LOCALS FEAR THE QUALITY AT GERONIMO WILL DROP WITH HIS ABSENCE. CHEF ERIC DESTEFANO, WHO RECENTLY TRIED TO REVITALIZE THE LESSER QUALITY COYOTE CAFE, HAS RETURNED TO HEAD GERONIMO. HO-HUM. 8/4/09

Step in, and straight ahead, there’s an altar-like setting with stunning ivory moose antlers, over the fireplace. Georgia O’Keefe fans might

Geronimo seats 100 guests. Scattering among four dining areas, people aren’t crowded. As we walk in, an alert staffer recognized us from poking our heads in the day before for a sample menu, a very good sign of attentiveness. We are immediately taken to a table in the back dining room, walking past an attractively simple black and white dining room



The choices for Friday, and identically Saturday’s evening menu include: Appetizers: Sweet Corn Chowder with American caviar, Maine lobster potato souffle and bacon powder (($14),; Spicy Dungeness Crab Cakes with butternut squash, lemon preserve, and French pickled-cucumber jalapeno remoulade (18); and Spice-Rubbed Semi-boneless Quail with white bean puree, chorizo, spring garlic and a dried black cherry citrus gastrique.
Main courses include: fiery Sweet chile and Honey Grilled Mexican White Prawns with jasmine almond rice cakes, frisee red onion salad (35); Peppery Elk Tenderloin and Applewood Smoked Bacon, wth roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sugar snap peas and brandied mushroom sauce (41); grilled Colorado Lamb Rack with spinach, garlic confit (44). These items, and the specials are served with a Southwestern style, perfect for Santa Fe. This is more authentic and inspired than that of its neighbor, The Compound.
Chef/Partner Martin Rios, formerly of the Old House, and Inn of the Ansazi in Santa Fe, trained in New York and abroad in savory and in pastry work. Unlike certain other Santa Fe chefs, he doesn’t rest on his laurels.
My partner's tenderly prepared Pan Seared Pesto topped Alaskan Halibut, is served with butternut squash, white asparagus and crisp

The server recommended I have the Natural Sonoma Duck Breast, with lavender truffle glaze, a wonderful sweet potato tart slice, with roasted grapes, white asparagus and bok choy in a foie gras emulsion, with a bonus good sized piece of lightly seared crisp and tender foie gras terrine on top (29). This exceeded my expectations, with its beauty, its combination of elements that synergistically created one of the best duck preparations I’ve ever had.

There is a good assortment of desserts-we chose (my memory is not ideal) a new one with pecan crunch cake, champagne gelée (think Jello- made by angels) and a honey crisp cookie, ad strawberry sorbet. The strawberries are kept in basil and sugar, and there’s a green mint-basil syrup. Very tasty!
Local foodies in Santa Fe said this is “the best of the best” from Albuquerque through Santa Fe and up to Taos, and we agree in that this matches or exceeds the quality in any USA city. Next visit, we’ll try Santacafe and one or two others. Wish we could have tried Coyote Cafe years ago, when Mark Miller was on premises, the reputation has allegedly since plummeted, trading glitz for quality. One local “foodie” said “The Compound ain’t what she used to be 1-3 years ago. Geronimo’s now trounces the Compound. If you lower your expectations from Geronimo’s, you’ll then be ok with the Compound.” Ouch!

The Compound still has very nice general American food, lacks a Southwestern culinary identity, and is worth a lunch visit for lunch, while shopping on Canyon Road. Geronimo’s is more attractive, with a nicer casual Southwestern elegance. The dress at both spots is nicer casual. Conversations at Geronimos indicated tourists slightly outnumbered locals on our visit, whereas tourists are the bulk of the Compound’s diners. Your mileage may vary. I recommend trying Geronimo’s first, then the Compound later, and let me know your experience.
As we were leaving Geronimo’s, we asked for a copy of the evening’s menu. It arrived as a scroll, wrapped with a gold ribbon. That’s above and beyond-that’s Geronimo. We’re hooked on Geronimo, just as the Santa Fe folks.
As we were leaving Geronimo’s, we asked for a copy of the evening’s menu. It arrived as a scroll, wrapped with a gold ribbon. That’s above and beyond-that’s Geronimo. We’re hooked on Geronimo, just as the Santa Fe folks.
2 comments:
We ate there last month, and the menu still has not changed much from what you mentioned.
It's good, pricey and reasonable value. Our Santa Fe friends also said this is much better than The Compound, so we did not go there.
FYI The menu had completely changed with the return of Eric DiStefano.. It's Asian fusion now.
Also it's "Geronimo" their isn't an " 's " at the end.
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