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

Mary Jorgensen, Ginny Greeno and Rio Metcalf of WesternSky Cafe.

Taos is a-buzz with dinner theater these days—just what locals needed to lure them away from home fires and into downtown dining rooms.

Dinner and a movie are Geri Meyer's idea for weekend entertainment at her Ranchos Coffee Co. (1574 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Ranchos de Taos, 505-751-0633). In addition to table seating, Meyer has cleverly included a section with large, overstuffed chairs and couches to lounge in while you munch on bittersweet chocolate-covered coffee beans or sip espresso and enjoy the movie. So far, Meyer's taste in movies runs in the funky-intellectual vein, showing classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Annie Hall but her eclectic menu is just plain good. The movie is free, of course, you don't even have to buy coffee to sit around the large screen monitor equipped with phenomenal sound, but you probably will—simply because you can! This is a great Friday night "date" venue that's casual and accessible to all size wallets.

Quite a bit more posh is Wednesday dinner theater at WesternSky Café & Market Place (1398 Weimer, #200, 505-751-7771). The January-February sell-out performances of Taos Repertory Theatre's Love Letters was so well received that owner Ginny Greeno made weekly dinner theater a fixture of her operation. Despite some kinks the night I attended, the ginger shrimp entrée and veggie sides were perfectly created, as were the coma-inducing chocolate truffles and dainty raspberry tartlets.

Guest chefs are now Greeno's main stay for WesternSky's special events. This month, Dan Hoyer (frequently of Santa Fe's cooking school La Cosas, among others) prepares the March 5 and March 12 dinner menu focusing on northern Italy's Tuscany cuisine—a perfect match for Tales From The Decameron by Renaissance author Giovanni Boccacio accompanied by music of the Renaissance. Delectable cuisine, theater and the company of genial folks around the small communal tables make this a very worthwhile dining event at $28 per person (wine and beer extra).

Hoyer is also rumored to be assisting new Taos restaurateur, Ronny Lee with transforming the former La Folie compound and restaurant on Dona Luz, into Ronny Lee's Supper Club. At press-time, Hoyer was hard at the work of Taos magic and, with so much still up in the air, I'll peek in on the alchemy next month.

Two doors south of the old La Folie restaurant , the Café Zodiac (inside Inspirations, 114 Dona Luz, 505-751-0959) makes organic food the focus of an astrologically guided menu. Co-owner with Joelle Hunt, Alan Kinner has been a chef for over two decades and more recently an astrologer, as well. Kinner said combining food with planetary archetypes was a challenge both stimulating for him and informative for his customers. The Leo sandwich includes a free-range chicken breast with a tomato pesto sauce, cheese and veggie tamales—yum. The Virgo dish (my sun sign) captures the health-obsessed pickyness of September morns in this description: a "healthy, detailed medley of steamed veggies and tofu, on a light ‘fussy' bed of brown rice, with a side of peanut sauce." The entire café has been redone in bright primary colors that stir the juices as well as the heart. Kinner and Hunt go through tons of wheat grass and carrots, and teach customers how to grow their own. "I wanted to do something informative and original, to keep my creativity up," Kinner said. Judging by customer smiles, the change is good.

Chef Marco Barbitta is slowly building awareness for his European-style Downtown Bistro located in the Pueblo Allegre Mall (across from Smith's, 505-737-5060). Stop by and check it out sometime soon.

Don't look for too many dinner specials in March at Bambino's Italian and BBQ (332 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, 505-737-0920). Joe Bambino says the town is so full of skiers that diners don't need any encouragement. Bambino has combined both Highway 68 BBQ and La Luna Restaurant into Bambino's Italian and BBQ. The Highway 68 space is more of a pub atmosphere, while the building he's redoing next door is somewhere in-between a pub and fine dining. Look for Bambino's new sign, due up any day now.

Executive Chef Scott Radek confirmed the rumor that he will be leaving Doc Martin's Restaurant in The Historic Taos Inn (125 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, 505-758-1977) as soon as a new chef is hired. The talented Mr. Radek said his kids almost broke his heart last December when, after he put in over 180 hours during Christmas week, his kids asked, "Are you ever going to live here again?" He told me, "I want to spend time with my kids while they are little, while they still want to spend time with me," Radek said. Is he hanging up his toque for good? No way.

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