

A Gala Benefit An Evening of Cabaret with Sylvia McNair August 29

For more information or tickets: desertchorale.org Or call 505.988.2282 10 JULY 2013 SFDCAD-LocalFlavor-Summer2013-2.indd 1

S a n t a Fe

DESERT CHORALE magazine.com

6/13/13 11:59 AM

Santa Fe School of Cooking invited Susana Trilling, chef, teacher, caterer, author, TV hostess, food consultant and director of Seasons of My Heart Cooking School to teach us about Mexican delicacies on July 18. If you’ve ever wanted to prepare shrimp ceviche with avocado cream,

| Susana Trilling

TAOS Lenny Foster’s Living Light Gallery was voted Best of Taos by the readers of the Taos News. The gallery, which specializes in limited edition pigmented photography prints, celebrates 15 years in business this year. Owner Lenny Foster has been recognized as a Taos Living Master by the Taos Fall Arts Committee, and his photographs have been recognized by various national and statewide publications and purchased three times by the New Mexico Art Council’s Art in Public Places program.

Visit lennyfoster.com for a sampling of the exquisite works or stop in the gallery at 107 Kit Carson Road.

You were training for the Taos Gran Fondo July 6, right? This bicycle tour (105 miles, 84 miles or 46 miles) winds its way through some of the most scenic towns in Northern New Mexico, including Taos, Sipapu, Mora and Angel Fire. Doug Pickett, owner of Taos Cyclery, says, “This is the Enchanted Circle’s bigger brother! A great ride, incredibly scenic.” The event is a timed event permitted by USA Cycling and is cosponsored by Studio Karina and Taos Cyclery. All proceeds will benefit the Taos Sports Alliance. Details are at taossportsalliance.com.

The board of trustees of the Millicent Rogers Museum cordially invites you to attend the annual Turquoise Gala July 27 at Old Martina’s Hall. The 25 fine art objects and experiential prizes to be auctioned during this event include a bronze sculpture of famed potter Maria Martinez by Star York, along with works by two of Martinez’s descendants, Barbara and Cavan Gonzales.

Seating is limited, and attire is Taos formal.

For more information, call the museum store at 575.758.4316.

story by GORDON BUNKER photos by GABRIELLA MARKS

| Dennis Jasso, Cha Chi Romero, Shane Derk, Randy Sanchez, Manuel Ramirez, Felipe Ruibal, and Gilbert Uribe.

he band Nosotros is muy caliente, and it is local Nuevo Mexico.

To find out the story behind the music, I meet with Nosotros members Randy Sanchez (guitar and tres) and Dennis Jasso (drums and vocals) in their Santa Fe sound studio. It’s in one of my favorite parts of town, on a side street off Baca. This is an old-time neighborhood with modest houses tucked in together, and there’s a creative vibe in the air from the grass-roots arts scene.

Dennis leads me down a pathway though a garden gate, and we wend through a little courtyard until we get to the studio, a soundproof room within a room. We settle into the comfortable space, and listening to Randy and Dennis, I know that they come from their corazones. Right away there is a feeling of nosotros—Spanish for “we” and one of those deceptively simple yet powerful words. Skip the pretense, skip the hype. We hang out, we talk.

Randy is one of the original founders of the band. “In 1994 it started off as a guitar trio,” he says. “From there we started adding on. A percussionist came in, a bass player … and vocals. We were local musicians jamming in Las Cruces and made the move here in 2000.” (This is also when Dennis joined the band.) Randy, whose words flow like notes, adds, “Moving up here put us in a different realm. It’s not a weekend thing, it’s what we love to do and we’re making it go.” For these guys, Nosotros is a day job, and in the world of doing your own creative thing, this alone is a significant achievement. Huge, actually.

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“We upped our game a little bit moving here,” says Dennis.

“The level of musicians we started meeting inspired us to do better. The timing was good, people here wanted something new and we appeared out of the blue.” Dennis explains that the band was well-established and -practiced at this point, adding, “This area welcomed us.”

Latin culture is very diverse, and, it follows, so is its music.

I ask if Nosotros plays a particular genre, and both Randy and Dennis are quick to say no. Their music is a fusion—not as in jazz fusion, but as in many influences being brought together, Latin and otherwise. ennis grew up with music all around him. “My parents are both musicians, so I was raised in a musical household,” he says. “But for me it was not a conscious decision. I would come home from school and play the drums, like going outside and throwing a ball for a lot of kids.” Dennis moves his hands as though he were holding drum sticks. He is soft spoken, and I am sure that his singing voice has melted some hearts. “In my teenage years, I really wanted to start playing the drums [professionally]. I studied music in college and thought, ‘Man, if I can just pay my rent and put food in my stomach, I’ll be happy.’ Luckily, Nosotros provided that for us.”

Randy started by playing tuba in sixth grade. “I played in the school band and did pretty well with it,” he says. “Then a friend of mine got a guitar, and I thought that was cool and wanted to get one. So I started playing guitar and got into Latin and flamenco.” From tuba to guitar is quite a leap. Nonetheless, I can picture a younger Randy dwarfed by a tuba. (You’ve got to hand it to any junior high kid willing to tackle one of those things.) When the band moved north, Randy took some classes in guitar at what was then called the College of Santa Fe. “But I am pretty much self-taught,” he says. “I also play tres, a variation of guitar from Cuba.”

As musicians, Randy and Dennis—and by extension the entire band—are all about listening and taking cues from many types of music. “It keeps changing,” says Randy, “and that’s what’s cool about it as you’re going for things that might not work.” He ponders this. “And that’s cool (we laugh), but there’s something that we’ll hit with.”

Dennis adds, “As musicians it’s important to be wellrounded, to listen to everything. I could get as much inspiration from Pearl Jam as Beethoven.”

“It has to be about the groove,” Randy says. “That’s what I listen for.”

When asked about the challenges of the music scene, Dennis replies, “The biggest one is the business part, how to market yourself as a band. We’re naturally artists.” (Dennis, Randy and I understand this all too well—it’s a right brain/left brain thing—and the three of us laugh.) “And we need to study and practice,” Dennis continues. “Nosotros functions much as a family. You love your family members, but it can be tough at times.” Then his face lights up. “We’ve been extremely fortunate: we’ve somehow managed to find the right people, we’re really close.”

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On the challenges, Randy adds, “You got to make some money, but what we love is music, just getting into it.” Now, after nineteen years of challenge and change, he says, “We see the fruit of it coming around. We’ve played some amazing gigs recently, and we got an album coming out.”

Dennis has written a lot of new material, both music and lyrics, but, as he is quick to point out, “It’s a collaborative effort,” with band members giving input during the development of the songs. We talk about “Mama Tierra,” one of Dennis’ efforts. He says, “For every song it’s a little bit different, but lyrics are usually the last thing. I have the music and a melody and the lyrics come. You really have to go on instinct.” We listen to the song. The melody unfolds in an easy rolling rhythm, and it’s sung in Spanish.

Yo quiero vivir en tu luz Yo quiero morir en tus brazos Yo quiero ser uno con mi alma Eso es paz I want to live in your light I want to die in your arms I want to be one with my soul That is peace No more beautiful words have been spoken, or sung, about Mother Earth. Dennis reflects further on songwriting, “As soon as you start thinking about it, it’s really difficult. It comes when you’re not thinking about it, when you’re driving your car, and subconsciously the melody and lyric comes together. It is instinctual, and it is a little bit of pushing—working and working it.”

He continues, “Our CD’s are original music. We’re working on our sixth album.” The band’s recordings have been under different labels. The current one is by Alma Productions, and, like previous releases, it will be available at their shows, via their website, and online at Amazon and CD Baby. On reaching their audience, Dennis says, “Social media has made a lot possible. It’s not about hanging up flyers around town anymore, it’s about Facebook and Twitter and having a YouTube channel.”

Nosotros would like to take its performances to larger venues and festivals. But, says Randy, “You don’t need to be a rock star to be successful. We’re not big-time, but you can find a niche to be in and make a living doing what you love. I want people to know of us and respect what we’re doing musically, and I want to play for people who are appreciative of our music. That’s success for me.”

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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S t o p I n &Competitive S t o c k Prices Up for all of your summer celebrations

One of my favorite bumper stickers reads: “Beer. Helping White boys dance since 1864.” That one pretty well has me pegged. We Nordics are good at herding reindeer and taking saunas. But dancing? Not unless it’s around the maypole—and fortunately we only have to do that once a year. However, as I sit in a chair and listen to the eight or so songs on Nosotros’ website, pretty soon my foot starts tapping. First time this has happened in two years. And then my legs move, and then I can’t sit in the chair any more. Suddenly, I jump up and dance around the house.

There’s no telling what would happen if I had a beer in me! Nosotros definitely has a groove.

For information about the band, including upcoming performances and CD’s, go to nosotrosmusic.net. Along with Randy and Dennis, the band’s current lineup includes Carlos Fontana (vocals), Felipe Ruibal (vocals), Shane Derk (guitar), Gilbert Uribe (bass), Manuel Ramirez (alto and tenor sax), David Weeks (trumpet) and Cristobal “Cha Chi” Romero (congas, vocals).

>> More about Nosotros Can’t get enough of Nosotros? See interviews and hear them play online at localflavormagazine.com.

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JULY 2013

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story by JOHN VOLLERTSEN photos by AMIEL GERVERS

| Florence Jaramillo

| Combinaciòn Picante

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Chimayó

n the early 1990s while living in Sydney, Australia, I visited Santa Fe to research a project I was working on at the time: to create an authentic Southwestern restaurant in that major metropolis. I dined at the city’s hottest restaurants—Coyote Cafe, Cafe Pasqual’s and Santacafé—sampled margaritas every chance I could and purchased a suitcase full of reference materials, country music CDs, tchotchkes and cookbooks, including what was then the newly published Rancho de Chimayó Cookbook. I remember poring over it on my 17-hour flight back to Sydney, engrossed in the history and recipes that would become the foundation for the Arizona Bar and Grill chain I would eventually help to launch down under.

Jump ahead 22 years. I now live in Santa Fe. I am driving to Rancho de Chimayó to interview the lady who has been involved in running the historic restaurant and hacienda for almost 50 years. The air is fresh and decidedly cool. A spectacular rainstorm the night before has washed the ashes out of the air and dampened the blazing forest. As I head out of town, the hellacious black plume that had heralded the beginning of the Jaroso Fire is now fluffy white. It is cool enough to have the windows down. Having carted numerous houseguests from around the world to the Santuario de Chimayó, I am familiar with the drive, but, oddly, I have never dined at the Rancho de Chimayó itself. In a funny way, seeing the restaurant for the first time and meeting proprietor Florence Jaramillo adds to my delight in the discovery.

The 35-minute drive from Santa Fe to Chimayó is a lovely one. Once I turn off U.S. 84/285 onto N.M. 503, the road is practically enclosed by lush trees and vegetation—but not for long. The winding road that takes me down into Chimayó is pure New Mexico desert: dramatic mesas and gentle hills dotted with piñon and pine—God’s country. Due to the tiny village’s famous church with its reputation as a healing site, Chimayó is known as the “Lourdes of America.” Believers claim that dirt from a back room of the church can heal physical and spiritual ills, and since the celebrated Chimayó chile is also purported to have curative culinary properties, the drive feels therapeutic as well.

Rancho de Chimayó sits on a slight hill, set back from the road behind a vast parking lot ready to accommodate its many visitors. The original house was built in the 1890s, but additions were added after it became a restaurant in 1965 and the business grew. Sunny gardens and portals at the back of the house make for perfect outdoor dining, while the smaller handsome inner rooms are more popular during the winter months. I am immediately charmed by the décor and can’t wait to go in. When I arrive at 9:30 a.m., Florence is already at work just outside the kitchen. Due to a nasty leg break a few years back, she uses a walker on wheels, but she is anything but immobile. Her energy and enthusiasm for the business belie her age. She greets me with a big smile.

“Can I get you some coffee? I’m on my third cup,” she offers cheerfully.

We sit in a nearby dining room overlooking the sunlit back terrace. As we chat, waiters, cooks and other staff members scurry about preparing the restaurant for service. “We have a big wedding tomorrow, and then Sunday is Father’s Day, so there’s a lot going on,” Florence explains. When I ask for a brief history of the place, she replies, “Of course, the whole history is in the cookbook we did in 1991.” I mention that I had used the book to plan a restaurant in Sydney years ago, and she seems pleased. “We’re very excited to be heading toward our 50th year.

In fact, Bill and Cheryl Jamison, who did the original book, will do a 50th anniversary edition with some new recipes and stories. Although we opened in 1965, we want to have it ready for 2015, so we’re working on it now.”

Florence continues: “I met my husband, Arturo, after the Korean War, and we married and lived in Connecticut. We had visited New Mexico many times, and I remember one time when we came while Grandpa Jaramillo was still in this house. I made a fish dinner over the family wood stove. I knew he was testing me to see if I could cook. Grandpa approved of my fish meal, so I guess I passed the test. When Grandfather Jaramillo died, the house and properties were being divided up to Arturo and his five siblings. I had always worked and cooked interesting food, so Arturo suggested we go do something like that in New Mexico. We eventually bought out his siblings and started renovating the house to create the restaurant. It took two years and originally was just the front three rooms, with a bar where the gift shop is now. My mom moved out in 1964 to help with my daughter Laura, who was born in 1960. It was actually Laura who helped make the cookbook happen originally.”

Florence’s memory is astounding. She recalls exact dates and information often by first pausing and connecting the occasion to another one. (“Let’s see, that was two years after my daughter’s birth, so … 1962.”)

I am totally enthralled with her anecdotes and can hardly write fast enough to get them all recorded. When I ask how business is, she responds, “We did 1200 meals on Mother’s Day last month. We typically do 300 to 400 meals a day during the summer. Carne adovada is our most popular dish, either on its own or stuffed into a sopaipilla. My favorite dish is our enchilada. I like red or green, depending on what I feel like on the day. I used to cook more at home on my days off, but not so much anymore.”

Any plans to retire after an almost half-century in the business? “Well, I hope so; I want to make it to the 50th anniversary. I like Chimayó, though, so don’t plan on leaving here unless I went to live with my daughter in Texas.” Lunch service is starting, and Florence is beckoned to attend to business matters. I thank her for her time and for the quick trip down memory lane.

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A family of six with teens in tow bustles past me, excited to sample the wonders from Florence’s kitchen. Now it’s my turn to taste the goodies that have been drawing folks here for half a century. I move to the breezy back terrace and order the famous house Chimayó Cocktail, a refreshing blend of tequila, lemon juice and apple cider.

Rimmed with cinnamon and sugar, it pairs well with the guacamole, which is perfectly fired up with chunks of green chile. My Combinación Picante celebrates what makes New Mexican cuisine so special; it’s a harmonious melting pot of Mexican, Norteño and Native cookery together on one plate. The impossibly tender carne adovada has a kick, and the delicate pork tamales barely need a fork to open, while the enchiladas burst with melted cheese. And, of course, all of it is swimming happily in a spicy Chimayó red chile sauce. The service is professional and inclusive; every diner instantly becomes an extended member of the large Jaramillo family.

On that beautiful drive home, I reflect on what it takes to last in this crazy industry for 50 years. How wonderful that Florence still has the passion and dedication to keep her going. I wonder if maybe there isn’t a bit of that holy dirt buried under the timeworn foundation of Rancho de Chimayó. I’m certain there is.

Rancho de Chimayo is located at 300 Juan Medina Road in Chimayó. 505.351.4444. ranchodechimayo.com.

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The Making of story by DOLORES MCELROY photos by BOB GODWIN

| Santa Fe Opera Prop Director Randy Lutz and Prop Shopper Kortney McQuade

| Oscar Wilde by Toulouse Lautrec in 1895 20

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glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world. What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?” – Oscar Wilde When Oscar Wilde wrote these rhapsodic words in the late 19th century, he could hardly have realized how prescient they were—or how he himself would come to be linked with absinthe in a rather unexpected way­­(operatically, as it so happens) and at an opera house known for its spectacular sunsets, The Santa Fe Opera.

Saturday, July 27, marks the world premiere of Oscar, a new opera by composer Theo Morrison, who also co-wrote the libretto with British director John Cox. The world-famous countertenor David Daniels sings the title role. Surprisingly, this is the first major operatic work ever to be written about Oscar Wilde, the legendary Irish writer and wit. The opera focuses on the last years of Wilde’s life, specifically his imprisonment for “gross indecency” (a coded term for his homosexual relationships) and his subsequent exile from friends and family during the last years of the 19th century. Some of the opera is set in the home of his good friend Ada Leverson, a fellow writer who took Wilde in “between trials” when all of London shunned him.

At Leverson’s, Wilde stayed in the nursery amongst teddy bears and toy soldiers. This is a real historical fact, but Oscar’s libretto uses the stay as the opportunity for a uniquely theatrical sequence (which we won’t give away here) that was perhaps spurred by Wilde’s well-known fondness for absinthe.

But whereas the real-life Oscar Wilde need only have walked to the corner bar for his nightly dose, the Santa Fe Opera‘s search for this single prop set in motion a barrage of inquiry, research and trips to the antique store by the exhaustively thorough Santa Fe Opera Prop Shop.

Properties Director Randy Lutz has been at the Santa Fe Opera for 32 years, having worked his way up from stage carpenter, so he knows his way around a libretto. Randy took one look at the mention of absinthe in Act I, Scene II of Oscar and immediately mobilized a team of researchers and shoppers.

“I’ve done I don’t know how many Figaros by now, but a world premiere is different. When you do a new piece, you know it’s going to evolve in rehearsal. They may cut a scene, the music can change. It is different, because you’re the one creating the piece as a company.”

Randy’s job is always a collaborative effort with the director and designer (Kevin Newbury and David Korins, respectively, in the case of Oscar), but due to time limits, he must do a lot of the work before the director and designer even arrive. Randy and his team can spend dozens of hours researching and shopping for a prop just to have it nixed by the director or designer in rehearsal, so this is where Randy’s experience and expertise come in.

“Fifteen to 20 hours can be involved in creating the absinthe set up, this one prop,” says Randy.

“But if it’s just a wine bottle we’re looking for, that’s a ten minute decision. This is a little bit different.

People are really into absinthe; it has a historical presence, so I’ll spend more time on it.” Randy began with a search for the perfect bottle. He explains that he turned to period photographs of bars to determine the shape and character of absinthe bottles at the turn of the century. Then he looked for a match in the opera’s on-site prop storage, which houses literally hundreds of bottles from all eras. After finding an accurate match among these, he researched vintage labels and recreated one. Other resources sometimes used are the online forums for prop directors and, of course, the secret weapon: antique dealers.

Prop Shopper Kortney McQuade was sent to scour antique shops from Albuquerque to Taos. “It’s really hard finding European things from the turn of the century in New Mexico,” says Kortney, “but there are certain collectors who specialize in glassware or kitchenware.” It was to these trusty dealers on Albuquerque’s Antique Mile that Kortney turned and immediately came back with a colored set of absinthe glasses. But Randy remembered that absinthe’s most marked characteristic was its green color and suggested a continued search for clear glasses so that the green liquid could be visible onstage. As Randy puts it, “It’s not just another cocktail.”

How right Randy is. The allure of the anise-flavored spirit is, of course, tied to its infamous reputation for turning noblemen, poets, artists, drunkards and all possible combinations thereof into hallucinating fiends, lured into darkness by la fée verte (“the green fairy”), the fanciful incarnation of absinthe’s dubious powers. There is certainly no doubt as to the spirit’s popularity in continental Europe and, to a lesser extent, Britain and the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and many artists, including Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Hemingway and Baudelaire, hastened their respective downfalls with absinthe.

The green color of absinthe (which may also be clear) has often been blamed for its allegedly psychedelic effects. Absinthe can be made in a variety of ways, but three ingredients are traditionally present: green anise, sweet fennel and the flowers and leaves of grand wormwood (Artemesia absinthium). These herbs give the spirit its color, but one of them—wormwood—was believed to be the source of hallucinogenic effects, due to the presence of the chemical compound thujone in the plant.

Thujone was blamed for absinthe’s crazy-making reputation, and the drink was banned in several of the countries where it was most popular, including the U.S. in 1912 and, finally, France in 1914. However, contemporary analysis of absinthe has proven that thujone was only present in trace amounts and probably had little to no effect on the consumer. | Absinthe Robette created by Privat Livemont in 1896 A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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Making of Oscar Yet, there was definitely something a little ... special about the absinthe that Wilde and his contemporaries so ardently consumed.

Consider one of Wilde’s accounts: “Three nights I sat up all night drinking absinthe and thinking that I was singularly clearheaded and sane. The waiter came in and began watering the sawdust. The most wonderful flowers, tulips, lilies, and roses sprang up and made a garden of the cafe. ‘Don’t you see them?’ I said to him. ‘No sir, there is nothing there.’”

Now, one must take into account Wilde’s somewhat unconventional relationship to facts when considering his version of events. Was he just perpetuating an urban myth?

Maybe. Or maybe it was the booze. Most absinthes are 90 to 148 proof. (As a means of comparison, whisky and vodka are about 80 proof.) Simply put, absinthe is strong. And moderation was neither the creed of the fin de siecle nor of the artists who defined it. Realistically, absinthe drinkers were far more likely to suffer from plain old alcohol poisoning than from the effects of thujone.

The alcohol content is one of the reasons one does not simply pour oneself a glass of absinthe. Absinthe drinking was (and is) a ritual.

In Wilde’s time, absinthe was prepared using what is known as the French method. One began with a glass containing a shot of absinthe.

Then a sugar cube was placed upon a special spoon with decorative slots that balanced atop the glass. Then ice water was dripped over the spoon, usually dispensed from a special absinthe fountain, basically a gussied-up water cooler. (The Victorians were never ones to miss an opportunity for merchandising.) The final mixture was usually about one part absinthe to three to five parts water. The water brought out absinthe’s herbal bouquet and caused a desirable cloudiness known as the louche.

Absinthe has enjoyed a renaissance abroad since the 1990s and was finally re-legalized in the United States in 2007. A trendy way to serve the spirit is to set an alcohol-soaked sugar cube ablaze in a glass of absinthe. But take note: absinthe connoisseurs claim this can damage the flavor of the drink and is more of a fire hazard (remember that high alcohol content?) than an inventive cocktail.

So if you see one of the five performances of Oscar this summer, you may admire the handsome and historically accurate absinthe set up. You may contemplate all the work behind the scenes that has gone into it. Who knows? You may even covet a similarly decorative set up for yourself. But far be it from us to offer a final cautionary word. These things, like most, are better left to Oscar Wilde: “After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see as things as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”

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Far-Flung Wine Regions story by TOM HILL 24

C

hange is taking place in the wine world at a breathtaking pace, faster than at any time I can recall in my wine experience.

Two questions I am often asked are “What’s new and exciting in the wine world?” and “What new wines have you discovered of late?”

I have little interest in drinking yet another Napa Valley Cabernet, no matter how good it is. I am much more challenged by some new region or variety. And there are a lot of new ones out there.

It is a long-held tenet that socialist countries could not make great wines. Meeting production quotas and adhering to five-year plans was the goal; quality was irrelevant.

However, with the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the transition to a free-market economy, many of these countries are attracting outside investment capital, and the quality of the wines is ratcheting up dramatically.

Let’s take a look at some of these new (actually, very old) wine-producing regions that are capturing my attention: Georgia, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and Macedonia—an arc of countries bordering the Black Sea. Some of their wines are truly compelling.

Georgia

Blessed with an ideal grape-growing climate, ancient Georgia was, in fact, the birthplace of grape cultivation and winemaking.

Archaeologists have dated grape artifacts there back to 6000 BC. Traditionally, the wines were fermented in large earthenware vessels known as qvevri, buried in the ground and loosely covered. Georgian wines were favored in the former Soviet Union. They typically were red, high in alcohol and sweet—not in line with today’s taste.

Modern winemaking techniques have slowly been making inroads, with a concomitant improvement in quality. However, many Georgian wines still are being made by ancient methods in qvervi. There is, not surprisingly, a small movement throughout the world to revert back to these ancient winemaking techniques and rejecting modern technology. This “natural” wine movement, regarded by some as a lunatic fringe, has its adherents, like wine writer Alice Feiring and the late vintner Joe Dressner, both of whom looked to Georgian wine as their inspiration.

These “natural” wines are very much a mixed bag. Some are technically flawed and undrinkable,

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some can only be called interesting and some are actually quite good. The most widely imported brand of Georgian wine is artist John Wurdeman’s Pheasant’s Tears (www.pheasantstears.com). The dry Rkatsiteli has an intriguing orange, figgy character—it’s a bit like a sherry with its slightly oxidized style. A bit more mainstream is the Saperavi Black Wine, not too unlike a late harvest California Zin. The Mtsvane is a bit too weird even for my eccentric tastes.

Slovenia

Slovenia was always one of the more progressive and modern states in Marshal Tito’s Yugoslavia. It has always had a very porous border with Friuli, in neighboring Italy, and many of the Friulian winemakers believe the best grapes being grown in the region are from Slovenia.

In Friuli some ten or more years ago, the winemakers Stanko Radikon and Josko Gravner adopted ancient Georgian winemaking techniques (clay amphorae, extended grape macerations, no sufur dioxide, additions, etc.) in order to make “natural” wines. Because of the orange or bronze color these whites show, they are often referred to as “orange” wines. They are controversial, sometimes outright flawed, but they command high prices, a fact that’s not gone unnoticed.

This retrograde winemaking has crept back across the border into Slovenia, though in moderation. Some winemakers make their whites with extended skin contact, just as is done with red wines. They feel the skin tannins allow them to reduce the sulfir dioxixide additions needed. This skin contact can sometimes give the wines a tannic bite, oftentimes a bit of an orange tint and a phenolic character somewhat like cider.

The Movia wines of Aleš Kristančič are some of the better Slovene wines that can be found here in New Mexico. The Sauvignon and the Pinot Grigio are a particularly good introduction to orange wines.

Recently, the Marjan Simčič wines have arrived. The Chardonnay and Sauvignon are authentic orange wines, rather pricey at $60. But Kristancic’s basic Pinot Grigio, around $18, is made conventionally and is as fine a clean, crisp wine as you can find. Lovely drinking.

Hungary

Hungary was one of the exceptions to the general inferiority of socialist countries’ wine quality. Its Tokaji sweet dessert wine, made from botrytized Furmint grapes, has always been an iconic dessert wine, and its quality did not appear to suffer greatly under the commissars. Since Hungary transitioned to a free-market economy, there has been an expansion of producers making Tokaji dessert wines, primarily of the Aszu level. These wines are cleaner, brighter and even better than before—worth trying.

However, the market for dessert wines is limited. In the last ten years, there has been a strong move to make dry table wines in the Tokaj region, usually from the Furmint grape. They have a richness and minerality that resembles some of the Friulian whites.

The Ǝvolucio Tokaj Furmint, at $13.50, is a particularly attractive example of these new wines. For reds, the Egri Bikaver (“Bulls Blood of Eger”), made from the Kadarka grape, was pretty much the only show in town. (It was pretty miserable under socialism.) Again, there has been a proliferation of new producers, some of which are quite decent—and some really good. Probably, the best Hungarian red grape is Kekfrankos (know in Austria as Blaufrankish). The Weninger Kekfrankos, from the Sopron area, shows well the plummy, earthy, loamy character of that grape.

Macedonia

Slovenia

© Nehru | Dreamstime.com © Maroš Markovič

Macedonia

Potential Breakout Regions

© Ljupco Smokovski

Georgia

Croatia, long a winemaking backwater, has a unique claim to fame: it’s the birthplace of California’s Zinfandel. It was identified by DNA typing some ten years ago as the indigenous variety known as Crljenak Kaštelanski (also known as Primitivo in Italy’s Puglia). Using improved DNA typing on a desiccated grape leaf in a Croatian herbarium, it was found to be identical to an ancient variety known as Tribidrag. Since that discovery, there have been a number of “Zinfandels” appearing from Croatia. They are usually rather rustic versions of their California brethren. Plavac Mali, a descendent of Zinfandel, is the most common variety along the Dalmatian coast, and some are quite good.

Famed California winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich has returned to his Croatian roots and is now making wines there under his Grgich label. His Plavic Mali somewhat resembles the fine Zinfandels he’s made at Grgich Hills in the Napa Valley.

Macedonia has one of the oldest winemaking histories in the region after Georgia. At one time, it produced over two-thirds of the wine for Yugoslavia, though very little was exported and the focus was on bulk wine. Most of the wines are made from tongue-twisting native varieties, like Vranac, Plavac and Ẑilavka.

I had never before seen a Macedonian wine until a year ago when the wines from Tikveš Winery (www.tikves.com.mk) showed up here in New Mexico. Tikveš is the oldest winery operating in Macedonia, dating back to 1885. Its consulting winemaker is Philippe Cambie, one of the hot winemakers in France’s Chateauneuf du Pape.

My first Tikveš was the aromatic, mineral-laden Rkaciteli, which I had at Santa Fe’s Vinaigrette restaurant. Its refreshing character matched well with the salads there. Since then, I’ve also tried the Vranac, a dead ringer for a very ripe California Zinfandel. No surprise there, as that grape is related to the ancient Tribidrag (Zinfandel). Both wines are very reasonably priced, about $11.

© Yan Kit Wong

Croatia

© Freesurf69 | Dreamstime.com

Hungary

© Kostyantyn Malinovs’kyy

Croatia

The area around the Black Sea, the birthplace of Vitis vinifera and winemaking, has a countless number of indigenous varieties with unpronounceable names that are found nowhere else in the world. Some could potentially, in the hands of the right winemaker, make truly profound wines. It would be an unmitigated tragedy if these areas instead focused on the “classic” grapes: Cabernet, Chardonnay, Merlot. The wine world doesn’t really need yet another Merlot, even if it’s from Herzegovina.

There are a number of countries that continue to wallow in uninspired wine growing, for a variety of reasons. Yet their growing conditions are good for making world-class wines, given the right circumstances. I would suggest that Moldova, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Turkey and Albania may very well be future stars in the wine world. Try them when they show up in New Mexico. It will be exciting to watch that unfold ... if it does.

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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| Erin Brooks, writer at work

story by ERIN BROOKS photos by GABRIELLA MARKS

Sort through the sweet potato leaves by hand, choosing only the most tender. Only about half the leaves will be tender enough to use, and when they are cooked they will halve in size again.

Sauté the leaves in a hot wok for less than a minute, coating with sesame oil and garlic. Eat them immediately, before they lose their nutrients…

Listening to Elsa Fang describe her husband Hsia’s dishes, it’s easy to imagine I’m reading a cookbook of traditional Chinese recipes. Her description of the preparation of the sweet potato leaves on my plate begins my culinary adventure through several dishes at Budai Gourmet Chinese restaurant in Albuquerque. I’m super excited. After reading a local bloggers’ accounts of Chef Hsia’s dishes, I know I’m in for some authentic, homecooked Chinese cuisine—not the cloyingly sweet and sticky sweet-and-sour chicken and how-long-has-this-been-sitting-here fried rice from ubiquitous Chinese chain restaurants.

Owned by the Taiwanese couple Hsia and Elsa Fang, the small restaurant is tucked away inside a busy shopping center off San Mateo. As each dish is brought to the table, Elsa provides a detailed description of ingredients and preparation. Because Chef Hsia’s English is limited, she is the face of Budai.

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A talented storyteller, Elsa fills me in on the couple’s history in the restaurant business, which spans the globe (from China to the U.S.) and covers several decades. Although they both grew up in Taiwan, the couple met in Washington, D.C., where Hsia was working for a well-established Chinese restaurant.

After 27 years of marriage, Elsa speaks for Hsia easily. I ask how Hsia became a chef and get an unexpected answer. “Go back about forty years,” she begins. “I was from a middle class family and we never worried about meals, education or surviving.

But my husband came from a very poor town. His father was a fisherman, and he died when Hsia was fourteen. There was no savings, nothing left for a family of five to survive.” So Hsia took a job in a restaurant where he scrubbed the floors, pots and pans—the beginning of his training in cooking.

What has cleaning got to do with becoming a chef, you might ask? Elsa reminds me of the movie The Karate Kid, in which the main character has to begin his martial arts training with some hard work and elbow grease, buffing floors and painting fences. “My husband often compares cooking with kung fu,” she explains. One of the main philosophies behind kung fu is the idea that success and achievement are only possible through long years of hard work and dedication. “Like students of kung fu, a chef must come from the basics—scrub the floor, wash pots and pans. When Hsia started, they trained a state of mind: obedience and education. Anything we learn, we start at the bottom and go up, in any field or profession. To Hsia, that is the most important.”

I get the feeling that I’m also climbing a ladder in my culinary adventure at Budai, beginning at the bottom. I’m dying to try dishes from the so-called “secret” menu, an additional paper menu with exciting-sounding choices like fish head soup and salt-and-pepper frog legs. Elsa explains that the menu isn’t really a secret but instead is meant to offer additional dishes not on the everyday menu. She likes to recommend these extra items

| Chinese eggplant and broccoli in a garlic sauce

to regular customers whose tastes she has come to know. For the Fangs, good business is about bringing folks back and earning the loyalty of customers, not serving generic dishes and packing the restaurant in a turn-and-burn method.

Likewise, my culinary adventure doesn’t begin with the exotic. Instead, I must first learn to appreciate the simple flavor of freshly sautéed sweet potato leaves. They are indeed delicious, and as I eat I notice that several of the customers coming in are Chinese. They speak with Elsa in Mandarin, the official language of China. I consider it a good sign that Albuquerque’s Asian community comes to eat at Budai, and I let her lead the way with my next two dishes: snow vegetable, baked tofu and pork (Shanghai) and Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce.

In the summer, you should eat more vegetables and tofu, rather than meat. For the snow vegetable, baked tofu and pork dish, pickle the mustard greens slightly so they won’t taste bitter.

Cut the tofu into squares and bake it slowly. This will make it a bit saltier, and the texture will be firmer. Slice the tofu and the lean pork in a julienne style so that the dish will feel light and fresh.

Chinese eggplant is very different than other kinds of eggplant. It has a creamier texture and a milder flavor, with a beautiful purple color. Cut the eggplant into large chunks and add some broccoli. A garlic sauce with chopped Chinese pepper pods adds a richness and kick to the vegetables.

Elsa’s description of her husband’s food highlights the differences between American and Chinese cuisine. Hsia’s cooking emphasizes healthfulness, and Elsa likes to point out that not much needs to be done to make a dish vegetarian or gluten-free (sweet potato starch is used in place of flour to eliminate gluten). In the Budai kitchen there is no butter, milk or cream; these items aren’t part of China’s culinary repertoire. “We like to emphasize food that’s delicious and

healthy,” Elsa says. “Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the flavor and the taste of the food.”

Elsa also points out that the average American doesn’t usually eat enough vegetables.

Once a customer who ordered the sweet potato leaves complained, “I feel like I’m eating a plate of grass.” Elsa wittily replied, “That’s a high-class plate of grass!” The leaves are considered a delicacy. Health through food is one reason she’s such a fan of her husband’s Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce. “Everything in moderation. We get plenty of green and red, so we need more purple! Our bodies like to take in as many different things as possible.” I myself am a fan of vegetables of all colors and am happy to be munching on the crunchy and savory pickled mustard greens. The Chinese eggplant is soft and creamy with a buttery flavor and a texture similar to squash. I’d never tried either of these vegetables before, and I’ll definitely be looking for them next time I hit the market.

After I devour the first three dishes, Elsa takes the cue and brings out something that’s not on the menu at all—a plate of fresh razor clams with onions, garlic and wilted basil.

The clams are meaty and juicy, much more substantial than average. I tear at the meat with my bright red chopsticks, dredging each piece through the sautéed basil. They are delicious! At this point the restaurant is filling up, and I watch the Fangs standing together at a blender, grinding some unknown ingredient until it’s just right.

It has taken some time for Budai to earn recognition in the Albuquerque community (the restaurant has been open for more than three years). Although the couple has owned other restaurants before, Elsa says Budai is the first place where making money is not the top goal. This time, it’s all about Hsia’s talent as a chef. “We’ve been in the restaurant business a long time, but Budai is the place we’re most proud of,” Elsa tells me. “When we were young, we had to think about making money. Now that our kids are older and we’re comfortable, we don’t have to think about money as the number one thing.” Instead of sticking to more generic dishes that most Americans will recognize, Elsa says that she and Hsia “are introducing more and more authentic dishes. When we opened Budai, we decided to keep the kitchen and the restaurant small. It’s riskier, but we want to focus on Hsia’s talent.” So much so that when Hsia leaves town, the restaurant closes—the food just isn’t the same without him in the kitchen.

Peel the outside of the tongue. Marinate it for at least three hours in a sauce of rice wine, garlic, ginger and a bit of soy sauce. Now place the meat in a stew pot and stew it for another three hours until it’s nice and tender. Then quickly sauté the tongue with onions and pepper before serving.

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I’m finally ready to try something a little more exotic. Elsa describes the Mongolian-style thin sliced beef tongue, and as I take my first bite I’m suddenly reminded of my grandmother’s kitchen, which used to fill up with the smell of pot roast that had been simmering all day. The beef tongue is delicious, with a rich homestyle flavor and a smoother texture than other cuts of beef. But this isn’t the average Chinese restaurant. This is authentic Chinese cuisine at its best, in the most unlikely of spots. And as a new student of Hsia’s food, I’m only beginning my adventure. There is so much more to try at Budai.

Budai Gourmet Chinese is located at 6300 San Mateo NE in Albuquerque.

505.797.7898.budaigourmet.com.

| Razor Clams

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TAOShum

In our regular column, Tania Casselle introduces us to the people who make Taos hum.

This month we meet three women who always aim to entertain.

Judy Anderson and Katherine Anderson Knox The Taos School of Music is a family vocation for Judy Anderson and her daughter Kathleen Anderson Knox. As the wife of co-founder and cellist Chilton Anderson, Judy has served behind the scenes since Taos School of Music (TSM) debuted in 1963, and at 81 she’s still its treasurer. Daughter Kathleen spent childhood summers playing with the music faculty’s kids around the Hotel St. Bernard in Taos Ski Valley, TSM’s home base.

“I had the best time! That was the best playground ever,” says Kathleen, who took over as executive director of the annual chamber music school and festival when her dad retired, after years of “apprenticing” to him. Kathleen masterminds the planning of TSM from California, where she works in a bighorn sheep wildlife program. Then she returns to the Taos family ranch for the summer and manages the school and concert series. (This year’s schedule runs from June 16 to August 4.) Of course, she gets to see her dad and her mom, Judy, too.

“I’ve only missed two concerts in 50 years, and for one of those I was having Kathy,” says Judy, who first visited Taos from Texas in 1958 for a week of skiing. “I went home and quit my job and came back as a ski bum. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my

s t o r y b y TA N I A C A S S E L L E photos by LENNY FOSTER

life in Galveston, and I liked Taos a lot.” She met her husband on the slopes during that initial trip. “I only met him about three days before I left, but we did seem to click nicely. I guess that was part of it.”

When Chilton started TSM, Judy considered it to be “a sort of diversion for the summer,” adding, “We had no idea it would last this long.” Judy’s TSM roles included chief problem-solver, and she cites the time a goat called Goatsie owned by Jean Mayer of the Hotel St. Bernard got into a musician’s room and chewed up some music. Judy was also dorm mother to the young musicians. “I loved interacting with the kids.” Some were on their first trip to the mountains. Judy recalls a foreign student living in New York, who was invited to a party at the ranch. “He looked up and said ‘I have never seen so many stars in all my life!’ He was just blown away.”

Taos School of Music’s 2013 concert series runs from June 16 to August 4 at Hotel St. Bernard and Taos Community Auditorium. taosschoolofmusic.com.

Shawnee Erskine

“When I started hula-hooping seven years ago, nobody ever knew what it was. If I had one with me in the airport, security didn’t know what was going on with that! Now there are online tutorials, teachers, websites sharing moves. People just think it’s really cool.”

In her spare time she enjoys hiking and hanging out at the river. “Going to Heron Lake is my favorite,” she says. She also keeps busy making her own costumes: “I love to sew, so that’s really fun, and I get to work with sparkly pretty things.”

After spending most of her childhood in Taos, Shawnee lived in places from Washington, D.C., to Arizona but returned home 14 years ago. “I’m not really a city person, and the East Coast energy is so different,” she says. “I missed the sunsets and the friendliness of people. Taos is my home, and I definitely feel happy to be made of here. Some people have to search for their place, but I didn’t have to do that.”

Revolving Door Circus performs on July 4 with Last To Know in the Taos Mountain Summer Music Series at Taos Ski Valley resort. The troupe performs at events around Taos and at venues including Taos Mesa Brewing. revolvingdoorcircus.wordpress.com.

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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And, Now.....

s t o r y b y K E L LY K O E P K E photos by AMIEL GERVERS

Live from the Hiland!

“When I look at what NDI has done here in the last few years, we’ve brought it back to life.” That’s Jackie Oliver, referring to the Hiland Theater and the neighborhood surrounding it. And Oliver knows what she’s talking about; as Albuquerque Artistic Director of National Dance Institute of New Mexico (NDI-NM), she’s had front row seats to the big transformation.

The historic theater is now home to NDI-NM’s Albuquerque offices, classrooms and performance spaces, but back in the day, the Hiland was the Duke City’s premier movie house. Opened in 1950, the auditorium sat 1,188, stadium-style, and the garage behind the building held 350 cars. Oliver muses that if it weren’t for the Hiland, she might not be alive today. “My parents’ first date was here in 1974,” she says.

When the block-long Hiland Theater building closed in 1995, it was a shadow of its former self and in sore need of renovation. A year later, Musical Theatre Southwest bought the property. The group leased part of the space to the City of Albuquerque for its short-lived Center for Theatre and museum. Bernalillo County took ownership of the Hiland complex from the struggling organization while both entities sought money for continued renovation. The venerable old theater became the butt of jokes, and some county commissioners (as well as many members of the public) considered it a money pit.

Skepticism remained high in 2008 when NDI sought a permanent home in Albuquerque from which to continue its outreach. The ultimate goal? To replicate the organization’s wildly successful program in Santa Fe, where the NDI Dance Barns spurred a renaissance in the neighborhood that houses them.

“Bernalillo County was looking for purpose for the Hiland,” says Gretchen Williams, NDI’s Albuquerque Director of Development.

“Talks led to our public-private partnership. The county owns the building, with NDI operating it under a 60-year lease. The county maintains the exterior—the roof and major systems. NDI maintains the interior and operates it on a daily basis. We needed to pay for the full interior renovation. In exchange, we pay no monthly rent, and offer services to the families of Bernalillo County,” she continues.

NDI’s mission is to use dance as a vehicle for helping children develop discipline, a standard of excellence and a belief in themselves that will carry over into all aspects of their lives, and the organization has benchmarks that it needs to hit (kids served, money raised, etc.) for this long-term partnership to work. What is working already? The organization’s fundraising efforts—to the tune of $13 million. For two years, the building has been under renovation as the money flowed in from the state, the federal government, private foundations, individuals and corporations. NDI’s development efforts have been impressive, especially considering the fact that the fundraising effort started during the middle of a recession when corporate, individual and foundation giving dried up and governmental coffers began to suffer.

The first phase of the renovation focused on the east wing of the building and spaces that would directly benefit children. Five performing arts studios were refurbished, as well as offices, reception areas, storage, lobby entrance, exterior and marquee. Safety, security and utility improvements were also addressed. Phase two was completed last year and included major renovation to the theater that created a 6,300 squarefoot open studio, which, for maximum efficiency, is convertible into two smaller studios or a 600-seat theater with stage. This phase also included state-of-the-art technical and theatrical upgrades, balcony reconstruction and collapsible bleacher seating.

“July begins the third and final phase of construction,” says Williams. “Offices will be consolidated on the second floor of the west side of the building. We’ll get more studios, a conference room, and the current office space will be offered to lease to area businesses. This should be complete by the end of 2013, with an end of campaign celebration/open house in November or December.”

Although 2013 marks NDI’s second summer in the Hiland, the organization officially opened its space there in the fall of 2012. This summer, camps ranging from traditional summer programs to three-week intensives are serving about 150 Albuquerque public school children who already participate in NDI’s in-school programs. For children whose schools don’t yet participate in NDI’s programs, there are two- and three-day-a-week options, including tap dance instruction, programs that teach kids to create a Broadway-style musical and classes in NDI’s signature form of dance, combining high-energy movement with kinesthetic learning.

“NDI’s style of dancing uses very simple movements that anyone can do wearing street clothes and emphasizes total energy—big movements like stretching arms and stomping feet,” says Oliver. “We want total commitment and the kids to exceed the instructor in energy. Steps are presented in a way that keeps brain and body challenged.”

Continued on page 34

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Live from the Hiland!

Oliver has been with NDI for 12 years and says the benefits to NDI kids go beyond simply moving their bodies. “We instill life lessons: work hard in everything, do your best, never give up and live a healthy lifestyle. Those are NDI’s four core values. Our school programs have our instructors with kids for 50 minutes a week for 30 weeks in schools.

In addition, teachers can talk about the core values in other places. We tie them to the kids’ everyday lives: home, homework, college, applying for a job, etc.”

It’s difficult not to notice the horde of schoolchildren who descend upon the Hiland Theater each afternoon during the school year.

Summertime brings those same children for the full day. Kids arrive by city bus, in carpools, by community center vans, by bicycle and on foot.

The vitality of the block is hard to miss, especially since just a few years ago there was talk of razing the building.

This neighborhood revitalization makes Williams especially proud. “We were conscious of finding the right location for NDI’s Albuquerque programs,” she says. “The Hiland brings foot traffic, because kids bring their families with them. We saw that with the Dance Barns in Santa Fe ten years ago. That was a really depressed area before NDI came that has seen positive changes. We knew we wanted to find an area in Albuquerque that was central, easy to acquire, but also needed revitalization where we could be part of the solution.”

Williams says she’s already seen a difference in the neighborhood.

Businesses are moving in, and the character of the area is changing for the better. Because the Hiland project also created jobs, NDI saw itself— for the first time—as a driver of economic redevelopment.

That certainly helped convince the U.S. Economic Development Administration to kick in $1.5 million for the renovation.

“We’ve seen a reduction in criminal activity and fewer transients since we opened,” Williams says of NDI’s new location, “and now we’re seeing existing businesses renovate and other businesses move into the area. We’re bringing people back to the Hiland for classes, shows, and renting space for other activities.”

Oliver agrees. “People who come to the building reminisce about what they’ve experienced here. It’s an important tie to the community. When the families and kids are here, the building is filled and their spirit is alive in the building.” And that is good for everyone.

The Hiland Theater is located at 4800 Central Avenue SE in Albuquerque. For more information, go to ndi-nm.org.

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From

Cuba

National Hispanic Cultural Center Fountain Courtyard • Sunday, 7:30 pm Pre-show Cuban dinner at La Fonda del Bosque Appetizers and drinks in the Courtyard

StEVE PoLtz

Sept 4

tom ruSSELL

Sept 20 & 21

The Cooperage

AMP Concerts & Avokado Artists present

GLobaLqUerqUe!

New Mexico’s 9th Annual Celebration of World Music and Culture National Hispanic Cultural Center

oct 17

thE SEConD CIty The KiMo

nov 8

ozomatLI Kiva Auditorium

Free events Ian Cooke

JULY

17

On the road to Sandia Crest Open Daily 9am-6pm tinkertown.com (505) 281-5233

Outpost Performance Space

!

JULY

aug 23

Ernie Pyle Library - July 3 - 11:30 am South Valley Library - July 3 - 4 pm Scalo Ill Bar with Cali Shaw - July 3 - 8pm

FanFare CioCarLia “The Legends of Gypsy Brass”

OYZ B W KO ts ot bo s 9 $9 shirt $15

Su mm e Sa le r !

lass st-C and r i F A n d - H re Secoter n Stone!

Wes Everyo - for

with A Hawk and A Hacksaw

The Dirty Bourbon • Wednesday, 7:30 pm

This show is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, WESTAF and New Mexico Arts.

Tickets - Hold My Ticket (112 2nd St SW), 505-886-1251 and ampconcerts.org, 505-232-9868

Across from the Santa Fe Train Station - 345 W. Manhattan 505-984-1256 - kowboyz.com - Open Daily

Come on in and check out our new summer menu & amazing daily specials...

Sm

’ n i ok

2571 Cristo’s Road, Santa Fe ~ across from the Auto Park near Kohls 505-424-8900 • theranchhousesantafe.com • Like us on

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JULY 2013

35

Still

s t o r y b y M E LY S S A H O L I K

photos courtesy of the Santa Fe Opera.

Kate Russell, photographer.

Photo: Kate Russell

It’s opera time! In Santa Fe, that means it’s also tailgating time. This year, The Santa Fe Opera opened its 57th season on June 28 with a special tailgating contest to honor this unique tradition.

We were so inspired by the contest that in honor of the world premiere of Oscar, we sought recipes for the best (and most transportable) French cuisine: the stuff of an Englishman’s fond Parisian dreams. An absinthe cocktail starts things off, while smoked fish tartines and rich duck confit make an appearance along with simple haricot vert or white bean salad. Délicieux!

Wilde Sunset

from Ann Jaeger, The Palace Restaurant and Saloon 2 oz Ketel One Orange Vodka 1/2 oz absinthe splash of Chambord 3 oz pink grapefruit juice basil leaf ice

Fill glass with ice, vodka and absinthe.

Tear basil leaf and add. Shake mixture and strain into a martini glass. Top with a splash of Chambord.

“Not too sweet, not too sour ... just right for a sunset tailgate.” —Ann Jaeger (Absinthe not your cup of tea? Check out Ann’s recipe for The Young Bourgeois, a take on the classic vesper martini, at localflavormagazine.com.)

The Palace Restaurant and Saloon, 142 West Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, 505.982.9891, palacesantafe.com.

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JULY 2013

Duck Confit with Steamed Haricots Verts From Chef Xavier Grenet, Ristra Serves 4 4 pieces duck leg sea salt duck fat, enough to cover meat in pan For the Duck Confit: Ahead of time, salt the duck legs and rinse. Pat dry. Place duck legs in a heavy pot and slow cook in duck fat for 4 hours. Remove from pot and reserve about ¼ cup of duck fat.

While tailgating, brown the cooked duck legs in a pan with a little bit of duck fat until they are crispy on the outside. Serve.

For the Haricots Verts: 3 cups haricots verts 1 shallot, minced butter to taste Steam haricots verts with a few tablespoons of water until they turn bright green. Top with melted butter and shallots, to taste.

(Want to take this menu to the next level? Get Xavier’s recipes for green chile mashed potatoes and green peppercorn sauce at localflavormagazine.com.)

Ristra, 548 Agua Fria St., Santa Fe, 505.982.8608, ristrarestaurant.com.

magazine.com

Smoked Fish and Cucumber Tartine

White Bean and Duck Confit Salad with Walnut Oil and Arugula from Cheryl and Bill Jamison Serves 6 to 8

from Chef Christophe Descarpentries, P’Tit Louis Bistro

2 cups dried white beans (such as lingot, tarbais, cannellini or Great Northern) Approximately 6 cups chicken stock Bouquet garni (a small bouquet of mixed fresh herbs) Kosher salt 2 duck confit leg-thigh sections 1½ Tablespoons walnut oil 1½ Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 to 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 3 heaping cups arugula

“This is a really simple recipe that can be prepared the day before the opera tailgating.

Cool food for a hot summer day, this classic French cucumber salad is exquisite topped with smoked fish and served on dark rye bread or baguette. Paired with a nice glass of Champagne and served on a checkered tablecloth, this dish would have made Oscar very happy. (Cucumber sandwiches were his favorite.)”

—Chef Christophe

Let the beans stand covered with water for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

If you live at a high altitude, such as Santa Fe or Taos, drain the water off the beans, cover with fresh warm water and cook the beans over medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes. Cool briefly, then pour off the water again. At low altitude, simply pour off the soaking water.

In a large saucepan, combine the beans with the stock and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook until tender but still holding their shape. At a low altitude, the beans should be tender in about 1 to 1½ hours. At higher altitudes, plan on double that, and check the level of liquid after about 2 hours. Add more chicken stock or water, if the beans are beginning to dry. Salt the beans after they have softened. Drain the beans, discarding the bouquet garni. The beans can be used warm or chilled.

2 cucumbers 1 cup crème fraîche 1 shallot salt and pepper to taste smoked herring, trout or salmon dark rye bread or baguette

While the beans are cooking, prepare the confit. Brown in a skillet over medium heat, carefully rendering the fat and crisping the skin by turning as needed. Cover the skillet for the first 3 to 5 minutes when cooking the confit, to allow it to steam a bit and hold in some of its moisture. When cool enough to handle pull the confit into bite-size shreds and break or cut the skin into similar size portions. Reserve.

Shortly before serving, combine the oils, vinegar, and mustard in the bottom or a large bowl. Add beans and arugula and toss lightly. Taste for seasoning. Scatter with crispy duck bits and serve.

Ahead of time, slice the cucumbers lengthwise with a mandoline. Lay the slices down on a wire rack, sprinkle with salt and refrigerate for one hour to render water.

(For more recipes from Bill and Cheryl Jamison’s menu, A Dordogne Picnic Supper, which includes Green Olive-Walnut Périgordine Tapenade, Frisée Salad with Warm Crusted Cabecou and Bacon Lardons, and Fruit Galette with Frangipane, visit localflavormagazine.com.)

Meanwhile, chop the shallot and mix it, the crème fraîche, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. When the cucumber has rendered water, dry it with a paper towel, toss it with the crème fraîche mixture and refrigerate overnight.

Bill and Cheryl Jamison are the authors of more than a dozen cookbooks. Find them online at cookingwiththejamisons.com.

Chop the smoked fish tartar-style (in 1/4 inch cubes).

While tailgating, lay some cucumber salad on the rye bread or baguette, sprinkle with the smoked fish and enjoy with a glass of Champagne.

P’Tit Louis Bistro Nob Hill (now open for lunch and dinner) 3218 Silver Ave. SE, Albuquerque, 505.314.1110, ptitlouisbistro.com.

Photo: Kate Russell

(Unsure of which Champagne to choose?

Localflavormagazine.com lists La Casa Sena wine shop’s top picks for grower Champagne.)

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JULY 2013

37

DATING by J Pankey in The Gallery Collection at La Posada

The A rT of ouTdoor dining

New Mexico Wines • Live Music Great Food • Arts and Crafts Kick Back and Enjoy

Fuego at La Posada

Breakfast ~ Lunch ~ Dinner Live Entertainment Wednesday – Sunday Evenings

$13 Adult (includes wine glass) • $5 Youth 13-20 (under 13 free)

Pa t i o Ou r en w Op i s No

South of Santa Fe at 334 Los Pinos Rd • I-25 Exit 276

santafewinefestival.com • 505-471-2261 • No pets!

For more information call 505-954-9670 or 855-274-LAPO (5276) 330 E. Palace Avenue, Santa Fe • lasposadadesantafe.com

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Taste the fine wines and meet the vintners from around the state, all in the historic setting of a Spanish colonial ranch and living history museum!

JULY 2013

magazine.com

Presented in cooperation with New Mexico Wine Country. Additional support provided by Santa Fe County Lodgers Tax Advisory Board, Santa Fe Arts Commission, New Mexico Arts and New Mexico Tourism Department: newmexico.org

LAURA SHEPPHERD ATELIER

Beautiful collection of one-of-a-kind jackets made locally out of

repurposed saris Plus new collections of

jewelry

65 w. marcy street santa fe, nm 87501 505.986.1444 laurasheppherd.com like us on

Join us for a refreshing summer cocktail on our outdoor bar patio Lunch • Dinner • Bar The Compound Restaurant – A Santa Fe Tradition photosantagto.com

Reservations 982.4353

653 Canyon Road

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

compoundrestaurant.com

JULY 2013

39

nd 62 Annual

Tr aditional

S PANISH

MAR KET

a program of

The Spanish Colonial Arts Society

Ju ly

27– 28, 2013

On the Historic Plaza in Santa Fe, NM Market week events

July 22–28 Save the date for the 25th Annual Winter SPANISH MARKET November 29–30, 2013 Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town

Spanish Colonial Arts Society 750 Camino Lejo • Santa Fe, NM 87505

“San Juan Nepomuceno” Painted Relief

By Joseph Ascensión López 2013 Poster Award 2012 Archbishop’s Award