Like much of the state’s culture and history, New Mexican cuisine is a fascinating blend of Spanish, Pueblo, and Mexican influence. One thing is for sure, you won’t get far without being asked the quintessential question: “red or green?” This refers, of course, to chiles – the most ubiquitous staple of the region.
A spread of chile available at the Santa Fe Farmer’s market, where your option isn’t just “red or green” but you’ll also find a range of spice and smokiness.
Whereas you’ll see the green chile jarred or canned, and served in larger pieces atop burgers and cooked into bread, the red chile (which is actually just a riper version of the green) is typically made into a smooth sauce. The best I encountered were beautifully smoky.
Here, green chile and cheese are cooked into a flakey crescent.And here, they’re brushed on a giant fry bread – with pesto.
And if you can’t choose between red and green? Don’t fret. You can always order “Christmas style” and try both.
“Christmas style” breakfast burrito and a short stack of blue corn pancakes at Tia Sophia’s in Santa FeThe Shed was recommended by pretty much everyone we talked to. It’s traditional New Mexican at its finest, and they make a damn good (strong!) marg. I had a enchilada & taco plate – Christmas style of course! Both are on blue corn tortillas, and served alongside pinto beans and posole.Breakfast at the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market: chile cheese crescent, egg and pepper savory pastry, and a lavender blue corn doughnut (OMGGG)
Cafe Pasqual’s, an adorable little spot in downtown Santa Fe, was definitely a highlight. They’ve got a lot of vegetarian and vegan options, and definitely offer a fresh, lighter twist on New Mexican staples.
Cafe Pasqual’s “Stellar Quinoa Burger” truly was stellar. Sautéed portobello mushrooms, quinoa, sweet potato, and zucchini patty, with a PHENOMENAL tomato chutney, fried shallots, guacamole, and a homemade bun.Green chile-flecked sautéed polenta, red chile sauce, tofu chorizo, roasted corn, two poached eggs and a side of avocado at Cafe Pasqual’s.Posole is a very traditional stew, made with hominy and pork. It generally has red or green chili, and is topped with radish, cabbage and a lime wedge.Chile en nogada – fresh fire roasted poblano chile, stuffed with ground beef, tomato, almonds, raisins, apples, jerez, walnut, cream, and pomegranate from Bella’s in Taos. The food was good, but the service was ATROCIOUS.Breakfast at the Mabel Dodge Lujan House, where you should definitely try to stay if you’re in Taos!
En route to Taos, we stopped at the Taos Pueblo. The residential adobe complex at the foot of Taos mountain is one of the oldest continuously occupied communities in the United States. While most of the homes now have in-door ovens, the traditional adobo ovens are still used for baking – especially the traditional prune hand pies that are sold throughout the village.
Prune hand pie
Ironically, my favorite meal was a far shot from traditional New Mexican – it was the omakase tasting menu at Izanami, the restaurant at the Ten Thousand Waves Japanese spa. We soaked in the outdoor tubs, got massages, and then enjoyed 10-courses of divine food. The only thing I could wish for was more stomach space. At $100 for a 10-course meal with ingredients like mussels, wagyu steak, and fresh fish, a sake flight, and a craft beer it was a deal by D.C. standards!
Tuna to start things off.Grilled fava beans.Smoked pork ribs with a sweet chile glaze and red cabbage slaw.Wagyu steak, fresh wasabi leaf pesto, local oyster mushrooms, and pickled scallionsStuffed chicken with truffled potato and charred asparagus.Mussels in a yellow curry sauce. I think we would have licked the bowl if we could.Seasonal fried shoestring veggies.They have an awesome menu of Japanese craft beers, including this super tasty salted yuzu beer!Hamachi with radish, black garlic, and seaweed.Fried shrimp.Ice cream sandwich. The ice cream was made with mint from their garden!
