The Fork

A Flock of Foodstuffs

I have the hardest time naming these weekly newsletters. I went with obvious this week, because barn swallows are awesome. I was walking downtown recently and, as I passed under an awning in front of the Old Santa Fe Inn the quiet of the morning, was overcome by the echo of baby swallows overhead. A small nest perched precariously in the corner of the roof. I smiled the rest of the day.

It's the small things, everyone.

Let's FORK!

One of my favorite places in Santa Fe that seems to never get as much love as it should is El Rancho de las Golondrinas. Aside from being a great living museum, Golondrinas also hosts a ton of event throughout the year. This weekend will see the 24th Annual Santa Fe Wine Festival pop up among the recreated colonial village.

Santa Fe's longest-running wine fest will feature 20 local wineries and 40 other vendors presenting arts, crafts,and all-around good times. Each day will also feature music—Sweet Jones and JJ & The Hooligans will perform Saturday, Half Broke Horses and Baracutanga will be there Sunday. You can find a full schedule of wineries/vendors/musicians HERE.

WHEN: Noon-6 pm Saturday and Sunday July 1 and 2
WHERE: El Rancho de las Golondrinas (334 Los Pinos Road, 471-2261)

COST: $15 (advance), $18 (at the door); includes a glass of vino. Kids are $8 and under 12 are FREE; those tickets don't include vino. Grab a ticket HERE.

I got some great responses to my question about late-night eats. The places that got the most votes were Boxcar (530 S Guadalupe St., 988-7222) and Del Charro (101 W Alameda St., 954-0320).

Boxcar is open until 2 am every day except Sunday, when they close at midnight. Del Charro is open until midnight every day except Sunday, when they close at 11 pm. Both beat out Cowgirl's (319 S Guadalupe St., 982-2565) 11 pm closing. But for ACTUAL late night food ... the pizza at Skylight (139 W San Francisco St., 982-0775) seems to win the day with their Thursday-Saturday 1:30 am cut-off for pickup or eat-in. Of course, their future isn't all that certain.

Secreto (210 Don Gaspar Ave., 983-5700) at the Hotel St. Francis closes at midnight but stops serving the goods at 9 pm. These hours are pretty much repeated across town. Most restaurants close between 9 and 10 pm. Even most bars stop offering food relatively early. The New Mexico Hard Cider Taproom  (505 Cerrillos Road, 231-0632) is a perfect example—they have a soft closing policy, but seem to be done with food around 9 pm most nights.

So. Unless you are heading to Wendy's or Denny's ... Boxcar and Del Charro it is. Nothing makes me miss The Atomic Cafe more.

Jerman come to Santa Fe after runs at the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia, the Harbor View Hotel in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and the Sonnenalp Resort & Spa in Vail, Colorado. He brings an eye to locally sourced foods and recipes. As a long-term advocate of the Farm to Table movement, Jerman will use locally sourced products including beef from a co-op of small Native American ranches and produce from family-owned local farms.

Jerman's signature dishes include grilled coffee-rubbed Native American New York strip with dark chocolate mole demi, freshwater Alamosa striped bass with lime emulsion and Prince Edward Island mussels with crispy Spanish chorizo and tequila.

Jerman also brings a renewed interest in seasonal events to La Posada. This begins this July 4 with a Suds & Swine Celebration! He's serving up a spread of various pork dishes from roast suckling pig and smoked ribs to traditional BBQ. There will also be grilled salmon and smoked chicken for the non-pork eaters among us. The suds come from Santa Fe Brewing Company, La Cumbre Brewing Company, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Chili Line Brewing Company and other local brewers. Music will be provided by Chango.

WHEN: 4-7 pm Tuesday July 4 
WHERE: La Posada de Santa Fe
COST: $45 (reservations HERE or by phone 954-9670)

Let's talk about something kinda shameful about Santa Fe: We don't do nearly enough to recycle or be green as we could. We certainly are doing better than we did 10 years ago, but we are still behind the curve. The changes that were made in March are welcome but many other cities outpace us.

What do you think we should be doing here in Santa Fe to care for the future? Where are the areas we need to improve? Where do we get it right?

See you next week,
Michael

Santa Fe Reporter