The Old House Santa Fe—An Old Favorite with a New Chef

One of our favorite Santa Fe gourmet dining experiences is The Old House inside the historic Eldorado Hotel & Spa.  We discovered this treasure many years ago, back when world-renown Chef Martin Rios headed the kitchen.  Indeed, this restaurant sparked our interest in wines when we selected an excellent Pinot Noir to go with our rack of lamb on our first visit there.  Martin has moved on to other culinary ventures in Santa Fe, but Executive Chef Anthony Smith still maintains excellent quality at reasonably affordable prices.

The wine this evening was one I’d never tried, Petite Petit 2009.  It’s an excellent blend of Petite Syrah and Petit Verdot that is much more complex and full-bodied than straight Petite Syrah.  I highly recommend this wine if you can find it.

The best deal in the house, as is usual for gourmet eateries, is of course the prix fixe menu.  Ursula selected a Caesar salad with white anchovies; miso glazed salmon served with baby bok choy, a wakami-sushi rice cake, and ginger vinaigrette; and for desert a chocolate lava cake.  I started with the Wedge—baby iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, pan-crisped pancetta, with a gorgonzola dressing.  My main course was the bistro steak with pomme frites, garlic spinach, and pan jus, and for desert I had an excellent crème brûlée.  Unfortunately, neither dessert lasted long enough to get photographed, but I did manage to capture the rest of the meal as well as some shots of the restaurant and its décor.

Here is a link to the current menu.

Try not to gain weight looking at the following photographs: