THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO MARKET
The Tesuque Village Market has indeed changed hands. I heard a rumor that the place had been bought and sold, so I decided to play detective and track that rumor down. Actually, there was no detective-playing involved-for once it only took a single phone call to find out all the information I needed!
This pleasant little outpost, where locals and tourists have long loved to chow down after a weekend visit to the flea market, and where village residents stop in to grab a bite or a bottle, is now owned by a nice young guy named Michael Stein. Before his recent move to Tesuque, Stein told me that he had been a co-owner, along with his
father Howard Stein (the New York disco and then jazz promoter) of the Au Bar nightclubs in New York City, Long Island and Palm Beach, Fla.
Anyway, Stein said he moved out here to slow his life down a little, to switch gears and spend more time with his young kids. He was in the process of building a house in Tesuque when he heard the market was for sale. Along with an old friend, who lives in Connecticut and is mostly a silent partner, this new Tesuque resident bought the market two weeks ago. "I was running away from that sort of life!" he told me, but it is often the case that people who work in bars and restaurants have a hard time staying away for too long. We didn't talk about his hours, but I'd be willing to bet that Stein's latest night at the Village Market will put him home well before things ever got going at Au Bar.
Speaking of hours, Stein says he hasn't set a closing time yet; instead he's just been staying open until people leave. The latest he's closed so far has been 10:30 pm. Other than a few quick changes, he intends to ease into ownership. He plans on very cautiously making changes, "more improving it than changing it," as he says.
The first thing you'll notice is that the place somehow feels bigger. "We opened up the room," Stein explained, "so there's no longer this little chamber in the back...and we made the bar a functioning bar."
He is also in the process of removing all of the florescent lighting, something he acknowledged made dining there at night not so pleasant. "We're trying to make it look like a restaurant in a country market, rather than a restaurant attached to a convenience mart," he said, and I admit I laughed out loud. We also talked about the extensive selection of Bimbo items (the Mexican version of Hostess cakes) that lined the shelves of his newly bought market. But Stein denied an impulse to get rid of them all, acknowledging that all walks of life patronize the village's only market and figuring that "the guys who build all the houses around here" deserve their snacks.
The grocery selection sounds like it will continue to improve as Stein works toward what he calls a mini-selection of Whole Foods-type items. Think: Annie's macaroni and cheese, Horizon organic milk and Niman Ranch meats. In the future he plans to install a rotisserie for all-natural chickens and an outdoor pizza oven.
COOKING THE BOOKS
On another note, don't miss Katharine Kagel's booksigning at Collected Works this Thursday, July 27. From 5-7 pm she'll be signing copies of the
new book, about which I wrote earlier this month,
Cooking with Café Pasqual's
. I didn't have the space to mention in that story that Kagel told me Pasqual's is now almost entirely organic. And by almost entirely she meant 95 percent organic. The first thing to go organic was the wine list, which Kagel said was easy. What has turned out to be hard is finding organic masa for tamales. But otherwise, from the bananas to the baking powder, nearly everything is organic.
Kagel's right-hand man, chef Rudy Gabaldon, has been the one charged with sourcing all these organic ingredients. Sure, it's a hassle, and Gabaldon has worked his butt off finding some of this stuff, but "It's worth it to me," Kagel says, adding "I can't go back. I refuse to go back!" with the conviction of a passionate activist.
She's just as passionate about another recent development at the restaurant. "We just did something really radical!" she told me and I waited with bated breath to hear that after reading about how Italians only use olive oil to fry their eggs, the chef experimented at home and was immediately sold on the flavor. Consequently, all of the organic eggs at Pasqual's are now fried in organic olive oil-unless you specifically ask for organic butter.
I'd be at Collected Works that night myself, but I'm having a booksigning of my very own in Albuquerque at the exact same time. (Warning! Shameless self-promotion!) Yes, that's right, I wrote a little cookbook. It's called
Cilantro Secrets
and it's full of four dozen recipes for stuff that involves cilantro. So if you're in Albuquerque Thursday night, then why don't you stop by Gulp (the bar next to Graze), where we'll be munching on some samples of the recipes in the book and swilling discounted cocktails. If you get really drunk you might even buy a copy of the book! Don't worry if you can't make it. There will be more shameless self-promotion and more Santa Fe booksignings to come.
Tesuque Village Market
NM 590 at Bishop's Lodge Road in Tesuque
988-8848
Collected Works Bookstore
208-B W. San Francisco St.
988-4226
www.collectedworksbookstore.com
Gulp/Graze by Jennifer James
3128 Central Ave. SE in Albuquerque
268-4279
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to
.
