Take in the summer views at the Reunity Resources farm while enjoying the season rewards from Rose’s Kitchen. (Molly Boyle / For the magazine)
Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal
“Summer cooking means obtaining maximum enjoyment,” wrote Elizabeth David in the mid-1950s. That feels truer than ever in 2021. With days shrinking and a swelling pandemic, August is the time to make the most of our season in the sun.
Accordingly, I whiz through Santa Fe like a wild pollinator and enjoyed the sweetest summer nectar the city has to offer. Here are some specifics.
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HAWT PIZZA CO .: “There is no good pizza in Santa Fe,” was the standard complaint of local food snobs just a few years ago. That became an outdated proposition with the arrival of Bruno’s wood-fired “The Biz” truck and the Tender Fire pop-up at the El Rey Inn. Then, this spring, the Hawt Pizza Co. from Albuquerque set up shop in the Low ‘n Slow Bar of the Chimayó Hotel, where everyone can fight for their money.
With two Hawt pizzas to take away, a recently opened tailgate in front of the opera turned into a stress-free midsummer night’s dream. The Low ‘n Slow’s 850-degree wood-burning oven makes a beautifully bubbly 12-inch “neo-Neapolitan” style cake. The margherita ($ 15) is coated in a flavorful, signature pomodoro sauce and topped with immaculate mozzarella platters topped off with Italian olive oil and basil.
The Norteño ($ 19) gives you more scorched, perfectly crispy ezzo peppers per square inch than anywhere else, along with flavorful chunks of Keller’s Farms Italian sausage, mushrooms, and righteous green chilli. Try a dash of Mike’s Hot Honey ($ 2) on any cake to hit this savory-sweet place. These airy, bubbly pies pretty much scream for summer – and the thin crust is massive enough to withstand any take-away wetness.
When you dine at Low ‘n Slow, you’ll benefit from particularly friendly, gentle service and one of the best drinks in town: the serrano-infused Chimayóso margarita with apricot liqueur and red chilli rim ($ 13).
TONIC: Speaking of fine cocktails, head to the gorgeous Art Deco style bar on Water Street and pretend you’re overlooking the Pacific with the Seaside Negroni ($ 12). Owner mixologist Winston Greene gives the classic a twist with Cardamaro – a nutty, milder wine-based Amaro enriched with cardoon thistle and artichoke – along with salt water, bitters and navy blue gin.
Enjoy it with Tonic’s new menu, which changes depending on the freshness. Main items include steak fries with sage fries and chimichurri, as well as the Wagyu and Angus burger on an English buttermilk muffin ($ 16). The burger is a double punch made from two 3-ounce patties supplied by local suppliers Beck & Bülow. It is topped with an heirloom tomato slice and caramelized onion jam and served with apple and fennel coleslaw alongside homemade chips.
SANTACAFÉ and SASSELLA: For some, summer means lobster – even if you’re inland. If crustacean crustaceans are your thing, both Santacafé and Sassella are for you.
Santacafé serves its juicy Maine Lobster Rolls ($ 24) on newsprint so you can feel like you are at a mom and pop stand on the east coast. The two buttered rolls are excellent with tarragon, a dash of tartar sauce, and a tangle of mixed greens that pops with light-colored slices of watermelon radish.
“In Lombardy,” the Sassella menu boasts, “risotto is a religion and no one does it better than Chef Pontiggia.” Chef Cristian Pontiggia, who comes from Lombardy, picks up his extravagant lobster risotto (US $ 31) wonderful pieces of white meat accented by parmesan, fontina and a nutty pistachio-rocket pesto. This is a summer treat that we hope will last into the fall. Amaro lovers should also try Sassella’s Negroni and Amaro flights ($ 14-25).
ROSES KITCHEN: Reunity Resources, the non-profit farm in the green fields near Agua Fria, is really the place to be for the summer. In addition to the weekly bounties at the farm stand on Tuesdays and Saturdays, the Rose’s Kitchen food truck is open from farm-to-table six days a week.
Chef Ilana Rose Blankman squeezes the essence of summer out of every vegetable on this vegan-friendly menu (which also includes locally grown meat). Check the daily table for a changing selection of ultra-seasonal veggie galettes and colorful lavash wraps.
The banh mí on the left in Rose’s Kitchen is made with pulled pork or sliced tofu, while the colorful vegetable wrap on the right contains the freshest vegetables. (Molly Boyle / For the magazine)
New to the menu is Banh Mí with pulled pork (or sliced tofu) at Talus Wind Ranch ($ 10- $ 12). It is served on a crispy baguette with ginger cabbage salad, aioli and sliced cucumber, with a rich side salad and corn chips. Enjoy it at outdoor tables overlooking the rows of towering sunflowers, an image of endless summer that you can look back on by next year.
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