This week I had a request for information about the Taste of Santa Fe, the annual slurp 'n' burp fundraiser for the Palace of the Governors. A little confusion seems in order this year as the event is usually held at the Sweeney Center (what Sweeney Center?) in early May, and a quick check of the Web site for the event showed last year's information still posted. So I called Frances Levine, the executive director of the Palace of the Governors, for the scoop. The 23rd annual Taste of Santa Fe will be held from 5 pm until 8 pm on Sunday, June 11, in the ballroom at La Fonda (100 E. San Francisco St., 982-5511).
That's a new venue, new month and new day of the week for the Palace's biggest fundraiser of the year, but Levine says she's excited about the move to Sunday night. "We thought people might be more relaxed on a Sunday...and with all the construction that's going on downtown these days, we thought there might be less traffic and confusion on a Sunday night." Sounds like good logic to me.
Tickets for the event will probably be in the $25 range, although a final decision on that has not yet been made. Organizers from the Museum of New Mexico Foundation are still looking for sponsors and restaurateurs/caterers to participate in the event. I know that Santa Fe restaurant folks are asked to participate in an awful lot of fundraisers, but events like this can be a real help to new restaurants that are hungry for publicity. The promoters brag about you for weeks before the event and your food gets put in front of more than 1,000 potential new customers. If this sounds appealing, contact Carolyn Gonzales at 982-6366, ext. 112, or e-mail
for more information.
I promise to remind the rest of you about the event, with details on participating restaurants, closer to the date.
Speaking of events, did you know that all spring and summer, La Mancha restaurant at the Galisteo Inn (9 La Vega, Galisteo, 466-8200) puts on a series of themed dinners that pair a regional cuisine with wine, beer and/or cocktails, and live music? Pretty cool, huh? On May 5, the theme is Mexican and chef Enrique Guerrero (former personal chef to the President of Mexico) will serve a meal that includes chicken
pibil
marinated in
achiote
and wrapped in banana leaves, served with pineapple black bean salad and pickled papaya.
Among the other dishes planned for the dinner, Guerrero mentioned that he'd be making pork in an apricot and piñon
mole
, a delicious-sounding recipe I hope he'll contribute to the
mole
cookbook I'm writing. (Yes, that's three weeks in a row for
mole
in this column, but consider yourselves lucky. You think you're sick of
mole
, but you haven't eaten it for dinner every night for the last six weeks.)
Guerrero will pair different courses with margaritas, Mexican beers and Spanish and South American wines. The cost of the dinner is $55. Call 466-8200 for reservations, information and directions.
In other news, Honey Howard called last week to report that her New Orleans-themed restaurant, Le Moyne's Landing, would be open for lunch and dinner as of April 21. Do you like po'boys? I like po'boys! Look for Le Moyne's in the building that was most recently Rooney's Tavern, at 420 N. Guadalupe St. Call 820-2268 for more information. Also, Geronimo (724 Canyon Road, 982-1500) is reopening for lunch on Tuesday, May 2, and I hear there is some exciting new stuff on the menu. That's probably worth investigating.
The Green Canteen is an almost-all-organic restaurant that just opened last week at 1616-A St. Michael's Drive. The owner is a guy named Joseph Rosado, a transplant from New York via Florida and most recently, England. Rosado is the former owner of a vegetarian organic restaurant in Clearwater, Fla., although The Green Canteen serves (organic!) meat. In fact, Rosado told me, his burgers are "bigger than Buicks!" The burgers are made with pasture-fed, organic beef and served with fries or salad. The Santa Fe Sensation comes topped with green chile, pepper Jack cheese, grilled mushrooms and my favorite ingredient, bacon ($8.95).
Rosado said his wraps have also been popular so far. The bestselling is called Mango Tango and is made with Brie cheese, mango chutney, cucumbers, sprouts and avocado (also $8.95). The Green Canteen serves lunch and dinner from 11 am until 9 pm Monday through Wednesday; Friday and Saturday they're open until 10 pm and on Sunday they're open from 10 am until 3 pm. On Sundays they serve brunch, so take note if you're hungry this Sunday morning.
Breakfast is in The Green Canteen's future, as work continues on remodeling the adjacent space (formerly CinemaCafe). Call 424-6464 for more information.
I got a lot of help on this column from readers, restaurateurs (and account executives!) who e-mailed with hot tips this week. Keep those news tidbits, whisperings, announcements and suggestions coming. The Total Pig is hungry for information!
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to
.
