volume 7, number 12 December 2002
New Mexico's Premier Food, Arts and Lifestyle Magazine

AmericafŽ

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas in Santa Fe—a full ski valley, full restaurants and full hotels Christmas—just like the ones we used to know. Where the plaza glistens, and waiters listen. ... to hear tourists in the snow! The holiday season is here again. This year, try to stay cool and calm with shopping and entertaining and let our great local stores, hotels and restaurants help with the festivities and celebrations at hand.

Just in time for snapping up quick and affordable meals while shopping downtown comes the opening of the zippy new Americafé (505-982-4335). It is located on San Francisco Street, in the Plaza Mercado location formerly occupied by the San Francisco Street Bar and Grill which closed earlier this year. It's a homespun casual cafe with pies in the window, milkshakes at the bar and gentle pricing to encourage regular visits from tourists and locals alike. The menu has all the requisite items you'd expect in an American diner, including a ballpark-style hot dog, Philly cheese steak, peanut butter and jelly, BLT and the like. Prices start at $2.50 and nothing is higher than $7.50 (for a three-piece southern fried chicken platter with choice of one side). The decor is bright and clean with black and white tiled floors set off by fire engine red ice cream parlor furniture. The patriotic pop-art pieces on the walls make for a festive atmosphere, as do the enormous tin ice troughs keeping beer and wine cold at the entrance. Americafé is open seven days a week from 11am until 9pm, with the one menu served continuously.

The Market Place Natural Grocery (505-984-2892) has moved from its old West Alameda location to spanking new digs in the Casa Solana Center, just West of St. Francis, still on West Alameda. The expanded aisles and enlarged vegetable section are a better showcase for the excellent selection of organic produce. The food-to-go area has grown too, with a new salad bar and an interesting made-to-order stir-fry station. Patrons fill out an order form, choose rice or noodles, then select veggies from the salad bar and off to the kitchen it goes for a quick toss. Custom-made sandwiches are available as well and there's a spacious area in front of the store for in-house eating. Stop by soon and check out the blissfully relaxed shopping environment.

Certainly the holiday season is a favorite time of year for kids of all ages, so what a perfect time to open a kid's cooking school. "Pomegranates—Sowing Seeds of Cooking," is the combined creation of Kim Davis and Cathy Velleca. Classes are held in Velleca's spacious Tesuque kitchen and are geared for kids 9 and up. Davis, a professional pastry chef, got burned out doing commercial baking, so she's using her skills for something she considers more fun. On Dec. 14, Pomegranates will offer a cookie-making workshop that will cover holiday cookies from start to finish. The cost of the 10am to 5pm class is $150 and will include up to 12 recipes and, of course, samples to take home. To register for the cookie workshop, receive a class schedule or to plan a private kid's cooking class party, call Kim at 505-986-0950 or Cathy at 505-983-3193.

Just as a blacksmith knows his metals, the co-owners of The Chocolate Smith Hand Wrought Chocolates (505-473-2111), know their chocolates. Chocolatiers Chris White and Clif Perry (with one f!) have opened a cozy chocolate factory and retail space at 1807 Second Street #31, directly across from the Cloudcliff Bakery entrance. And here, in Willy Wonka fashion, they will be metamorphosing dark chocolate (mostly) into wondrous creations. I sampled the exotic pistachio and green chile chocolate bark, perfect for sending around the country to shock your friends into thinking that we really do eat green chile in everything. Another great holiday offering is a rich, dense, chocolate pâté enrobed in green or red cheese wax, so that it looks like a soft cheese one might enjoy with a glass of port. What a neat gift idea to bring chocolate pâté and a bottle of port as a host gift! I also watched as white and dark chocolate were blended with coconut to form tasty mounds, and was transfixed by the chocolate tempering machine churning buckets of melted chocolate soon to cover other goodies. The Chocolate Smith will be offering cooking classes soon in their tidy kitchen and are interested in attracting local small wholesale customers to sell their chocolate wares. Stop by and meet the boys and stock up on everybody's favorite food group.

Santa Fe fans of Joseph Wrede and Joseph's Table, still in mourning over the closure of his hip Taos eatery, need to mark December 5 on the calendar. The talented Mr. Wrede, who's also a La Cocinita contributor, will teach a special hands-on holiday menu-themed class at The Las Cosas Cooking School (505-988-3394). Wrede's clever spin on holiday flavors includes such dishes as savory pumpkin créme brûlée with duck confit, roasted turkey breast with a cranberry and cinnamon broth, Joe's famous mashed turnips and parsnips, and the surprise dessert will be a Wrede family favorite. Don't miss an opportunity to cook with this groundbreaking chef and get in the holiday mood.

Wintertime means comfort food and to me, comfort food means barbecue. Check out R&B, also known as Ribs and Burgers (505-989-1241) at 709A, Don Cubero, down a narrow lane just off Cerrillos Road behind La Unica Cleaners. The hole-in-the-wall location is about to move next door to a proper building with indoor seating. For $6.95 you get a choice of wood-smoked beef ribs, baby back ribs, brisket, lamb or turkey leg, served with a tortilla, potatoes, grilled vegetables, lettuce and tomato. Such a deal! For $8.95 a sampler plate is available with a Cornish game hen as an option too. The burger part of the menu is 100 percent sirloin, smoked, ground and served on a tortilla with all the sides. R&B is open Monday through Friday from 11am to 6pm. Chef Armando Rodriguez worked at Dave's Not Here for 23 years, so you know he's got his grilling credentials. Early buzz on his ribs is that he's one smokin' chef to watch out for.

Wherever you eat, drink or shop this festive time of year, have a safe and happy holiday season and I look forward to reporting on our exciting and ever-changing food scene in 2003.

If you know of a food-related tidbit for Santa Fe Scoop, e-mail it to foodnews@lacocinita.com or call 346-0660 ext. 245.

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