Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Art + Food at Geronimo!

While in Sante Fe a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of dining at Geronimo, an upscale eatery located on the ever-popular Canyon Road in the midst of some of the countries best art galleries. Walking into the restaurant, a space that consisted of many cozy rooms housing small groups of tables or the bar, I could deduce that where people now consumed elaborately designed plates of food, they had once gazed at intricate and sophisticated exhibitions. And, in fact, there is still very much artwork on the walls. The same local and internationally famed artists whose works hang in the bordering galleries also find their way in here.
Beyond the artwork, I was particularly struck by the more traditional aspects of the evening. The service was delightful; a young gentleman served us promptly in the bar room, unaffected by the fact that we merely wanted a few items rather than an entire, multi-coursed meal.

The menu was eclectic and extensive, with options ranging from veal to soft shell crabs to elk. Preparations were also extremely diverse: a tartare here, a homey vegetarian dish there. The myriad ingredients—albeit a particular spice or ethnic bend—easily transcended us from the mountainous West and exposed our taste buds to the entire world.

A favorite dish of mine was the Fiery Vietnamese Chile and Honey Grilled Mexican White Prawns with Almond Jasmine Rice Cakes, Baby Frisee, Red Onion Salad, and Yuzu Basil Oil. WOW! The mix of flavors—spicy punch from the chile rub, fragrant and mellow rice—and textures—the crisp outside of the rice cake and the wiry greens and the smooth shrimp—made for an easy plate to retire to the Clean Plate Club. I was truly astonished by how much I adored the entire flavor profile of the dish.

It led me to consider how I could recreate this fanciful platter in my own home. I widdled down the spicy shrimp to a Sriracha-based preparation, and the micro greens were easy to re-create (just purchase fantastically fresh baby salads, and you are golden). The rice cake, my favorite aspect, took some trial and error but proved to be fairly simple. See sidebar for recipe!

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