This weekend is ARTFeast, in case you didn't already see it on the
. This annual fund-raiser includes a gallery talk on Thursday, a vintner's lunch and fashion show on Friday afternoon and an Edible Art Tour on Friday night. The Edible Art Tour is a dressed-up version of your regular Friday night gallery snackfest, only instead of cheese and crackers, the food comes from a bunch of fancy restaurants. Yum! On Saturday, there is a home tour, a wine and cheese pairing and a big dinner held at La Posada but cooked by five Santa Fe chefs (from La Casa Sena, Santacafé, Rio Chama Steakhouse, Sage Bakehouse and La Posada). On Sunday, ARTFeast wraps up with a champagne brunch and art
auction, followed by another home tour. Some of the events are less expensive than others, but all of them benefit art programs in Santa Fe's public schools. So pony up, people! And look for my fellow editors and me, as we'll be stumbling down Canyon Road with the rest of you on Friday night.
La Posada's contributions to ARTFeast were originally to be taken on by Rahm Fama, the executive chef at the hotel's restaurant Fuego. But in December, the Santa Fe native left La Posada for the kitchen at another RockResorts property, The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera, in Edwards, Colo. Fama's sous-chef and pastry chef, Maxime Bouneou (say: boo-nee-YOO), was promoted to the executive chef position and has already designed a new grand tasting menu to showcase his talents. The $125 prix fixe menu is focused on citrus and includes several things I had to look up in the dictionary. The first course is a citrus and tarragon
aspic
(read: Jell-O) with beet
espuma
(that's Spanish for "foam") and Easter radish julienne. That's followed by courses that include such precious ingredients as blood oranges, squid ink, foie gras, kumquats, veal and saffron. The very last nibble is a
mignardise
, which is a tiny little cake served with your coffee. (You know, like a
financier
, the most famous of French cakes?) I'm eager to check out the food at Fuego again now that there's a new
toque
over the stove.
And now that we're on the subject of France and French food, may I recommend something fabulous for your summer vacation? Cheryl Jamison will be the guest chef at La Combe, an 18th century
maison de maitre
, or "gentleman's house" (boy, that dictionary's getting a thumb-job this week!) in the Perigord region of France. La Combe isn't a regular cooking school, nor is it a simple bed and breakfast; it's a rare kind of place where you can go to cook for a week with chefs whose books line your shelves. Bill and Cheryl Jamison, who live in Tesuque, are the James Beard Award-winning authors of
American Home Cooking
,
Smoke & Spice
and
A Real American Breakfast
. From July 13-20, they'll lead a small group through farmers markets, wine tastings, cooking classes, farm visits and relaxing meals at little cafés and famous châteaux. For more information, go to
.
Closer to home, there is plenty of good news these days for folks on the south side of town, especially near Rancho Viejo. Planners chose not to run the RailRunner through your backyards, but you probably are getting your very own Kaune Foodtown. Cheryl Pick Sommer, Kaune's owner, tells me she's negotiating to buy some land in Rancho Viejo on which to build a neighborhood grocery store. Nothing's going to happen for at least a year and a half, but Sommer is working hard to cater to the community's needs. "We surveyed the neighbors," she says, "but we haven't compiled all of the data from the surveys to find out exactly what they want: more prepared foods or fresh foods that they take home." Either way, a Kaune on the south side will be a welcome respite from the big box stores and chain restaurants.
Speaking of Rancho Viejo, several people have written in to recommend the Lucky Bean, a little coffee house out in the Village. The Lucky Bean's coffee is organic and fair trade, but they also serve snacks, especially vegetarian snacks. Check it out next time you're out by Santa Fe Community College and dying for a jolt o' java.
And in the "I Told You So" department this week, the Philadelphia City Council voted unanimously to ban trans fats, as New York City did last year. Why isn't anybody in Santa Fe clamoring for a trans fats ban, I wonder? Could it be that the lure of tamales and biscochitos overrides our desire for longevity?
Fuego at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort and Spa
330 E. Palace Ave.
954-9668
The Lucky Bean
55-C Canada Del Rancho
438-8999
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to
.
