Name-check alert
I keep forgetting to mention this important bit of Santa Fe celebrity gossip! A few weeks back I was interviewing Jo Ellen Thompson at Four and Twenty Blackbirds (620 Old Santa Fe Trail, 983-7676) for my Spring Guide story "How to Get Cooking," and she mentioned proudly that
Andrea Lake, one of the contenders on this season's Apprentice, is a regular customer. In fact, on the contestant's Web site,
, she lists Four and Twenty as "the very best lunch spot in Santa Fe" and says she eats there three times a week. Cool, no? Until the season is over, Lake is forbidden to give any interviews or talk to the press, but Thompson says that every Tuesday at 4 pm she's inviting folks to come to the restaurant
(they're done serving lunch at that hour) and watch the
Apprentice
show from the night before. "Andrea will be here sometimes!" Thompson said.
Hey, once you start name-dropping it's hard to stop, isn't it? So let's not quit! The James Beard Foundation announced their award nominees last week and there are some familiar names on the list. (Full disclosure: I am a member of one of their nominating panels, but just for restaurants, not books or journalism.) Unfortunately, no restaurants from New Mexico made it this year, but we still have Mark Kiffin's win from last year to gloat over. (The Compound cook won Best Chef Southwest at the 2005 awards.)
In the book awards competition, Galisteo resident Deborah Madison's book
Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen
(Broadway Books, hardcover, $27.50) is one of three nominees in the Healthy Focus category. Coincidentally, Anya von Bremzen was in Santa Fe for a book signing and dinner last Thursday, the day the nominations were announced. Her book,
The New Spanish Table
(Workman Publishing, paperback, $22.95) is up for an award in the International category. And remember Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid? I interviewed Alford before his trip to Santa Fe this winter promoting the couple's book
Mangoes and Curry Leaves
(Artisan, hardcover, $45). Alford, Duguid and Richard Jung were all recognized for the book's stunning photography. Alford and Duguid did the location photos and Jung did the studio shots of plated food; they are all stunning images. The winners of the James Beard Foundation Awards will be announced at a fancypants black tie thing in New York on May 8. I'll be there, feeling somewhat out of place among the big city folk and looking a little rough around the edges, like I just stepped off a stagecoach or something. Don't worry, I'll try and represent for us.
On the move
In other news, Jinja Bar and Bistro (510 N. Guadalupe St. # P, 982-4321) is joining the ranks of Santa Fe restaurants that are expanding to Albuquerque. This summer they plan to open another location in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights, near the recently opened Trader Joe's. Jinja already has a location near Orlando, Fla. They've also finally launched a Web site,
. Have you ever been to Jinja? It's over at Guadalupe and Paseo de Peralta, next to the Albertson's at DeVargas Mall. The food here is described as pan-Asian, meaning they take the greatest hits of Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and beyond, and play them all on your favorite station! Wait, I got distracted there. I know some food people don't take the pan-Asian thing seriously, but I'm a fan. First off, I absolutely love Asian food, and secondly, I think Jinja does a pretty good job of it. Check it out if you haven't before.
And steak is the new fish…
Just when I had started thinking that Wednesday was the new Thursday, a slew of events this week forces me to check myself and respect Thursday. Yes, Thursday is still the new Friday.
This Thursday, March 23, is the eighth annual Angels Night Out. You know Angels Night Out, the benefit for the Kitchen Angels? You go to one of 10 local restaurants and they donate 25 percent of the nights proceeds (not including booze) to Kitchen Angels so they can keep delivering free meals to housebound Santa Feans. All ya gotta do is have dinner on Thursday at Andiamo (322 Garfield St., 995-9595), Cowgirl (319 S. Guadalupe St., 982-2565), Counter Culture (930 Baca St., 995-1105), El Farol (808 Canyon Road, 983-9912), India Palace (227 Don Gaspar Ave, 986-5859), Mariscos Costa Azul (2875 Cerrillos Road, 473-4594), O'Keeffe Café (217 Johnson St., 946-1065), Osteria D'Assisi (58 S. Federal Place, 986-5858), Pranzo (40 Montezuma Ave., 984-2645) or Ristra (548 Agua Fria St., 982-8608) and you get your weekly karma points.
That very same night, Fuego (at La Posada, 330 E. Palace Ave., 954-9696) is hosting its first wine dinner of the year. Chef Rahm Fama will be pairing tuna ceviche and braised sika deer shortribs (among other dishes) with five wines from Davis Family Vineyards in California's Russian River Valley. Guy Davis will be on hand to talk about the wines. Things get rolling around 6:30 pm The cost of the dinner is $150 per person. Call for more information and reservations.
And also on Thursday the 23rd, The Inn of the Anasazi's (113 Washington Ave., 988-3236) new chef Martin Rios will host New Zealand olive oil producer Dr. Ed Scott for a meal featuring his Moutere olive oil in each of the four courses. The event was put together by Jon Vollertsen at Las Cosas Cooking School (181 Paseo De Peralta, 988-3394) and the night will start out at 6 pm, with a talk by Dr. Scott at the school. It will then proceed to the hotel for the dinner. The cost for the whole thing is $100 per person. Las Cosas also is hosting a New Zealand chef for some cooking classes this weekend. Call 988-3394 for more information and reservations.
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to food@sfreporter.com.
