SANTA FE, New Mexico — In New Mexico, an existential question is less likely to be “What is the meaning of life?” than “Will it be red or green?”
Not life, but chiles — a menu staple at most of the city’s celebrated restaurants.
I have made the trip to Santa Fe on more than one occasion just to eat. The city joins New Orleans, New England and the Low Country of South Carolina as being among the few places in the United States where one can find authentic regional cuisine.
I’ve chowed down on the Tellicherry Peppered Elk Tenderloin at Coyote Café, the Fiery Sweet Chile and Honey-Grilled Mexican White Prawns at Geronimo, and the Green Chile Stew at Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen (although in all fairness, it’s the menu of more than 100 margaritas and a fair sampling of tequilas that might be the draw here).
In a modest-sized city such as Santa Fe, the staggering number of restaurants – more than 400 – takes your breath away. But what will really leave you gasping is the distinctive cuisine itself — neither Tex nor Mex as they are quick to remind you.
What it is instead is a singular style of regional cooking that blends Puebloan and Hispanic ingredients such as blue corn, pinto beans, Spanish rice and Calabacitas, a side dish that’s a mixture of chili, corn, squash and beans.
Even the Anglos had a hand in influencing the culinary culture as you can readily see by traveling the state’s Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail.
On my most recent visit, I started my quest for the Holy Grail of Southwestern cooking at a place I’d never been before. Opuntia Café in the burgeoning Railyard District proved the perfect spot for a bountiful brunch.
The Railyard, a gritty enclave that was once the convergence point of three railroads, is now a hot spot alive with shopping, dining, entertainment and artistic options.
Opuntia offers the latter both on the walls and on the plate. I gave the wall art a compulsory glance, and then turned my attention to the art on my plate: huevos rancheros that I can only dream of, living as I do in the Southeast and not the Southwest. Two poached organic eggs over a corn tortilla topped with tomatillo-jalapeno green salsa, feta cheese and green peas and black beans.
And in case you think I’m exaggerating about the importance of chiles, order a cup of their red chile mocha with local red chili powder, dark chocolate, espresso and milk. Believe it or not, they advertise it as having MILD HEAT.
My meal provided the necessary fuel for walking around the Farmers Market in the Railyard before heading over to the Plaza to check out the vendors selling their jewelry in the shadow of the Spanish Governor’s Palace.
Another day was spent with two of my favorite Santa Fe restaurants bookending it: gallery-hopping on Canyon Road and popping into the lovely Loretto Chapel.
Lunch was at Rancho de Chimayo, a half-hour drive from the city center but well worth the trip. A former Pueblo-style home has been converted to a restaurant where the whimsy of the décor complements the fanciful menu.
Start off with a cup of green chile stew, move on to the chili rellenos or shrimp enchiladas, and by all means leave room for dessert. When I say dessert, I mean sopapillas, the kind my grandmother used to make.
In case you live in a part of the country unfamiliar with sopapillas, first, my condolences, and second, they are fritters made of fried pastry dough. Be sure to break off one of the flaky edges and pour the Rancho’s organic honey in.
After lunch, I walked around the grounds of the Sanctuario de Chimayo in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Located on the picturesque High Road to Taos, it was (and still is, if the 300,000 visitors a year are any indication) a place of pilgrimage, often referred to as “the Lourdes of America.”
Dinner that night was at what I consider one of the most scenic restaurants in the U.S. Back on the road to Taos, my destination was the Bishop’s Lodge. The name isn’t an affectation, as it was once the home of Archbishop Lamy, a French cleric appointed Apostolic Vicar of New Mexico in the 19th century, and the inspiration for Willa Cather’s protagonist in her novel "Death Comes for the Archbishop."
But I digress. Now a resort hotel in the Auberge Collection, it boasts an outstanding restaurant, aptly named SkyFire. Following a trail lit by flickering luminarias up a hillside path took me to both Archbishop Lamy’s chapel and the elegant restaurant.
Wangling a table by the giant windows, I was rewarded with a not-soon-forgotten sunset. I wasn’t sure if it was my two mezcal cocktails, enhanced by the earthy scent of peppers charring on the wood-fired grill, or just the special quality of the New Mexican skies that made the sunset over the Sangre de Cristos appear a shimmering palette of colors starting with tangerine and ending with deep indigo.
Both the ever-changing mountainscape and the food is meant to be savored. I started with the Shishito Peppers with chipotle dressing, followed by Green Risotto (hatch green chile, poblano, perfect egg and mushrooms) and Elk Short Ribs. Bishop Lamy in his devoutness may have been a culinary ascetic, but I sure wasn’t.
Back in Santa Fe, two more feasts awaited the next day. Lunch was at Luminaria in the elegant Inn & Spa at Loretto, a member of Heritage Hotels (more about this later).
I started with the house-made tortilla chips with their house-made guacamole and oven-roasted tomatillo salsa. Since I wanted to try one of the iconic Green Chile Cheeseburgers, this was the place to do it as their burger won the 2021 Green Chile Smackdown People’s Choice Award.
The award-winning burger is an 8-ounce Angus beef patty with green chile, cilantro-lime aioli, avocado, candied red chile bacon and white cheddar.
In case you’re thinking that all there is to do in Santa Fe is eat, let me assure you that there are a number of Santa Fe museums — the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Museum of the American Indian and the charming Museum of International Folk Art, that are good for both a dose of regional culture and a means of walking off the calories.
Still, eating was never far from my mind, and that night, it was focused on dinner at Sazon. Chef Fernando Olea has combined the dishes of his native Mexico with the flavors of contemporary American cuisine.
For the overachievers, he offers a nightly degustacion menu – nine courses for $150, and for an additional $100, a selection of curated tequila, mezcal or wine pairings.
After my green chile cheeseburger with all the trimmings at lunch, I didn’t feel up to the challenge, so chose from the menu instead. I started with the Azteca (yellow fin tuna crudite with avocado, cucumber, spicy poblano chile and spinach sauce and crispy corn chips), and then followed with the Coyoacan, a shrimp enchilada with a creamy sauce of zucchini blossom and asadero cheese.
Santa Fe’s selection of hotels equals that of its restaurants. For a truly unique experience, check into one of the Heritage Hotels, a group of 14 historic New Mexico properties including five in Santa Fe.
I chose the Eldorado Hotel & Spa, located just two blocks from the Plaza and within a short walking distance from the Canyon Road arts district.
The hotel’s public spaces celebrate bold, colorful Southwestern design and New Mexican culture. Other features include an award-winning spa, a fine dining restaurant, Agave, and a rooftop pool.
A real find for me on this trip was the Ojo Santa Fe Resort. Just 20 minutes from the city, it’s nestled in 77 acres of northern New Mexico where the high desert meets the Sangro de Cristo Mountains.
From yoga classes under the cottonwood trees to hiking trails; from finding inner peace with a relaxing soak in a thermal pool to finding your inner child playing with adoptable puppies, from a spa treatment and private candlelit soak to a meal at the waterside Blue Heron Restaurant, Ojo Santa Fe engages all the senses.
As does Santa Fe itself.
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For more information, go to santafe.org.
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