SANTA FE

The food photos here are dispersed with scenes from Madrid - a 45 minute drive from Santa Fe; once a coal mining and railroad town - turned ghost town - brought back to life by a small artist community. We loved our time spent in Madrid and highly recommend a couple hours out there to check out the shops, the Railroad Museum and Mine Shaft Tavern. Also pictured - I ventured to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum solo as none of the girls had much of a desire to see it. O'Keeffe is a legend in not only Santa Fe but the art world in general - I was glad to have spent some time immersed in her world.

Breakfast: 

Cafe Pasquales - located in the heart of downtown Santa Fe; the bright and festive dining room features Kelly green furniture and hand painted tiles. One of my favorite meals overall, I had Huevos Motulenos - two scrambled eggs, sautéed banana, feta, green peas, roasted tomato-jalapeno salsa, green chile tomatillo salsa, black beans + a corn tortilla. Such a unique and incredible dish! They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner here.

Tune Up Cafe - casual counter service café for a quick + hearty breakfast featuring a cute outdoor patio just outside of downtown. I kept it simple with Cornmeal Pancakes and maple syrup. 

Lunch: 

El Farol is hailed as Santa Fe's most historic + iconic restaurant and bar since 1835. Located in the Canyon Road neighborhood, El Farol came highly recommended and while we had a nice lunch - we had a bone to pick! Three of us ordered meals (BLT, Grilled Cheese, Cheeseburger) listed on the menu with French Fries, naturally! We received our lunches with chips and were disappointed, mainly because the waiter didn't think to mention that the restaurant was out of french fries (what?!) One of us would have legitimately changed our lunch orders. Two of us would have opted for the  salad. My El Farol Grilled Cheese with cheddar cheese, piquillo peppers, smoked paprika aioli, bacon + avocado on pan rustico was good, but I think we'd have to experience dinner here to understand the hype. 

Dinners: All of our dinners were a stones throw from the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe!

The Shed features traditional New Mexican cooking that won a James Beard award for excellence in 2003. The Sheds chili comes directly from the farm and is ground on the premises to guarantee freshness. I had the Blue Corn Bean Burrito in what they call "Christmas" style, meaning its smothered in both Roasted Green chili and Red chili. It was SPICY and sublime.

La Boca - Funny story. Via a message on Instagram I learned that 8 time James Beard Award Nominee, Chef James Campbell Caruso is a good friend of mine from high schools Uncle! He came out to greet us and chat so that was a neat connection. Serving Modern Spanish Cuisine La Boca offers contemporary tapas in a space with a lively European wine bar feel. A fanfare of plates starts with Piquillo Peppers (same idea as Shishitos but OMG the spicy ones are pure fire, I got one first bite and wow) and ending with a delectable Paella. In between - everything from my favorite tapas Patatas Bravas to a juicy Watermelon Salad to creative Cantimpalitos - grilled spanish chorizos presented on vertical sticks!

Sazon - Chef Fernando Olea hails from Mexico City and Sazon is his interpretation of contemporary and traditional Mexican dishes. The space heralds captivating pieces of artwork, stunning décor and beautiful tile. This dinner was tricky - we could only get a 5 pm reservation and as much as we tried to time it right, no one was hungry! The tasting of five moles to kick off the meal was marvelous; I truly appreciate a good mole and had never tasted so many creative interpretations. I had a very good Spoa de Amor and Timbales - a trio of mini corn, beet and spinach cakes with mandarin habanero foam, creamy sauce of chile poblano and gruyere cheese. 

Drinks: most everywhere had live music, from Jazz to cover bands. We visited Tonic (the art deco bar pictured), Evangelo's, Dragon Room Lounge and Cowgirl BBQ. 

Once again, the girls and I had the best time discovering another really cool city. Thank you, Santa Fe!

Where should we go next year?!

Hale'iwa Beach House

We are now on Oahu's North Shore continuing the Hawaii Honeymoon bliss!! Here's a look at a great dinner we had at Haleiwa Beach House. 

Kalua Pork Grilled Cheese ($15) | toasted pullman bread with warm goat cheese, white cheddar, pickled onion and kalua pork

Lobster Cob Salad ($24) | warm lobster + grilled croutons served atop a medley of waipoli greens, blue cheese crumbles, tomato, bacon and a 7 minute egg. tossed in an avocado ranch dressing.

Whole Roasted Catch of the Day (MP) | a ginger scallion beurre blanc, atop a bed of ponzu braised baby bok choy served with white rice

Hale'iwa Beach House

62-540 Kamehameha Hwy

Haleiwa, HI 96712

George Howell Coffee

HAPPY NEW YEAR, dear friends and readers!! 

I thought it would be fun to kick off 2017 with a post dedicated to one of my favorite openings of this past year, George Howell Coffee. 

George Howell features hand poured single estate and micro lot coffees that come together with high quality brewing equipment and skilled baristas; resulting in exceptional coffee and espresso drinks.  Because of them, (along with supporting roles by Gracenote and Caffè Nero) I became a very spoiled coffee drinker in 2016. 

The clean, light filled cafe located downtown at The Godfrey Hotel with a beautiful contemporary art aesthetic has become my go to for a mid afternoon cortado or cappuccino office escape. It offers a warm embrace when I'm in need of a 15 minute recharge - a quiet moment to collect my thoughts away from the computer screen.

A terrific pastry selection (Union Square Donuts!) and impeccably made toasts and sandwiches have given them a permanent spot on the breakfast and lunch rotation. 

In order of appearance: 

Cappuccino ($3.75)

outside looking in from Temple Place

Cortado ($3.50)

Huichol Indians of Mexico art installation

Smoked Salmon, creme fraiche, red onion, shaved radish on sourdough ($8)

espresso machine
pretty tile floors

Union Square Donuts | Belgian Dark Chocolate 
Avocado Toast with chili + lemon on sourdough ($6)
Single Cup Pour Over: Mamuto AA, Kenya | blackberry, dark plum, black grape ($6) 

Godfrey Hotel lobby bathroom selfie

Frozen Coffee ($4.50) (The Original Frappucino)

Chai MEM Tea Latte ($4)
Union Square Donuts | Brown Butter Hazelnut Crunch 

looking through to the Godfrey Hotel Lobby

Wolf Meadow Farms Primo Sale + Cheddar Grilled Cheese on sourdough ($8)

George Howell Coffee
505 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02210