It’s Over!
Whew! That was a close call. See, we heard reports that parents were taking their kids out to trick-or-treat on non-Halloween days—which, really, is pretty weird, we think; like, do it on the day or not at all—and we got scared. On the actual day, we turned our lights off and locked our gates. Thus, our candy remains safe inside. Of course, now it's that weird time of the year wherein we all just wait around for the barrage of holidays, but that's cool, because there's often tons of great food.
Thanks!
Of course, the star of the show is usually turkey (even though it's a pretty dry bird—oh dang, that's what gravy is all about). If you're looking to outdo that one smarmy family member who always acts like they own holidays, you've got a couple options for turkeyin' it up right.
Jason Brown Quality Hunting is an interesting choice for those who live down south (or are willing to go there) in that they'll take you out turkey hunting. We know hunting doesn't sit right with everyone, even those who do eat meat, but this particular sojourn would also come with a great story. "So there we were, Aunt Becky, cornered by the ferocious raptor. A shot rang out. The meat was ours."
Pollo Real Poultry Ranch has them good birds, too, and appears at the Santa Fe Farmers Market on Saturdays this month. Now, we're talking pasture-raised heritage turkeys that range from 6 to 12 pounds, but we urge everyone to think about how those next-day sandwiches are the best. Go big.
Embudo Valley Organics describes itself as the "home of the happy turkey," which means you can feel good about eating that fool because at least it had a good life, right?
Whole Foods is probably where a lot of people plan on shopping for the big day, too, but we kind of like Kaune's better. They're local, and Amazon has no stake in their operation whatsoever. Score.
Oh, and not that it was hard or anything, but we also popped by opentable.com to see what local restaurants were accepting reservations for Thanksgiving. Hotel restaurants are almost always a good bet, because they're open for their built-in market of travelin' folks.
We assume a restaurant on a holiday, like the hunting, doesn't sit well with some folks. But let us remind you that not everyone looks forward to this particular day—and some waiters we've known have even preferred working it, because it usually means big tips. Regardless, if you choose to dine out for Thanksgiving, just remember not to sit there forever and to be generous.
More Tidbits
-We recently heard that the Coyote Café Rooftop Cantina (132 W Water St., 983-1615) is now open all year (something about removable windows and fancy heaters), which is pretty great if you're a cocktail fan or even just get bummed out during the winter.
-We skeptically had a take-and-bake pizza from Papa Murphy's the other night (there are two in Santa Fe, and that link right there shows you how to find 'em), and it was fantastic. There was garlic and spinach and this white sauce all up in there—we're willing to admit our early assessments of the place were wrong. In case you didn't know, you pop in and have them put together an uncooked pizza and then you take it home and bake it up. We promise it's good.
-Just because it's getting cold out, we thought it would be smart to pop by Kakawa Chocolate House (1050 Paseo de Peralta, 982-0388), and we were right! Their piping-hot chocolate elixirs are super good, super warming and taste great. Plus, you can pick up fancy chocolates for gifts.
-If you're worried about what to do with soon-to-be-visiting family members, look no further than Food Tour New Mexico . For a nominal fee ($73-$116), you and a group can get an expert look into the culinary awesomeness that is Santa Fe. Visit their website to book your tour and find helpful answers to FAQs like "How long is this bad boy?" and "Please, God, tell me if I can Instagram the experience."
-It isn’t local, but Mary Berry, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins of the Great British Baking Show (which you may recall fell into disarray not that long ago, resulting in its stars quitting) have reportedly reunited for some BBC special to air in December as we get closer to Christmas. We mention this because, dammit, that show was pleasant and Berry is an international treasure.
-We recently became aware of this amazing private chef in Santa Fe named Andrea Abedi, who goes by The Temptress . Abedi, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked under the late chef Charlie Trotter in Chicago, specializes in gluten-free and vegan meals, but tells us she does it all (smoothies, even). Abedi further tells us that a website is in the works, but you can contact her via email or phone for now ( dreabedi1@icloud.com ; 428-8485). Rest assured, we're going to be looking deeper into this situation for a future print column.
-And finally, you have till midnight tonight (Nov. 2) to nominate a New Mexico food hero for Edible Magazine 's Local Hero Awards. Any New Mexico food, farm or business is eligible. Nominate here .
Meanwhile…
Have you picked up and/or flipped through our Restaurant Guide ? It's a huge (and glossy) separate publication from our usual output, is beautiful, and almost killed us.
Inside, you'll find everything from our Top 10 favorites, 25 of their brilliant contemporaries, advice from local bartenders , pairing suggestions from our resident sommelier and lots more. You can find a full list of pickup locations in this week's print edition of SFR, but just to give you a head start, the guide can be found at Buffalo Thunder, the library, basically all local hotels and plenty of other places. Oh, like the SFR office (132 E Marcy St.) … We have lots of them here.
And finally…
We're curious about what weird region-specific dishes you whip up for the Thanksgiving holiday. Certainly it's not all turkey and gravy—so what bizarre dish can you and/or your family simply not do without this season?
Till next time.
