Harry's Roadhouse
96-B Old Las Vegas Highway
989-4629
There are restaurants for special occasions. There are restaurants for every day. There are restaurants to satisfy passing whims and fancies.
We're the last people to suggest you shouldn't try as many different restaurants as possible, especially
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once you have this handy guide, but if you had to pick just one…Harry's Roadhouse is a place you could go every day, for every meal and nearly every occasion.
Harry's may not be all things to all people but it's pretty damn close. For nearly 12 years, Harry and Peyton Sinclair's roadhouse has grown ever more beloved for its possession of the most precious of qualities: authenticity.
"When we opened, my wife and I wanted to have a neighborhood restaurant," says Harry. "We had moved here from Philadelphia and we'd lived in other big cities and it seemed like there were always restaurants with good food and not outrageous prices, places you could go to regularly. There weren't many places in Santa Fe like that then."
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Harry's may be authentic and its menu may be filled with the constant comforts legions of Santa Fe natives now expect, but it's anything but stuck in its ways.
Call it funky, eclectic, evolving.
In fact, Harry's has changed a lot over the years, expanding into a comfortable bar area with a warm kiva. It's the perfect space when you're not in an all-ages kind of mood.
"We wanted a place where all kinds of people could come on a regular basis, a home away from home, a place where you could hang out," Harry says.
The backyard patio welcomes families, but the tables also are extremely private-making it a fine option for a date night. The first room inside retains the most original charm with a view
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of the kitchen and a counter for solo diners.
Those diners also would be comfortable along the generous bar, painted with a vivid dogs-in-outerspace theme, overlooking an extremely well-appointed liquor collection. Harry's makes a fine margarita but any drink you could want is shaken with precision.
Harry's out-of-the-way location makes it a spot tourists often overlook but intrepid visitors know to seek out the local favorite. At the bar one night, a visiting couple from Florida said they'd never heard of the place but, as they drove by, the alwaysoverflowing parking lot drew them in-and they were thrilled they'd stopped.
The menu ranges all across the globe but focuses on what some might call comfort food, though it's more the kind of standard homey food some adored relative might make (or
did
make, all through your childhood). Harry's serves food that acts as
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a touchstone-remember when grandma used to make cinnamon rolls like these? Remember when you had Harry's burger for the first time?
There are distant relatives who plan their visits merely for a plate of the Southwestern veggie chop. This blended salad combines bits of corn, jicama, poblanos, red peppers, carrots, red cabbage, cucumber and black beans in a luscious avocado dressing, managing to combine the integrity of its ingredients while mixing them in such a way that the sum is much more than the parts.
Harry's inventiveness shows up all over the menu. There's a decided flair, a commitment to trying things new. Hearts of romaine, for example, typically used in Caesar salads, show up here in a brilliantly colored composed salad of tomato wedges, red and green pepper rings with a bacon-buttermilk dressing.
Harry's basic menu stays pretty consistent but it's well worth exploring the specials board for creative dishes involving fresh fish, slow-cooked meats, grilled fresh vegetables and the like.
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Recent options have included whole-wheat fettucini with braised duck, tender lamb chops with a currant-studded couscous and grilled artichoke wedges.
Even if you only looked at the standard soul-sustaining food on the regular menu, you'd have a long way to go before you'd get bored. The new turkey meatloaf with excellent mashed potatoes and well-flavored greens is the kind of dish you'd have happily eaten once a week as a kid-and it's not something you grow out of, either. While a meatloaf dinner doesn't seem to have much in common with grilled fish soft tacos with zesty tomatillo salsa, you'll want to order them both at least twice. If comfort food means Southern cuisine to you, you can also try the spicy blackened catfish served with cooling grits and those pot-lickin' greens. And there's more typical New Mexican fare, as well, such as the burrito with grilled chicken and black beans; and red, green or Christmas blue corn turkey enchiladas served with big, plump cowboy beans. Although none of these dishes is exceptional, each is perfect for what it is; like your favorite black pants, they go with everything.
A well-executed grilled prime rib eye, served with three-peppercorn butter melting overtop and
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a twice-baked potato, is the most expensive dinner ($19.95, nearly double the average entrée) and it comes with that heart of romaine salad.
If you're looking for a different kind of comfort food, try the Thai green curry in a creamy coconut sauce stuffed with roasted tofu, eggplant and other vegetables over rice, or the simple and delicious Italian-esque linguini with ripe tomatoes, garlic, oil, basil and cheese.
Harry's has several other entrée choices for non-meat eaters, as well, although the restaurant isn't the sort of place to make a big deal out of that. There are garden burgers in
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addition to the juicy beef, and several great personal-sized pizzas without meat products such as the Greek pizza with feta, spinach and Kalamata olives.
If you're not a vegetarian and you never want to be one, try the meat lover's pizza with Italian sausage, pepperoni and proscuitto and, for a bit of green, some green chile.
There are plenty of people who go to Harry's just for Peyton's homemade desserts. The list is legendary and involves, thankfully, nothing too fancy, just the kind of sentimental dessert basics you wish your mom had made-homemade ice cream sandwiches, rich and chewy brownie sundaes, seasonal crisps such as pearginger (which they'll top with both whipped cream and ice cream), a huge range of fruit pies and enormous cookies. Seasonal choices show up, too, like a spiced pumpkin cake with rum-butter sauce.
The breakfast cinnamon roll is worth being considered your dessert for the day. The full breakfast menu features many fine Southwestern- inspired dishes-a breakfast burrito stuffed with scrambled eggs, crisp bacon and fried potatoes and topped with red,
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green or Christmas and cheese; huevos with black beans; spicy migas with or without chorizo.
For the more mild at heart, there are eggs done any way you like, with homemade turkey sausage, bacon, ham or scrapple-even
that
is someone's idea of home cookin'.
Other choices include a big bowl of Irish oats with brown sugar, spiced apples, raisin and walnuts; a stack of platesized fluffy pancakes and blue cornmeal waffles.
No matter what meal you're there for, Harry's invariably has a wait, but the service is friendly and efficient so tables turn over quickly-if they want to. Harry emphasizes how the success of the restaurant is dependent on a lot more than himself and Peyton, his wife. "It's really a team effort. The cooks, the waiters, the bussers, the
customers who know the waiters and bussers."
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Harry's is a place for a quick lunch and a leisurely brunch, a fast dinner with the kids or a romantic night out. In these divided times, Harry's is one thing we can all agree on. It's the Santa Fe Reporter's 2004-2005 restaurant of the Year.
"We never imagined how busy it would become but we've pretty much just stuck with our original concept," Harry says. "Twelve years later, we feel really lucky."
Chocolate Cream Pie
Pie shell, pre-baked
Chocolate Filling
Ingredients:
2 1/2 C milk
2/3 C sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 C heavy cream
1/4 C cornstarch, sifted
3 T cocoa
a pinch salt
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 oz unsalted butter
1 t real vanilla extract
Method:
Scald milk and sugar in saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, cornstarch, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. Pour the scalded milk into bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour all back into saucepan and bring back to a boil, whisking the whole time. Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and pour into the pie shell. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the filling to keep a film from forming. Chill until cold, about three hours. Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls.
Whipped Cream Topping
Ingredients:
1 1/2 C heavy cream
3/4 C powdered sugar
Method:
Whip cream with sugar until it has stiff peaks.
