James Beard Award semi-finalist Chef Jeff Smedstad shares his favorite corn recipes, the perfect addition for your next summer barbeque. By Celeste Sepessy For many in the Southwest, summer is synonymous with shucking corn. “Corn represents summer in so many ways,” Chef Jeff Smedstad says, who remembers detasseling corn with his brother while…(Read More)
A good bar serves a proper pint. But a great bar has soul. Here are two new pilgrimage-worthy bars where the walls, the bartenders and the drinks all tell a story. By Jen Murphy Bread Bar Silver Plume, Colorado Owners Stephen Fenberg, Rob DuRay, Casey Berry and Sam Alviani approached Bread Bar with…(Read More)
At the opening of Santa Fe’s opera season, it’s more about what you bring to eat than what you wear. Katherine Mast pulls up a folding chair and spends a night at the opera It’s a quick 7-mile drive from downtown Santa Fe to New Mexico’s opera house, but…(Read More)
It’s hard to deny the appeal of the prickly-pear margarita. But bartenders aren’t stopping there, using the cactus fruit for fun, colorful drinks well beyond the marg By Kara Newman Without doubt, the prickly pear is having a cocktail moment. The vibrantly pink-hued fruit is produced by the nopales cactus (which…(Read More)
At The Watershed in Bryan, Texas, Food & Beverage Director Garrett Kaneshiro makes prickly pear syrup in-house to flavor this refreshing, no-alcohol sparkler. It’s not hard to make, but it does require some patience to strain out the seeds and hair-like spines. Note: if you find the syrup (or finished drink…(Read More)
Chef Edgar Beas is playing with traditional indigenous cooking techniques and challenging the farmers and producers of New Mexico with his new take on Southwest flavors. Jen Murphy finds the taste (and crunch) irresistible Photography by Douglas Merriam Posole, carne adovada, green chile stew, enchiladas. Over the past few days I’ve been eating my…(Read More)
Make your tacos tasty and party dips fresh with these simple and delicious takes on guac By Ashley M. Biggers Before avo on toast was the must-have breakfast item, humble guacamole was a staple of Southwestern cuisine with its creamy, piquant flavor. Purists pair it with tortilla chips, but it can also top dishes…(Read More)
Two French siblings are producing a champagne-style bubbly in New Mexico — and it’s some of the best sparkling wine this side of the Atlantic By Kara Newman “You are in the wine business for a lifetime, not a short time,” declares Laurent Gruet, winemaker at Albuquerque-based Gruet Winery. Compared to France’s…(Read More)
This classic negroni recipe is a combination of the three cocktail essentials: spirit, sweet and bitter Photo and recipe courtesy of Zephyr Gin Recipe: The Classic Negroni Ingredients: 1 oz. Zephyr Gin .75 oz. Sweet Vermouth .75 oz. Campari Liqueur .75 oz. Aperol Instructions: Mix all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with cracked ice and…(Read More)
The key to great guac? Perfectly ripe avocados plus a little heat. Here’s how to make this Southwestern essential A good bowl of guac hinges on the quality of your avocados, so be sure to select ones that are just ripe enough — soft to the touch, but not caving in. Add a little salt…(Read More)
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