Whether you go to Taos New Mexico for skiing, a romantic getaway, a family vacation or solo, to hike and read, take notes on these fabulous “eats” in this gem of a getaway destination.
Sabroso Restaurant & Bar:
Sabroso is housed in a 150-year-old adobe in Arroyo Seco just outside Taos on the main road to Taos Ski Valley. Imagine dining fireside with fresh-squeezed margaritas, raw oysters, and wood-grilled steaks and salmon. On one side, you have a lovely adobe-style Mexican restaurant with a fireplace and on the other side, a piano bar where they have live music weekly. The bar is apparently often referred as “Seco’s living room”.
Some of their appetizers include crab cakes with house-made remoulade, fish tacos with shredded cabbage, cheese & fresh pico de gallo, corn tortillas, with roasted habanero salsa on the side, Fried Calamari, served with a honey mustard & romesco sauce, Thai Spring Rolls wrapped in rice paper, wild shrimp, fresh mint, cucumber, scallions, with a sweet spicy Thai dipping sauce and what our host Adriana said we must not leave the restaurant without trying — Fried Portabello Mushroom Strips with a soy-ginger dipping sauce! YUM!
There’s also Fresh Delaware Blue Point Oysters or raw, or served Sabroso style with house-made bacon, parmigiano-reggiano & butter.
They offer fresh salads which is a great accompaniment to any main, such as Caesar Salad with salmon or shrimp, Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese, rouge & golden beets in an apple cider vinaigrette and their Wedge Salad, served with red onion, grape tomatoes and frizzled prosciutto.
For “red meat” mains, they have a Mixed Grill, a Filet Mignon using New Mexico beef in a brandy and green peppercorn reduction, a Colorado Black Angus Rib Eye Steak, Steak Frites New Mexico Style which is rubbed with spicy ancho chile sauce, served with fries and jicama slaw and a Sabroso burger with sweet potato or regular fries.
On the more elaborate side, you can get a Braised Buffalo Short Rib with an Asian sauce, jicama slaw & fries, Hickory-Smoked Baby Back Ribs with barbeque sauce & fries, Sabroso Bouillabaisse, which is essentially a Provencal Fish Stew with mussels, calamari, & other seafood, in a light tomato, herb, & wine broth, with crostini, Liver and Onions with house-made bacon and garlic mashed potatoes, Scottish salmon and Mushroom Ravioli dressed in a fresh tomato sauce with parmigiano-reggiano! OMG – all of it was to die for!
They had a special grouper on the menu that night, with sun dried tomatoes, garlic risotto, chives and butter (below). And, I tried the Cornish Game Hen Confit, served in a Chimayó chile & balsamic rub, stuffed with wild rice, shallots, dried apricot & toasted pistachio.
Desserts were also oh so good…..
The Córdova Room, the main dining room area.
Two thumbs up – we would definitely return. Our only regret was that the night we were there was a night they didn’t have live music – the bar/lounge area was magic!!
Details:
Sabroso Restaurant & Bar
Ski Valley Road
470 State Highway 150
Arroyo Seco, NM
575.776.3333
Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe
Orlando’s is a colorful and authentic Mexican eatery with an open kitchen for enchiladas, fish tacos, margaritas & craft beer.
The ambiance is warm and inviting with tons of bright colors throughout this casual but authentic restaurant.
They even had baked goods, cookies and pies at the counter, which you could order on-site or to take home.
The fare is classic New Mexican and include classic entrees like Grilled Chicken Fajitas, sauteed with onions, red and green peppers, eans, posole, sour cream, guacamole, salsa and torillas, Fish and Shrimp Tacos, topped with cheese and cucumber pico de gallo, Frito Pie, which is a large bowl of beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions with chicken or beef, topped with green, red or chili caribe and Fritos corn chips, or a Grilled Carne Adovada, which are three grilled marinated pork medallions topped with chili caribe, beans, posole and a flour tortilla.
You can also create your own bowl of anything you wish or go totally casual and get the burger with beer-battered fries or a grilled chicken breast sandwich – get it with the chopped green chili. Alternatively, you can opt for the Sloppy Bro, served on an open bun and smothered with red or green chili and cheese or the Chimichanga (love the name), which is a massive flour tortilla filled with chicken or beef, onions and cheese and then folded, deep fried and smothered with red chili caribe, beans and posole. Yum!!
We got a combination plate so we could sample a tamale, enchilada and a soft shell taco. There’s also burritos of course, Chile Rellenos, a Taco Salad, Blue Corn Shrimp or Beef Enchiladas, or something they refer to Los Colores, which are three rolled blue corn enchiladas (chicken, beef and cheese), and served with beans and posole.
Very authentic and down-to-earth and more than one local recommended it.
Details:
Orlandos New Mexican Cafe
1114 Don Juan Valdez Lane
Taos, NM 87571
(575) 751-1450
El Mez, Lambert’s and the Love Apple:
Other restaurants worth noting include El Mez, Lambert’s and Love Apple, which every local told us to try. While we didn’t have time to hit them all, everyone raved about the Love Apple (what a fabulous name), as it is known for its local, organic home cooking. They are located in what was once known as the Placitas Chapel, a little catholic church, which was built around the 1800’s and in operation for 100 years.
The Love Apple is a small thirteen table farm-to-table restaurant and their food is nonlinear, inspired by northern New Mexican farmers’ fare and slow summer sunsets.
They believe in working in conjunction with nearby growers and artisan producers to create menus which highlight local food and regional farmers. In their kitchen, you’ll find containers stacked with organic raw ingredients such as dried beans, rice, quinoa, and nuts as well as organic olive oil, agave nectar and local honey, whole spices which they toast and grind fresh, locally milled flour and organic cornmeal for their cornbread.
What you will not find in their pantry is, as Michael Pollan says, ‘the stuff from the middle of the grocery store.’ They don’t have pre-made anything; no corporate brand name logos, no ingredients with 15 letters that you’ve never heard of and no high fructose corn syrup. BRAVO!!! Two thumbs up.
Details:
Love Apple
803 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte
Taos, NM 87571
575.751.0050
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
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