November 2004 -- It's surprising how fast change comes, even in a mañanaville like northern New Mexico. But it does, and this time around much of the change is good. Museums are expanding, restaurants refining, and there's even hope for the rugged highways here.
Getting Around
U.S. 84/285 between Santa Fe and Española (en route to Taos) has been under construction for a few years now, passing its projected completion date. The new date set for completing the $70 million project is Christmas 2004, though by the looks of things, you shouldn't bet on it. On a positive note, the project will really streamline the trip north of Santa Fe. Much of the highway will be limited-access, more like Interstate driving, some of it with six lanes, some four. In the meantime, travelers should abide by the speed limit, no matter how slow 25 to 35 miles per hour seems. Those double fines for construction zones hurt. When heading anywhere north of Santa Fe, add an extra 20 minutes to your travel time.
Santa Fe
There are a few hot morsels of dining news in the City Different. The first is the revamp of the Fuego Restaurant at the La Posada de Santa Fe Resort and Spa, 330 East Palace Ave., (tel. 800-727-5276; www.laposadadesantafe.com). The new chef, Rahm Fama began his culinary career at age 14 working in several of Santa Fe's finer restaurants, including La Posada. His first professional job was on the line at the famed Coyote Café. From there he traveled to some of the finer kitchens around the country to hone his craft. The restaurant offers the ambiance of a traditional Southwestern hacienda, accented with grand iron chandeliers and comfortable couches, along with a broad dining patio, one of Santa Fe's best. Some locals consider the "Rancher's Brunch" one of the town's finest. Fusing traditional New Mexican ingredients with sophisticated elements, it includes some of Chef Fama's favorites from growing up in New Mexico. Try the Southwestern omelet, which melds creamy goat cheese with toasted chilies, sun-dried tomatoes, ham, avocado, and chile. As for lunch or dinner, either must start with the pear and ginger consommé, a light broth with a wonton-like "purse" on top filled with duck and mascarpone cheese that breaks open to create a real flavor burst. The pancetta wrapped Alaskan halibut is a good dinner choice, as is the pan roasted lamb loin served with sweet corn polenta. For dessert, try selections from an elaborate cheese cart or anything chocolate. Bring your heaviest plastic; this is one of the most expensive spots in Santa Fe.
Trattoria Nostrani, 304 Johnson St., (tel. 505/983-3800) is another Santa Fe remake. What was previously Rociada has transformed into this Northern Italian restaurant, which has already swept up many awards. Classically trained chefs Nelli Maltezos and Eric Stapelman spent time in Italy to expand their talents. In a cozy romantic-chic setting, they serve up specialties such as veal osso bucco, cooked in chicken stock and served with carmelized onions. They also serve a range of pastas, all housemade. Try the beet and gorgonzola ravioli. Their seafood risotto is loaded with shrimp, crab, octopus, and squid, simmered in a delectable sauce. Over 500 wine selections are available to accompany your meal.
Sitting west of town, Stonefridge, a Stonehenge-inspired monument to consumer waste (also known as Fridgehenge), was built with more than 200 discarded refrigerators and is the whacky vision of local artist Adam Horowitz. Reporters have journeyed from all over the globe to cover this unusual creation. A particularly memorable segment on CBS Sunday Morning featured loincloth-clad laborers dragging the refrigerators over logs. City officials thwarted the project for years, but Horowitz finally prevailed and completed the work. It's located at the former city landfill on Paseo de Vista Drive. From St. Frances Drive, take West Alameda to Torreon, turn right and go to the top of the hill. Free admission. Open daily.
Albuquerque
The National Hispanic Cultural Center of New Mexico has opened a new performing arts venue. The Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts offers three new theaters that showcase theater, music, dance and media arts performances. The main space, a 691-seat proscenium theatre is the centerpiece, and incorporates the latest technology in theater design. Two smaller theaters house films, poetry readings, and other productions. The Center is located at 1701 4th Street SW (at Avenida César Chávez; tel. 505/246-2261). For a calendar of events log onto www.nhccnm.org. Mark your calendar for a performance by Brazilian World Beat artist Kátia Moraes, Friday, February 4, 2005 at 8 pm, part of the center's Latin Diva Series.
Another expansion has taken place in the city at the Albuquerque Biological Park (903 10th St., SW; tel. 505/764-6200; www.cabq.gov/biopark). There a new Heritage Farm transports visitors back to colonial times in Albuquerque along the Rio Grande. Ten acres open to visitors highlight life in the 1920s and 30s, where heirloom crops are grown, and animals such as Percherons and alpine goats wander in corrals.
The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History (2000 Mountain Rd.; tel. 505/243-7255; www.cabq.gov/museum) is adding a whopping 40,000 square feet to it facility to be completed in December 2004. Much of the area in this $8.3 million expansion is new gallery space, which will allow the museum to exhibit more of its permanent collection. It will also house a grand hall and entrance, special events hall, an expanded Sculpture Garden, museum store and museum cafe. The museum is celebrating with a year-long exhibition on Spanish art, El Alma de España (The Soul of Spain), starting in April 2005. Works from the Baroque period, 18th and 19th centuries, and contemporary times will be displayed, most from Spain, some for the first time in the U.S.
Taos
Mark your calendar for May 1, 2005, the grand reopening of the Kit Carson Museum, 113 Kit Carson Rd., (tel. 505/758-4945; www.kitcarsonhome.org). The museum's future seemed in jeopardy recently when the Masonic Lodge, owner of the home, ended its lease with the Taos Historic Museums. But it seems the Masons wanted to redefine the museum. Their intent is to give a historically accurate depiction of Kit Carson's life, who was a Mason himself. Built in 1825, the house was purchased in 1843 by Carson, the famous mountain man, Indian agent, and scout, as a wedding gift for his young bride, Josefa Jaramillo. It remained their home for 25 years, until both died (exactly a month apart) in 1868. The Masons plan to make the museum an interactive affair, with a film documenting Carson's life, docents dressed in period clothing, and electronic media. Even at the grand opening, the project will still be in its early stages, with a projected completion date in three years.