To both pedestrians wandering past the small adobe—which seems to disappear into a secret garden of flowers and vines—and to diners who invariably return again and again, 315 exists in its own beautiful dimension. Wandering into chef Louis Moskow’s restaurant is like entering another, more romantic European world. The scents are rich and the entrées, which are paired with carefully selected wines, are to die for. A late-summer special of oysters left one woman silently weeping in her seat—the fresh, salty sea had arrived at a cozy table in the desert. From a monkfish dish of sugar snap peas, mushrooms, onions and brandy, all contained in a pastry shell ($28) to a grilled veal flank with coconut milk flan ($27), 315 does not decisively fall into one particular culinary category. Suffice it to say, this romantic, desert gem becomes its own unique realm—for both the palate and the soul.
315 Old Santa Fe Trail, 986-9190
Dinner daily
315santafe.com
Santa Fe Reporter