volume 8, number 3 March 2003
New Mexico's Premier Food, Arts and Lifestyle Magazine

Aha Osaka!

With all the turmoil in the world right now, I've really been craving comfort food and it was a particular delight to discover the old-world charm of one of Santa Fe's most established Italian restaurants. Sometimes visiting a tried and true local favorite can be like making a new friend—one you feel as though you've known for years. Somehow I had never dined at The Palace Restaurant (505-982-9891), though I knew the place has been around since the early 1960s, (1961 to be exact) is popular with locals and politicians, and that Caesar salads were still prepared there, table side. The arrival of their new chef, from Italy, gave me the push I needed to traverse the swinging saloon doors and sprawl out on the ample red upholstered banquettes. This new chef, Giuseppe Pezzoli, has updated the menu and given it a contemporary spin with delicious results. Both the house smoked duck breast with duck liver pâté and the crispy polenta triangles with creamy truffle sauce were world-class. The tableside-constructed Caesar salad was a kick and reminded me of prom night 1973! The requisite veal scaloppini was modernized to include crunchy beer-battered zucchini batons used as podiums to show off the tender scallops of sautéed veal, draped with melted smoked mozzarella. Service is of the highest quality, right down to the bartender offering me a jug of hot water with which to warm my frozen hands. Stop by The Palace and visit an old friend or make a new friend soon.

A definite throwback to the early 1980's with the popularity of the Benihana chain, Osaka (3501 Zafarano, 505-471-6698) has the same allure: seats around a chef who sears, slices and flicks the food onto your plate. Now that we finally have the Food Network on our cable TV, fans of Ironchef will appreciate the combination of flaming griddles and flying ingredients. Early reports praise the food but take note: the up-front pro-active service might not make it the place to go if you're having a bad hair day or if you want to talk to your dining companion about serious stuff. Seating is shared around the grill, but there is a full sushi menu available away from the splash and flash of cooking oil and projectile scallops. I think it would be a blast to go to with a group (each counter seats up to 10) and counter hackle the chefs à la "The Gong Show". The new-to Santa Fe fun has been brought to you by the folks who own Kohnami and certainly our City Different personalities will embrace the dramatic nature of the proceedings. Call for reservations, especially on the weekends.

Off-season eating in Santa Fe can offer great bargains when popular restaurants offer affordable prix-fixe dinner options. Sometimes these deals are only offered through January, but many of our favorite establishments are still enticing bums into seats with the great pricing. Bargain dining is available at: Ristra (505-982-8608) with three-course for $25 Sunday through Thursday, and Las Fuentes at Bishop's Lodge (505-819-4035). The Brazilian Roadhouse Grill has a $25 menu on Thursdays (New Mexico Residents only) while Dinner for Two (505-820-2075) offers soup, salad and selected main courses for $15 Wednesday through Saturday, and 315 (505-986-9190) serves three courses lunches for $15 Monday through Saturday and $25 dinners from 5:30pm to 7:00pm Sunday through Thursday. The ease on the wallet allows for dining out more often or splurging on a pricey bottle of wine. Confirm these deals when you call for reservations.

If you are a fan of street food then head to the corner of Hopewell and Sixth any day of the week between 9am and 8pm and enjoy some delicious, fresh and very homemade Mexican food. There you will find Elias Cabarello who prides himself on preparing authentic specialties in the cozy kitchen of a brightly painted food truck reminiscent of the Partridge Family bus. Tacos, tortas, fajitas and burritos are served with fresh salsa and warm tortillas at Santa Fe street food prices. There is also caldo de camaron, a zesty shrimp soup and a variety of slow-braised beef tongue dishes (las lenguas). A small picnic table is available for on-the-spot eating. Hopewell Street runs sort of parallel between Cerrillos and St. Michael's Drive. Stop by, order a plate and pretend you're on a sun-baked street in Guadalajara.

Have you gotten over the sugar-high attained by consuming the ultra fluffy, dissolve-on-your-tongue, Krispy Kreme donuts? Check out Kip's Donuts (505-424-9181), made- fresh daily at 3140F Cerrillos Road. By now Santa Feans have realized that the KK brand is shipped up here from Albuquerque, but Kip's is made on the premises and if you arrive at 6am, they're still warm. All your favorite flavors are available including a decadent Bavarian cream, as well as muffins, fritters and cinnamon coffee rolls. Kip's is open from 6am to 1pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Prices start at $.61 a donut. Try a real homemade one soon.

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