Whether you are in town for a too-short weekend, a week or if you live here, we all need a night on the town to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. Or no occasion at all. Even though I am kind of done with “fine dining” restaurants, these are a few of the restaurants we treasure and hope you, too, will find them equally remarkable.
Geronimo
Imagine dining in an adobe home built in 1756 filled with kiva fireplaces and stunning interiors and the luxury of highly-capable wait staff taking care of your every whim while the talented chefs prepare a meal that will last with you forever.
This is Geronimo.
Located on the highly-prized address of Canyon Road, we have been frequenting this restaurant as long as we have been visiting Santa Fe. It’s always the first reservation we make when we were headed west as it is a spectacular experience–both culinary and palpable hospitality–and we absolutely looked forward to this special night with great anticipation.
Voted one of the top 100 restaurants in the country by OpenTable and always named a finalist as a James Beard Award winner, in one visit, you will see why this restaurant remains at the top of everyone’s culinary lists.
La Boca
Speaking of James Beard award nominees, La Boca‘s chef James Campbell Caruso has been nominated 8 times for his contemporary spin on traditional Spanish tapas. For years, we have heard people rave about La Boca, but with so many options to choose from on vacation and only so many meals, we never made it here as tourists.
But we finally scooted in the door when we were house hunting (as almost residents) and had a magical night of wine, tapas and chocolate pot de creme. Located on my favorite street, Marcy Street, this intimate space is always packed and feels like a European wine bar with laughter and joy emanating from every table.
Maybe it’s the impressive wine list, the adept staff or the savory and well-prepared tapas, but there is something about La Boca that makes everyone happy and that is a sure sign of a superior restaurant.
Restaurant Martin
Nestled in a beautiful building off Paseo de Peralta and Galisteo is Restaurant Martin, where head chef and owner, Martin Rios creates delectable dishes that inspire you to make another reservation before you even leave. His approach to cooking is to let the ingredients do the heavy lifting and this has helped him achieve a fierce following of both locals and tourists, along with numerous James Beard nominations and awards and a cookbook.
Trained at the CIA, Chef Martin weaves his classic french culinary techniques with the classic Southwestern flavors Santa Fe is known for sprinkled with Asian influences. I had the tuna poke that was fresh, vibrant and absolutely stellar.
With 300 sunny days, the inviting patio is always filled with hungry and happy customers celebrating life with friends and family.