Consider the story of chef Martín Rios one of a local boy done good.
Sure, he might originally hail from Guadalajara, but he's paid his dues in the local culinary scene since he started as a dishwasher at age 17. Having earned his racing stripes in the likes of the Old House at Eldorado and the Inn of the Anasazi, Rios now shines, alongside wife Jennifer, in this issue's place of honor.
Achieving the hard balance between "refined and comfortable," their eponymous restaurant—recently debuting an 80-person annex—is just that. Items like butternut squash bisque ($13), with a hint of smoked Greek yogurt and served with tempura shrimp, and the stellar Atlantic salmon BLT ($15), with caper lemon aioli, fleck the lunch menu; while plates like the crispy Berkshire pork belly ($15), served alongside a bacon cheddar biscuit, and maple leaf farm duck breast ($32) shine after 5:30 pm.
"I think that he is one of these incredibly lucky people to be extremely skilled in a field that he loves," Martín Rios' better half says.
Another key to triumph is an insatiable need to further his culinary education. "I'm telling you, l sleep with the man, and even when he gets home he's researching food," she continues. "He has a one-track mind, that's for sure. And it's not about being successful, but being the best version of himself every day."
526 Galisteo St., 820-0919
Lunch and dinner daily; Sunday brunch.
restaurantmartin.com
Santa Fe Reporter