As promised in Saturday's post, I am about to sing the praises of our new favorite restaurant in Santa Fe called Saz贸n. I first read about this restaurant when we were in New Mexico last year, but as we were leaving the next day it was too late to check it out. Saz贸n specializes in variations on mole, that luscious Mexican chocolate-based chile sauce which is is one of my husband's favorite foods. I've kept Saz贸n on my list of places to visit in Santa Fe since then, and when we scheduled our trip this year one of the first things I did was to make reservations there for dinner.
We arrived in Santa Fe late on a Saturday (too late for dinner) and Saz贸n is closed on Sundays, so our reservation was for the following Monday. We had found the location earlier in the day, and were impressed with the simple but lovely exterior d茅cor (well, we were undecided about the metal yucca sculptures lining the railings, but apparently they are popular!). This impressive horse sculpture out front naturally caught my eye:
My husband was impressed with the very large blue pottery planter containing a huge live agave plant:
Once inside, it became apparent that horses were a theme in this restaurant's d茅cor, which was a point in its favor as far as I was concerned:
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| I would love to own this painting! |
Horse-themed artwork could be found throughout the interior. The art of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo was also featured, and as she is one of our favorite artists this restaurant just kept looking better and better in our eyes:
But of course you are wondering about the food! To start off, we ordered our drinks, a glass of Spanish red wine for my husband (I do not remember which one he chose but according to him it was perfect) and a Sangria Blanco for me (an ideal libation for a summer evening). Our excellent waitress informed us that we would be served a tasting tray of the different moles offered at Saz贸n. Out they came in small square bowls set on a slate slab and served with tiny fresh corn tortillas for dipping:
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| From TripAdvisor |
The favorite for both of us was the mole negro (in the middle of the row of three above). The flavor was deep and rich without being too bitter like many of the darker moles are for me. This mole was so delicious that my husband chose the duck enchiladas which featured this sauce (one of the daily specials) as his entr茅e. Next up was our choice of appetizers as well as a bowl of soup for my husband. We chose the timbales (a trio of corn, beet, and spinach cakes) and the cheese-stuffed squash blossoms (a seasonal specialty) as our appetizers:
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| Timbales (from TripAdvisor) |
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| Cheese-stuffed squash blossoms (from TripAdvisor) |
Our wonderful waitress explained the preparation of each dish to us. The appetizers were just phenomenal, and served perfectly. I was particularly impressed with the squash blossoms, and my husband loved the timbales, especially the one made of beets (one of his favorite foods). The Sopa de Amor (the chef's specialty) was also fanastic. A creamy soup of chiles and squash was served over a base of crabmeat, topped with a frothy liquor-flavored foam (possibly tequila but I do not remember for sure) and a dusting of cocoa powder. It was served in a small blue bowl that my husband, as a pottery lover, immediately wanted to own!
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| Sopa de Amor (from TripAdvisor) |
Our entr茅es were brought out next:
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| Two very satisfied diners! |
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| Duck enchiladas with mole negro on the left; Berenjena (stuffed eggplant) on the right. |
My husband declared that his duck enchiladas were probably the best duck dish he had ever eaten. I purposely chose a light vegetarian entr茅e, which was very good but not too filling, because I wanted to save room for dessert, which the two of us shared:
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| Princesa dessert (from TripAdvisor) |
I chose the Princesa, a berry-filled concoction of crispy pastry and natilla sauce (a creamy custard sauce), served with a scattering of delectable toasted pine nuts. I also ordered an Amontillado sherry to sip with dessert, as I love its nutty flavor aftertaste. It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal!
As I said, Saz贸n is now our favorite Santa Fe restaurant. The service is wonderful, the food is divine, chef Fernando Olea is inspired, and the restaurant itself is beautiful and quietly elegant. This is a special occasion restaurant and it is not inexpensive, but for an unforgettable celebration this is the venue to choose!
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If you are unable to make a trip to Santa Fe in the near future, you can still enjoy the moles from Saz贸n, as well as their salsas, because they offer bottled versions for sale online! My husband got on his computer the minute we returned to our hotel room and ordered a three-pack of the mole negro (they are now, for some odd reason, sitting in a neat arrangement above him on the headboard of our bed, but I am sure we will eventually get to open one!):
While you ponder the possibilities of cooking with mole, I will leave you with one last photo, taken just around the corner from Saz贸n earlier in the day:
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| My husband standing in front of a monstrously huge old cottonwood tree in Santa Fe. |
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