After checking out the Loretto Chapel we did some window shopping and came upon Saint Francis Cathedral.
I actually wanted to check out the cathedral. Apparently, the oldest existing statue of the Virgin Mary in North America resides in the Basilica. Sadly they were closed during our stay in Santa Fe, so I guess it's on the list for the next time.
Cathedral Park was positively buzzing with a craft market. We ended up spending a good amount of time checking things out and even bought some gifts for folks back home.
From here we strolled along East Palace Avenue until we came upon this shop.
The Missus loved this shop and even bought some gifts. I however, was here for a different reason. This.....
It is in this spot that folks like Robert Oppenheimer and Richard Feyman first arrived. It was the portal to Los Alamos. You can read about it here or even in this book.
By this time our room was ready and we walked on over to the Inn of the Governors. We enjoyed this hotel, which was perhaps a bit on the noisy side, but what do you expect being in the middle of Santa Fe? We enjoyed our room.
And were given a Sherry Tasting with some Biscochitos as a welcome gift.
We enjoyed sitting on the balcony....which while it wasn't a great view, was nice and relaxing.
The staff in the hotel were so friendly and welcoming.
Because we got a bit of a late start on planning this road trip a couple of places on our "list" were fully booked and for some reason, the Missus was not interested in trying out New Mexican Cuisine. I did manage to make two dinner reservations and on our first night, it was at a place that was a pleasant 10 minute stroll from our hotel away from the bustling center of Santa Fe named Joseph's Culinary Pub.
We both enjoyed the quite diverse menu, which ran the gamut from duck fat fries to posole verde to steak au poivre. The service was relaxed and friendly.
And while things were empty when we arrived, the dining room and bar filled up fairly quickly. Based on the interactions we saw between staff and customers, there seemed to be a nice mix of locals and visitors.
We ordered three apps and one main for our dinner.
Starting with the Polenta Fries and Grilled Radicchio.
The Missus who is a fan of radicchio loved the savory-bitterness and the sweet mild maize flavor of the nicely crisp polenta worked like a charm. The Gorgonzola sauce added a savory-salty component and this was very tasty.
The New Mexico Lamb Tartare was quite refreshing and not very gamey at all, if minced a bit too finely, making for a mushy texture.
It actually did well with the tortilla chips.
The Missus really enjoyed the "Charred" Ratatouille.
Which seemed to be a combination of charred and dried. The flavors were quite intense and the crunchy texture quite interesting. The ricotta gnudi was a nice mildly acidic-cheesy addition which added a textural contrast to the dish along with a good milkiness. It was the Missus's favorite item of the evening.
As with many meals we had, our least favorite item was the one main we ordered, the Root Vegetable Napoleon.
We found this to be on the bland side in spite of the Sherry Beurre Blanc, the Cardamom Phyllo was soggy when it hit the table and this was just a bunch of root vegetables in a bland sauce. Not quite worth the $32 for the dish.
Still this was an enjoyable meal overall and we'd return and stick with the starters.
Joseph's Culinary Pub
428 Agua Fria St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
We enjoyed the leisurely walk back to our room. Santa Fe, at least this area seemed really relaxed and we enjoyed ourselves. Things seemed so peaceful and quiet.
There was a certain combination of color, beauty, art, and history that made Santa Fe so interesting and attractive to us.
We just felt so blessed to be able to visit and partake of what the city had to offer!
what a great trip
Posted by: kat | Sunday, 19 February 2023 at 08:18 PM
We really had a great time Kat!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 20 February 2023 at 08:57 AM