mmm-yoso!!!

Road Trip - Treehouse Bar & Lounge (Taos)

After our lunch at Manzanita Market we decided to check out a couple of shops we'd seen the day before. The Missus wanted more chocolates, so we stopped in at Chokola.

Which had a nice selection for the Missus.

The Missus got a nice box of chocolates which She enjoyed.

Chokola
100 Juan Largo Ln.
Taos, NM 87571

We enjoyed window shopping.

Here's an interesting sign in the gift shop for the Benedictine Monks of Taos.

We found a shirt that both that Missus and I liked in one of the shops and decided to get that. It's one of my favorites currently.

On Kit Carson Road, past all the art galleries and shops we saw a tea shop.

And popped on in. The girls working were really nice, but didn't have much knowledge regarding some of the teas they sold, so they got the manager to chat with the Missus.

And in the end, the Missus got some Early Grey and stuffs for Her.

tea.o.graphy
125 Kit Carson Rd.
Taos, NM 87571

After which we headed back to the hotel for a break.

As for dinner; well, I hadn't made any reservations for this evening, but had shown the Missus the menu at Lambert's which many consider to be the best fine dining establishment in Taos. The Missus really wasn't feeling like having that type of meal, wanting something more relaxed. I then showed Her the menu of Lambert's more casual bar and lounge called the Treehouse and we knew where we'd be getting dinner. The place was basically a half block from where we were staying and we strolled over getting there a bit after 5pm.

The place was already fairly busy! We got one of the small high-tops with stools, our bartender, I wish I could recall her name was awesome. We asked about the various wine and cocktails and once she knew our tastes, heck, we just left it up to her! She didn't let us down.

As for the food; things started off with the Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs.

Quite smoky and savory, creamy, with a slight eggy-richness. Not overly fatty, this was quite nice.

Next up was the Duck Confit and Waffle.

The duck confit had been breaded and fried, the batter was super sweet, the duck tougher and drier than what we'd consider duck confit. The blue corn waffle was crisp, but the supposed chipotle-agave glaze was overly sweet as well. We loved the charred turnips.

We enjoyed the Bison Relleno.

Crisp exterior, the bison short rib had a light, seet-beefiness to it and was very tender. The cilantro-lime crema really helped to cut the richness of the dish.

Last up was the Goat Birria Tostada. Knowing how much I like birria de chivo, you know I had to try this.

Loved the crispy-crunchy blue corn tostada. The queso was mild, so it didn't mess with the flavor of the goat, which was milder in gaminess than other versions I've had but not bad. Mild spices, did not like the broth/sauce which were bland. The pickled onions really helped things by adding acidity to the dish.

Overall, a pretty nice, relaxed meal. Most of the customers on this evening seemed like locals. I'd return if we're in Taos again.

Especially if that bartender is working, she was amazing.

Treehouse Bar & Lounge (Above Lambert's of Taos)
123 Bent St.
Taos, NM 87571

After dinner, we took our usual walk. This time, we headed south down Paseo Del Pueblo Sur.

Again taking time to appreciate the art and beauty of the town.

Before heading back to our room for a nice night of sleep.

I'm sure we'll return to Taos!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip - Devisadero Peak Trail, Lunch at Manzanita Market, and Strolling Around Taos

After our meal at Doc Martin's we took a typical after dinner stroll. Downtown Taos was indeed quite charming.

While most of the shops were already closed, the relaxed, tranquil vibe gave us time to appreciate the town. We loved the public art.

And as the sun headed down, the adobe buildings just came alive. It was indeed the "golden hour"!

With nary a person in sight, it was a wonderful stroll.

We slept well, woke early, and headed off to the do some hiking. I gave the Missus a couple of choices and She picked the Devasidero Peak loop trail. It was a quick 5 minute drive to the trailhead. The trail started off a bit steep, but the views were lovely on this morning in early May.

And while we didn't run into any other folks on the trail, there were indications of folks who had come before us.

And the signage on the trail was pretty good.

The Missus is all business when hiking; She wants to get it done ASAP.

I on the other hand, like to enjoy the views and on this hike, the little splashes of color provided by the wild flowers.

We enjoyed the hike and finished in a shade over two hours.

We headed back to the hotel, parked, and decided to grab an early lunch. We had walked past a little sandwich/juice bar/health food shop the previous evening called Manzanita Market and decided to pop in.

It was a cute little shop with a hipster-hippy-ish vibe. The staff was very friendly.

We placed our order and the Missus had a seat, while I took a look at some of the local items available for sale.

I loved the name of this hot sauce brand, Taos Hum. 

In case you hadn't heard of the Taos Hum, it's a low frequency humming/buzzing noise that certain residents of Taos have heard since the 1990's. There have been studies into the hum over the years, but it still remains a mystery, and has been reported in other places around the world. And this Taos Hum Hot Sauce would remain a mystery to me as well as I ended up not getting a bottle. I can and may order it online; or perhaps wait until we next visit Taos.

The Missus had ordered the Mediterranean Vegan, which came from Sage Bakehouse (Santa Fe) Sourdough.

The sourdough was quite good. This was bit on the blander side in terms of flavor in spite of the pickled onions and lime-garlic spread. The textures were very nice; the creamy tahini, crisp veggies and bread. The greens had a pleasant bitterness to them as well. So very healthy!

I got the Naples which also came on that good sourdough bread.

This was a pressed sandwich and was served hot. The bread was a nice crisp-crunchy and I loved the milky-gooey carneros cheese and the nicely spiced-salty sopressata. The mildly assertive feta-garlic sauce and the surprisingly good tomato jam really made this sandwich a winner!

Such a nice place for a light lunch!

Manzanita Market
103 N Plaza
Taos, NM 87571

In retrospect, we should have spent at least another day in Taos, but we'd try to make the best of our last evening!

 

Road Trip - Dinner at Doc Martin's (Taos)

After visiting El Santuario de Chimayo we headed onward to Taos. I had made reservations for two nights at the Historic Taos Inn, which is located right in the center of this charming town of 6,500.

We had arrived a bit early and our room wasn't ready yet. But we were instructed to park in the rear parking lot and take a walk around. 

It was May and things weren't too busy in town. We were immediately charmed by the quaint, artsy-funky-outdoorsy friendliness of the town.

The air was crisp and clean, the sky so bright. Charming adobe structures lined the streets.

No wonder folks like Georgia O'Keefe, DH Lawrence, and Kit Carson were drawn here.

We were only spending two nights in Taos and the Missus wanted to go hiking during our one full day, so we weren't able to visit places I had on my "list" like the Taos Pueblo.

 We were sent a text when our room was ready; which was in one of the buildings in back of the Inn, it was comfortable and quieter than the rooms up front.

We had reservations for the restaurant in the Taos Inn; Doc Martin's. The Taos Inn was originally the home and businesses of Thomas "Doc" Martin and his namesake restaurant is where the his offices were located. Upon Doc Martin's death, his widow turned the building into a hotel.

We were given the choice of a table in the dining room or one on the back patio area.

It was such a lovely day that we decided dining al fresco would be nice.

   The Missus really enjoyed the Gruet Brut and also the Gruet Chardonnay with dinner. Gruet is a winery based in New Mexico. We'd end up getting a bottle for the Missus from one of the shops in Taos the next day.

As to what we ordered; well, we wanted to try New Mexican Chile sauces again; so we went with the Pork Tamale Plate "Christmas style" ($24), that is with both green and red sauce. And I noticed "El Pastor" (Al Pastor) tacos ($20) as a special, which our Server also recommended. 

This time around, the Tamale was much better than what we'd had at the Shed, good moist hints of hominy, though the pork was on the dry side and kind of bland. The red and green chile was much better as well.

The green chile had an acidic-pungent heat, not very strong. The red chile was smoky and had more heft and richness to it. The sofrito rice was bland and very mushy and the beans were on the harder side of the scale with regards to texture, also a bit on the blander side as well.

The "El" Pastor Tacos looked pretty good.

    The pork was nicely charred. In terms of flavor; it had some sweetness and a bit of spice.....the nice crispy bits were pretty good. The tortillas were almost crisp and brittle without much flavor. The sofrito rice and beans I covered above.

This was an okay meal, much better than what we'd had earlier in Santa Fe. Service was wonderful and the Missus enjoyed the local wine.

Doc Martin's
125 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte
Taos, NM 87571

After dinner, we decided to take another walk around Taos. We really loved the vibe of this town.

Road Trip - Railyard Artisan Market (Santa Fe) and El Santuario de Chimayo (Chimayo)

**** Not much food in this one; but if you're interested in one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the United States, read on.

On our last morning in Santa Fe, we woke and partook of the breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. I really enjoyed the red sauce, smoky, slightly spicy, that smothered my eggs.

We then checked out and since this was a Sunday made one stop on the way out of Santa Fe. We had always wanted to check out the Railyard Artisan Market, so we headed on over to the artsy Railyard District.

The crafts portion of the market is contained in a large hangar like building. Santa Fe has a reputation as an artistic haven. We got a taste of it while walking along Canyon Road on our way to dinner at Geronimo.

The artisans were very welcoming and seemed to really enjoy chatting and talking about their products.

We ended up making a few purchases and had a fun time.

We'll be sure to return when we're back in Santa Fe.

Railyard Artisan Market
1607 Paseo De Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Sunday 10am - 3pm

Our next destination was Taos. But there was one stop I wanted to make on the way. There are two basic routes to Taos, the shorter "Low Road" or the scenic "High Road". On the way to Taos we decided on the taking the High Road for one simple reason. I wanted to visit El Santuario de Chimayo. Now, I don't know of many folks who have heard of Santuario de Chimayo, which is kind of strange since it is considered one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the United States. Each year, on Good Friday, up to 300,000 Pilgrims make their way to the church. Where it is said that the "Holy Dirt" of the church can perform miracles.

It is said that this area has been sacred ground since the times of the Pueblo Indians in the 12th Century. After the Spanish gained control of the area; there was an influx of Spanish and Mexican settlers in the Potrero area. According to one of the stories, in 1810, a member of the Penitentes, Don Bernardo Abeyta, saw a light emanating from a hillside. Upon finding the source of the light he began digging with his bare hands and found a crucifix, which was dubbed the crucifix of Our Lord of Esquipulas. According to the legend, the cross was moved to Santa Cruz, but the icon would then disappear, then reappear where it was unearthed. After the third instance of this happening, the cross was left at the site and a church was built there. It is said that the earth from that original pit performs miracles.

In fact, one of the rooms of the chapels is filled with crutches, canes, braces with photos and letters testifying to the miracles.

One of the other rooms contains the pit with the miracle producing soil. It was Sunday and quite busy, so I decided to not take any photos inside the chapels out of respect for those visiting.

But for us, one of the most fascinating things we saw was this......

Our Lady of Lavang? This was something new to me. I had never heard of this. I quickly sent texts to some of my "FOYs"; which led me to this - site. Apparently, when those of Catholic faith were prosecuted and outlawed in Vietnam, some escaped and sought refuge in the forests around Lavang. Whereupon, on one night, the vision of Mary came upon them. Whoa, like you can't make this stuff up!

It's quite a story. The woman who cuts my hair these days is Vietnamese-Catholic and I mentioned this to her, she went ahead and told me the story. When I told her about visiting El Santuario de Chimayo, I was told that it is an "important place" that she has visited several times!

It was an interesting bit of history that I never knew about.

Look, for a good part of my childhood I was raised in what I consider a "cult". It is neither here nor there, but I find belief, faith, and how it drives history fascinating. And coming from Hawai'i I think here's something innate that has us respect different beliefs and cultures.

Our last stop was this shop.

Where we picked up some beans and ground chili that I use to "liven up" dishes.

Road Trip - The Winsor Trail and Dinner at The Shed (Santa Fe, NM)

On our one full day in Santa Fe, the Missus wanted to get some hiking in. So we got up early and had breakfast provided by our accommodation, the Inn of the Governors at the attached restaurant El Charro. As before, the breakfast was decent, unlike before the staff was very friendly and accommodating.

And just like we'd done on that previous visit we headed off to do some hiking. This time we did the Winsor Trail to Jawbone Trail which was about 15 minutes out of Santa Fe. 

Not much elevation, but we had to watch for all the mountain bikers who were hauling down the trail on the way back.

Though we caught up with most of them because it seems the river crossings had been washed out, so you had to be a bit creative when crossing the river.

After our hike we headed back to the hotel and relaxed. Our breakfast held us up until dinner. Knowing this would be the case, I had made early reservations. Like dinner the night before our destination was just a short walk away. We headed out a few minutes early so we could wander and window shop along the way.

It's fun to wander about and check out the little shops.

I really wanted to try New Mexican cuisine and had been lobbying the Missus to finally have some. You see, the Missus is not the biggest fan of Tex-Mex and good lord after having so many wonderful meals in Mexico it had become more difficult then ever to convince Her. What I did manage to communicate was that She should perhaps consider New Mexican cuisine to be "regional", where the current cuisine shows influences of the local product and those who lived here.

The Shed had been recommended to me by several people, a couple of which had either lived or have relatives who live in Santa Fe. It had been described as "classic", "quintessential", an "institution" and other adjectives to me. I was told that "yes tourists go here....but so do we when we visit relatives." The place has even garnered a James Beard Foundation Award as "an American Classic of timeless appeal" in 2003. The Shed opened in 1953 and has been going strong ever since.

We arrived right at the opening time at 5pm, there was already a line outside. Luckily we had reservations as the restaurant filled up quickly. We were seated in the patio area.

Where we heard the line that became the "shot across the bow" for our meal. A gentleman, American mind you, looked up from the menu and asked the super patient Server, "ummmm, what's an enchilada?" Whoa..... I really felt for the Servers here, each one seemed to patient, even though the placed was totally packed! Our Server was amazing!

The Missus wanted some Guacamole and Chips to start.

    The guacamole was fine, we prefer our guacamole a bit more coarse, with more heat, and this really in need of salt and more lime. It was almost like this was made in a food processor.

The chips were warm, with a perfect thickness, and crisp.

When the Missus saw Pozole on the menu She had to try it. I was a bit hesitant, because, well, I make pozole from scratch (yes, I know I need to get that post done).

My goodness, this was terrible. The hominy was obviously canned, over cooked and mushy. The menu said that lean pork was used; no kidding! The broth had no taste.....I don't use pig head for my version but do use pig feet...this had no flavor. To us it was pozole in name only.

The Missus got the Tamale appetizer smothered in cheese and green chile.

The Missus didn't care much for this either; saying that the sauce was very bland and the tamale lacked a good corn flavor.

I got the Enchilada Plate, which came with a side of "Pozole", the hominy was again mushy and bland, and beans, which had a decent texture, but lacked flavor as well.

I got this "Christmas style", that is with both red and green chile. The corn tortillas were quite good, nice flavor, the green sauce did seem a bit bland, the red had a mild smokiness and I enjoyed it more. Both sauces weren't spicy at all.

Service was wonderful, but this was not a great introduction to New Mexican cuisine for us. In spite of all the recommendations, based on the location, perhaps this is mainly a tourist restaurant that makes "food not to offend"?

The Shed Restaurant
113 1/2 E Palace Ave.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Oh well, you can't win 'em all!

We took our usual stroll after dinner. We really enjoy wandering around Santa Fe.

This is a statue of Pedro de Peralta who is credited with formally establishing Santa Fe.

Check out this cool swing.

There's so much public art to see.

We always enjoy Santa Fe!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip - Sazon (Santa Fe, NM)

One of the main reasons we headed back to Santa Fe for another road trip was to dine at Sazon. We had really wanted to have dinner at Sazon during our last stay (Sept 2022), but the Chef, Fernando Olea who hails from CDMX had recently won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest and reservations were impossible to come by. So, instead we ended having a nice meal at Geronimo. This time, I managed to get reservations for an early dinner. The restaurant located in one of those classic Santa Fe Adobes one block from our hotel.

The place was already buzzing when we were seated. The dining area is divided in different rooms, each adorned with colorful artwork.

The service was professional, but warm and not stuffy. There is a tasting menu available during two specific seatings, but we just wanted to try items we saw on the regular menu.

The Missus started with some Champagne, I was looking forward to our upcoming (at that time) trip to Tequila in the upcoming month and had a Tres Generaciones Anejo. We were also provided with a Mole sampler, some of which was too sweet for the Missus, so we were glad to have just gone with ordering off the menu. You'll also soon see why.....

As things started with the Tuetano - Bone Marrow. You know how much I like bone marrow, right?

The salsa rojo on the bone marrow had a nice kick and really blended well with the buttery richness of the marrow. It went so well with the maizey tortillas. This was a nice start.

Next up; the Higado de Ganzo - Foie Gras with a raspberry-coconut sauce on crostini.

The sweetness of the sauces and the resiny flavor of the pine nuts overwhelmed the small slices of foie gras in this dish. It was just a bit too much stuff, which made it a "foie faux" to us.

Next up were these.

The Xochimilco - Huitlacoche, with queso fresco was so delici-yoso.

Oh my, the earthy-mushroomy-sweet huitlacoche paired so well with the slightly milky queso fresco, which added a melty-buttery texture. The corn tortillas added heft and the salsa a bit of heat, with a mild sweetness. 

We also enjoyed the Oaxaquenos - Chapulines, which was served over mashed avocado. 

Just by themselves, the light and crunchy grasshoppers had a really nice savory-grassy-mild spice that was so nice. Our Server told us that it had been infused with garlic and olive oil and chili de arbol. The corn tortilla was a perfect match as was the avocado.

There was one last dish I really wanted to try; the Cholula, which is the Chef's take on the Chile en Nogada. this was served in a tower format, rather than the usual stuffed chile poblano.

Well, this had a lot going on; the meat here was a combination of ground lamb, pork, and beef; which was seriously overshadowed by a very tasty, not overly sweet and creamy-rich walnut sauce. The balsamic vinegar sauce added another level of sweet-acidity, with a touch of heat from jalapenos. We'd have enjoyed more of the bitter-sweetness provided by the pomegranate seeds. The poblanos added a nice mild green bell pepper flavor to things. That walnut sauce is what made the dish in our opinion.

Overall, this was a memorable meal, the service was excellent, the dishes interesting with such a range of flavors! I'm glad we were able to finally have dinner here!

Sazón
221 Shelby St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

After dinner, we took a nice stroll. This is the Bell Tower Bar, where we had drinks earlier in the day.

We passed those places we visited on our last trip here.

The Loretto Chapel.

The San Miguel Chapel.

Santa Fe Plaza.

And all the enjoyable public art.

It made for a very relaxing time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip - Pecos National Historical Park, Saint Francis Cathedral, and the Bell Tower Bar (Santa Fe)

**** No food in this one; but if you'd like to see photos of what was once considered one of the crossroads to the west, along with what is considered the oldest statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, read on.

After spending the evening in Prescott and visiting Montezuma Castle National Monument and having lunch at a favorite spot of ours, we headed off to our next destination. Taking the 40 East, then transitioning to the 25, we bypassed our next destination for the night, Santa Fe, and went to Pecos National Historic Park. Once upon a time, the Glorieta Pass was considered the most direct route to the west. Everyone from the ancient Pueblo Indians, to the Spanish, to the settlers head to the west used this pass. In fact lest you think that New Mexico was too far west, the decisive Battle of Glorieta Pass was fought here during the Civil War. The park is fairly large and sprawling, nearly 350 acres.

The main area I wanted to check out was Pecos Pueblo.

Here stand the ruins of the Pueblo, with the foreboding walls of the Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles rising up from the area.

There actually a recreated Kiva. Which really stirred one's imagination of how things must have been.

The large eye-catching ruins are of the Pecos Mission Church.

The first church was completed on these grounds headed by the Franciscans who gained permission from the Spanish. Of course, the labor was provided by the Puebloans. To quote the NPS page:

"Construction of the Mission Church and the Convento were supervised by the Franciscans, but Pecos people provided the labor; the Pecos received no pay for their work, raising questions today about the nature of slavery in the Southwest."

In 1680 the Puebloans rejected the religion and rule in the Pueblo Revolt and the church and convent were razed.

In 1693, the Spanish retook the land and reestablished control and the current structure was built.

We had parked, seen the ruins and immediately headed on over. In retrospect, I'd recommend heading over to the visitors center first as it provided history and context.

And we loved this map as it added to what we had learned about trading of the native peoples during our visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City.

Pecos National Historical Park
Pecos, NM 87552

It was a mere half hour drive to Santa Fe from here.

The Missus wanted to make one stop on the way to our hotel at Kakawa Chocolate again.

Where She restocked on some of Her favorites from our previous visit.

Kakawa Chocolate House
1300 Rufina Circle A4
Santa Fe, NM 87507

As before, we stayed at the Inn of the Governors. And as on our previous visit, our room wasn't quite ready yet, but we were able to park and do some exploring.

On our previous trip to Santa Fe, there was a place I wanted to check out but it was closed during our stay; the Saint Francis Cathedral. 

On my previous trip, I found the following statue to be fascinating, so I did a bit of research.....

This is a status of Kateri Tekakwitha, the First Native American Saint. If you're interested in a bit more, this entry might be of interest.

As we entered the church, I was struck by how brightly colored it was.

At the Northeast part of the Cathedral is a chapel that was once part of another church that stood on these grounds. It is the oldest part of the Cathedral.

In this chapel resides the oldest existing statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, often called "La Conquistadora".

You can read even more about that here.

We enjoyed our visit and then headed off to our next stop. I've mentioned the architect Mary Colter a couple of times in posts; she the Desert Watchtower and one of our favorite hotels, La Posada in Winslow. I had read that she had also designed the interior of the very popular La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe. So, we decided to head on over.

The restaurant looked lovely, but we had reservations at another place for dinner.

There is however, a bar on the rooftop of La Fonda, which is open from 3pm to Sunset during weekdays. The clock had just struck 3 so we headed up the elevator.

And then to the host stand. Luckily, we had gotten there right when the place opened. 

There were people who had gotten in before we did! I guess they waited for the place to open?

The Missus got a Frozen Sangria and I got a Spicy Serrano Margarita.

And we relaxed and enjoyed the view.

Bell Tower Bar (in the La Fonda Hotel)
100 E San Francisco St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Open from May - late October
Hours:
Mon - Fri 3pm - Sunset
Sat - Sun 1pm - Sunset

Before strolling back to the hotel to check in. We were looking forward to our dinner!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip - Dinner at Geronimo (Santa Fe, NM)

We took a short break after our day of hiking and exploring. Our room was very comfortable, I'm sure we'll stay here again next time.

For our "special" meal in Santa Fe, I had originally wanted Sazon, but due to the chef recently winning the James Beard Best Chef Southwest (2022), I just wasn't able to get reservations. So I searched around a bit and saw Geronimo mentioned on many lists. And I managed to make reservations with no problem. 

And deciding to make the 20 minute walk up (and then down) artsy Canyon Road would turn out to be a lot of fun. The street is full of historic adobe houses, most of which have been turned into art galleries. 

Canyon Road is made for strolling, exploring and enjoying all the art.

   I'm glad we headed out early as we spent a good amount of time checking out various galleries and all the wonderful art!

My favorite by far is "Peace Offering" by the late Walt Horton, in which a squirrel offers up an acorn to a sweet looking and curious bear. It looks so wonderfully adorable. You can't help but smile when you see it!

Geronimo is located in a historic 250 year old building. The namesake of the restaurant is not who you think it would be, but rather it is named for Geronimo Lopez who was the house's original owner.

While many folks were seated on the veranda, we chose seats in the warm and classy dining room.

The service was excellent, the perfect mix of efficient professionalism without being snobby or intrusive. Things got off on the right foot with a glass of Champagne.

After perusing the menu; the Missus decided on the four course Vegetarian Tasting Menu  ($80) with a wine pairing ($90). I decided to order two appetizers and a side for my meal.

The Missus's first course was a nice Endive Salad.

Nice peppery-bitterness from the endive, I thought the onion vinaigrette had a good pungent-sweet balance.

Up for me was the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio ($30).

Man, this was so good. The clean, almost sweet slices of Wagyu Beef went so well with the bitter-nutty arugula. The shreds of Parmesan added salty milkiness, while the classic addition of capers provided the right amount of a pickled sour and salt. The herb oil really wasn't needed, but the mustard horseradish sauce was just perfect on this.

Next up for the Missus was the Wild Mushroom and Sherry Bisque.

    In what was a very classy move, I was brought out a cup of the bisque as well since I had to wait for my next course! Super cool! The bisque was decadently smooth and velvety, but the Missus said there wasn't enough earthy mushroom flavor for Her. Of course, She's become quite the mushroom soup snob.

Since I hadn't expected a course, I had ordered an Old Fashioned, which was quite delish.

Next up for me....why I ordered appetizers part 2, the Foie Gras ($30).

   Perfectly seared , this wiggly slice of heaven was delici-yoso, with the duck demiglace adding another layer of rich-savory flavor. The "French Toast" teetered on the sweeter side, but the foie gras nicely brought it back to earth.

I also got a side of Broccolini ($10) which was nicely cooked, because....well, I needed something that actually looked healthy, you know what I mean?

The Missus's next dish was the Risotto. 

Nice basil tones and that Parmesan infusion went so well with the peppery-citrusy flavored arborio rice. The artichokes and asparagus were delicious. But, as is often the case with risotto, some of the rice was still on the hard and chewy side. Still, great flavors overall.

The Missus enjoyed Her dessert, the Meyer Lemon Crepe.

  This was a nice meal, with classy, yet warm and unstuffy service, and worth the price in our mind. The Missus enjoyed the wine pairing. It was a great way to end our time in Santa Fe.

Geronimo
724 Canyon Rd.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

We headed back down Canyon Road and ran into one of the two couples (the one without the pooch) we saw during our hike. They recognized us first and said hello. We all cracked up! They were headed to Geronimo and we told them that they'd enjoy there meal there. We hope they did.

Ambling back to the hotel, in the light of the "golden hour" (the sun doesn't set until after 7pm in September), admiring all the art, gave us time to reflect on how lucky we were to be able to dine at places like Geronimo and enjoy cities like Santa Fe.

And "Peace Offering" will always bring a smile to my face!

Road Trip - The Picacho Peak Trail, the De Vargas Street House, and San Miguel Chapel (Santa Fe, NM)

**** Not much food in this one, but if you want to read about the supposedly "Oldest House" and "Oldest Church" in the US read on....

Breakfast was provided by our accommodation at the attached bar/restaurant named El Charro. The Inn of the Governor's also provided a drink voucher for the place. We had walked in the previous evening after dinner for a nightcap, but the two women working were really rude and unwelcoming, something that shocked us, because folks in Santa Fe and especially at the hotel were so nice. We decided not to deal with that so we left. Luckily, the breakfast crew was efficient if not especially friendly. 

Breakfast was fine, more than enough to hold us for the day.

Of course the Missus wanted to make sure I made use of all those calories and wanted to do a hike. While doing a bit of research, I came across the Dale Ball trails. This network of 25 miles of trails is named after Dale Ball, the founder of the Santa Fe Conservation Trust. The Missus decided on the Picacho Peak Trail, which didn't seem to be too bad, less than four miles. What I failed to read was the 1200 foot elevation gain! Sigh.....

Anyway, we drove on out and found the main trailhead. A really nice local couple and their trailblazing Labradoodle ("we do this a couple of times a week and he already knows the way") helped to point out where the peak portion of the trail began.

 It was a nice day and a good hike, though I was kinda huffing along at the top of the peak. Considering that Santa Fe is at 7,000 feet and adding another 1200, it's no wonder.

Regardless, the scenery was quite nice and I especially liked all of the rock formations near the entrance.

Other than the nice locals with the pooch we ran into only one other couple during the entire hike.

We also came across this.....

And this sign details what we were looking at.

This article from Audubon Society is quite interesting and goes into how climate change is affecting these communal irrigation systems.

After finishing our hike, we decided to head on over to the local Whole Foods and pick up salads for lunch. We also found an interesting snack that we ended up really liking.

Not overly sweet, great peanut brittle with just enough "zip"! We actually found one of the Senor Murphy shops in downtown Santa Fe, but it turned out that WF was cheaper! We'd drop by on our way out of Santa Fe and bought a couple more packages of this.

After lunch we returned to the hotel and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon (before "siesta time") doing a bit of exploring. Santa Fe was established in 1607, so there's a lot of history here. We parked at the hotel and took a short stroll down busy East Alameda Street, then turned south on the Old Santa Fe Trail.  Taking a left on East De Vargas Street we came across this.

    This is the De Vargas Street House which is one of the claimants of the oldest house in America, the west portion of the structure is said to have been built in 1646. And of course it must be haunted. 

It's pretty small, half dominated by a gift shop. But there are some old drawing, photos, and a small museum.

Oldest House Museum
215 E De Vargas St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

We were a bit underwhelmed, but right across the street is the San Miguel Mission.

Which claims to be...drum roll please....the oldest church in the Continental United States having been established around 1610. The two oldest church structures in the U.S. actually reside in Puerto Rico.

The date inscribed on the beam dates to 1710.

The Bell is said to date back to 1356 and was originally cast in Spain. It was installed in the 19th century. 

There's quite a controversy about the actual date of when the bell was cast. In 1914 a Historian named Benjamin Read tracked down a Santa Fe native who remembers the bell being cast in 1856. So it is said that someone had come in and "modified" the date on the bell from 1856 to 1356. You can read more about it here.

Or perhaps even the sign in front of the bell. Which of course skews toward the 1356 date.

Many religious icons have been attached to the frame of the bell.

The Reredos (Altar Screen) is quite beautiful.

For even more controversy, the two paintings on each side of the Reredos was claimed to have been the work of Cimabue dating back to 1287. This was has been debunked.

You gotta love it! We enjoyed our visit here....especially all the "stories".

San Miguel Chapel
401 Old Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe, NM 87501

From the miraculous staircase of the Lorreto Chapel  to the oldest house, to San Miguel Chapel and controversy of the bell, we were enjoying the stories and the folks here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip - Exploring Santa Fe and Dinner at Joseph's Culinary Pub (Santa Fe)

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!