Christmas in September

The waiter asked me, “Would you like red, green, or Christmas?”  My answer was a definitive “Christmas please.”  You may be reading this and wondering what in the world am I writing about.   What is the deal with red, green or Christmas?  The answer is red or green chili (salsa) or both, a.k.a. Christmas, on my plate.  This is how it is ordered in the “Land of Enchantment

I recently was brought to New Mexico to celebrate my aunt’s marriage in Albuquerque, or as extremely well respected (and very strong) family members nicknamed it, Cousin Fest, Cousinpolooza, or Cousin Stock. 

There are a few rules that one should follow when traveling:

1. Always eat the local cuisine.  Don’t go to your favorite national chain while away on vacation, if you like chain restaurants, you can get the same thing at home.  Also, if a destination is known for producing a great dish (i.e. fish at the beach, or seviche in a Latin American Caribbean location) go for it.  That is where you are going to get the most authentic variation of that particular dish.
2. Try the local beers.  If there is something on the menu that you can’t get at home, go for it.  You can always get Stella at home. 
3. There is no diet on vacation.  What fun is counting calories at home?  It is even worse while away.  Just don’t do it.  Enjoy your vacation.

Fortunately, or unfortunately for my diet, I followed all of these rules while in New Mexico.  However, while on vacation…

The husband and I built a few extra days into our trip to see the sights of Santa Fe.  We consulted the guidebook and recommendation of the hotel concierge and sampled the food at The Shed.  We were quite hungry and exhausted and wanted to eat right away.  We thought that we could walk right into the restaurant and get seated right away.  Much to our disappointment, The Shed takes a break in between the lunch and dinner courses.  We had to walk around the chilly and damp city until dinner.  Finally, 5:30 rolled around and we were greeted to a nice fire in the corner fireplace while we waited for our table. 

Upon sitting at our table we ordered the chips, salsa, guacamole and a pitcher of the Santa Fe Brewing Company’s Pale Ale.  The guac was smooth and creamy and we ate up every morsel.  The beer was great as well.  For dinner, we both ordered the Enchilada and Taco Plate, as per our server’s recommendation.  It did not disappoint, and I ordered mine Christmas style.  I ordered the plate with beef.  One thing that we thought was weird was that the dishes are served with garlic French bread.  I thought was weird for the dishes, but it really worked.  The bread was very soft and the garlic was not overpowering.  While we were waiting for our table, we were chatting with another patron who mentioned that The Shed is known for its Mocha dessert.  This frozen chocolate mousse was excellent.  If you are in Santa Fe, check out The Shed for the recommended dinner and dessert options. 

The following evening, we decided to try some BBQ, as we were likely to have a lot more New Mexican style cuisine in the following days.  We wanted to stay within walking distance (to walk off some of dinner) to our hotel and still get something good.  We opted to try the Cowgirl Café.  The inside was kind of cheesy, all the servers wore cowboy boots and hats and the walls were covered with pictures of rodeos and the like.  I chose to have the Bunkhouse Brisket.  The bonus for me is that it was served with baked beans and potato salad.  It was filling and was exactly what I was in the mood for.  The beef was so tender that a knife was not needed.   Of course, we ordered dessert.  I went for the peach and cherry cobbler.  It was good, but I really wanted biscuit like cobbler. 

Saturday was the day of the aunt’s wedding and the reunion of the cousins.  After the wedding, we took a short walk from the Bottger Mansion to High Noon, where dinner was served.  I opted for the Plaza Platter, which was filling but delicious.  I loved the taquitos.  The husband at the last minute chose the Brown Sugar Coriander-Cured Beef Tenderloin with wild mushroom enchiladas.  It was soooooo good.  The beef had so many flavors. 

Other foods that I loved while away included blue corn pancakes and sopaillas.  I will absolutely try to recreate the pancakes. 

Should you ever find yourself in Santa Fe or Albuquerque, go to the above-mentioned restaurants.  Don’t follow a diet, try the local beers and cuisine and order your dinner Christmas style.