T he Fork is a lot like that sandwich you order every week at your favorite restaurant: It's delicious, it brings you comfort and you can't get it anywhere else in town. This newsletter serves up local food events and trends, restaurant news, recipes and much more. This week, we have dim sum dreams on the brain. Do you have some Santa Fe- or New Mexico-related food or restaurant news? We’d love to hear it and share it with our readers. Please send detailed information to [email protected]. And please don't hesitate to invite your foodie friends to the party.
You Had Us at 'Dim Sum'
Santa Fe: Prepare yourselves, because your dining scene is about to get a brand-new restaurant, and it's unlike anything this town has seen before. Former Arroyo Vino restaurant chef Mark Connell has been busy getting ready to open State Capital Kitchen in the space formerly occupied by Infierno (and before that, Café Café) at 500 Sandoval St. Expect the unexpected when the restaurant opens (hopefully) in December. Chef Connell told The Fork that a few design changes are being made in the dining room, and that service will be a highlight of the dining experience. Based loosely on the concept of restaurants like Atlanta's The Gunshow, State Capital Kitchen will focus on cart-to-table service similar to that found in the dim sum houses of China and large metropolitan areas around the world. "The idea is to bring our selections by your table," Connell says, "and let you pick what you want." Nontraditional dim sum should be expected, and a classic menu will also be available. Even better news: The restaurant is determined to support local farmers, ranchers and foragers. While you wait in anticipation of the opening, you can track the progress of the restaurant by visiting its Facebook page.
Powder = Chow
Ski season wouldn't be complete without a little après ski nosh, and for those with a season pass or same-day lift ticket stub from any and all legit New Mexico ski destinations, Fire & Hops wants to reward you for shredding massive powder. Until ski season ends, season pass holders and same-day stub holders get 10 percent off their bill. Look out for new menu items such as red curry sweet potato soup, shoyu ramen and shrimp fritters. And don't worry: Classics like the fried mac 'n' cheese and the green chile poutine aren't going anywhere. Did we mention they also have a rotating stable of 11 craft beers on tap? Insiders tell me they'll even accept passes from Wolf Creek. Paying it forward, one beer and fritter at a time.
Mmm, Que...so, Where's the Beer?
Beer and cheese are made for each other. Sure, wine and cheese pairings may garner the most public attention, but Cheesemongers of Santa Fe wants you to know that beer has its rightful place at the cheese table. Enlisting the help of Matthew Zehnder, a manager at Susan's Fine Wine & Spirits and a home brewer on a mission, Cheesemongers of Santa Fe is holding a beer and cheese pairing class TODAY. From the class description on the website: "We'll discuss the basics of joining the two, and progressively taste through a selection of six pairings, elaborating on pairing concepts applicable beyond this tasting. Warning: This class has the potential (and angle) to get nerdy." Our nerd hearts swoon, bathed in brie.
Season for Giving
Kitchen Angels, a nonprofit organization in Santa Fe that provides free, nutritious meals to homebound residents, is inviting volunteers to help them assemble gift baskets on Saturday, Dec. 5, for their homebound clients as part of its Spirit of Giving campaign. You are also invited to donate gifts of all kinds for the baskets. "60 percent of our clients are female," the nonprofit stresses on its website, "and most are 50-plus years old. We also serve about a dozen children. So, we can use most every kind of gift." Contact Kitchen Angels to find out how you can help make the holidays a little bit brighter for some residents in need. Monetary donations are always welcome.
Egg Roll with It
Santa Fe is in the midst of a major Asian-food-delivery drought. Besides the fine crew over at Dashing Delivery, there isn't much hot lo-mein-to-door action going on here. JC's Express (4350 Airport Road, Ste. 15, 424-8889) says it doesn't have to be that way. Just click on the "order now" icon on their website, order your food and then fidget at your front door like a dog waiting for its human to come home. The menu is eclectic: Asian, classic American and New Mexican. Good news: They have a Chinese chef on board for the Asian goods. The business also sports a few sit-down tables and offers takeout.
Grab 'n' Go 2.0
Do you work downtown and can't think of where to get a quick meal? Legendary chef John Rivera Sedlar's Santa Fe restaurant Eloisa (located inside the Drury Plaza Hotel, 228 E Palace Ave., 424-2175) now offers a grab-and-go option. Serving fresh-baked pastries, sandwiches, salads and other goodies, Eloisa is making good use of its downtown location to lure in more walk-in business. SFR reviewed Eloisa in May and will be checking out the takeout experience here very soon. In the meantime, call the restaurant for the day's takeaway options.
