T H E V I S I T O R S M A G A Z I N E
The area is no stranger to cattle. We sat down at three restaurants cooking up their interpretation of the perfect piece of meat, each as delicious as the next.
Whether it’s handheld or smothered with chile and cheese, a great breakfast burrito is more than the sum of its parts.
By David Lerner
Like all simple, regional dishes, the classic New Mexican breakfast burrito is only as good as the treatment of each ingredient. Scrambled eggs must be creamy with pillowy curds – pallid, overcooked eggs are a strict deal breaker. Diced or shredded potatoes should be properly browned and seasoned. A smattering of green chile is essential, and sautéed onion is a nice touch.
It is a holiday celebration or a gathering after a day of skiing, there is nothing quite as lovely as sitting by a fire and sipping something delicious.
If the restaurants and cantinas are all closed or you’re snowed in or too tired to leave the casa, here’s an opportunity to be your own bartender. And while the usual suspects, like spiked eggnog and mulled wine, are always nice, it’s fun to serve up a tasty new treat.
Ordering that innocent cup of rooibos at a bustling bar top is more like throwing a monkey wrench through a couple bottles of Cointreau. If the bar showcases their glassware in overhead racks, you’ll see that margarita coupes outnumber insulated mugs in a ratio of roughly 35,000 to 1.
Here in Taos, we pride ourselves on our chile. We love it mild. We love it hot. We love it red. We love it green. And one of the tastiest and spiciest local dishes is Green Chile Stew. Perfect for those cold evenings this time of year. It is easy to make and a dream to come home to after a day enjoying all the outdoor activities Taos has to offer.
Taos and the Enchanted Circle have some good microbreweries offering everything from IPAs to pilsners.
As one of the most popular – if not the most popular – cocktail on the planet, few adult beverages have the fan club the margarita has (cue: Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville”). The irresistible yet simple concoction of tequila, triple sec and fresh lime juice seems synonymous with sultry summer days and crisp autumn evenings, because, why not?
‘Taos Lightning’ is an Old West spirit brand with as colorful a back story as one would expect from this neck of the woods. Originally distilled by Simeon Turley of Arroyo Hondo in the 1820s, it was a concoction of raw wheat grain alcohol, river water and other “proprietary” ingredients like chewing tobacco (!).
Ask most people and they’ll say it’s the small things: corn, pinto beans and white cheese (Mexican) vs. wheat, black beans and yellow cheese (New Mexican). But so much more is common ground – lots of fresh veggies, sustainable ingredients and livestock, and a shared history that makes the food here truly unique. (Disclaimer: New Mexico’s beloved Hatch green chiles stand alone.) Continue reading “Mexican or New Mexican”
With all this natural beauty surrounding you, the siren call of the outdoors is impossible to ignore. (And why would you, anyway?) That’s when it’s the time to grab some food, find a sweet spot to relax, giving sustenance to your soul while you bliss your body with really good eats. Continue reading “Carry Out and Carry On”
Whether planning to bring a moveable feast to one of Taos’s multitude of beautiful parks and recreation areas, or to invite a few friends over for a backyard get-together, we love the simplicity of eating outdoors. We can keep things effortless and still reap the benefits of special get-togethers.
The old adage that, ‘you don’t need a silver fork to eat good food’ is as fitting in 2021 as perhaps ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered doors of restaurants and altered the dining habits of people everywhere yet chefs, diners, and foodies everywhere have adapted. The food scene at the Taos Ski Valley looks a bit different these days and it turns out that indeed, the food tastes just as good without the silver fork. Continue reading “TSV Food Scene”