Seasons of Santa Fe

by Eric DiStefano

Chef Eric DiStefano

As an East coast guy, I spent most of my childhood and adolescence an inch or two above sea level. There were 100˚ summers and minus-20˚ wind-chill winters, with what felt like 99.9 per cent humidity year round. Now living in Santa Fe, more than a mile above sea level, I find the high desert country has spoiled me: I look forward to each season. I have never taken for granted the uniqueness and wonders of northern New Mexico’s seasons. And since I’m a restaurateur and chef, it’s no surprise that my favorite seasonal things in Santa Fe revolve around food and wine.

Santa Fe is a great place to live. If you're not fortunate enough to live here, then a visit is the next best thing.

SPRING! New life sprouts everywhere. A trip to the Farmers Market, held every Tuesday and Saturday morning at the Railyard, will confirm what a splendid treat our fresh, mostly organic, produce is. Farmer Romero brings in melt-in-your-mouth lettuces, tender string beans, baby Swiss chard, and squash. The strawberries are so sweet they taste like candy. (I love to combine these ingredients with local honeycomb and distilled vinegars.) Our restaurant menu celebrates the glorious array of spring vegetables and fruits that complement our regional meats and fresh fish. Local meat includes succulent, pink spring lamb. Like most animal lovers, I tell myself I’d rather take a lamb home as a pet than have it for dinner. However, when Talus Winds delivers its spring lamb to the restaurant’s kitchen door, I instantly find myself wondering, “Where's the garlic and mint?”

SUMMER! Summer days in Santa Fe drop from the mid-80's into the 50s in the evenings — perfect for enjoying the outdoors. In the early evening, downtown restaurants fill the air with delectable aromas. The smell of prime steaks grilling over mesquite and piñon wafts from Coyote Cafe, along with the perfume of Silver Coin margaritas being prepared in its cantina. The scent of roasted jalapeños drifts from a plaza food cart. You inhale the sweet fragrance of churros being fried to order at the bakery. Yes, sauntering around downtown on a summer evening, a sweater in one hand and a Mexican coffee in the other, is one of the great pleasures of the season.

FALL! This has to be my favorite time of year: chilly, clear nights with billions of stars, and 650 days with clear, blue skies. Delectable heirloom tomatoes make their debut at the restaurant, ready to meld with fresh Italian baratta cheese, sea salt, and Ligurian olive oil. However, nothing holds a candle as to the coming of the green chile! Truckloads roll in from Socorro and Hatch. It seems as if on almost every corner there is a vendor is fireroasting them. Nowhere on the planet will you experience such an intoxicating smell and soul-satisfying taste as that of roasted New Mexican green chile. We Santa Fe locals crave our green chile: we can’t ever get our fill. Fall also brings the biggest annual event for food and wine lovers: the Chile and Wine Fiesta. Imagine 100 wineries and 100 restaurants putting on their best and creating a gastronomic extravaganza in Santa Fe. Wherever and whoever you are, don't miss this event. It's The Bomb!

WINTER! Finally, winter — the last, but not least season—is worthy of accolades. Ahhh, Santa Fe winter! Big, fluffy, baby powder-soft snowflakes make for some of the finest skiing in the West. And the holidays in Santa Fe are huge fun. It wouldn’t be Christmas Eve without the traditional stroll down Canyon Road. It is lined with blazing luminarias, small bonfires, and glowing farolitas, small sand-filled sacks with votive candles. Gallery owners welcome one and all, and some artists even open their studios. Visiting Canyon Road a must: it boasts not only spectacular art and a grand Christmas Eve celebration, but Geronimo, the state’s only four-star restaurant.

Santa Fe is a great place to live. If you’re not fortunate enough to live here, then a visit is the next best thing. The setting, cuisine, and people make the City Different worth a trip for any reason and, of course, in any season!