Jalapenos to Habaneros Santa Fe, New Mexico

I received a call from a close friend and fellow Chef, Stephan Pyles, inquiring if I would like to join him for a cooking and eating trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I tossed the invitation around in my head for a few short minutes or seconds (more like it), and responded with “That sounds excellent, never been to Santa Fe, when do we leave?” I had been to Albuquerque in the past, but like most people (myself included) compared the Siamese cities as the same, but reality is they more like jalapenos to habaneros.

We checked through several suitcase size boxes of perishable food that had been securely packed in dry ice and strapped with enough duct tape that not even Harry Houdini could had escaped. With a little time to kill like all dismal passengers waiting for their departures we headed into Chili’s Too for a quick bite. Unfortunately not much more to report than Buffalo chicken salad and a cheeseburger for us- however we felt it was Tweet worthy. Not sure why…

The New Mexico sky reminded me of the transparent blue water in the Caribbean, speckled with small floating clouds that were reminiscent of the jelly fish from a recent SCUBA diving trip. Boxes and luggage in tow we stepped outside and were hit with the rejuvenating cool breeze coming from the Sandia mountain range to the East. This was a nice relief from the concrete cracking sun and stagnant air of the Lone Star State.

My first impressions of Santa Fe reminded me of the Pueblo photos from my eighth grade history book and playing with clay in Mrs. Shopal’s art class. The beige-boxed architecture is picturesque and spiritually soothes the mind has unfortunately adopted a touristic element that eventually creeps into all majestic places. Thanks to Cyrus Holliday’s vision it put the town of Santa Fe on the “official map” in the mid 1800’s. The downtown buildings were once occupied by old saloons and trading posts are now home to high end eateries and art galleries. Our first stop, Starbucks. How authentic Santa Fe, green chili coffee anyone?

On to more important things, we made it to our accommodation, which was an original 1930’s hand crafted adobe home that even Ol’ Martha Steward would bow down to. Our hosts were gracious and accommodating to our odd requests, between food storage and last minute culinary “innovations” they surely deserve a mention and perhaps a metal! The food was packed away for the following evening’s dinner and we descended down the dusty gravel road to Geronimo Restaurant.

We were joined by the owners of Geronimo for a nice three course meal. Stephan and I swapped plates (back and forth) and tasted nearly everything on the table (including reaching over for a bite of Colorado lamb from the owner’s wife!). The eating frenzy started with the smear of Hudson Valley foie gras terrine on golden brioche, and crunchy bites of Maryland soft shell crab “B.L.T.”, bringing me back to my days at The Inn at Perry Cabin. I ordered the Maple Teriyaki Scottish Salmon for an entree (lightest dish on the menu), but the description sounded like a game of go-fish with missing cards. Let’s say before my mouth could finish saying the word s-a-l-m-o-n to the server, I was interrupted and told to try the sea bass instead. Apparently the food police has not paid a visit to Santa Fe since the global craze of sustainable fishing.

The main courses came out and did not establish that strong presence like the appetizers. The first bite of the sea bass sent a message to my brain that triggered guilt. The sea bass was cooked perfectly with their addition or play on ramen noodles. The chef used soba noodles in a lobster-miso broth garnished with undressed arugula. Perhaps I have always been a purist, but that combination was a far stretch from anything authentic. The free range chicken was hmmm, how do I say this… an unexpected jaw massaging exercise. We concluded dinner with the pastry chef’s interpretation of an American childhood favorite- mandarin orange “creamsicle” cake, and a selection of house made sorbets and ice creams. Both desserts and the others that were shared around the table were very good, I was reluctant to share my frozen treats, especially the toasted coconut sorbet! The owners were very kind and gracious to host us for a wonderful evening in their Canyon Road restaurant.

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