The Fork: Yes, we ate at chef Fernando Ruiz’s Escondido
Tacos, ceviche, mole—oh, my!
We here at SFR generally take a don’t-review-the-brand-new-place tack, so please note that the following is not an evaluation per se, but rather some things we now know about Escondido, Santa Fe’s newest restaurant.
Escondido opened officially earlier this week (you can make rezzies now) and comes to us from chef Fernando Ruiz, formerly of Santacafé, Palace Prime and also prison. Ruiz has been super-open about the time he spent in the clink in Arizona for gun- and drug-running—it’s where he fell in love with cooking and where he found his purpose—and anyway, he’s basically America’s sweetheart. He’s also been building toward opening his new eatery with co-owner Vince Kadlubek (yes, the former Meow Wolf CEO) since 2022, and now, from a bright and airy space on Agua Fría Street, he’s finally operating his monument to tacos, ceviche, mole and more. Hey, let’s make a list about Escondido things, huh?
Drop-Dead Gorge!
Ruiz and Kadlubek had the building built from scratch to Ruiz’s specifications, which includes massive firehouse-esque doors that slide open at the top to a minimal but comfortable patio. Then there’s the rooftop dining area, which we understand will double as a place for DJs and the like. Now, both those things will surely change once the wintertime sadsies roll in, so the time for plein aire dining is now.
Tacos, Tacos Everywhere
On the night we visited Escondido, our attentive server told us that the ultimate goal is to be able to mix and match tacos, but that Escondido’s kitchen staff is still settling in for now so patrons will have to stick to one type per order. Granted, this might have already changed by the time you read this and you’re welcome to ask, but there’s not really a wrong way to get down with Ruiz’s tacos. You’ll find the hits on the menu, including carne asada, al pastor, carnitas, chicken, barbacoa, shrimp and veggie, and each comes with purple cabbage, red and green salsas and cotija cheese. The real star of the taco show? Avocado mousse, which is like the cousin of guac yet decidedly creamier. Please note, Ruiz’s tacos are more Mexican than New Mexican in their inspirations, so don’t go in there expecting something all La Choza-core.
Speaking of Guac...
...we’re often sad that every eatery that ever hung a shingle in Santa Fe seems to want green chile in the guac. Don’t get us wrong, we love chile so hard, but sometimes it dominates the avocado flavor. Thus, it was nice that Escondido’s didn’t seem to contain any chile, and we ate it so fast with the house-made tortilla chips that the server was like, “Ohmygod, are you alright?”
Sopas+Ceviche=Heart Emojis
Ruiz boasts a number of ceviche options on the Escondido menu, including ahi tuna crudo, bay scallop, shrimp, mahi mahi with a serrano citrus marinade and a trio featuring three of your choice. Sadly, we didn’t order any because we were in taco mode, but that was a decision we’d come to both rue and lament when we saw nearby diners making O-faces about it. Same goes for the soups. As of now, Escondido serves a rotating number of sopas del dia, but we should have made it work with the saffron corn bisque with fried pork skins. Next time!
¡Holy Mole!
Why didn’t we get the ceviche? Because once we’d eaten the chips and guac and ordered carnitas tacos and shrimp tacos, we were already in pretty deep—and then we added chicken mole enchiladas. First off, mole rules the land (shout-out to La Fogata and La Plancha for their respective takes), and Ruiz’s sidesteps the too-sweet trap into which many moles seem to fall for a more nuanced and smoky flavor. Again, though, this is not a review, just a statement of fact.
A High Bar
You’ll find a huge-ass bar menu at Escondido, and when we asked about mocktails, our server said the staff could turn just about anything into a booze-free drank (yes, drank). And that’s just, like, pretty cool. Otherwise, the menu consists of expected margaritas and signature cocktails like most elevated but not highfalutin’ restaurants might have.
Mains on Mains
It’s not just about tacos and ceviche at Escondido, no, sirree, Bob. The main course menu has tons of options, including a Colorado Angus strip loin, half a Cornish game hen, grilled fish, veggie enchiladas, and the chile en nogada—a poblano stuffed with all kinds of stuff like quinoa and sweet potato and ground pork and veal; and yes, there’s a veggie option of that last one.
Churros and Bread Pudding—Together at Last!
Escondido’s dessert menu has a bread pudding made with churros, and that’s just awesome.
Pricepoints
While we could sit here rattling off prices for this and that, we’re not positive they’re going to remain where they are just now. As always, check websites and make calls and ask questions if you’re freaking out about money.
Certified banger right here.
Also
- File this one under you-have-to-move-fast, but the Santa Fe Opera has a collaboration event with The Pink Adobe restaurant going down at 6 pm on Thursday, Aug. 15 (which is the same day this Fork drops). The event includes even more collabs with brands like VARA Winery and Santa Fe’s Chamber Music at San Miguel Chapel, as well as SFO musicians and a New Mexican-infused menu featuring dishes like red mole pork tenderloin, halibut Veracruz and a fire-roasted chile relleno. Call the restaurant through the link above to learn more.
- Also dropping on Aug. 15? New Santa Fe taco joint El Rigoberto’s, which took over the old...well, it was the original Burrito Spot, then Fast & Real, then Cuco’s—but now it’s El Rigoberto’s. Inside you are two wolves, and they both want tacos; and you can do that at Escondido, El Rigoberto’s or both (both if you’re smart).
- This likely won’t shock anyone, but a rather large number of New Mexico college students are living without access to basic needs—like food. In a recent report from the New Mexico Higher Education Department, investigators found that of the nearly 10,000 college students who participated, 58% reported facing food insecurity. SFR spoke with retired educator Amy Neel, who co-authored the study.
- Online restaurant rezzie platform OpenTable-dot-com recently released its list of Santa Fe’s most-booked restaurants, and it reads pretty much like you might expect: Santacafé, Geronimo, Izanami, La Boca, Sazón, Coyote Café and...oh, wait! Horno from chef David Sellers is on the list. That’s pretty affordable, actually, and they have a legally distinct dessert pop-tart kind of thing. We could link all those places, but we’ll just direct you toward the list itself.
- SFR’s food writer loved the new experience at The Teahouse on Canyon Road (chef Martin Blanco rules and ube rules—deal with it, America!) despite a vocal contingent of Santa Feans who seem to get online and write diatribes about how they fear change. But all the SFR love in the world doesn’t change that the business realtors at Sam Goldenberg & Associates listed The Teahouse for sale online. We hope whatever happens keeps the place alive. We’ve been unable to get a comment from owners Sandra and Jake Mendel just yet, but we’re trying!
This song has the word “tea” in the title, so that’s good enough for us.
More Tidbits
- If you’ve enjoyed zero calorie sweeteners, you should know that new research about the artificial ingredient erythritol, which is common in some products such as stevia and low-carb keto foods, was shown to increase the risk of blood clots. In a study from the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute (say that one time fast), researchers observed dramatic blood clotting in 10 subjects. Click here for more on that, including the response from Big Erythritol (note: that’s not a real thing, but there is a Calorie Control Council and they had some thoughts.)
- And it doesn’t end there! A study published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe gets into the nitty-gritty of highly processed foods and—get this—it turns out they’re bad for you. Read that link we just linked if you’d like to learn more, but if you don’t click it, know that the study was culled from roughly 10 years of data from UK-based adults who took part in a long-term health study known as UK Biobank. Know also that even your beloved plant-based foods aren’t particularly safe if they’re ultra-processed.
- ‘Twould seem artsy production company A24 is looking to acquire the rights to the film Tony, a biopic about Anthony Bourdain, that most celebrated chef/writer/TV host whose contributions to American culture are, in our opinion, about not fearing other cultures. Sure, he ate a lot of cool food, too, and Bourdain’s 2018 death sure hit a lot of folks hard. Eater-dot-com has more on the potential biopic. As for us, we’d see a new movie, but if you’re itching for more from the late Bourdain right now, you can always check out the documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.
A totally scientific breakdown of The Fork’s correspondence
In this week’s edition of SFR, still no freaking food, but a pretty big announcement about how the paper has a new owner. We’ll probably just keep right on going with The Fork.
Number of Letters Received: 22
*Thank you all so much for your kind words about our grandmother.
Most Helpful Tip of the Week (a barely edited letter from a reader):
“Whatev”
*We love that someone started writing “whatever” to us, then most likely accidentally sent it and then just kind of gave up and never sent another email. Glorious!
Actually Helpful Tip(s):
“Dear Fork, I’m so sorry to hear about the passing of your grandmother. It sounds like she was the best kind of grandmother to have...I will be making these cinnamon rolls this weekend, but I will be calling them Grandma Fork’s Cinnamon Halos.”
*Reader Sue B just about made us weep at work with this kind missive. If you missed last week’s Fork featuring a recipe from our dearly departed grandma, please check your inboxes.
Escondido’d within an inch of our life,
The Fork
