Kickin’ It Old House, or Noshing with Julia?
E aster brunch options on March 27 abound in Santa Fe, but two particular menus at local favorites caught The Fork’s eye recently. At The Old House Restaurant inside the Eldorado Hotel & Spa, guests can enjoy a three-course prix fixe menu with generous options for each course plus muffins, croissants and other assorted pastries. From wild-mushroom bisque and blue corn-crusted trout to bacon waffles and a buffet table of mini desserts, there’s something for every palate. And at just $40 per person (before tax and tip), it could easily be considered a bargain by downtown fine-dining standards, especially on a popular brunch holiday like this one. Reservations for the 11 am-3 pm brunch are highly recommended by calling 995-4530. And here's the full menu.
And then there is the sprawling (and a bit more expensive at $75 per adult, $30 per child 12 and under, plus tax and tip) Easter brunch buffet at Julia: A Spirited Restaurant & Bar at La Posada de Santa Fe which includes, but is not limited to, an antipasto display with local and imported cheeses, cured meats and roasted vegetables; an omelet and eggs Benedict station; a meat-carving station with prime rib, roast leg of lamb, spiral-cut ham and plenty of side dishes; a house-smoked-salmon station; a salad station; and a selection of desserts that includes chocolate-banana bread pudding. There's even a simple kids menu (chicken tenders and pizza and the like) for the picky ones. Easter egg hunts for the kids kick off at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm. Definitely call for reservations: 986-0000. Full menu here.
The Tumultuous, Terrific and Tasty Roaring Twenties
In conjunction with a four-day (April 18-21, enrollment-required) seminar hosted by the Renesan Institute for Lifelong Learning at St. John's United Methodist Church in Santa Fe titled "The Roaring Twenties and Its Impact on American Culture," Agoyo Lounge is offering a special speakeasy menu at its restaurant inside the Inn on the Alameda during the seminar's run. A press release notes that the bar will be serving "gin fizzes, old-fashioned whiskey drinks (like the Minty Smash), classic martinis and, of course, Champagne and other sparkling wines." And from the kitchen: "Period finger foods, served small-plate style, will include deviled eggs with bacon, shrimp cocktail, Waldorf salad, tea sandwiches, asparagus au gratin, beef roast with toast, radish roses, fruit salad and other sweets from the 1920s." The menu is available 5:30-9:30 pm April 18–21, but to enjoy it, you have to whisper the password, "Di Mi," to a server dressed in 1920s period clothing. Call 984-2121 for more info.
The Apple of Your Eye?
The Fork and many others were caught a bit off guard last week by the news that Mike Zercher, owner and cider master of Santa Sidra Hard Cider, is putting the business up for sale. "The business is doing really well," Zercher tells The Fork by phone. "We broke even in the first year" (which is something most local food or beverage businesses can't boast about), and Zercher says he hopes to sell the business to someone who is seriously interested in keeping Santa Sidra's cider presses running in New Mexico. Zercher is headed to Washington DC to open a new cidery business, but there is too much legal work being hammered out for him to share the new business's name and concept right away. If you're seriously interested in acquiring Santa Sidra Cider and keeping a tasty apple flame burning in New Mexico, you can reach Zercher at 819-3729 or [email protected]
Chefs Galore!
On Tuesday, April 5, the Inn and Spa at Loretto hosts the Greater Santa Fe Restaurant Association's First Annual Chef's Gala to benefit the association. The 6 pm dinner includes hors d'oeuvres, a five-course dinner, live music and a silent auction. And just take a look at the stellar guest-chef lineup: chef Xavier Grenet of l'Olivier; chef Michelle Chavez and her students from the Santa Fe Community College's Culinary Arts Program; chef Joseph Wrede from Joseph's of Santa Fe; Red Sage's chef Thomas Hartwell; Luminaria at the Inn and Spa at Loretto's chef Marc Quiñones and chefs John Rivera Sedlar and Andrew MacLauchlan of Eloisa. Tickets, $125, are available by calling 303-3045.
Shaping Your Appetite from Afar
We know Santa Fe's historic zoning laws would probably never allow anything like this, but for fun, let's take a gander at some of LA's most interesting looking restaurants from the past and dream of one day owning a shoe-shaped restaurant in the City Different.
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