Aqua Santa exemplifies the discreet cosmopolitan blend of Santa Fe.
In planning for his long-past SITE Santa Fe biennial of 2001, curator Dave Hickey wrote that he wanted to create a melting pot in which nothing melts, in which works of art from around the world, experienced in relation to one another in a space designed for them, will invest the elusive idea of a beau monde. ***image1***The idea of that melting pot in which nothing melts is what I thought of during a recent lunch at Aqua Santa, the restaurant now over a year old that inhabits the Noon Whistle's former quarters on West Alameda. Aqua Santa, according to the staff, specializes in Nouveau American cuisine, a type of cuisine that distinguishes itself from the traditional American fare such as, say, meatloaf and macaroni and cheese, dishes that may well have interesting cultural histories but are through and through American. Aqua Santa-style Nouveau American, as I gathered it, mixes and matches ingredients in unique dishes that preserve the essential character and ethnicity of the food, but creates something uniquely American as the end result.
It's obvious by just looking at a menu, which changes daily. On the day we went, there was Pizzetta with Taleggio Cheese (Italian) and pan-fried oysters on a Brioche Bun (French and American). There was a platter of Spanish cured meats and Burrata, a hard-to-get soft cheese made in southern Italy and Chocolate pavé with Créme Chantilly (pavé is French for cobblestone). We shared David's Greens sauteed with garlic, shallots and breadcrumbs ($6.50), which was pure comfort food: the warm, mellow flavor of this dish and the breadcrumbs were a perfect combination. We also shared a fennel, parsley, and olive salad with kumquats ($8.50). The fennel made a firm green salad that was strangely pleasurable to chew; the kumquats were wonderfully tart in contrast to the olives. The linguine with pecorino ($16.50), was rich and divine, and the pork shoulder arrosto morto with fresh horseradish and braised baby bok choy ($14.50) had the deep feel of an old world dish (arrosto morto means "dead roast" in Italian, indicating that it's been cooked in a pot rather than on a spicket). Though the meat itself wasn't a deep source of flavor in this dish, the sauce made up for it, complementing each bite.
Nouveau American has a special significance in Santa Fe, where we celebrate our own local culture to the nth degree, and have honed our own "Santa Fe style" of architecture and food. This is both a place that is in love with its own local culture and a melting pot in which nothing melts. But Santa Fe is much more cosmopolitan than it likes to let on. It's a place that can give us access to much of the best the world has to offer. Is it a beau monde? Well, that might be stretching it. But quite often, as in the case at Aqua Santa, it is so very fine.
