Local Flavor June 2011

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r OutdooIssue

Mild to Wild

Santa Fe - Albuquerque - Taos A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2011


The ArT of ouTdoor dining

DATING J Pankey 24 x 36 inches Oil The Gallery Collection at La Posada

Kick Back and Enjoy

The Patio at La Posada Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner LA

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For more information call 505-954-9670 or 866-331-ROCK (7625) 330 E. Palace Avenue, Santa Fe • lasposadadesantafe.com Vail • aspen • BeaVer Creek • BreCkenridge • JaCkson Hole santa Fe • MiaMi • doMiniCan repuBliC • JaMaiCa • st. luCia

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Pan Seared Rainbow Trout

Daily lunch specials New Menu inspired by availability of freshest local farm ingredients.

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Pan Seared Rainbow Eggplant Trout Cuisine by Chef Owner Steven Lemon Spaghettini Wine dinners every 3rd Thursday of every month.

Patio open

15 mins. from Santa Fe | 84/285 North, 86 Cities of Gold Rd. Between the Nambe Shop & Pueblo of Pojoaque Poeh Museum www.oeatinghouse.com

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Reservations 505.455.2000 Mon 5pm-9pm Tues Thru saT 11am-9pm Closed sunday follow us on

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Photo: Gabriella Marks Photo: Kate Russell

Cool Water Fusion | by Christie Chisholm pg. 22

One of Albuquerque’s newest restaurants on the scene has a strong affinity for seasonal ingredients that are locally harvested. ON OUR COVER: Kayaking Legend Ed Lucero

: e d i s in

Buzz | by Patty and Christie pg. 08

What’s in, what’s out, what’s hot, what’s not. That’s the Buzzzzzzzzzz. On the Cover: Ride the Rio | by James Selby pg. 10

Take a trip on the wild side with one of the river’s most exciting and perilous sports—kayaking. Search and Rescue | by Gail Snyder

pg. 14

When you venture into the wilderness of our high desert, you have an entire crew of guardian angels watching over you: the men and women of Santa Fe Search and Rescue. The Taos Inn Turns 75 | by Gail Snyder pg. 18

As the Taos Inn marks its 75th Anniversary, writer Gail Snyder reflects on the character of the town itself: “Taos is feisty. Taos is indefatigable. Taos is a force of nature.” There are only a handful of landmarks in Taos that reflect this spirit, and the Taos Inn is one of them.

The Chefs of EDo | by Christie Chisholm pg. 25

Albuquerque’s trendy new East Downtown neighborhood is fast becoming a culinary destination. Meet the chefs who are leading the way. Parq Central: The Gem of EDo by Pari Noskin Taichert pg. 30

The new boutique hotel anchoring EDo just opened to rave reviews. We introduce you to the visionaries who brought it to life. Joy Ride! | by Barry Fields pg. 35

Here’s one sport that’s perfect for outdoorsmen of all ages and levels of fitness--bicycling. If you haven’t been on one for a while, no sweat—you never forget how to ride a bike. At the Table | by John Vollertsen pg. 38

Raaga is the newest kid on the block, and Chef Johnny Vee can’t wait to tell you all about it. Fly Fishing on the Rio Grande by Taylor and Nick Streit pg. 42

World-class anglers Taylor and Nick Streit tackle the rowdy Rio Grande and bring home the big ones. Still Hungry? | by Patty Karlovitz pg. 44 Just because you’re headed for the great outdoors, it doesn’t mean you have to leave your gourmet self at home. Ah yes, wait until you see our portable feast!

June 2011 ~ P u b l i s h e r s Patty & Peter Karlovitz Editor Patty Karlovitz P u b l i s h e r ’s A s s i s t a n t Caitlin Richards A r t D i r e c t o r Jasmine Quinsier C o v e r p h o t o : Kate Russell A d v e r t i s i n g : Michelle Moreland 505.699.7369. Lynn Kaufman 505.417.8876. P r e p r e s s : Scott Edwards A d D e s i g n : mario@inksantafe.com D i s t r i b u t i o n : Southwest Circulation L o c a l F l a vo r 223 North Guadalupe #442, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Te l : 505.988.7560 Fax: 988.9663 E - m a i l : l o c a l f l a vo r @ e a r t h l i n k . n e t We b s i t e : w w w . l o c a l f l a v o r m a g a z i n e . c o m localflavor welcomes new writers. Send writing samples to localflavor@earthlink.net localflavor is published 11 times a year: Feb, March, April, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec/Jan. S u b s c r i p t i o n s $ 2 4 p e r y e a r . 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. 4

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#1 Prime Steakhouse in Santa Fe since 1971 "THE PLACE TO MEET - THE PLACE FOR BEEF" U!

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a th A erv ton ck Nor g n Res i o sh e bl m Wa n g.co 30pm n i r 150 yard, o l -2: bul urt am 0pm afe o 0 t C n 3 0 : sa he i 11 5-10: l Day r F (In t n Al Su ues h: T : Mon- ilable c n a Lu nner Av Di Menu Bar

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A Sample of Our Menu Items Pureed Lentil and Pancetta Soup Coppa di Testa croquette

Two Hour Egg with Polenta Two Ways

Creamy and crispy polenta, wild mushroom ragout, Oregon black truffles

Suckling Pig Tasting

Crispy confit, braised shoulder wrapped in chard, seared loin, cipolinni onions, Sauce Robert

Cinnamon Smoked New York Strip

Sous vide striploin, celery root and golden raisin kugel, thumbelina carrots, foie gras hollandaise

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Forgive the pun, but isn’t our cover grand! The Rio Grande may be at its lowest level in years, but it’s still a mighty force of nature, and it’s definitely the granddaddy of New Mexico’s natural wonders. “Mild to Wild” is what we were aiming for— something for everyone. From photographing kayaking legend Ed Lucero in that breathtaking cover shot to capturing renowned fly fisherman Taylor Streit in the classic pose of a happy angler with his catch, we have had a lot of fun putting this issue together. A real surprise was the sheer number and diversity of

bicycle riders, clubs and independent bike shops with an entire culture and industry of their own. One thing they all share is that they have not lost the wonder they felt as kids— that freedom of first taking off on a two-wheeler. And as New Mexicans take off in every direction—hiking, biking, boating, camping and more—there is one group of men and women who are standing near as our guardian angels. The issue would not be complete without a story of the selfless heroes of New Mexico Search and Rescue. On the food-and-wine side, we spent quite a bit of time in Albuquerque this month exploring one of the most fascinating districts in the city. It’s the neighborhood of Huning Highland-East Downtown, that sports the trendy nickname of EDo. It’s the result of visionary developers, architects, retailers, restaurateurs and a wonderful mix of neighbors, pioneers all. We centered on EDo’s newest jewel, the Hotel Parq Central, a wonderful boutique hotel that you’ll love reading about. We also wanted you to meet the chefs of this trendy new area, who are definitely turning heads and putting EDo on the culinary map. And now we urge you to dive into summer with the same gusto that our photographer Kate Russell did when she took our cover shot. We want you to have some fun yourself!


Samuel Design Group…Good Design keeps us Growing! Welcoming Leo Baca – design coordinator

Pictured from left to right: Jennifer Ashton, Allied Member, ASID, Mandana Nowroozian, Allied Member, ASID, Zoe Design Doggie, Leo Baca, design coordinator, Lisa Samuel, ASID, IIDA, NMLID#313 owner/President

MAKING MORE ROOM TO GROW…DON’T MISS OUR 2 DAY INTERIOR DESIGNER SUMMER SAMPLE SALE Designer furnishings at great LOW prices…lamps, tables, sectional, chairs, rugs, pillows and home accessories. WHERE: SAMUEL DESIGN GROUP STUDIO Located behind Warehouse 21 off Paseo De Peralta, 703 Camino De La Familia, Loft 3101, Santa Fe 87501 WHEN: Friday, June 10th, 9am - 5pm & Saturday, June 11th 9am -5pm For more details call us: (505) 820-0239

SDG Regular Studio Hours Mon - Fri 10am - 5 pm CALL us for a free one hour Design Consultation samueldesigngroup.com | 505.820.0239 Art Yard Lofts at the Railyard, Santa Fe


z z u B

the ALBUQUERQUE by Christie Chisholm

The 48 Hour Film Project is back! Cobble together a group of friends to write, shoot and edit a short film in 48 hours. The deadline is tight—shooting begins Friday, June 3, and ends Sunday, June 5. It’s $175 to register. What do you get if you win? At the city level, you’ll take home a nice trophy and earn a screening at 48HFP’s Filmapalooza in Las Vegas. If you win the international contest, you’ll still get an extra-fancy trophy, but you’ll also receive $3,000 and a screening at the Cannes Film Festival. If you’re more interested in the viewing portion of the project, screenings of all the entered films will be shown at the KiMo Theater on Friday, June 10, and Saturday, June 11, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Then there’ll be a “best of ” screening on Friday, June 24. And here’s something nice: Tickets to the screenings are a mere $10 a pop. www.48hourfilm.com.

locally grown and ethically raised. Awareness about the effects of meat and dairy industries and big agriculture on the environment is spreading with social media–like speed, giving us all a reason to look a little more closely at our culinary choices. On Thursday, June 9, the Sustainable Seafood Festival— hosted by the Seattle Fish Company of New Mexico, the ABQ BioPark and the NM BioPark Society—further fosters that awareness, showing participants which seafood options protect the environment. At the Albuquerque Aquarium from 6 to 9 p.m., $30 will get you in to sample sustainable seafood from Zinc, Savoy, Seasons, Scalo and others. Cooking demos, live music and an auction round out the evening. 2601 Central NW, 505.764.6212, www.bioparksociety.org/events/rocktheboat.

| Festival Flamenco One of the benefits of living in New Mexico is that it houses the National Institute of Flamenco, and every year the renowned institution puts on the Festival Flamenco Internacional de Alburquerque (yes, that extra “r” is intentional). This Wednesday, June 8, through Sunday, June 9, the festival is back, and it’s bringing with it 23 different dance and music workshops and five nights of performances, with Jose Maya, Fuensanta La Moneta, VIII Concurso, Maria Jose Franco, Yjastros andFiesta Flamenca. Performances will be held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (1701 Fourth Street SW) and the University of New Mexico’s Rodey Theatre. Ticket prices vary by performance and package. Visit www.ffinm.org for all the details.

Drink beer and do something good. To raise money for the Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council, a wilderness rescue unit based in the Sandias, Marble Brewery is hosting the second-ever Mountain Rescue Brew Fest. Marble Avenue will be closed off to traffic, trading cars for local products, performers, a climbing wall and even a bouncy house to keep the kids busy. Come from 2 to 11 p.m. 111 Marble NW, 505.243.2739, www.abqmountainrescue.org.

Conscientious eating is on the rise. Scan the menu at any forward-thinking restaurant and you’ll see the evidence of modern gastronomes’ dietary preferences: gluten-free, dairy-free, free-range, organic,

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Two of Albuquerque’s best summertime events are back. The Summer Nights Concerts at the Botanic Gardens start up again Thursday, June 16, from 7 to 9 p.m., and will continue every Thursday through Aug. 12 (except for July 2). On opening night it’s rockabilly-ing Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams. Likewise, the Zoo Music Concerts at the Rio Grande Zoo get started on Friday, June 17, at 7:30 p.m. Music among the animals continues every Friday through Aug. 5. The Blasters get the season in motion. Pricing for each event is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors 65 and older and $2 for children ages 3 to 12. For more information and this summer’s musical lineup, visit www.cabq.gov/events. If you’re really feeling the city-sponsored musical events, don’t miss Summerfest, back on Harry E. Kinney Civic Plaza Saturday, June 18. This time around it’s The Drifters, the same doo-wop band formed in 1958 that put out classics like “Under the Boardwalk” and “This Magic Moment.” Get your oldies groove on for free from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Check out www.cabq.gov/events for more details. There are a lot of excellent coffee roasters in this state. Although I haven’t sampled all of them, I have torn my way through a heavily caffeinated chunk of local blends, roasts and varietals. My favorite in my many years of sampling is Red Rock Roasters. You may not have heard much about it, because you usually don’t find it in stores. Although you can order it online, Red Rock primarily sells its coffee wholesale to restaurants—which is why the name may feel vaguely familiar (restaurants that use it often serve it in little white cups and saucers printed with a crimson Red Rock Roasters logo). Ordering online is fine, but I like being able to pick the stuff up whenever I like. And that’s why I was thrilled to discover it among the aisles of the Triangle Grocery (12165 State Hwy. 14 N, Cedar Crest, 505.281.3030) in the East Mountains. The next time you’re on your way to the Crest or Madrid, stop in and fill up a bag of Black Magic. You’ll be hooked. www.redrockroasters.com. There’s a new store we’d like to welcome to the Los Ranchos neighborhood. Rustic Home is just what its name implies—a home furnishings shop specializing in Southwestern decor. Something that sets the place apart from other businesses of its ilk is the fact that all its furniture is made in New Mexico. And if you’re looking for a piece that simply doesn’t exist, Rustic Home will have it built. A good opportunity to scope it out is Saturday, June 18, when The Village Shops at Los Ranchos will host a grand opening celebration. Both established and new stores (such as Rustic Home and Wagon Mound Ranch Supply, which we told you about last month) will have live music, refreshments and demonstrations. Stop by and say hi at 6855 Fourth Street NW, 505.345.3669, www.rustichome.net.

Here’s one gift you can get your dad for Father’s Day: an herb-roasted prime rib special for $20 at Zinc, Savoy or Seasons. All three restaurants are offering the meal on Sunday, June 19. And here’s the extracool part: All dads will also get a $20 gift certificate for a future visit. Make reservations, because this one’s likely to fill up fast. Zinc: 3009 Central NE, 505.254.9462, www.zincabq.com. Savoy: 10601 Montgomery NE, 505.294.9463, www.savoyabq.com. Seasons: 2031 Mountain NW, 505.766.5100, www. seasonsabq.com. Like I said, conscientious eating isn’t just for hippies anymore. More and more people care about where their food comes from and how it affects both their and the environment’s health. That’s why I think a lot of you might be interested in this month’s Field to Food event, cheekily called Turnip the Beet. On Friday, June 24, the Center for Ageless Living will host a five-course gourmet meal featuring the aforementioned locally grown turnips and beets, in addition to other ingredients and wines grown within a 100-mile radius of the center. Appetizers feature such tantalizing treats as homemade crackers with goat cheese and green tomato chutney, followed by borscht with triple-screened yogurt and a roasted three-beet salad. For your entrée, choose between roasted pork with baby turnips; apple compote spinach; pasta with goat cheese, parmesan and tomatoes; or cabrita and beef in red chile mole sauce. Most importantly, dessert features Belgian waffles, fruit strudel and grape sorbet. Tickets are $45, and the meal starts at 7 p.m. 3216 Hwy. 47 S., Los Lunas, 505.865.8813, www.growageless. com.

SANTA FE

by Patty Karlovitz patty@localflavormagazine.com Let’s start the buzz with news that’s sure to delight Santa Fe foodies. Eric Lamalle, the owner of the highly esteemed Ristra, is opening his second restaurant along with longtime Executive Chef Xavier Grenet. Their endeavor, named Azur, will feature the cuisine from the regions surrounding the Mediterranean, with tapas, entrées, “lite bites” and full dinners. This should give the gifted Grenet plenty of latitude to show his talents. One of the items on the menu that caught my eye was North African Style Stuffed Trout with Calamari, Spices and Red Chard, Dried Iranian Lime Wild Rice and Quinoa, for $19. If this item is any indication of what Azur has in store for us, their opening may be the biggest news of the summer! They will most likely be open by the time we go to press, but call ahead to be sure. 505.992.2897. At 428 Agua Fria, just east of Ristra, in the former A La Mesa space. I can’t wait to see what Eric has done to the interior—impeccable and very French, I am sure.


Photo: Kate Russell

that the Exchange sent: “She’s swanky, unexpected and mesmerizing--her sound is space-chick provocative.” Busy will be joined by fellow musicians Baird Banner on drums, Kevin Zoernig on keyboards and Justin Bransford on bass for what promises to be a groovefilled evening of music. June 10 at 8 p.m. $10. Tickets available at www. brownpapertickets.com. or www. santafeperformanceexchange.org.

halved for singles or couples, or doubled to feed larger families or to provide more meals during the week. Classes will be offered on the first Wednesday and Saturday of each month, from June to December. Go to www.localorganicmeals. com for more information. You can also sign up at the Farmers’ Market Information Booth on any market day.

TAOS

El Mesón rolls out the red carpet for an amazing evening on June 23 featuring jazz great Arlen Asher on clarinet, Bert Dalton piano, Michael Glynn bass and Cal Haines on drums. The Masters of Jazz Clarinet will play the upbeat swing-era favorites of Benny Goodman, Woody Herman and Artie Shaw. What an amazing night this promises to be for jazz aficionados. $15 at the door with advance reservations suggested. Call the El Mesón tapas room at 505.983.6756. When interior designers hold a sample sale, savvy shoppers go into hyper mode. This one has them swooning. The Samuel Design Group, at 703 Camino de la Familia (behind Warehouse 21), is throwing open their doors on June 10, from 9 to 5 p.m., and June 11, from 9 to 3 p.m. The group promises “lots of good stuff,” like lamps, tables, chairs, rugs, pillows and home accessories. For more details, call 505.820.0239. The Santa Fe Alliance Farm to Restaurant Project and Chef Matt Yohalem are teaming up again for the 2nd Annual Farm to Restaurant Dinner at Il Piatto Italian Farmhouse Kitchen. I went to the dinner last year, and it was an absolute highlight of my summer. Again, the event will feature a beautiful five-course meal of locally produced food with wine pairings in the intimate setting of Il Piatto. The evening kicks off with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the bar and moves to dinner in the wine room. Make your reservations now for June 8, at 6 p.m. $125/per person. For tickets and reservations call 505.989.5362 or www. santafealliance.com.

| Juan Siddi Last year, Flamenco artist Juan Siddi set our July cover ablaze with his romantic good looks and passion for dance. On June 17 his company returns to the Maria Benitez Theater at The Lodge at Santa Fe to present performances six nights weekly, Tuesdays through Sundays, at 8:30 p.m., through August 14. A nice bonus is that the theater has a romantic and intimate cabaret setting with Spanish tapas and full bar service. Siddi, who is the artistic director, choreographer and principal dancer, is joined by a cast of some of Spainʼs most authentic and world-class artists of today, among them singers Cristo Cortes and Coral de los Reyes, guitarist Jose Valle (“Chuscales”), cellist Michael Kott and Valencian pianist Alex Conde. Juan Siddi is known throughout the dance world, and we are so fortunate that he calls Santa Fe his home each summer. For more information call 505.473.1638. www.juansiddiflamenco. com. The owners of Real Food Nation, Blyth Timken and Chef Andrew MacLauchan, are ecstatic! Their long-held plans to add a supper club to their Eldorado neighborhood landmark is a reality. As of press date, they will be serving dinner Wednesday through Saturday, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., in the new intimate space intended to showcase the talents of Chef Kim Müller and Chef MacLauchan. The farm-to-table menu will feature produce from their own onsite gardens as well as local small farms, prime meats from regional ranchers and sustainable seafood choices. All breads and desserts will be made in-house. Entrées will range from $18 to $29, and the wine list is priced between $32 and $70. I would strongly suggest reservations. 505.466.2440. Real Food Nation is located at 624 Old Las Vegas Highway, at the intersection with US Highway 285. The Santa Fe Performance Exchange is really rocking these days with a full slate of great entertainment for June. Go to their website to find a venue that suits you; there is literally something for everyone. I’ve never seen local Santa Fe favorite Busy McCarroll perform, but I love the promo

| Busy McCarroll The Santa Fe Community Foundation has a creative fundraiser coming up called Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, on Saturday June 25. The event features private dinners hosted at the homes of several foundation supporters throughout Santa Fe. Guests will learn “who’s coming to dinner” only upon arrival. Kelly Egolf, co-chair of the event, didn’t stop there. She’s also adding “a bit of whimsy and fun to the party” by finishing the evening with a dessert competition at the New Mexico History Museum. Thirteen of our finest restaurants are providing the delectables. The event raises money to support the Community Leadership Fund, which in turn provides extensive technical support to area nonprofitsan invaluable partnership that has existed for the past 30 years. Hosts, sponsors and ticket details at www.santafecf.org. Preparing locally sourced organic meals on a budget that is tight on both time and money. Can’t be done. Or can it Somepractical and caring people from Kitchen Angels, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute and Slow Food Santa Fe have joined forces to offer a series of classes entitled Local Organic Meals on a Budget. The challenge will be to create a filling meal for a family of four that costs less than $20. Recipes will focus on simple, easy and quick meal preparation and will give real-life tips on how to shop, prepare and enjoy tasty meals made with local and organic foods. Each class costs $10 per person, and WIC and EBT customers may attend free. Several of our wonderfully generous chefs are donating their time to create recipes that focus on simple, easy and quick. The recipes can also be

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

To absolutely no one’s surprise—certainly not The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal where he just received glowing accolades, Chef Fred Muller of El Meze restaurant received the coveted Best Chef in Taos 2011 award. Any foodies who have not made the pilgrimage to this wonderful restaurant have to put this on their must-do lists right now. Fred describes his food as “la comida de las sierras, the food of the mountains: fresh trout, jamón, corn and chiles; wild mushrooms from our mountain forests; local, organic produce from our small farms. This is how I like to eat and how I like to cook—clean flavors, rustic and simple.” El Meze is located at 1017 Paseo del Pueblo Norte. 575.751.3337.

Photo: Kate Russell

Nothing says summer like a big ol’ cookout—and that’s exactly what the generous folks at Blue Corn Brewery are planning. On June 5, from 1 to 4 p.m., Chef David Sundberg and his team will man the grills for an event to benefit the Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families. Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for kids under 12. Enjoy the fantastic food of Blue Corn, live music by Chris Abeyta and MK Entertainment, kids’ activities and a drawing for prizes. What a fun way to support a truly worthy cause. It all happens at the Southside location, at 4056 Cerrillos Road. You can buy tickets in advance at Blue Corn Brewery or call 505.438.1800 for more information.

Photo: Anne Staveley

| Eric Lamalle of Ristra and Azur

Photo: Kate Russell

by Patty

| Annette and Fred of El Meze From June 9 through 11 there will be a three-day event in Red River to focus on restoring what was once a world-class fishery. The symposium is being sponsored by the Red River Restoration Group (www.r3group.org or 575.779.5920). On Friday evening there will be a Trout Unlimited banquet featuring renowned fly fishing writer John Nichols. Once you’re hooked on the seminar, may as well do a little fishing. There’s still time to sign up for Taylor Streit’s Instinctive Fly Fishing School, scheduled for June 11 and 12. Taylor and his son Nick are legendary in these parts (and beyond) and are also available for private guiding trips. For more details, contact the Taos Fly Shop at 575.751.1312 or www.taosflyshop. com.

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story by JAMES SELBY p h o t o s b y K AT E R U S S E L L

Ridethe

Rio

S

ometimes a surprise can be right around the bend, particularly for a sporting group dedicated to kayaking through whitewater rapids. It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and a revival of sorts is taking place on the Rio Grande River, just below Pilar, New Mexico, 15 miles south of Taos. The New Mexico River Outfitters Association, a league of local adventure companies who instruct and guide water trips along the Chama and Rio Grande rivers of Northern New Mexico, has resurrected one of the oldest river races west of the Mississippi, second only to the granddaddy of all river races, in Salida, Colorado, on the Arkansas River.

Leaving Española, Highway 68 begins climbing toward Taos. After the village of Velarde, you sense the Rio Grande before you see it. Off to the left, the river’s banks are lined by spring-leafed cottonwoods and willows set against the terra cotta and sage of the open landscape. On the right, smack up against the two-lane highway, steep-faced walls of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are netted to capture falling rocks. Coyly, as the road comes closer to the river, a leg of gray-green water flows in and out of view. Late morning on a warm, clear Saturday, 45 minutes after the race is scheduled to begin, Don Brockmeyer, one of the event’s organizers, addresses the helmeted competitors. Paddles in hand, paper numbers pinned to their life jackets, and ranging in age from 15 to 64, all seven give him their attention. “We are happy you’ve come out to compete today,” says

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| Ed Lucero

Brockmeyer. With his wraparound sunglasses and salt-and-pepper scruff, he is friendly and easy. “We have some great prizes for those with the fastest times. Actually, we’ve had a light turnout, so everyone will get a prize—maybe two.” Contestants are told that safety and first aid boats are stationed along the five-mile course, but if anyone gets into trouble, it would be good river etiquette to lend a hand. The kayaks—closed, save for a hole for the rider are lined up on the riverbank along with one lone, open canoe. Hopeful participants stand ten yards away. When an official with a stopwatch gives the go-ahead, racers hustle into their crafts and start to windmill their two-headed paddles. Hearty cheers go up from the dozen spectators on the bank. Gina Ortiz and Chris Davidson, both of Chimayó, are among them. “I’m 41,” says Chris, in his straw porkpie hat. “I moved here from Oakland, California, to ski in the winter and whitewater in the summer. It has been my dream to do this.” He admits he has yet to get into a kayak but is planning to take lessons. Delafield “Del” DuBois, a river ranger with the Bureau of Land Management, is in attendance. He, like Brockmeyer, has a beard flecked with gray, but his is long enough to flutter in the breeze. “A lot of people have moved away from paddling in recent years, assuming, because of drought, the water is too low. They’ve

gotten on bikes.” he says. “The water is higher now than it will be during the busy rafting season in July and August. Taos had two feet of snow a couple of weeks back,” he continues. When asked how cold the water is this time of year, he replies, “Stick your hand in at the finish, and you’ll see.” The river isn’t being occupied exclusively by racers. Like any public space, it’s there for multiple uses. Taking advantage of the area’s beauty are groups with commercial outfitters (“Number one rule,” says a guide to his charges, “don’t fall out of the raft!”), a team practicing swift water rescues and, scattered along the bank, picnickers. As the cheering section moves toward their cars and SUVs to leapfrog the competitors down the course and watch from different vantages, Ranger Del cautions, “Be careful. This is a dangerous highway.” Drivers caravan behind the ranger’s truck to the next pull out, 75 feet above Albert’s Falls. “This was named after Einstein,” says Del, “because many of the original kayakers were from Los Alamos.” Further down river at Herringbone rapids, observers shout encouragement and exchange waves with boaters as they scrape over rocks, buck small falls, and gain smooth water. Bob and Glenice, spry retirees from Kent, England, say they were on their way to Santa Fe when they saw the activity and pulled over to

see what was what. “They’re starting to look a bit fatigued,” says Glenice, who shows no signs of flagging as she takes the long flight of stone steps back up from the river’s edge to the halfway mark, Big Rock rapids, with its van-sized boulders along the banks. Francisco “Cisco” Guevara, the director of the race (and one of its original participants more than fifty years ago) stands waiting at the finish line, a sloped dock-and-picnic area at mile 24. A stout man with a goatee who looks like he’d be more at home on a Harley-Davidson than a kayak, Cisco has been a whitewater guide most of his life. He recounts the story of how the race got resurrected. “A couple of years back, I had gone into a bar in Taos after a day on the river,” he says. “The bartender said, ‘It’s too bad they dropped the Mother’s Day race up here.’ I was shocked. The race had sort of petered out. A bunch of us decided to organize and start it up again. It’s a great way to promote the sport in Taos County.” Leslie Alsheimer, a self-confessed “kayak bum” who has lived in New Mexico for 35 years and paddled whitewater in Africa and Alaska, says, “Being on the river is a metaphor for life. It keeps moving. There’s eddies, rocks, and long, calm stretches—ever-changing conditions. Sometimes you tip and have to swim.” Leslie hasn’t put her oar in today, preferring to use her boogie board, a much shorter version of a

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surfboard. The water level hasn’t been this low as far back as I can remember,” she continues. “Too many rocks are exposed when it’s this low, and the current is slower.” She’s planning to return to the Grand Canyon in the summer, where she’ll spend three weeks camping and kayaking the Colorado River. “They only let private boaters in by lottery; you could wait ten years. That’s a ‘give up your job’ trip! Luckily, I’m self-employed.” The little crowd gathers around the finish line. To win, a rider has to de-boat, carry the kayak and any equipment about 20 yards up a bank and pass between two orange cones. The first to cross, in 42 minutes, is the 15-year-old boy, as carefree as Huck Finn, beating out the 64-year-old by a length. Applause and hurrahs greet each of the exhilarated, slightly chilled contestants. Later in the evening, at an awards ceremony at a Taos restaurant, each participant will receive a prize—maybe two. By the looks of it, they already have.

| Ed Lucero

For information on outdoor recreation, instruction and river excursions in Northern New MexicoNew Mexico River Outfitters Association: www.raftnewmexico.org and U. S. Bureau of Land Management: www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/ recreation.html.

| Kelly Gossett

| Kelly Gossett of NM Kayak Instruction

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| Class is in Session


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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2011

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story by GAIL SNYDER p h o t o s b y K AT E R U S S E L L

T

here’s something incredibly moving about being stuck in the middle of nowhere, hurt or lost, with utterly no idea of what to do next, when suddenly a group of people who don’t even know you suddenly appears, calms your fears and brings you safely back home. When that happens, it’s like a miracle you never expected and you never forget.

One June morning in 1994, a friend and I were hiking just below Baldy. As we headed back that afternoon, Steve told me about a shortcut that he’d always been too chicken to try. We dared ourselves to do it. It involved leaping from one boulder to another with a jagged crevasse between them. The search and rescue team told me later they had a running tally of people they’d been called to haul down the mountain from that exact same spot. Some had even landed between the boulders, lying crumpled at the bottom, their backs snapped in two. Anyway, upon landing, I broke my foot. But we didn’t know that at the time. Since I couldn’t walk on it, there was no other choice but for Steve to hike back down to call for search and rescue on the emergency phone in the ski basin parking lot (this was before cell phones, my children). Just before Steve left, a young St. John’s student came hiking along the trail. He turned out to be a member of the search and rescue team himself. Assessing our situation, he told Steve, “I’ll stay with her till the rescue team gets here, so you don’t have to come all the way back up.” We talked the whole afternoon—I even forgot for long stretches of time why I was sitting there, the conversation was so enjoyable. When we ran out of water, he used his camping stove to boil clumps of the snow that lay around us in porous patches. Eventually, that night, the rescue team found us. After making me some hot tea, they put me on a stretcher attached to a tire, and, controlling it by ropes as they ran alongside, they rolled me back down the trail. I remember watching huge looming pine trees whiz past us above in the silent dark as I gave myself totally up to the care of this band of strong, cheerful, competent and humor-filled angels. The wonder of their having uncomplainingly dropped everything to answer the call continues to amaze me to this day. The 2011 version of the Santa Fe Search and Rescue team is just as jolly and dedicated a group. They’re how you always wish your own family would have been: fond of each other, laughing together, bonded. The SFSAR is an all-volunteer organization (“Yeah, we pay dues to do this!” someone quips) under the auspices of the New Mexico State Police. Being comfortable in the wilderness is the first and most important attribute for a potential member to have, followed by being a team player who’s willing to both take direction and take initiative. Before being accepted for inclusion on the calling tree, each member-hopeful trains with a mentor to demonstrate competency with radio procedures, navigation and search techniques, safety and fitness skills, first aid and basic knots. The personality type they aren’t looking for, says Santa Fe Search and Rescue president, Yvonne Gillespie, is the maverick, someone who just takes off on their own, doesn’t listen and doesn’t consider safety. The 50-plus member Santa Fe group can be sent anywhere in the state; when a search hasn’t located the person within eight to 12 hours, they coordinate with other area search and rescue teams. In order to stay in form, they hike together regularly. Every first Saturday, they bring along their families, dogs and anybody new who might be interested in joining. It’s an extremely diverse bunch. Members Roberta Armstrong and her husband, Al Webster, who is formerly a military diver, are now both retired. Roberta originally wanted

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magazine.com

| Richard Goldstein and Tom Merchat

| Yvonne Gillespie


| Chris Reidel

| Tom Merchat

to actively participate in the searches, but after a heart attack in 2002, she became logistics support instead—which carries its own load of stress: Her first night on the job, Roberta says, she ended up working 30 hours straight, “because I couldn’t find anyone to hand the log off to!” Andy Gomm’s day job is to run the Department of Health’s statewide program for children with disabilities; Rich Goldstein, also retired, practiced law for 36 years; Hank Hughes heads the NM Coalition to End Homelessness; Chris Nail is the darkroom manager for photography at the Santa Fe University for Art & Design (and also Assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop #52 in Los Alamos); Chris Riedel does high-end audio-visual work with 3-D displays; Peter Fessenden is a retired nuclear physicist; and Yvonne is office manager for a construction company and also holds a part-time job. The team, to a person, loves being out on a search and rescue mission. Although they often get pulled away from a weekend event or awakened from a dead sleep, their eyes shine when they tell stories of their searches. “Even now,” says Yvonne, “when I get a call in the middle of the night, I get excited. It’s a real adrenalin rush!” Everyone around the table nods enthusiastically in agreement. Once they were celebrating Hank’s birthday when a call came through. “Yeah, half the party had to leave to go on the mission!” Hank remembers, laughing. Someone recalls a whole scout troop getting altitude sickness on a camping trip and having to ride it out in camp. Another scout emergency involved a young scout with a heart ailment, and he was flown out by helicopter. (In the Pecos wilderness a subject is only flown out when it’s a matter of life and death.) Someone tells about a man who got lost in the Gila two years in a row. “He went out the second year to see what went wrong.” Somebody else jokes, “This is not a catch and release program!” Not all of the searches are rescues. Hank remembers finding an 11-year-old boy lying lifeless at the bottom of a cliff. “I immediately started shaking, I was so upset,” he says. “I kept thinking, ‘His poor parents.’” And the group participated in the widely publicized search on Elk Mountain for Mel Nadel a few years back. Although many groups were called in to help, no sign of the Santa Fean was ever found. “Think of the hundreds of hours that went into that search, some of them unofficial! It still kind of bothers me,” says Al. “I’m going out looking again this summer.” That particular search, Chris Riedel says, was the final push to get him to join the team. “Mel’s wife runs the daycare our youngest went to. I’m glad I did it.” Someone urges Yvonne to tell about the search she went on a few years back in a snowstorm on Lone Pine Mesa. “It was two days before Christmas,” she says. “A man and his son-in-law. The son-in-law made it back, but everything was stacked against the father, who’d been lost for 12 hours in brutal wind and snow with no coat. When our team got there, they closed the highway behind us, the storm was so bad. They told us we were the guy’s only chance. There were six of us including a Taos SAR member and a Rociada firefighter. We fought our way to the top, and miraculously, he was alive and heard our call—we couldn’t even hear each other! He was down on the ground suffering from hypothermia, so rigid his pants had frozen on him. We wrapped him and started out. We almost lost our bearings, because our footsteps had already been covered with snow by the wind. We got him down shortly after sunrise, and paramedics rushed him to the hospital. We’d given him some extra clothes, and our running joke after that was that Lee packed his coat around the guy, forgetting his car keys were in the pocket—!” “It’s the Lee Rule: Always check the zipper pocket!” Rich interjects. “That was a completely humbling mission,” Yvonne continues. “The odds were so big.” Her teammates add that Yvonne and three other people got special recognition certificates for that search. “Never second-guess a mission,” Andy says. “Some guy’s stuck in his car on the road and you’re tempted to roll over in bed, thinking, ‘That’s a police thing.’ But it could end up being critical, high-profile. Just go. Sometimes you’re useful, sometimes not.” Everyone agrees that having supportive families to back up the team members really helps. This includes being understanding about the late night phone calls. “Yeah, the phone doesn’t stay on that side of the bed for long!” somebody jokes. It’s a special breed who joins the Search and Rescue team. Above all, you have to really like people. My hat’s off to you all. Thank you. To learn more about the extraordinary work of the Santa Fe Search and Rescue team, go to www. santafesar.org. Information for other Search and Rescue teams can be found at www.dps.nm.org.

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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&Rescue

Search Tips for Wilderness Travel

New Mexico Search and Rescue Council http://nmsarc.org/home/wildernessTravel. html (The following is taken directly from the Council’s webpage.) IN NEW MEXICO, THERE IS NO CHARGE TO THE PUBLIC FOR ANY SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORT BY STATE OR VOLUNTEER RESOURCES. (Does not apply to commercial air or ground ambulance transportation). If you feel you or someone you know is in trouble in the wilderness, do not hesitate to call 911 or your local New Mexico State Police district office. Alerting the authorities in a timely basis could mean the difference in life or death. No one plans on going out and getting lost or hurt in the wilderness. That’s why when it does happen it’s called an accident. But if it ever does happen to you, here are a few things you might want to consider. PLANNING A WILDERNESS TRIP Prior to any trip, take the time to WRITE DOWN a comprehensive PLAN to include the following: Destination Departure time and date Expected return time and date Type of activities planned Needed supplies Needed clothing and foot gear In-Case-Of-Emergency considerations Personal description Vehicle description, plate number and planned parking location Any medical or physical disorders; medications Cell phone numbers of you and anyone else with you Leave this plan with a reliable person who could notify the authorities, on a timely basis, in case of a suspected emergency. (In New Mexico, those authorities would be the New Mexico State Police). Don’t forget to put these Ten Bare Essentials in your pack: THE TEN BARE ESSENTIALS OF WILDERNESS TRAVEL Water Emergency food Topographic map, compass, GPS Sun protection; hat, sunglasses, sun screen, emergency blanket Extra clothes - wool hat, gloves, socks, rain gear Signaling devices: Whistle, signal mirror and cell phone Flashlight with fresh batteries Knife, firestarter Matches, candle First aid kit; include needles, thread, safety pin WHAT TO DO WHEN HOPELESSLY LOST? When hopelessly lost, do the following, UNLESS there are sound reasons to do otherwise: 1.

DO NOT PANIC! Sit down, take several deep breaths, eat some food, drink some water and take it easy until you calm down. Remember, people lost in the wilderness are typically found within 72 hours. If you have to move, mark your direction of travel in an obvious fashion. It will make it easier for search and rescue teams to track you. 2. Stay in the location where you are rather than travel further into the unknown. It is a lot easier for search and rescue teams to find a stationary subject than a moving subject. 3. Send off emergency signals: THREE shots, and/or whistle blows. Pause, then repeat. Make a fire IF conditions permit. 4. Stay warm and dry as possible. 5. Make and consume warm/hot liquids as circumstances allow. Even hot 6. water is good. If necessary, make a very simple shelter. Protection from high winds 7. and cold rain are the main concerns. In New Mexico people can get hypothermia even in the hot summer. If there is sufficient snow cover on the ground, a simple hole scooped out and lined with vegetation, such as pine branches, will provide more warmth than exposed terrain. In cold climates snow is an excellent insulator. Consider using the base of a large tree or overhanging rock. Try your cell phone. You might successfully make a 911 call even if you 8. are not in your phone company’s service area. All cell phone providers are required to let a 911 call through on their system. Try calling from a high area if it is safe to do so. And even if your phone has no reception, it can still be useful. If you hear a helicopter at night it is probably out searching for you. The light from your screen could be used to attract their attention. Please conserve your batteries. And one more time — DO NOT PANIC!

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magazine.com

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2011

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TaosInnat75 story by GAIL SNYDER p h o t o s b y K AT E R U S S E L L

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A

t the Taos Inn there’s a room—just one—with a silver star nailed to its door. That room, 102, is reserved for writer Dee Strasberg whenever she’s in town. She’s been coming twice a year, every spring and fall, since 1951, when, as a young woman in her 20s, she first arrived in Taos by Greyhound bus for what was supposed to be just a brief visit to the home of literary hero D.H. Lawrence. Since then, she’s written more than 70 novels herself, under the pen name Daoma Winston (“No matter what I write, there’s always a dead body in it,” she told Taos News reporter Denise Spranger last year with a wink). When Dee comes to the inn, the staff hangs a welcome banner in her room in preparation, brings in flowers and, most importantly, places her old typewriter on the modest, narrow wooden writing table.

Asked whether her husband minds her frequent visits, Strasberg responded, “I have always been an autonomous person. That’s the way I was when I married him, and that’s the way I am now. Probably that’s what he liked about me.” It’s certainly what Taos likes about her. Over the years, Taoseños have embraced the iconoclastic writer as one of their own. Recently, Carolyn Haddock, the Taos Inn’s current owner, threw a private party at the inn’s popular Doc Martin’s Restaurant for Dee and her many local friends, celebrating the 50th anniversary since her arrival. The real purpose of these visits, Dee, a resident of Washington, D.C., confided in 2001, “is to meet the kind of people that I don’t meet at home.” People sometimes describe Taos as being “what Santa Fe used to be 20 years ago.” As if, given enough time, Taos, too, will inevitably succumb to the lures of homogenization, losing its free-spirited uniqueness, its dearth of pretension, in the process. But, if anything, this quirky little town, with its long and colorful history as a hotbed for radical thinkers, artists, outlaws and rugged individualists, has only intensified in ferocity of spirit. After all, Taos is one of the very few places across the entire North American continent, both U.S. and Canada, to fight back against the building of a Super Wal-Mart—and

win. Taos is feisty. Taos is indefatigable. Taos is a force of nature. Which is what keeps Dee Strasberg, for one, coming back year after year. The inn, whose lobby was dubbed “The Living Room of Taos” by one of its previous owners, Feeny Lipscomb, is the perfect—and some say the only—place in town that you could possibly manage to contain so many original thinkers of diverse backgrounds in one room. Like everything else in Taos, how the inn came into being makes a memorable, nearly mythological story. Near the turn of the 19th century,Taos was without a physician when along came Dr. Thomas Martin to fill that gap. Doc bought a large house near the plaza and set about devoting his life to treating his patients. The ultimate family doctor, he made house calls across the county’s mountainous terrain to deliver babies, set broken bones and cope with everything else in between. His wife, Helen, a gifted batik artist and sister-in-law of one of the Taos Founders, made significant contributions to her fellow artists in town by helping found the Taos Society of Artists in the Martins’ dining room in 1912. Later, she offered additional nearby houses she and Doc subsequently bought to rent to writers and artists. Doc died in the mid-30s, the same year that Taos’s only hotel burned down. Helen bought the last remaining property surrounding the courtyard, rallied Doc’s former patients to enclose it and, in 1936, opened The Hotel Martin. Locals flocked there—not only artists and musicians but gadflies, pontificators, politicians and neighbors—and thus was launched its reputation, along with its diehard commitment to the community at large. Passing from owner to owner throughout the years, the Taos Inn, as it was renamed, “was definitely walking that fine line between rustic and seedy,” according to Feeny Lipscomb, who, along with Bruce Ross, bought the property in 1981. They applied for its inclusion in the Register of Historic Places, at both the state and national levels, and then opened Doc Martin’s Restaurant (“from what had been a no-name New Mexican restaurant”) in what was originally the Martins’ residence and created the Adobe Bar. Feeny remembers numerous memorable local events hosted by the inn during that time, including her creation of the Taos Spring Arts Celebration, in 1983, and the Meet the Artist series. “I have a great photo of the original artists around the fireplace in the lobby,” she says, “including R.C. Gorman, Larry Bell, Veloy Vigil, Ed Morgan and many more.” The inn’s current general manager, Chris Smith, says, “We’ve put a lot of effort into continuing the tradition of being the locals’

gathering place.” It shows. In spades. One recent spring evening, the Adobe Bar’s salon area is packed—with it looks like mostly locals—enjoying an enthusiastically raucous string band performance during what turns out to be the weekly Open Mic night. The bar hosts live music every night of the week, with a widely eclectic venue featuring everything from the Taos Gospel Choir, Motown, Louisiana blues, folk and bluegrass to “jazzinfused rancheros and outlaw country” and the Boulder Acoustic Society, an indie-rock band. For tourists checking in at the registration desk, which oversees all the action, “it’s a real draw,” Chris notes with a grin. “They appreciate the authenticity.” Given Taos’s distinct cultural diversity, providing a living room where the whole town feels not only comfortable but welcome could seem a daunting task, not unlike herding cats. But “everyone here is respectful of the differences between the various cultures,” Chris says. “And they’re all interested in each other, in spite of themselves!” Owner Carolyn Haddock continues to make vast improvements to the property, including the addition of eight luxury rooms collectively called Helen’s House, modern walk-in glass and tile showers and pedestal sinks in each of the original rooms’ bathrooms and a complete renovation of the restaurant’s roof, including a new water collection system. This drains into the new garden, complete with greenhouse, cold frames and raised beds, conceived of and tended by Chris’s wife, Carrie, in the area off the kitchen where there used to be what Chris describes as “an old Motor Lodge–type pool” that he says was totally underused. Carrie is also responsible for completely transforming the landscaping of the grounds. The inn employs about 100 staff members representing the town’s multicultural population; at both the front desk and kitchen staff, for instance, many are from Taos Pueblo. They serve under Chef Zippy White, who is credited with driving the restaurant’s use of locally grown food, in particular from the pueblo’s Red Willow Farm, which uses biomass in a manner similar to a radiant heat system under the floor but this one’s in the soil itself, to help extend the short growing season. 2011 marks the inn’s 75th anniversary. As Marketing Director Jamie Tedesco points out, that’s no small thing during a period when many hotels throughout the country are struggling just to survive. Lodging, menu and drink specials will be offered through June and some will run throughout the year. A week-long celebration is planned starting June 14. In keeping with the inn’s commitment to hospitality, everyone is invited. Offerings will include daily live music and entertainment,

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including a traditional flamenco dance group and music ensemble. The big party happens Saturday, June 18, kicked off by Mayor Darren Cordova’s issuing of an official proclamation and presentation of a plaque, followed by open house tours, food sampling and a performance of powwow and traditional native songs by Taos Pueblo drum group the Concha family, culminating in a concert by Grammy Award–winning Taos Pueblo musician Robert Mirabal. The impetus for the Taos Inn’s creation began with that larger-than-life character, Doc Martin. Throughout the inn’s colorful lifetime, it’s attracted many other such characters, whose stories linger on. At the foot of one of the old, sprawling trees on the grounds of the inn is a bronze plaque dedicated to Frank Morgan, 1933-2007. One of the jazz greats and a protégé of Charlie Parker, Frank discovered Taos in his later years, and, for what Jamie says was “a reasonable fee,” he would perform in the Adobe Bar. “He enjoyed engaging with the crowd here, and he had quite a local following.” When he died, his family asked if he could be commemorated here. The plaque reads: “Peace and Love. Bebop Lives!” This indomitable spirit has inspired the bebop for generations of Taoseños. Their inn memories and stories—of love at first sight, of lifechanging conversations … hell, of table-clearing brawls, too— mingle in the shared space of the town’s timeless living room. As Feeny Lipscomb, speaking of the changes from owner to owner throughout the years, says of the iconic Taos Inn, “The authenticity and the charm were there, always.” The Taos Inn is located at 125 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte. 866.887.5161. www.taosinn. com.

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CoolWater

n o i s u F

story by CHRISTIE CHISHOLM photos by GAELEN CASEY

C

oolWater Fusion is an unlikely sort of place. It’s tucked away into a corner of a strip mall deep in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights, with an oceanic parking lot bridging the divide between its doorstep and the automated sliding glass panes of a Walmart Supercenter. But CoolWater Fusion, despite its unusual name and odd location, is a winner.

Consider, for instance, Chef Jason Upshaw’s version of the classic fried chicken: Sizzled in a blue corn crust and then brushed with chipotle honey glaze, a bite of the organic bird is almost inexplicably tantalizing—the savoriness and slight sweetness meld to unleash a perfect spectrum of flavors. Simple ingredients create a complex taste that will leave you yearning to eat more and more so you can decode it. You may think about that chicken for weeks. The bird’s companion pieces aren’t to be underestimated, either. Mashed potatoes, green beans and a roasted ear of corn share the platter, and each, though seemingly straightforward, brings something unexpected and irresistible to the meal. But this is still comfort food, not overly rich; and when the plate is wiped clean, you feel quite comfortable. Also consider the turkey osso bucco, braised in white wine and roasted with onions, carrots and celery; or the boneless short ribs, doused in red wine and served alongside ancho chile and plum sauce; or the rainbow trout stuffed with crabmeat, wrapped in bacon and presented with roasted corn salsa. And while you’re considering all that, take a moment to reflect on the chocolate crème brûlée, garnished with blackberries. CoolWater’s menu presents a straightforward philosophy: simple, traditional ingredients cooked well and with great intentionality. And the strange location? That’s intentional, too, and it speaks to the core values of Upshaw and owner Glenn Williams—community, family and staying true to what’s local and fresh. Williams and medical student Katie Sanchez are the true co-owners of the restaurant, but Sanchez is mainly in the business for financial support. Although Upshaw may not technically be a partner, in sentiment as well as the vision and direction of the restaurant he is every bit so. Williams and Upshaw are good friends, the kind of friends who answer questions about the other with pride, and the kind of friends who keep good on their pacts. The two met in 2006 when they worked together briefly at Quail Run in Santa Fe, with Upshaw in the kitchen and Williams in management. Some time later, after Upshaw had joined the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to help open The Pueblo Harvest Café and Bakery, they again worked with each other until deciding to open their own place on July 13 of last year. The entire process of creating the restaurant, from conception to the final coats of blue and orange paint on the walls, has retained that sense of friendship and community. Williams and Upshaw chose the restaurant’s location based on how close it is to their homes (both live within walking distance) as well as the fact that high-quality restaurants are sparse in the area. “In the past, I’ve driven half an hour or more to work,” says Williams. “To make food for strangers,” Upshaw adds. “This was a lifestyle change.” Now the two make food for their neighbors, many of whom are regulars at CoolWater. But their attitude about localism goes much deeper. Upshaw and Williams are devoted to fresh, local food. They’re so devoted, in fact, that Williams

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makes it his personal mission to go grocery shopping every day, at up to five different places, to ensure that the food coming out of his kitchen is as fresh as possible. He favors locally grown food at farmers’ markets but will shop anywhere that provides what he’s looking for: quality. “I handpick lettuce,” he says. “People look at me, because I’ll walk around looking for the best asparagus.” This is why CoolWater refuses to use a distributor for produce. For meat, the restaurant is also particular. The beef on the menu comes from Heritage Beef, a collection of five New Mexico ranches that mostly grass feed their cattle, only finishing them on grain to help produce marbling. “If you’re gonna kill something, you need to make it worthwhile, to honor the animal,” Upshaw says. “If you get it locally, you know how it’s treated.” Williams and Upshaw are also looking for New Mexico-raised lamb. Since buying local fish proves difficult, they get their fish from Idaho Farms, which sends them fresh and whole. Upshaw debones them in-house. All CoolWater’s food is prepared from scratch; the kitchen doesn’t even have hot boxes. “We sauté everything to order,” Williams says. The restaurant itself was made from scratch, too. Williams and his 73-year-old father built everything inside it, from the walls and ceiling to the fish tank embedded in a stone wall on the far side of the modest-sized room. Including Williams and Upshaw, CoolWater only has 10 employees. “My cousin is a waitress,” Williams says. “Everyone here is a friend, family or both.” To further bolster its ideals, CoolWater solely plays music by Shane Wallin, a local singer/songwriter who also plays live at the restaurant most weekends. Everything about the restaurant, down to its name, is inspired by community. Williams called the restaurant CoolWater Fusion because he likes the way the words make him feel. It reminds him of little display fountains his mother kept in their house when he was growing up, and he wanted to bring the sense of serenity he associates with the memory to his restaurant. CoolWater is still small. It only has 17 tables, and Upshaw is still working a second full-time job. He works from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. at his other job five days a week, getting to CoolWater around 3 p.m. to work for the evening shift. Williams, who works seven days a week at the restaurant, is the acting cook for the lunch hour, taking off as soon as it’s over to do the day’s grocery shopping. Even though the restaurant is small, it’s starting to make an impression on the local culinary scene. In its first year of entering Roadrunner Food Bank’s Souper Bowl, CoolWater took home first place, and it tied with another eatery for the title of Best New Restaurant in the Weekly Alibi’s Best of Burque: Restaurants poll. It’s not all that surprising, considering that Upshaw was invited to be a participant on “Top Chef ” a few years ago. (He says he was too busy at the time to do it, adding with a timid grin, “I would have died from stage fright.”) But CoolWater may not be small for long; it has plans for expansion, and it’s supposed to get its beer and wine license midMay. Williams and Upshaw may be overworked, but they don’t show it. They seem to feed off the perpetual motion in which they find themselves. For the first time in their lives, they’re working on something that belongs to them. “We all started this on a dream and a hope,” Williams says, to which Upshaw chimes in, “It sounds cheesy, but it is a labor of love.”

| Chef Jason Upshaw, co-owners Katie Sanchez and Glenn Williams

CoolWater Fusion is located in the Wyoming Mall Shopping Center at 2010 Wyoming NE in Albuquerque. They’re open for Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., lunch Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner Monday through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.) www.coolwaterfusion.com.

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Mexican Steakhouse with Full Bar

Patio now open! www.FarinaPizzeria.com 505/243-0130

Two Great Restaurants, the Same Great Corner! Corner of Edith & Central | Catering Available

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Monday - Saturday 9:30 - 5:30 505-341-2489 www.wagonmound.com 24

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320 Central Ave SE @ Arno

505.243.1440


Chefsof EDo

T

he evolution of Albuquerque’s East Downtown neighborhood from a sketchy, motel-ridden slice of Central to an urban oasis has been a relatively quick one. In the last few years, EDo (as it’s known)has boomed, with renovated lofts attracting residents, the Rail Runner calling to commuters and various art galleries and retail shops popping up along the stretch. The district’s graduation into a new kind of neighborhood is perhaps best seen in its restaurants. Suddenly EDo is bursting with eateries that draw people from all over the city. From a top-shelf diner and a veteran of fine dining to cafés that make luxury affordable and a pizzeria that raises comfort food to new heights, with a tantalizing rooftop bar thrown in for good measure, EDo has become one of Albuquerque’s best scenes for culinary connoisseurs.

F r o m t h e l e f t : L e a h P u r u c k e r, Jason Greene, Pat Keene, Richard Winters, Chris Olsen. story by CHRISTIE CHISHOLM photos by GAELEN CASEY

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Chefsof EDo

| Pat Keene | Chef Richard Winters

Farina Pizzeria & Wine Bar Looking for pizza with an upscale twist? Check out Farina. It’s the lovechild of the owners of the Artichoke Café and Chef Richard Winters, who worked in the Artichoke’s kitchen for 16 years. Ready to hang up his fine dining hat, Winters loves the casualness of this little brick pizzeria, which serves a classic and popular margherita alongside dishes like roasted rosemary pork loin panini (Winters’ two favorite menu items of the moment). “Artichoke is more of a citywide destination,” he says. “This is a smaller neighborhood place.” That’s the kind of restaurant that fits snuggly into this stretch of Central, which has garnered a larger residential population as the dilapidated motels along the corridor have been bulldozed. Many of Farina’s clients live across the street in the renovated Albuquerque High Lofts, and they’ll stop by after work for a bite, a brew and possibly a bottle of wine. 510 Central SE, 505.243.0130, www.farinapizzeria.com

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The Artichoke Cafe The Artichoke Cafe is EDo’s gastronomic grandmother. Owners Pat and Terry Keene opened the fine dining establishment in 1989, long before redevelopment swept the district. “We loved the corner, even though it was surrounded at the time by seedy hotels,” says Pat, who’s also Artichoke’s head chef. “And it was what we could afford.” The Keenes had a significant hand in jumpstarting the area, working with their neighborhood association to get Mayor Martin Chávez to put out an RFP on the derelict Albuquerque High building. Pat served on the selection committee that eventually picked developer Rob Dickson for the project, and Terry was an integral force in completing a sector plan for the corridor. Through it all, Artichoke has continued to put out seasonal menus that have earned it the title of “best in the city” from multiple polls and publications. With dinner entrées like grilled duck breast with edamame jasmine rice, baby carrots, snap peas and an apricot-soy reduction and desserts like limoncello cheesecake with a shortbread crust and blueberry coulis, it’s not hard to see why. 424 Central SE, 505.243.0200, www.artichokecafe.com


| Chef Leah Purucker

| Chef Chris Olsen

The Daily Grind

Standard Diner

This mom-and-pop shop is just as adorable as you’d imagine. Brightly colored with flowers painted on the walls and springing out of patio pots, this little café is light and airy and feels like the next best thing to mom’s kitchen. Baked items change daily, but the miniature bundt cakes and sugar-swept scones are morning staples. Owner Nancy Rogers makes the cakes, but when Chef Leah Purucker came on a few years ago, she added ethnic flavors to the menu, like Cubanos, Greek paninis and curries. Purucker likes working in the district, an area to which she never used to come before the redevelopment. “It’s definitely had a facelift,” she says, adding that she likes the combination of old and new. EDo has been modernized, but The Daily Grind’s cute little space is 100 years old. 414 Central SE, 505.883.8310

True to its name, this EDo eatery embodies the 1940s feel of the classic American diner. But there’s nothing standard about it. In what was once a Texaco station and then a car dealership, high-backed booths and exposed brick hint at the fact that this spot is more of a fine dining destination than a burger joint. You can still find said burgers on the menu, but they’ll come with Kobe beef, caramelized onions and poblano peppers, bleu cheese and truffle fries—labeled the Standard Burger, it’s Chef Chris Olsen’s favorite. Olsen’s only been at the restaurant for two years, but he lives Downtown and has watched the area morph into what it is today. “It’s a great neighborhood with great people,” he says. “It would be great to see it keep expanding.” 320 Central SE, 505.243.1440, www.standarddiner.com

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Chefsof EDo | Sous Chef Natalie Correa | Chef Jason Greene

Apothecary Lounge The old Memorial Hospital sat vacant for years. Locals like to speculate about the ghosts that came to inhabit it when no one else dared. And then, last year, something amazing happened: It was transformed into the creative and chic Hotel Parq Central. One of the amenities of the hotel is the Apothecary Lounge, a rooftop bar and patio with a stunning view of the progress that’s been made in EDo, along with the rest of Albuquerque. Executive Chef Jeremy Castro grew up close to the district and remembers days not long ago when he worried about walking down the street. He’s watched it transform into something “inviting,” he says, and he likes having a role in that development. The menu he and Executive Sous Chef Natalie Correa created is pretty inviting, too. Pork in adobo, sautéed in red wine and served with caramelized onion crème, sits on the same menu as the “inebriated mussels,” which are sautéed in butter and shallots and simmered in a beer broth. Along with generous cocktail offerings, the Apothecary Lounge has quickly become one of the city’s premier nightlife spots. 806 Central SE, 505.242.0040, www.hotelparqcentral.com

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The Grove Cafe & Market In the five years since it opened, The Grove has become a hot spot for Albuquerqueans who brunch. Its interior is clean and modern, and the food that comes out of its kitchen, served on sleek silver lunch trays, is local and organic whenever possible. The local aesthetic works well for the cafe which chose its EDo location for a specific reason: “We always wanted to have a restaurant that was community oriented,” says Chef Jason Greene, who co-owns The Grove with his wife, Lauren. “We wanted a neighborhood establishment where everyone could come in every day and get coffee and a cookie and a sandwich.” Greene describes his food as “everyday casual” with a fine dining approach. It’s evidenced in menu items like the croque madame, which comes openfaced on a rustic farm loaf with Black Forest ham, tomato, whole grain mustard, Gruyère cheese and an egg served sunny side up. With that and a passion fruit cupcake for dessert, a person could die happy. 600 Central SE, Suite A, 505.248.9800, www.thegrovecafemarket.com


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Two Great Restaurants, the Same Great Corner! Corner of Edith & Central | Catering Available

Beer, wine & now a full bar. Come in and let us lift your spirits! Happy Hour Mon-Fri from 3pm-7pm www.ArtichokeCafe.com 505/243-0200

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A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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Parq Central The

relationship between preserving history and developing real estate is often prickly. In 2007, David Oberstein and Marc Bertram faced this challenge head-on. Four years earlier, they and their partners had purchased a promising property on the edge of Albuquerque’s EDo district. Located in the city’s Huning Highland neighborhood, the 2.3-acre parcel fronted Central Avenue on its north side. Highland Park,

same sentence. One conjures images of elegant furniture and buttery croissants. The other evokes pictures of cold metal and food better left unmentioned. It would take a special sensitivity to marry the two ideas into a successful overarching concept. Enter Heather Van Luchene, ASID and Steffany Hollingsworth, ASID, of HVL Interiors of Santa Fe. “When I first saw the inside of the old hospital, it was very dark and dismal, but that doesn’t scare us designers,” says Van Luchene, laughing. “It was a grand building with good bones on a beautiful piece of property.” The bones may have been fine, but how would the interior designers dress the body? They, and the owners, landed upon the concept of contemporary comfort with historic elegance. with its stately elms, offered cool The history component would respite directly to the south. Nearby be expensive. In order to qualify access to I-25 could only add to the for federal tax credits relating to value. To top it off, the main structure­­­­­­­­­­ preservation, the property would ­­—originally built as the Santa Fe need to be listed on the National Railroad Hospital, in 1926—was still Register of Historic Places. What in use. Rent would offset some of the came out of that process were several investors’ costs. And the property was requirements that became guiding priced to sell. principles for the entire effort. Then the tenant decided to move. “The National Park Service What could be done with a big old wanted us to ensure that the historical building—and two more—that made circulation of a hospital—the flow economic sense? Should modernization or of traffic within the space—would history win out? After much discussion, be preserved,” says Oberstein. As the owners settled on creating a hotel, in a result, Hotel Parq Central guests part because Oberstein had the skills to might notice that the hallways see the project through; he’d developed the throughout the main building are Inn on the Alameda, in Santa Fe. Before larger than usual. This is because committing, the investors wanted to gauge those passageways had to remain wide local support. “One of the first phone enough for two gurneys and a person calls I made was to the Huning Highland to be able to walk between them. Bob Neighborhood Association,” Oberstein Heiser, senior principal with Studio says. “When I told them that we were Southwest Architects found creative considering putting a boutique hotel ways for the plans to satisfy the on that location, we got a tremendous National Park Service’s requirements response.” as well as fulfill the hotel’s aesthetic However, there’s a good reason and functionality. why the words “boutique hotel” and In the Doctors’ Residence, a “railroad hospital” rarely occur in the small two-story structure built for 30

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s t o r y b y PA R I N O S K I N TA I C H E R T photos by GAELEN CASEY

the hospital’s physicians in 1926, there are now nine guest rooms on the main floor. Today’s visitors would think there are many more. “The false doors are here to keep the layout consistent with the original building,” says the hotel’s managing director, Yancy Sturgeon. “They represent the rooms that were here back then.” With a great deal of care taken by the architectural team at Studio Southwest Architects, the edifices’ historical integrity has been maintained throughout the property. Much of the woodwork in the three 1920s-era buildings is original. “We even took out all of the windows and shipped them to Chicago to a specialist to insulate them better,” says Sturgeon. “And then we reinstalled them.” While the historical preservation work was in full swing, Van Luchene and Hollingsworth spent their time researching two main topics: the era in which the hospital had been built and the modern essence of successful boutique hotels. “We asked ourselves what we could do to make ours a truly outstanding hotel, one that could compete with those in San Francisco and New York,” says Van Luchene. “We decided to provide a kind of unexpectedness and delight for our guests, so that they’d continue to discover new things every visit.” To do this Van Luchene and Hollingsworth focused on creating a multi-layered experience that would hint at the flavor of 1920s and 1930s while providing the level of luxury boutique hotel guests demand. “We reference estates and mansions of the period,” says Van Luchene. All the public spaces in the hotel nod directly to bygone traditions—and the feel—of drawing rooms, conservatories and other opulent rooms. Each alludes to history in its own way. “The artwork on the tables in the parlor [the breakfast room] is from an insurance map dating back to the 1800s that shows the area around the hotel,” says Hollingsworth. “The metal letter ‘P’ on the wall came from the original hospital sign on the exterior of the building.” APRIL 2011

31


Parq | LEFT: David Oberstein and Bella

RIGHT: Steffany Hollingsworth and Heather Van Luchene

Every guest room features a framed piece of Depression-era glass, which was a a source of inspiration for the room’s accent color palette. The other framed art in each room is special too. “We took an old picture of the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital and found a postcard from the era with the words ‘having a fine time’ and combined the two,” says Van Luchene. Even the guest business center, known as the “mail room,” marries old and new. Accompanying the requisite sleek computers is a large wall collage of real newspaper articles that mark the opening of the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital. “They contain information about the weather for that day, the most popular dance steps of the era and who was serving punch at the opening,” says Van Luchene. Perhaps the biggest challenge for the designers was transforming the potentially negative aspects associated with hospitals into tangible positives for hotel guests. “We decided to focus on healing, on its restorative aspects and serenity,” says Hollingsworth. The hotel’s upbeat but subdued color palette, with its restful greens, browns and whites, provides an overall calm to the entire aesthetic. The walled and beautifully landscaped private garden, the hot tub and the gurgling fountain, all harmoniously designed by Faith Okuma of Surroundings Studio, also encourages relaxation. Van Luchene and Hollingsworth also combined a sense of history with the healing concept in other ways. Each of the guest room corridors has display niches and larger cabinets that contain different period artifacts. “We made them visual stories about smelling, hearing, seeing and how you can heal through those centers,” says Van Luchene. “They’re very beautiful and well done in terms of visuals, but then you start looking at them and realize 32

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there’s really a lot of information there.” Humor can be healing too. One of the areas that best exhibits the designers’ playfulness is in the Apothecary Lounge. This popular evening destination, with an outdoor patio that provides stunning views of the city, is located on the hotel’s top floor. The colors in the lounge reference the amber of old apothecary jars and the metallic silver one might find in a hospital. A tongue-in-cheek privacy curtain hangs on a track from the ceiling around one small drinking area. The lighting features are made to look similar to mercury glass. While the numerous historic and healing elements of Hotel Parq Central create the well-appointed body of this boutique hotel, its good neighborliness, amenities and customer service provide the beating heart. “We try to be very respectful,” says Lindsay Joule, Director of Sales, referring to the weddings, parties and other special events at the hotel. “We don’t allow DJs or loud obnoxious music in our gardens.” General Manager Yancy Sturgeon talks about creating a synergy with other local businesses. For example, though the hotel offers some food on premises, its focus isn’t on dining. As a result, guests are encouraged to explore the many fine restaurants in the EDo area.

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Central

The Hotel Parq Central offers numerous amenities: sumptuous Frette linens in each room, comfortable seersucker robes, C.W. Bigelow toiletries. The complimentary gourmet continental breakfast features homemade breads and pastries. The hotel’s ample parking is free as are the highspeed internet and shuttle transport to and from the airport. Guests with pets can book one of the three newly built cottages on the property. And every guest room corridor is security controlled and can be accessed only by key-card. “We also have an exceptional staff,” says Oberstein. “They truly like taking care of people and get fulfillment from serving them. That’s the real reason we’re ranked number one out of 145 hotels in Albuquerque on Trip Advisor and continue to receive such positive recognition.” All of these elements—a respect for the neighborhood, a celebration of history combined with a full range of modern conveniences, a focus on relaxation and restoration—add up to a wonderfully complex and layered experience that has transformed what was once a challenge into a true historic urban oasis. The Hotel Parq Central is located at 806 Central Ave., SE in Albuquerque. 505.242.0040. www. hotelparqcentral.com. Pari Noskin Taichert is a multi-published novelist, two-time Agatha Award finalist and founder of Murderati.com.


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celebrate · cultivate · conserve 34

2011 Santa Fe Botanical

Garden Tours Sunday, June 5th, 1-4pm:

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JUNE 2011

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y ride! o J

stor y by BARRY FIELDS photos by GABRIELLA MARKS

R

emember the day your training wheels came off? For me it was in the scruffy grass of our backyard when I was five years old and my uncle decided I was ready. He took off the extra wheels and held the bicycle steady as I climbed on. Then he gave me a push and I was off for a few exhilarating seconds, pedaling furiously until I crashed and burned. Within an hour I was gliding over the pavement of our neighborhood, forever liberated. Years later, I can still feel some of that same elation and sense of freedom as I ride the popular Santa Fe Rail Trail, the rollercoaster path that parallels the train tracks from the Railyard in downtown Santa Fe to Lamy. I pedal through the open sage lands under a bright blue sky, downshifting to ascend the gentle hills, then coasting down. Almost anyone can enjoy bicycling, and Santa Fe is a great place to do it. Steven Newhall, long time manager of Rob and Charlie’s bicycle shop and cycling advocate, points out that we have “world-class mountain bicycling; you can ride

every day until everything’s under snow and still not get everything ridden.” And he also points out that we have road bicycling on miles of paved trails in Santa Fe and plenty of back roads in the area. Newhall used to be a runner but kept getting hurt and switched to a sport that was easier on the body. A proponent of cycling who keeps nine bicycles in his two-bedroom condo, he rides his bicycle to work and for shopping, and has used his car only once since 2011 began. If you have an old bicycle that hasn’t been used in a while, Newhall recommends taking it to one of the local repair shops for a tune-up. Make sure you have a pump and learn to change a flat tire, he says, and consider getting sealant in your mountain bicycle tires or belted tires for road bikes. Newhall is an officer in Bike Santa Fe, an education and safety organization that, according to its website, promotes “bicycles as a healthy, affordable, environmentally sound means of transportation and recreation.” If you’re uncomfortable riding in city traffic, you can take one of their courses in traffic safety (www.bikesantafe.org). Classes are also offered to teach children how to ride correctly. A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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Joyride!

Bicycling is a big sport in Santa Fe, Newhall says, employing between 80 and 100 people in eight different bicycle shops. The city is developing a bicycle master plan to coordinate further development of trails and roads and to encourage cycling in the area. The plan should be completed in less than a year. In Newhall’s opinion, “Santa Fe could be as much of a bicycle destination as Moab,” the town in eastern Utah that draws cycling enthusiasts internationally. Our state’s biggest organized road ride, the annual Century Ride (100 miles, with shorter alternatives: www.santafecentury.com) attracts some 2,700 riders annually and takes place in the middle of May, starting and ending in Santa Fe. Bill Strickland, editor-at-large for Bicycling magazine, called the bicycle “the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles

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per gallon.” A human being on a bicycle truly represents the most efficient form of travel on earth in terms of energy used for distance covered. But it’s not just all about efficiency. Z Jacobson, a friend of mine who rides her bike several days a week throughout the year, captures some of the joys of recreational riding: “I love getting out in the fresh air. You can really travel far by bike. It’s like a little vacation when you can get on your bike and go 20 to 30 miles out of town.” Bicycling is fun and healthy, but it can also be dangerous. The League of American Bicyclists ranked New Mexico a dismal number 46 of the 50 states for overall bicycle friendliness, in part because of the crease at the shoulder of state roads, which can topple a bicycle. Although Santa Fe is working to improve cycling safety and awareness, accidents can happen, as my friend Fred Glantz (with whom

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I once spent several glorious days bicycling the hills and vineyards of Tuscany) knows only too well. “In the 30-plus years I was a serious cyclist, I’ve been involved in four serious accidents that put me in the hospital. The last one was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” It took place at the intersection of Alameda and Saint Francis, when a pickup truck failed to yield to him. “I plowed into the side of the pickup going 20 miles per hour. I flew over the truck, and something apparently caught my leg and I ended up on the ground with my right leg ripped open to the femur like a book.” His leg never fully recovered, and he went from riding over 100 miles a week to hiking Santa Fe’s many foothill trails. Most road cyclists go through their lives without an accident, but stories like Glantz’s are


the reason Steve Newhall stresses education of the public as a means to promote greater safety. Be aware of traffic around you, and be selective where you ride. Riding solo is okay—virtually every bicycle rider has ridden alone— but, as Newhall says, “going with a group can be more enjoyable experience.” There’s also safety in numbers. There are four cycling clubs in Santa Fe worth checking out. All of them offer group rides, often two or more a week, and they welcome newcomers. Jennifer Hubbard joined Santa Fe Pedal Queens, a few years ago when she was new to the area. It was a great way to make social contacts and, she gushes, “people who get together to ride 50 miles on a Sunday morning are great people.” Now Jennifer’s a ride leader for the organization. See the clubs’ websites for what’s being offered; contact the leaders if you have any questions; and show up on time with helmet on your head and ready to join the fun. Santa Fe Road Riders, which organizes through Yahoo Groups (www.sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ sfroadriderss), has something for everyone. If you don’t have much experience or want an easygoing ride, check out the C group. The B group sets a faster pace, and the A group is for diehard enthusiasts who want to ride far and fast. The Santa Fe Pedal Queens (www.pedalqueens. com), a women-only group, has several rides a week. Jennifer Hubbard emphasizes that the club is for women of all abilities, “to help women get and stay involved in cycling. There’s always a ride you can plug into your week.” Seniors on Bikes (www.santafesobs.com) offers A, B and C rides that are generally less ambitious than the Road Riders, usually taking off on Thursday mornings. The SOB’s are a social group emphasizing camaraderie and fun. The Fat Tire Society (www.santafefattiresociety. org), for mountain bicycling only, holds monthly meetings, works on maintaining trails and schedules group rides. The novelist Iris Murdoch has called the bicycle “the most civilized conveyance known to man,” the one form of transportation that remains “pure in heart.” Out on the Rail Trail, a breeze on my face and sun overhead, I come across families on outings as well as more serious soloists whizzing by me. All of us seem to feel that sense of purity surging up from a deep place inside, a wellspring of joy and satisfaction that comes from nonmotorized, self-propelled movement, graceful balance in forward momentum and the beauty of the surroundings.

Albuquerque

Bike N Sport

Two Wheel Drive

The Broken Spoke

Cycle Cave Inc.

Mellow Velo

The Bike Coop

524 Cordova (by Trader Joe’s) 505.820.0809 www.nmbikensport.com

1403 2nd Street 505.992.3102 www.brokenspokesantafe.com 621 Old Santa Fe Trail 505.995.8356 www.mellowvelo.com mellowvelosantafe.wordpress.com

Frankie Flats

1706 Central Avenue SE 505.243.8443 www.twowheeldrive.com 5716 Menaul NE 505.884.6607 www.cyclecave.com 3407 Central Avenue N.E. 505.265.5170 www.bikecoop.com

Fat Tire Cycles

421 Montaño NE 505.345.9005 www.fattirecycles.com

1600 Lena Street D-3 505.473.1712 www.frankieflats.com

The Kickstand

rob and charlies

1632 St. Michael’s Drive 505.471.9119 www.robandcharlies.com

11145 B Menaul Boulevard NE 505.299.2624 www.thekickstand505.com

Santa Fe Mountain Sports

Bikeworks Albuquerque

They have moved!! They’re now located at 1221 Flagman Way (in the Baca Street Railyard) 505.988.3337 www.santafemountainsports.com

Taos Gearing Up Bicycle Shop 129 Paseo del Pueblo Sur 575.751.0365 www.gearingupbikes.com

Taos Cyclery

114 Dona Luz St. 575.758.5551 www.taoscyclery.com

Mellow Velo

bike shops >>

Santa Fe

Frankie Flats

local

2839 Carlisle Boulevard 505.884.0341 www.bikeworksabq.com

Bike World at three locations 1820 Central Avenue SE 505.247.8033 6624 Caminito Coors NW 505.792.1300 3119 San Mateo NE 505.881.4233 www.bikeworlds.com

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

JUNE 2011

37


at the table story by CHEF JOHNNY VEE

photos by GABRIELLA MARKS

Raaga

The service was fantastic. Our waiter, Salim, looked after our needs in an Old World–style not often found in have always considered myself an Anglophile of sorts, since I American eateries. He practically bowed with each deftly executed move, dishing up rice and curries with silverfirst went to Leeds, England, to restaurant college, circa 1974. service aplomb, chattering away happily about the food and spices while adjusting our plates and making room on I loved how different it was from America, how the land of the table for more goodies. Soon a handsome gentleman our forefathers seemed so parochial compared to the aggressive in a chef ’s coat stopped by the table to welcome us—Chef hustle and bustle of the U.S.A. While living there I marveled how Paddy. He possessed such charm and ease in conversation, I couldn’t believe he was the chef of a restaurant that had only this relatively small country had at one time practically ruled the been open a week. The twinkle in his eye and the grin on his face made us immediately feel like family and fans. world. So impressed was I with our meal that I returned the Most surprising to me still is the stronghold Britain had over the gigantic country of India. After meeting the disarmingly charming and charismatic Paddy Rawal, owner and chef of Santa very next night with a larger group of friends. Immediately Fe’s spanking new Raaga Fine Indian Dining, I have a feeling that had the British Empire come Paddy greeted me by name. The place was packed with foodies I recognized from other restaurants and my cooking up against this dynamic businessman and culinary wizard, India’s independence might have classes. Salim promptly kicked into action. Paddy went come decades earlier. Lucky for the Brits, Paddy wasn’t born yet to stand beside Gandhi; lucky about wooing my new guests with descriptions of dishes for us Santa Feans, he has arrived in our midst to teach us a new way to think about his exotic and samples of house specialties like vegetable dumplings native cuisine. On my first visit to Raaga, I immediately felt something exciting was going on. The buzz in in creamy cashew sauce and a fried okra and pico de gallo salad. The guy clearly was a pro; I couldn’t wait to interview the small space, which formerly housed Mauka, was palpable. The heady fragrances emanating from the kitchen set my mouth watering. The large menu boasted many dishes I did recognize— him. tandoori, biryani, vindaloo, rogan josh, raita—but there was also a myriad more I had never seen It took a few weeks to coordinate our schedule. Paddy like baby eggplant simmered in peanut and coconut sauce. I had a vegetarian in tow, and she was has a second restaurant in East Lansing, Michigan, called Mumbai, and he commutes back and forth between the two delighted with the plethora of non-meat options available.

I

| Owner and chef Paddy Rawal

38

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locations. In the interim, while he was away, I had two more meals at Raaga, including a terrific buffet brunch that beat all under-$10 deals of its kind. Each time I or any of my other friends returned, Paddy spoke to us by name. I arrive for our chat just as lunch is finishing. True to form, Paddy insists that I get some food from the buffet. It doesn’t take any persuading, and I help myself to various wonderfully seasoned dishes --Raaga Tikki, Semolina Calamari, Zaffrani Macchi--yumm! A fresh batch of naan arrives from the kitchen. “How is the business going?” I start. “We are very busy, very busy. We may have to expand next door,” Paddy replies with pride. “I don’t know how you do it,” I retort, “especially with going back and forth between Michigan and here.” “You know, John, I come from the corporate world. My father always said, ‘If you make up your mind to do something, you have to do it with commitment and passion.’” As we chat for the next hour, I can see that passion burning in Paddy’s dark eyes. When I ask Paddy to tell me how he got into the business, he is ready with his story. It is peppered with exact dates and the days, months and years of each stop along the way. He begins with, “I came to this country with $100 in my pocket. I first moved to Toronto, where I had a cousin living. Right away she started trying to convince me that we should open a restaurant there, but I wanted to go to America, to this great country. I took a Greyhound bus to Michigan, because I had a family friend there.” His memory for detail extends to recollections of

his work history. I was surprised to learn that Paddy’s résumé includes stints with Dunkin’ Donuts, the food service department of a Detroit car manufacturer, Olive Garden, and Arby’s. At each stopover he picked up invaluable experience that got him to where he is today. Born in Bombay, India, and one of five children, Paddy led a somewhat charmed childhood. “Dad was a senior officer in the Indian Army, so we always lived in government-owned homes in posh neighborhoods. Our neighbors were rich, but we were not. My mother did all of the cooking, and I was always watching her. Every night my father would come home, and we would eat together at a big family table. In India the women do all of the food preparation. I felt terrible about how hard she worked, so when I was ten I started helping her every Sunday. I wanted her to sit down and eat before I did. Both my mother and my father had great faith in their children.” The dishes Paddy observed and eventually helped his mother prepare became the basis for the wonders he offers at both his restaurants. “What I learned at culinary school was the importance of balance in ingredients. We learned all the French sauces and had a wonderful old Indian chef instructor who taught me more about my cuisine.” Throughout our conversation he pauses and pointedly delivers the mantras that have driven his career: “If that guy can do it, I can do it,” “Never be greedy,” “Make friends and followers every day,” and “Without hard work nothing happens.” “My first job I was paid $50 a week,” he continues. “Can you believe that? I started managing a friend’s four Dunkin’ Donuts shops, but before I started I had to attend Dunkin’ University. The friend was going to sponsor me for my immigration status, and my application was in. Then 9/11 happened and the processing stopped. I spent four years in limbo. It took nearly six years before I opened my own place, Mumbai, in East Lansing.” Mumbai took off, and Paddy became a much sought-after restaurateur. “After two years, two fans of the restaurant who had become friends came to me and said they were moving to Santa Fe, and that I should open a restaurant there. I came to visit Santa Fe in December 2010, ate at many local restaurants to see what my competition would be and said to myself that I have to open something in this beautiful place. We looked at a few spaces, and when I saw this space I said, ‘Stop, I’ll take it.’ We took over the lease on March 22 and opened April 1.” I ask him about how he comes up with his menus and what he feels he can teach us Santa Feans about Indian cookery. “I like to cook what my mom cooked and keep it simple. ‘Curry’ is a generic word. There is a great misconception that all Indian food is hot and spicy and causes indigestion. That is not true. The use of spices is very complex. The cuisine is very regional. My menu is ninety percent Northern, five percent Southern, which is very hot, and five percent Eastern, which includes the use of a lot of mustard seed. I strive to make each dish fresh, flavorful, simple, delicious and tasty.”

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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Raaga

“So “So what’s what’s the the buzz about? “So the buzzwhat’s about? “So what’s Flavor, to put itthe buzz about? Flavor, to put simply, theit buzz about? Flavor, to put it combination of it simply, the Flavor, to the put simply, the “Sospices, what’s meat combination ofof combination simply, buzz about?the andwhat’s veggies, “So the spices, meat spices, meat Flavor, to put it of combination of sweet and buzz about? and veggies, simply, the and veggies, tangy, meat Flavor, to fiery put it ofspices, sweet and subtle.� ofareand sweet and simply, the veggies, tangy, fiery spices, meat Albuquerque Journal fiery are subtle.� oftangy, sweet and and veggies, spices, meat Albuquerque Journal subtle. � tangy, fiery ofand sweet and and veggies, Albuquerque Journal tangy,subtle. fiery owl ofand sweet and� uper B Cuisine o S African2&01Caribbean and subtle.� 0 Fe Albuquerque Journal NOW SERVING tangy, fiery Santa n I & p Albuquerque Journal 1 Chef-OOF=J c @E=< ):G u 1 o 0 st S & Caribbean Cuisine and subtle.� 2African

He continues, “India is a country of strong religious beliefs and superstitions. Some of the people eat meat but no fish. The Muslims eat beef but no pork. The Hindus, those that are not vegetarian, eat pork but no beef, and some Indians refuse to eat root vegetables because they are a bad omen. Some meat-eating communities do not eat fish, for it is considered dirty, while other vegetarian communities do not mind fish, calling it a vegetable of the sea, because it is cold-blooded. Yet others do not eat brightly colored vegetables, such as carrots or tomatoes, for they are supposed to excite passion. In the South, coconut milk is widely used in the cooking.� I am loving my education of the culinary culture of this massive nation. “What are the three most important spices you cook with?� I inquire. “Cumin, turmeric and cinnamon,� he replies, “but my favorite spice is green cardamom.� “Any ingredients you don’t like?� “Hmm. I really don’t like raw mushrooms.� For dessert, Salim brings me a bowl of the dumpling-like Honey Soaked Milk Puffs (prepared, according to the menu, “Jamun� style). A mango lassi makes a luscious second treat. We discuss the spiritual aspects often associated with Santa Fe. “My Mom was like a priestess to us kids. I feel like I will spend my life living up to her qualities. I am not really a practicing Hindu.� As Paddy recalls moments of his childhood, he temporarily leaves behind his outgoing personality and becomes quiet. Clearly his parents had the greatest impact on how he developed as a chef and a man. As I get up to leave Paddy finishes with, “One of my early chef mentors, who was German, always said to me that life is like a cake, and you can’t have it half-baked.� Talking to this passionate entrepreneur and dining on his cooking, I am struck by one thought--that whatever Paddy does, he does completely. There is nothing half-baked about this fully realized chef and restaurateur. I can’t wait to see what he whips up next!-JV

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Coming in July… Our Tribute to the Performing Arts! 010

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The readers of localflavor are your perfect audience Michelle Moreland|Santa Fe & Taos|505.699.7369 Lynn Kaufman|Albuquerque|505.417.8876

Special thanks to our food vendors that support this event Pasta Divina · Casa Rondeña Winery Old Windmill Dairy · CAL Farm Milagro Vineyards · Miller Farm · East Mountain Organics · Tomato Girls Guadalupe Vineyard · Amyo Farms Simon Farm · South Mountain Dairy US Foods · Creamland Dairy ·Sparrow Hawk Farms , Mechenbier Farms

Five Course Gourmet Feast, honoring local growers and food producers within 100 mile radius of the Center for Ageless Living

held at the Center for Ageless Living in the Community Park at 3216 Hwy 47 S. in Los Lunas, NM

Tickets on Sale at the Center or online at growageless.com $45.00 for one, two for $80 Appetizers

Amuse Bouche “happy mouth” – fresh puree of carrots and peas with crème fraise Home Made Crackers with Goat Cheese and Green Tomato Chutney Beef Liver Pate on Homemade Baguette

Soup

Borscht with Triple Screened Yogurt

Salads

Fresh Mixed Greens and Garden Vegetables with Shallot Vinaigrette (Bistro House Dressing) Roasted Three Beet Salad

Proceeds from this event support SC, Inc., a NM nonp rofit committed to sustainable communities for senior care.

Entrees

Roasted Pork with baby turnips Spinach with Apples and Pine Nuts Pasta with Parmesan Goat Cheese and Tomatoes Cabrito and Beef in Red Chile Mole Sauce Desserts

Belgium Waffles with fresh fruit & whipped cream Strudel Grape Sorbet Wine to complement each course Fresh hand kneaded bread with honey butter

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

SC Inc.’s Field to Food program is a local food distribution program that provides home bound elderly and disabled in Valencia County access to fresh, homegrown produce during the harvest season through Meals on Wheels.

For more information on Field to Food, visit us at growageless.com. Thank you for your support and

Bon Appetit

JUNE 2011

41


FlyFishing

on the Rio Grande

A Note from the Editor: Localflavor is thrilled to have the father-son team of Taylor and Nick Streit sharing their expertise with us this month. The Taos-based Streits are world-class anglers with a combined total of forty-five years of teaching and guiding under their belts. Taylor has authored several fly fishingbooks, and both he and Nick have traveled to countless rivers worldwide in search of the perfect catch. But (lucky for us) there’s no place they’d rather be than fishing Northern New Mexico’s own Rio Grande.

W

e have been fortunate to travel to some of the world’s best fly-fishing destinations, from Alaska to Argentina, and people often ask us where our top place to fish is. The answer usually surprises them, because although other rivers and lakes in far-off lands have produced more and bigger trout, the Rio Grande—when it is fishing well—is still our favorite place. The lonely river offers more than just the fishing. A truly wild world lies between its banks, where the angler is surrounded by nature in its rawest form, from the quiet to the chaotic. There are times when the water seems to leap around you; at others, it glides peacefully by. And, let’s not forget, you might just have a have a huge trout or pike attack your fly at any time, too! The varied character of its surrounding canyon—and fish helps keep the Rio Grande forever interesting to the fly fisher. Heading downstream from Colorado, there is about fifty miles’ worth of river to explore. In the upper part of the gorge, the river runs through a shallow but precipitous canyon, with ways down few and miles between. Trout numbers through this section are not great, but fish size is good, averaging perhaps two pounds. As these trout are rarely bothered by anglers, they tend to be more aggressive than their downstream cousins. They will take streamers and wet flies in the oldtime style of fly-fishing so perfectly captured by John Nichols in his book Dancing on the Stones. Nichols describes “dancing” the flies on or near the surface with a dropper fly-tied to the leader with a blood knot. The result is a fly that extends out a few inches perpendicular to the leader and daps on the surface. This method covers a lot of water -- keeping in mind that it’s best to fish close to the bank you are on. (A common mistake that fly fisherman make on big water is trying to fish the far shore. There are just as many fish on your side, and you will get a much better drift there.) The next section down is the Wild and Scenic, west of Questa. This is where the canyon turns deep, and the river races through a jumble of Volkswagen-sized basalt boulders. Traveling and wading can be dangerous; this is for the fit, motivated and experienced fly fisher only! True guerilla fishing. To quote Taylor’s guidebook Fly Fishing New Mexico, it involves “making your way over, under and around huge slick boulders.” (These obstacles make for an especially invigorating trip when you are hooked to a four-pound wild cutbow trout.) Trails are well marked, and for the average person it takes about 45 minutes to hike out of the 700-foot canyon. Farther down, below the junction with the Red River at La Junta, the great river settles down a bit. There you will find wide riffles and long pools. Due to mining influences from the Red River, few fish here reach full size, but the size of fish has been going up as the mining 42

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| Taylor Streit

|

Reintroduced bighorn sheep (and river otters) abound throughout the canyon.


s t o r y b y T AY L O R A N D N I C K S T R E I T photos by NICK STREIT

| Nick Streif

slows down. Miners Trail (which refers to a different mine, this one a long defunct gold dredging operation) on the west side of the canyon is easy to find, but other ways down in this section of the river are known only to guides and locals. Just before narrowing and plunging into the famous Taos Box, the Rio passes under John Dunn Bridge. This bridge is the only place offering vehicle access to the water (it is the put-in for commercial floats). Although angling pressure here is considerable, the fishing stays surprisingly good due to the fine character of the water. The influence of the Rio Hondo is also a benefit, as fish move in and out of that river when it is running full. The Gorge Bridge spans the top of the canyon just a few miles below the Dunn Bridge. If you are a fisherman standing on that bridge, you might long to be on the water below. (And yes, it is as good as it looks— and teems with trout.) But access into the next ten miles of the box is difficult at best, and although hundreds peer down from the span daily, the trout living in this part of the river die of old age never having seen a fly. Our next stop on our southbound journey downriver is the point where the Rio Grande gushes out of the Box and accepts the Rio Pueblo from the east. Although the water has been rather abused by the town of Taos, the turbulent little Rio Pueblo boasts good fishing in the spring and fall. From the nearby Taos Junction Bridge, the Rio Grande descends slowly to Pilar. This several-mile stretch of water is flanked by road, and in late fall and early spring intense hatches of Blue-Winged Olive mayflies occur. These are midday hatches that are most prolific in overcast weather, and if those conditions persist, the hatches can run for weeks. This particular section of river is ideal to float fish. It is also home to pike and smallmouth bass. The pike are active on the shoulders of winter, and the smallmouth bass seem to get hungry on just the warm side of that season. Hot weather is bad news for all game fish—with the exception of carp, a fish that we guides consider a game fish, as they are smart and strong and can be stalked in the wide pools above Pilar. All these species of fish have their own niches. Trout are generally found in the fast water, pike in the dead calm. Smallmouth bass like deeper and slightly faster water; they are often found near on-shore boulders. Many people first see the Rio Grande where it runs along the highway between Santa Fe and Taos. This stretch, known as the Racecourse, is a rowdy piece of water, but it is fishable. The Racecourse features stocked rainbows, some holdover stockers (rainbows that have survived a couple years and will be 13 to 16 inches long) and wild brown trout. Avoid fishing the Rio Grande below the Embudo River, as silt events have largely smothered aquatic life in that area. There are many more trout in the Rio Grande this year then we can recall in memory. Our clients have already caught—and released—many trout during the caddis hatch in April. The Rio is currently bouncing back from a fish kill resulting from severe flash floods that occurred on the upper Red River a few years ago. Another extreme rain caused heavy silt loads to enter the Rio Grande, via the Rio Pueblo de Taos. Newly-cut subdivision roads southwest of Taos helped steer massive amounts of dirt into that river, then on into the Rio Grande. There are a number of other factors that determine the quality of fishing on the Rio Grande. Time of year; time of day; the weather; the flows; fishing pressure—we fisherman have no end of excuses! The great river rarely hands over good fishing easily, and you should be prepared for some tough days along the way. But with persistence, you will find that the Rio Grande is one of the West’s premiere trout rivers. When attempting to learn the water, seek professional help and call a local fly shop to get current conditions and stream flows. Last but not least, hiring a guide that has experience on this complicated river will help you to unlock the mighty Rio’s secrets. The Taos Fly Shop is located at 308 Paseo del Pueblo Sur in Taos. 575.751.1312. www.taosflyshop.com. and guides@streitflyfishing.com.

A Taste of Life in New Mexico

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Still

Hungry? s t o r y b y PAT T Y K A R L O V I T Z

Zia Diner’s owner, Beth Koch Draiscol, takes their Curried Chicken and Mango Salad Wrap into the outdoors. “I like this recipe for picnics because of its burrito-style presentation,” she says. “It travels well and doesn’t get too messy. The recipe is versatile. You can change out ingredients to suit whatever you may have in the fridge—like turkey instead of chicken, even apples instead of mango, low-carb tortillas or even good old sliced bread. Adding curry makes it special to me, because it’s one of my favorite spices in the kitchen.” For one full-size serving, plan on using 1/4 pound of meat per person and adjust the other ingredients to taste. Ingredients: Leftover cooked chicken, cubed Fresh mango, diced (or substitute mandarin oranges) Green onions, chopped 3 or 4 celery stalks, diced Sliced almonds toasted (or whatever nuts you have in the pantry) A couple Tablespoons of prepared mayonnaise (half mayo and half sour cream also works well) Salt Pepper Curry powder Chopped cilantro Method: Mix above ingredients together in a bowl, and add curry powder and seasonings to individual taste. Wrap in spinach tortilla wraps. (After your day outdoors, stop by the Zia Diner for their great happy hour, Monday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. They feature $3 food bites and $1 draft PBR!) Zia Diner is located at 326 South Guadalupe in Santa Fe. 505.988.7008.www.ziadiner.com. 44

JUNE 2011

Created by Executive Chef Mike Garcia

Chef Garcia states, “My favorite outdoor snack while hiking has always been an avocado with a pinch of salt. This recipe combines the avocado with the frozen aspect and makes a really refreshing healthy treat for those long, hot summer days ahead!” This frozen drink can be made the night before and then enjoyed the next day as it thaws, giving you a healthy burst of refreshing sweetness all day long. In a blender combine: 2 soft, ripened avocados 1 cup flash-dried pineapple 1/4 cup coconut milk 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream juice of 1/2 a lemon

Photo: Gabriella Marks

Created by Chef Peter Walsh

Frozen Avocado Creamsicle from Prime Created by Vernon’s

Pour mixture into an insulated water bottle and freeze overnight. Enjoy as it defrosts all day! (Michael Baird, who is also the owner of the popular Vernon’s Steakhouse in the Village Shops at Los Ranchos, has opened a gorgeous new deli this month featuring gourmet soups, sandwiches, salads and breakfast offerings. And this is only the beginning! Down the line they also plan to open a butchery featuring Vernon’s famous prime cuts and boutique wines and beers.) Prime is located at 6855 4th Street NW in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. 505.890.9150. www.cutofprime.com.

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Photo: Kate Russell

Curried Chicken and Mango Salad Wraps from Zia Diner


W

hen you’re out under the beautiful New Mexico sky you sure can build up a healthy appetite. Here are four recipes straight from a chef ’s kitchen to your backpack. It’s a moveable feast with plenty of localflavor!

Voyager Bar from the Flying Star Café

Created by Executive Chef Willem Blom (with the charming Dutch accent!) Jane Bernstein, the enthusiastic owner of Flying Star and Satellite says, “we have a really delicious and easy energy bar named The Voyager Bar that we think would be perfect in the wild. As its name implies, it travels well and packs perfectly. We have a manager who is an exercise fanatic. She would always bring in her delicious, homemade energy bars packed with oats, peanut butter—and an incredible amount of sugar and honey. Our chef, in his charming Dutch accent, would exclaim, ‘Ouch, my mouth is burning from so much sugar, but I bet you have a great workout after one of these!’ So he set out to recreate Christine’s energy bars with less sweetness and more protein.” This recipe makes 16 two-ounce bars. Don’t be deceived by the size; they pack a powerful punch. (Chef Blom uses weight measures, not liquid to ensure the greatest accuracy.) In a bowl, combine: 4 oz rolled oats 2 oz whole wheat flour 4 oz brown sugar

Grilled Citrus Polenta from Joe’s Diner Created by Owner and Executive Chef Roland Richter (who always carries Pernod on a trek!)

Chef Roland has a recipe he developed “for a unique, light, citrus polenta. It can be prepared and cooked ahead, then sliced and packed for treks,” he explains. “At mealtime, grill it over the fire. It provides a nice carbohydrate ‘ballast’-type fuel for active people. It complements both meat and vegetarian entrees, or stands alone. It also provides protein. Leftovers are great cold. Also has the advantage of being gluten-free.” A gourmet dish for around the campfire! Roland also recommends a nice outdoorsy gourmet touch for the fish you’ve caught: “Look for juniper berries and sage brush leaves for herb accents.” Wrap the wild herbs in foil along with the fish and cook over your campfire. For dessert, try dehydrated strawberries (plump in water for a few minutes) with canned sweetened condensed milk, a dash of black pepper and Pernod.

Using an electric mixer, combine for about 2 minutes on medium speed.

Makes 8 portions Ingredients: 1 cup medium-ground cornmeal (polenta) 4 cups water Salt to taste 1 Tablespoon butter 4 oz cream cheese Zest of 1 lemon, 1 lime and 1 orange

Then add the following: 2 oz chopped dried apricots 2 oz dried cranberries 1 oz roasted whole almonds 1 oz dry-roasted peanuts 1 oz roasted pistachios

Method: Bring water to boil and salt to taste. Stir in cornmeal with whisk quickly and stir rapidly so no lumps form. Stir in butter. Cook covered on very slow heat for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off heat, and stir in the cream cheese with a spatula. When smooth, stir in the citrus zest.

Mix just enough to combine. Spread entire mixture onto a well-oiled baking sheet, and press down to level with a rolling pin. If desired, sprinkle chopped raw peanuts or almond slices on top before baking for a nice finish.

Pour onto cling film–lined cookie sheet (approximately 11”x9”). Polenta should be 1/2” thick. Let cool; cover and put into refrigerator. Polenta keeps easily for a week. When ready for grilling, cut into 8 pieces, brush with olive oil and grill until crispy.

Add the following: 3 oz honey 2 1/2 oz peanut butter of choice 1 oz canola oil or another mildly flavored oil 1 1/2 oz egg whites

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. The bars should not be too dry; a toothpick inserted should not come out completely clean. When cooled, cut into squares or any shape you like. (No time to cook for your outdoor adventure? Try Flying Star’s amazing catering menu!)

(If your outdoor adventure ends by Saturday afternoon, come into Joe’s for a special surprise. Many of the farmers and ranchers will be stopping in for an after-market lunch and will be there to share their passion for all that is local and sustainable. Meet the people who grow your food! Every Saturday after Farmers’ Market.)

Flying Star is locally owned with locations in Albuquerque, Bernalillo and Santa Fe. www.flyingstarcafe.com.

Joe’s Diner at 2801 Rodeo Road in Santa Fe. 505.471.3800. www. joesdinerandpizza.com.

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La Casa Sena a Local Favorite For over 27 years

GET DAD WHAT HE REALLY WANTS THIS YEAR! The Spanish Table carries ringed burners for cooking paella outside. Each ring is individually controlled and so burners can be used with varying sized paella pans. Connects to a standard U.S. propane tank by way of an adapter hose. Don’t forget the gigantic spoon! PAELLA DEMONSTRATION Saturday, June 25th at 11am at Santa Fe Greenhouses on Rufina St. (off Siler). Learn how paella and outdoor entertaining go hand in hand! Free to the public.

Experience Chef Gharrity’s Modern, Sustainable Cuisine Infused with Fresh, Local and Seasonal Ingredients. L I k E u S o n FaC E b o o k F o r w E E k Ly S p E C I a L S .

The Spanish Table

109 N Guadalupe, Santa Fe, NM

M on - Sat 10 am to 6 pm ; Sun 11 am to 5 pm (505) 986-0243

www.spanishtable.com www.spanishtablewines.com

125 East Palace, Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 988-9232 | lacasasena.com

Rio Chama’s Patio

Our Patio is the perfect venue to host a party, birthday celebration, wedding reception or to kick back and enjoy the warm weather. l i k e u S O N Fa C e b O O k F O R w e e k ly u P D aT e S , a N D S P e C i a l S Open Daily from 11am until closing 414 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-955-0765 | riochamasteakhouse.com

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JUNE 2011

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ANA JUNE CREATIVE photography • design

anajunecreative.com 505.466.2660


Taste the New Southwest Chef Charles Dale’s modern rustic cuisine introduces a Contemporary American fare that is regionally inspired by Northern New Mexico and infused with local and organically sourced ingredients.

Reservations 505.982.4353 653 Canyon Road, Santa Fe compoundrestaurant.com

877.262.4666

198 State Road 592, Santa Fe

encantadoresort.com

Now Serving Our Spring Lunch & Dinner Menus

LAURA SHEPPHERD

HOLISTIC SPA TREATMENTS USING NATURAL AND ORGANIC PRODUCTS

Salon de Couture

Pure Proven Powerful

your best skin Unwrap this holiday season! Our Jurlique Skin Brightening Facial evens skin tone, reduces dark spots and minimizes fine lines & wrinkles. The Jurlique Radiant Facial 70 min $85 Restore a natural radiance to the face and ease We are pleased the tension in the neck and shoulders with this to offer 15%and offsoothing all Jurlique combination of revitalizing products facial massage. Purely White Skin This treatment is ideal for everyone who wants Brightening products great results fast.

through June 30th

Now 70 min, $ 85

Giftcertificates Organic Skin Care& Gift baskets

at terrific prices

Holistic Spa using 5 0 5 474 43 10 1 9 2 5 A s p e n D ri v e S u i t e 2 0 1 B , S an t a Natural Fe and ww w. organ i c sk i n c are s a n t af e . c o m Organic Products R e t a i l h o u r s : M o n , 1 - 5 p m ; T h u r s , 9 a m - 1 pTreatments m

... an extraordinary collection of designer clothing. Ready to Wear or Custom Design

please visit our new website organicskincaresantafe.com

505-474-4310 1925 Aspen Dr. Suite 201B, Santa Fe

Photo: Santagto

Retail Hours Mon. 1-5pm and Thurs. 9am-1pm Treatments by appointment Mon-Fri.

65 W. Marcy Street , Santa Fe , NM 87501 / 505 986.1444 www. laurasheppherd.com

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