Dining in New Mexico

When I think of New Mexico, I think of chiles.  Green Hatch chiles, New Mexico reds.  It would have been wild for me, for us, to spend a handful of days in the state and NOT have a taste of chiles.  Ah, readers, have no fear.  Eat them we did, though not in huge quantities.

So let's dive into the food we had whilst dining out during the New Mexico trip...

 

Corner Office.  Taos.  Friday night.  I wish I hadn't been so bloody on that Friday.  I spent most of the day recovering, and it was only by dinner time that I had any appetite.  I didn't drink at all that night, which was a shame given that we were at a place that had an extensive wine list and a nice little selection of cocktails.  We ordered a bunch of things to share, then a bunch more things, and I have to admit, I liked the first round more than the second.  The turnips with turnip greens in a chicken foot broth and with housemade chorizo was a successful dish. 

The grilled mortadella sandwich, however, was a bit too salty/greasy and was a curious thing to split. 

I liked the place, though our end of the table could not hear the other, and so Conrad, Courtney, and I mostly talked amongst ourselves.  Service was good, attentive.

 

Bent Street Grille.  Taos.  Saturday lunchtime.  The lunch special was green chile stew,

apparently the first of their season.  I have never had green chile stew, so I was a little surprised it was so red from tomato.  It was tasty, but it was also a lot of potato when I wished for a little more meat.

 

 

Love Apple.  Taos.  Saturday night.  Cash only, which was interesting.  We had to prepare for that one.  Interesting enough menu on paper, but the food didn't quite live up to it.  Not that the food was bad, but it wasn't as interesting set before us as it was to contemplate.  A nice little wine list, a lovely space in an old church or chapel.  Service was alright - I felt there were gaps of time when someone could have checked in with us.  Worse, the appetizers were coursed out oddly.  Conrad and I had each ordered an appetizer then a salad to share.  He got his appetizer (a cold one) and we got the salad at the same time, then my appetizer came in a second round that was most (but not all) of the hot appetizers.  Michael's quesadilla appetizer (I ordered that as well)

failed to turn up, and the waiter didn't address it beyond saying it would be right out.  Translation:  he probably forgot to submit the order.  Mistakes happen, but own them, people.  I liked the place, but I understand it has a great reputation in Taos, but I thought it was only fine.  The cornbread was nice enough,

the trout grilled on corn husk

was good but cooked a bit too hard.

  

The Stakeout.  Rancho de Taos.  Sunday night.  An event space that does Sunday dinners.  An excellent little bar, nicely stocked and with knowledgeable bartenders and owner.  I would have had everything on that menu, and I enjoyed what we did have.  Conrad wanted the burrata, of course. 

I liked the mezcal negroni! 

Plus, the patio and the views at sunset were fantastic. 

My favourite of the trip.

 

Orlando's New Mexican Cafe.  Taos.  Monday lunchtime.  Should we call this a diner?  A modest place with a menu featuring a lot of familiar Mexican fare.  Practically everything came with the question green, red, or Christmas, and while everyone else having sauce on their food opted for Christmas, I went green.  I love green chiles, so why not?  I had a combo, a chile relleno and a pork-filled tamale. 

I really enjoyed that it came with a side of posole!

 

DWTNR Cocktail Bar & Lounge.  Albuquerque.  Monday afternoon.  The dining space at a hipster hotel in downtown Albuquerque,

we thought it was supposed to have all-day breakfast and some lunch offerings.  Alas, when we got there, it was happy hour menu only.  Still, that meant a pretty good smashburger

(a trend I dislike - I want a thick patty!) and good fries.  Plus cocktails! 

The Big Bad John was a nice choice to finish the trip.

That was dining in New Mexico.  Nothing too fancy, but some good dishes and some perfectly fine ones. 

third weekend in July

Well, howdy!  I guess that after getting all that NYC blogging out of my system, I needed a few days off.  It's more the case, though, that there were just quiet easy days at home and at work, and I didn't take photos of every single thing.  That's OK!  Really.

So let me check in today.  I've got travel ahead this week, and that will bring some fresh material to blog.  In the meantime, the weekend that was....

Conrad and I did an early and light dinner at Maestro on Friday.  We simply weren't that hungry, that's all.  A cocktail,

a light meal, home to watch some Netflix.  See?  A mild life.  No complaints from us!

Saturday I was in the kitchen.  I made some bread and a chocolate cake and the Prudhomme South Miami Cuban Stew recipe

for dinner (that we had over at Van's) with Lessa and Christian as our guests.  Again, few photos - we were having a nice evening, and I just wanted to enjoy it without documenting every minute of it.  Great to see them again!

Yesterday the three of us

headed to the Los Feliz neighbourhood of LA for an anniversary dinner - tomorrow marks 6 years since we met.  Van had suggested a classic old place, The Dresden, and boy, we were not disappointed.  The food was alright, I won't lie, but the cocktails menu was terrific (this is their Martini '54),

and there was live music in the adjoining bar. 

But I loved the setting - creamy leather booths

and those light fixtures, oh my! 

A place to go back to, maybe when my sister visits later in the year.

Otherwise?  Laundry, morning walks, naps.  A typical weekend.  And I'm very glad for it! 

recent cooking

Happy Saturday!  I have banana bread in the oven and an easy afternoon ahead.  Hey, why not cast our minds back to past weekends and see what was cooking.

Two of my ASU classmates, Melissa and Patty, came over a couple of weeks ago.  First time seeing them in a few years.  Good to see them and catch up in person.  I went with an old restaurant favourite of mine for that dinner:  South Miami Cuban stew. 

A Paul Prudhomme recipe.  Authentic to Miami?  No idea.  I have always liked it, though.  A meaty stew with which I served a salad and some bread and a scoop of rice.  The leftovers came in handy in days after that, too.  Dessert was a nice one, too:  a rhubarb upside down cake. 

Oh, I love upside down cakes!  This one is lightly flavoured with anise seed, and although rhubarb is a rare (and expensive!) find in SoCal, it's worth it.

The next weekend was dinner for Geoff

and Kent. 

They have now been in the south of France for several days where they hope to fully relocate to.  It's quite the move, having sold their desert home.  We wish them best - and we hope to visit!  In the meantime, though, I cooked up the most enormous lamb shanks I have ever encountered and served them with a parsnip puree. 

I also made a lemon and blueberry trifle

that was a little better the next day and the day after, to be honest.  The cake gets to be more custardy that way.

Some recent cooking, then.  Not bad cooking either.  Tonight will be a simple pasta with some meatballs, a simple dinner.  Now to check on those banana bread loaves....

Ireland trip day eight: Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, and Galway

Our last full day in Ireland.  Alas.

After several of these lengthier posts, I hardly know what to write any more.  How do real bloggers do it?  Ah well.  Let's look at a grey Sunday in Ireland that featured a drive to the Cliffs of Moher in the morning.

I don't have much to say about the Cliffs in terms of their geology or whether they have cultural significance.  They are impressive. 

A pity the weather wasn't all clear, blue skies for us.  In fact, it was a chilly day at the Cliffs, a wind cutting through us all and sending me scurrying to the comfort of the gift shop after getting some photos of the site.  A jaunty new hat for me! 

How that busker was managing up there in the cold was beyond me. 

He deserved all the coins he got.

From the Cliffs it was on to the home of a musician and his wife, an artist.  No art lessons, alas, but a performance of traditional Irish music by Christy Barry and his friend, James Devitt. 

A fiddle,

a flute,

a whistle,

spoons. 

Our tour guide, Des, and Peter (not me!) got up to dance at one point. 

A peat

fire burned, and we were served a light lunch while enjoying the tunes.  Our last cultural activity of the trip, and again I was gratified that this was in someone's home

and not in an impersonal center of some sort.  Yes, I know that they, like the sheepdogs demo and the soda bread making, are thriving tourist businesses and cater to folks like us.  It was just nice, though that it was in home and felt homey.

The afternoon ended in Galway with a chance to do some souvenir shopping in the city as well as a casual walking tour with Des pointing out sites of interest. 

It wasn't too far to walk to our dinner destination (and I loved the octopus across the street). 

A last group meal in Ireland for us.  McSwiggan's

was a nice choice - a comfortable setting, a good glass of cider for me for a change, and decent food.  Chicken liver pate, Irish stew, and banoffee pie for me.

I'm not sure what else I can say about the Sunday.  The scenery was excellent, to be sure, and the music was fun.  But the trip was ending, and I had to devote time after dinner to packing up all the souvenirs I had bought as well as dashing off some last postcards.  I think it was midnight by the time I got to bed.

Monday came, we ate breakfast at the hotel, and then most of us were in the bus to head to Shannon where we would depart from the airport. 

Already the group was splintered, and with only five of us aboard the same flight, it became all the more so.  A loooooong day ahead of airports and airplanes, and then it was over, and I was getting picked up by my two guys and Olive, ready to stare down a week of jet lag.