Santa Fe Experiences
 

On the road this week in Santa Fe NM. Dinner on night one at
SantaCafe, on the patio. Nice atmosphere, excellent service, slightly
below excellent food. I had an great shrimp tempura with adobo chile
glaze for the first course. SWMBO did ahi tartare which was good but
not great. She went with rack of Colorado lambs second (gotta go to NM
for CO lamb? Had better at home last week.) I did pork tenderloin.
While both dishes were excellent cuts of meat, properly cooked, they
lacked pizzazz and the expected New Mexico flair.

Wine was a Russian Hill RRV Pinot Noir '01. Nice dark PN style with
loads of vanilla and coffee on the nose and a mouthful of dark cherry
and cassis. Nice bottle from a producer I had not previously
encountered.

Second night was to an old (and still) favorite, Geronimo on Canyon
Road. An incredible level of service. I told the maitre'd that if
Michelin awarded stars in the colonies, they would most assuredly earn
at least one. I started with an incredible seared Hudson R. Valley
fois gras with tomato/mango salsa--just a half teaspoon. Death by
cholesterol looked very attractive. Wife did tuna tartare (again!) but
this time a more impressive flavor excursion with chipotle, mangos,
and a hint of cilantro. Main course was a fiery shrimp in adobo,
chipotle, etc, glaze. I went with elk tenderloin, very nicely rare
with black cherries, Yukon Gold potatoes, and a hint of the requisite
NM chiles.

Wine was a poor match for the heat of the shrimp, but an excellent
bottle regardless. Shafer "Relentless" '01. A syrah with about 5%
petite syrah blend. Looked almost like the blueberry syrup container
at IHOP in the glass. Viscous, bluish purple clinging to the glass.
Beautiful nose of blueberries and butterscotch. Great explosion of
blueberries on the palate. Long, flavorful, finish. By the end of the
meal, without a mouthful of food, the tannins showed a lot of pucker
and indicated a long future for this. Will search this one out for
future extravagances.

Santa Fe Experiences
 

Ed Rasimus wrote:
> Wine was a poor match for the heat of the shrimp, but an excellent
> bottle regardless. Shafer "Relentless" '01. A syrah with about 5%
> petite syrah blend. Looked almost like the blueberry syrup container
> at IHOP in the glass. Viscous, bluish purple clinging to the glass.
> Beautiful nose of blueberries and butterscotch. Great explosion of
> blueberries on the palate. Long, flavorful, finish. By the end of the
> meal, without a mouthful of food, the tannins showed a lot of pucker
> and indicated a long future for this. Will search this one out for
> future extravagances.

Ed -

- far be it from me to really doubt here, but are you sure that it
was '01? I have been waiting for release of this, which I thought was
scheduled for the coming September. [The '00 was delectable but above
my price range for other than extravagance; I figure I deserve the odd
such extravagance though!]

Ewan

Santa Fe Experiences
 

In article >,
Ed Rasimus > wrote:

> On the road this week in Santa Fe NM. Dinner on night one at
> SantaCafe, on the patio. Nice atmosphere, excellent service, slightly
> below excellent food. I had an great shrimp tempura with adobo chile
> glaze for the first course. SWMBO did ahi tartare which was good but
> not great. She went with rack of Colorado lambs second (gotta go to NM
> for CO lamb? Had better at home last week.) I did pork tenderloin.
> While both dishes were excellent cuts of meat, properly cooked, they
> lacked pizzazz and the expected New Mexico flair.
>
> Wine was a Russian Hill RRV Pinot Noir '01. Nice dark PN style with
> loads of vanilla and coffee on the nose and a mouthful of dark cherry
> and cassis. Nice bottle from a producer I had not previously
> encountered.
>
> Second night was to an old (and still) favorite, Geronimo on Canyon
> Road. An incredible level of service. I told the maitre'd that if
> Michelin awarded stars in the colonies, they would most assuredly earn
> at least one. I started with an incredible seared Hudson R. Valley
> fois gras with tomato/mango salsa--just a half teaspoon. Death by
> cholesterol looked very attractive. Wife did tuna tartare (again!) but
> this time a more impressive flavor excursion with chipotle, mangos,
> and a hint of cilantro. Main course was a fiery shrimp in adobo,
> chipotle, etc, glaze. I went with elk tenderloin, very nicely rare
> with black cherries, Yukon Gold potatoes, and a hint of the requisite
> NM chiles.
>
> Wine was a poor match for the heat of the shrimp, but an excellent
> bottle regardless. Shafer "Relentless" '01. A syrah with about 5%
> petite syrah blend. Looked almost like the blueberry syrup container
> at IHOP in the glass. Viscous, bluish purple clinging to the glass.
> Beautiful nose of blueberries and butterscotch. Great explosion of
> blueberries on the palate. Long, flavorful, finish. By the end of the
> meal, without a mouthful of food, the tannins showed a lot of pucker
> and indicated a long future for this. Will search this one out for
> future extravagances.
>
>

Glad you had a good expereince at Geronimo. I have had terrrible service
with wonderful food and wines. They will have a food and wine tasting
menu this fall if anyone is in the area. I also highly recommend the
Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta in September where these 2 restaurants
are represented along with some wonderful wine tasting dinners from some
of the best distributors.

Santa Fe Experiences
 

Ed Rasimus wrote:

> Second night was to an old (and still) favorite, Geronimo on Canyon
> Road. An incredible level of service. I told the maitre'd that if
> Michelin awarded stars in the colonies, they would most assuredly earn
> at least one.

<SNIP great sounding meal>

Ed,
Geronimo is also our favorite Sante Fe restaurant, based on two
visits over the last two years. This year, I got a 5 minute impromptu
lecture from our waiter on the virtues of farmed-raised salmon from NZ.
I think one star is certainly appropriate. If they ever decided to go
"formal" and broadened their wine selection, a second star wouldn't be
out of the question...

Mark Lipton

Santa Fe Experiences
 

Lawrence Leichtman wrote:

> Glad you had a good expereince at Geronimo. I have had terrrible service
> with wonderful food and wines. They will have a food and wine tasting
> menu this fall if anyone is in the area. I also highly recommend the
> Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta in September where these 2 restaurants
> are represented along with some wonderful wine tasting dinners from some
> of the best distributors.

The only thing wrong with the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta is that it
does not last nearly long enough to try all the good restaurants in
town not to mention a few up in Taos. It is a great experience to see
the match ups of 120 chile based dishes with the various wines.

Santa Fe Experiences
 

In article >,
Bill > wrote:

> Lawrence Leichtman wrote:
>
> > Glad you had a good expereince at Geronimo. I have had terrrible service
> > with wonderful food and wines. They will have a food and wine tasting
> > menu this fall if anyone is in the area. I also highly recommend the
> > Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta in September where these 2 restaurants
> > are represented along with some wonderful wine tasting dinners from some
> > of the best distributors.
>
> The only thing wrong with the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta is that it
> does not last nearly long enough to try all the good restaurants in
> town not to mention a few up in Taos. It is a great experience to see
> the match ups of 120 chile based dishes with the various wines.
>
>
>
>

Then you just have to stay longer.

Santa Fe Experiences
 

On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 12:11:23 -0400, Ewan McNay >
wrote:

>
>
>Ed Rasimus wrote:
>> Wine was a poor match for the heat of the shrimp, but an excellent
>> bottle regardless. Shafer "Relentless" '01. A syrah with about 5%
>> petite syrah blend. Looked almost like the blueberry syrup container
>> at IHOP in the glass. Viscous, bluish purple clinging to the glass.
>> Beautiful nose of blueberries and butterscotch. Great explosion of
>> blueberries on the palate. Long, flavorful, finish. By the end of the
>> meal, without a mouthful of food, the tannins showed a lot of pucker
>> and indicated a long future for this. Will search this one out for
>> future extravagances.
>
>Ed -
>
> - far be it from me to really doubt here, but are you sure that it
>was '01? I have been waiting for release of this, which I thought was
>scheduled for the coming September. [The '00 was delectable but above
>my price range for other than extravagance; I figure I deserve the odd
>such extravagance though!]
>
>Ewan

You are correct. I went back to my scribbled note and confirmed that
it was the 2000 Relentless. Have searched the usual suspects for a
source, but unsuccessful. Even the Shafer web site which features a
graphic of "Relentless" doesn't list it among their wines! Found
Firebreak sangiovese and the Shafer cabernet sauvignon in a lot of
dealers, but not the syrah.

Last night was dinner at Anasazi. Well done as usual. I started with
arugula pesto dipped scallops--sweet, tender and perfectly under-done.
SWMBO went with Caribbean shrimp with a habenero-rum sauce. Glad to
see her shift from the ahi tartare binge she has been on. Despite the
usual caution on habeneros, the sauce was perfect. Nice swelling
warmth throughout the mouth, tongue and throat, but no burn.

Main course was rack of lamb for her and Montana bison osso buco with
ancho-apricot reduction. The lamb was nicely rare, but the osso buco
was a bit dry. It's strictly a veal dish IMO.

Wine was Shafer cabernet sauvignon, 1998. I'm now a firm Shafer fan.
Nice dark cab color, big warm nose of dark berries, leather and smoke.
Then wonderful tastes of dark cherries, blackberries, leather,
vanilla, etc. etc. This was the generic CS. Anasazi also offered a
single vineyard Shafer cab, which I will have to reserve until winning
the lottery--well beyond my price range.

Santa Fe Experiences
 

On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 17:41:50 -0400, Lawrence Leichtman
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Bill > wrote:
>
>> Lawrence Leichtman wrote:
>>
>> > Glad you had a good expereince at Geronimo. I have had terrrible service
>> > with wonderful food and wines. They will have a food and wine tasting
>> > menu this fall if anyone is in the area. I also highly recommend the
>> > Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta in September where these 2 restaurants
>> > are represented along with some wonderful wine tasting dinners from some
>> > of the best distributors.
>>
>> The only thing wrong with the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta is that it
>> does not last nearly long enough to try all the good restaurants in
>> town not to mention a few up in Taos. It is a great experience to see
>> the match ups of 120 chile based dishes with the various wines.
>>
>Then you just have to stay longer.

Monday through Friday was as much as my poor liver could stand. The
fourth major dinner on Thursday night was at The Compound. Wife went
one more time with the tuna tartare--and pronounced the Compound
iteration as the best of the breed. I chose their signature starter,
foie gras and sweetbreads which was incredible!!!! They recommended a
Royal Hungarian Tokaji which provided me my first experience with the
wine. Had a nice conversation with the manager regarding Hugh
Johnson's involvement with RH and the resurgence since the collapse of
the Soviet Union/Eastern Bloc of good wines from the area. We also
discussed the ranking in "puttanyos"--with the preponderance of
Spanish speakers in the area, it seemed prudent not to emphasis how
many "putas" are involved in the wine-ranking. ;-)

Main course was an excellent beef tenderloin with foie gras reduction.
Wine was a Heitz Cellar 2000 Napa Valley Cab Sauvignon. Excellent
wine, but not the blockbuster that the previous night's Shafer Cab
was.

Lunch was at El Farol, where I must always check to see if they have
been able to translate Spanish cuisine into New Mexico. We did a huge
paella "for two" that could have fed six! Not bad, but not quite there
yet. Wine was Condada de Haza Ribero del Duero. I think I've used up
all I want to of El Farol. Next visit to Santa Fe, will make it to El
Meson on Washington St. and see if they do a better job.

Winner for the week? The Compound!....by a landslide (both votes!)


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

Santa Fe Experiences
 

"Ed Rasimus" > skrev i melding
...
> ... We also
> discussed the ranking in "puttanyos"--with the preponderance of
> Spanish speakers in the area, it seemed prudent not to emphasis how
> many "putas" are involved in the wine-ranking. ;-)
>
LOL!
(Might be marginally better involving "Puten" from Germany, though they
should go well with a Pinot Noir :-)
(and "puta" from Norway may be a nice thing after a long meal... lest you
have other things in mind, that means "the pillow".. :-)
:-) Anders

Santa Fe Experiences
 

In article >,
Ed Rasimus > wrote:

> On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 17:41:50 -0400, Lawrence Leichtman
> > wrote:
>
> >In article >,
> > Bill > wrote:
> >
> >> Lawrence Leichtman wrote:
> >>
> >> > Glad you had a good expereince at Geronimo. I have had terrrible service
> >> > with wonderful food and wines. They will have a food and wine tasting
> >> > menu this fall if anyone is in the area. I also highly recommend the
> >> > Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta in September where these 2 restaurants
> >> > are represented along with some wonderful wine tasting dinners from some
> >> > of the best distributors.
> >>
> >> The only thing wrong with the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta is that it
> >> does not last nearly long enough to try all the good restaurants in
> >> town not to mention a few up in Taos. It is a great experience to see
> >> the match ups of 120 chile based dishes with the various wines.
> >>
> >Then you just have to stay longer.
>
> Monday through Friday was as much as my poor liver could stand. The
> fourth major dinner on Thursday night was at The Compound. Wife went
> one more time with the tuna tartare--and pronounced the Compound
> iteration as the best of the breed. I chose their signature starter,
> foie gras and sweetbreads which was incredible!!!! They recommended a
> Royal Hungarian Tokaji which provided me my first experience with the
> wine. Had a nice conversation with the manager regarding Hugh
> Johnson's involvement with RH and the resurgence since the collapse of
> the Soviet Union/Eastern Bloc of good wines from the area. We also
> discussed the ranking in "puttanyos"--with the preponderance of
> Spanish speakers in the area, it seemed prudent not to emphasis how
> many "putas" are involved in the wine-ranking. ;-)
>
> Main course was an excellent beef tenderloin with foie gras reduction.
> Wine was a Heitz Cellar 2000 Napa Valley Cab Sauvignon. Excellent
> wine, but not the blockbuster that the previous night's Shafer Cab
> was.
>
> Lunch was at El Farol, where I must always check to see if they have
> been able to translate Spanish cuisine into New Mexico. We did a huge
> paella "for two" that could have fed six! Not bad, but not quite there
> yet. Wine was Condada de Haza Ribero del Duero. I think I've used up
> all I want to of El Farol. Next visit to Santa Fe, will make it to El
> Meson on Washington St. and see if they do a better job.
>
> Winner for the week? The Compound!....by a landslide (both votes!)
>
>
> Ed Rasimus
> Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
> "When Thunder Rolled"
> Smithsonian Institution Press
> ISBN #1-58834-103-8

El Meson does a much better job with Paella and El Farol has the
superior Tapas. The Compund is my favorite restaurant in the US. Even
tops Inn at Little Washington for me.