H appy Monday, Forksters, and Happy Holidays! This week, we offer a hot-cider upgrade to celebrate the beginning of winter, bow down to the ultimate holly-jolly chicken wing recipe, ponder the future of Albuquerque’s food truck scene and try to imagine what it’s like spitting cat hairs out of our lattes. Also, some kudos to a big enchilada down south and another lament about being looked over yet again as a top culinary city in the United States. 2016 is going to be a great food year in Santa Fe and the Southwest, and you can help us make it even better by sending detailed information about upcoming food events and foodie news tidbits to The Fork at [email protected]. And please invite your friends to The Fork's table. The more, the merrier!
Cider House, No Rules
Nothing warms up a cool day quite like a cup of hot apple cider—except maybe a cup of warm sake. Why deny yourself the pleasure of both in the same drink? The folks at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa have come up with a sake-cider combo that's sure to warm your hands and belly while stripping away some of that lingering Grinch business. Both citrusy and spiced for the season, it's a keeper. Check out that recipe and others, courtesy of the resort's Artesian Restaurant.
’Nog Your Nuggets
The Fork's obsession with chicken wings is no secret, and the Holy Grail of wintertime versions may have just been discovered. This recipe would work perfectly well with boneless chicken strips, too. In what can best be described as the perfect marriage of poultry and the generally cloying holiday beverage, this dish now rests permanently in The Fork's "favorite recipe" file.
ABQ Food Truck Fight, Round Two
In September, the Albuquerque City Council passed a new ordinance that requires food trucks to park at least 100 feet away from restaurants, and some vendors weren't pleased, citing the density of restaurants in certain high-dollar areas. Now the council is taking a second look at the ordinance to see if an amendment based on hours of operation can be made, one that street vendors and restaurants will embrace.
Here, Kitty Coffee!
Also in Albuquerque, entrepreneur Julia Grueskin hopes to open her cat café—the state's first—by early next near. Gatos y Galletas would allow patrons to hang out with cats while they dine. The felines, procured from local animal rescues, would be available for adoption. The cat- and dog-café craze is booming in the US, and it was only a matter of time before it reached the Land of Enchantment, which, according to a Nielsen Scarborough survey, is one of the eight top cities in the country for "cat ladies." Hey: Guys like cats, too, man.
Smothered in Red and Generosity
Chef Roberto Estrada's The Whole Enchilada Fiesta, which cooked up the world's largest enchilada every September, had a good 30-plus-year run, but the event is no more, at least for now. Estrada, owner of Roberto's Mexican Food in Las Cruces, has earned some downtime, for sure, and that is a major reason for the event's limbo. But he and the event's board had some leftover scratch in the budget to get rid of. In true Estrada tradition, it's going back into the community he has fed and supported through his kindness for decades.
Wait, Where Are Our Accolades (Again)?
Santa Feans are used to their city being named as a top destination for dining, but The Washington Post feels differently. A Dec. 21 article on the best food cities in America not only misses Santa Fe and New Mexico, but blots out the entire Southwest as well, noting that having a large body of water nearby "helps" in having a great food city. Why? Do oceans immediately make a city worthier of culinary attention? Our landlocked hearts are broken, if not a bit confused. Earlier this month, Tuscon, Ariz., was designated the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the United States, and "only the sixth metropolitan area in the country to join the United Nations' Creative Cities Network." Hmm. We seem to remember Santa Fe and UNESCO having crossed paths before. Maybe next year, WaPo? Or do we have to wait until global warming makes New Mexico prime shorefront property?
