Category: Travel / Restaurants

5 Reasons to Visit Taos

Posted on by Jon

Luxury travel website Tripveel released its latest “5 Reasons to Visit . . .” feature today with 5 Reasons to Visit Taos.  We especially love #3: Yes, The Blonde Bear Tavern.

Located within Edelweiss Lodge & Spa—The Blonde Bear Tavern personifies the unique personality of Taos Ski Valley like no other. Chef Jon Mudder has transformed this once-sleepy restaurant into a world-class destination that is now known throughout the Rocky Mountains for its critically-acclaimed food.

Read the whole thing here.  Their Instagram post is here.

Tripveel is powered by Booking.com and OpenTable, part of the Priceline Group.

The Blonde Bear Tavern Earns TripAdivsor’s 2017 Certificate of Excellence

Posted on by Jon

 

I’m pleased to announce that TripAdvisor has informed us that The Blonde Bear Tavern has just earned its 2017 Certificate of Excellence “based on the consistently great reviews you’ve earned on TripAdvisor.”

Of all the reviews written about us during the past ski season, 79 percent were 5-star reviews, the most in Taos Ski Valley.

Thanks to all of you and we promise not to rest on our laurels!

Taking Sabbatical: The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa

Posted on by Jon

Hyatt

With the extensive construction of the new Taos Ski Valley hotel across the street, we decided last spring to close the Edelweiss Lodge and Spa – along with its two restaurants – for the summer. So with nothing to do this during this time, I reached out to friend and Executive Chef Cheryl Scantlebury of IMG_0073the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa. I know Chef Cheryl because we both procure our beef from the same New Mexico ranch – Four Daughters Land and Cattle. “Why don’t you hang out with us this summer?” she asked. Why not?

The resort resides on the beautiful Santa Ana Pueblo, located between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, along the banks of the Rio Grande River, with the majestic Sandia Mountains serving as backdrop. The Pueblo, named “Tamaya” in the native language, administers a total reservation land of 79,000 acres, of which 550 comprise the resort and the Twin Warriors Golf Course.

The Corn Maiden
The Corn Maiden

The Hyatt Regency Tamaya offers a creative dining scene with unique restaurants. These are some of the best restaurants in the Southwest and feature fresh, seasonal foods that are good for guests, good for the community, and good for the planet.

Santa Ana Café Patio
Santa Ana Café Patio

Guests can kick off their morning with a hearty breakfast at the Santa Ana Café and settle into a relaxing dinner on the patio after a day of golf or horseback riding. The Corn Maiden, serving regional inspired cuisine with a hint of international flavors, is a local favorite for special occasions. There is also the Rio Grande Lounge and the Atush Bar & Grille, where guests enjoy views of the ninth and eighteenth holes of Twin Warriors Golf Course.

View from the Atush Bar & Grille
View from the Atush Bar & Grille
Chef Cheryl Scantlebury
Chef Cheryl

The culinary program is under the quite capable auspices of Chef Cheryl, who has assembled an impressive leadership team: Executive Sous Chef Patrick; and Chefs Charity (Pastries), Eric (Corn Maiden), Jonathan (Santa Ana Café), Matthew (Banquets), and Noe (Garde Manger).

Most of my time has been spent between the Corn Maiden and the Santa Ana Café. At the Corn Maiden, I have focused on the grill and the restaurant’s signature rotisseries. The Santa Ana Café is really the workhorse restaurant of the resort, providing breakfast, lunch, and

Vegan Special
Vegan Special

dinner for guests. The Café also provides a daily vegan special, which is also dairy- and gluten-free. Design and preparation of the vegan special is typically part of my daily routine.

The culinary team has recently planted two large vegetable gardens on the property, along with new fruit trees and a beautiful herb garden. You can’t get any fresher than this. I have used vegetables and herbs from the gardens countless times to create the day’s vegan special.

IMG_0068
Weeding in the Melon Patch
Chefs in the Garden
Chefs in the Garden

It’s been a wonderful experience for me.  Everyone at the resort has been friendly and helpful. It’s been a time to work on cooking fundamentals – culinary boot camp if you will – and I’m becoming a better professional because of it.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

 

RELATED:

 

FURTHER READING:

 

 

 

Huffington Post: Taos Ski Valley Should be on Your Bucket List

Posted on by Jon
PETER PTSCHELINZEW/GETTY IMAGES
PETER PTSCHELINZEW/GETTY IMAGES

So says Food Editor Allison Spiegel, on Monday’s Huffington Post post entitled “Bucket List Places You Need To See In The Next Decade“.

“The world will look very different in the next decade than it does today. For travelers, this means the time to explore is now. . .  Before our world’s landscape changes even more, here are the destinations that should go straight to the top of your bucket list in the next decade.”

Besides Taos Ski Valley, she recommends:

  • The Philippines
  • Macedonia
  • Elqui Valley, Chile
  • Great Barrier Reef
  • Malawi
  • Bolivia
  • Maldives
  • Mongolia
  • Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, Thailand

Plus this:

“Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico is so much more than just a ski mountain. Rugged and remote, Taos is famous for its breathtaking scenery and the “legendary light” that has inspired artists like Georgia O’Keeffe. Taos has always had a sort of mystique about it. In 2013, billionaire Louis Bacon bought the mountain from its founders the Blake family, promising this lovably weathered mountain would get a “much-needed shot in the arm,” as The New York Times put it. This year, a chair lift opened to Kachina Peak, which had previously only been accessible by a hike. Thirty-five acres of new tree skiing opened, too, and the village’s ski lodge also got an upgrade. Ski Taos in the next 10 years to take advantage of these new developments, and also to experience the unique charm of the place while it lasts.”

Read the whole thing.

 

 

The Best Breakfast Burrito in New Mexico?

Posted on by Jon

New Mexico magazine wants to know.  The publication has named the state-wide finalists and is asking readers to vote for their favorite.

Café Naranja has been named one of the finalists.  You can vote for your favorite by clicking here.

Breakfast Burrito at Café Naranja
Breakfast Burrito at Café Naranja

To celebrate the breakfast burrito’s success and its New Mexico heritage, the magazine has created the “New Mexico True Breakfast Burrito Byway.”

You can vote for as many as 10 of your favorites each day of the voting period.  You can submit only one ballot each day.

Cafe NaranjaThe finalists are listed in alphabetical order.  Once you’ve made your ten or fewer choices be sure to scroll to the bottom of the list and hit the “Submit” button.

And remember you can submit a new ballot every day! Voting ends at 11:45pm this Sunday, May 18.

Cast your vote each day by clicking here.

 

 

World’s 10 Best Ski Towns for Foodies

Posted on by Jon

Fodor's

 

From Fodor’s:

“At far too many ski areas across North America, the slopeside food options are dismal, consisting of little more than hamburgers, pizza, and wings eaten off plastic trays. But that doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, some of the world’s best ski areas are known as much for their food as for their slopes and snowfall. For apres-ski cocktails overlooking the French Alps in Courchevel to a multicourse meal at the top of Telluride, here’s where we go to ski and savor.”

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  1. Courchevel, France
  2. Stowe, Vermont
  3. Whistler, British Columbia
  4. Vail, Colorado
  5. Zermatt, Switzerland
  6. Niseko, Japan
  7. Telluride, Colorado
  8. Cortina, Italy
  9. Park City, Utah
  10. Taos, New Mexico

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Plus this:

“The low-key resort of Taos has a surprisingly good mix of restaurants, which are deeply rooted in Southwest and Mexican cuisine but it’s easy to find French, Italian, and Asian food too. “

 

Read the whole thing here.

 

 

New Mexico’s Top Chefs

Posted on by Jon

 

new-mexico-magazine-300x75

 

A James Beard Award is considered by many to be the most prestigious recognition an American food professional can achieve.  As the foundation notes on its website:

“The Beard Awards are the highest honor for food and beverage professionals working in North America.  The awards are presented each spring at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.  Nominees and winners are fêted at a weekend of events in New York City that has become the social and gastronomic highlight of the year.”

The 2013 James Beard awards were announced earlier this month.  So in the latest edition of  New Mexico magazine, Cheryl Alters Jamison writes about New Mexico’s previous winners and nominees, who “have put the state on the national culinary map.”  They include:

Winners:

 

Nominees:

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Jamison ends the article with “Chefs to Watch”, including this:

Jon Mudder: The Blonde Bear Tavern and Café Naranja, Edelweiss Lodge and Spa, Taos Ski Valley  The chef-restaurateur was the driving force behind a much-loved but now-closed Greenwich Village trattoria, Bellavitae. According to many reports, Mudder has been raising the quality of food at the Edelweiss restaurants to levels that approach to TSV’s altitude. Expect mountain comfort food here, with European and New Mexican touches. 106 Sutton Place; (800) 458-8754; edelweisslodgeandspa.com/dining

 

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The seven “Chefs to Watch” include:

 

Read the entire article here.

New Mexico’s culinary arena, with its world-class restaurants, wineries, ranches, cooking schools, and distilleries, is fascinating to explore.  Click on a few of the links above and investigate for yourself.

Be enchanted.

 

 

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The Mozza Cookbook: Another Winner from Nancy Silverton

Posted on by Jon

Nancy Silverton was a frequent guest at Bellavitae and I always loved to see her.  Her talented daughter Vanessa and gregarious father Lawrence were also wonderful to have in the restaurant.  Better yet was when the three of them came together!

Nancy is co-owner of Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and Mozza2Go in Los Angeles, where she makes her home.  She was the founder of the La Brea Bakery and formerly owned and operated Campanile restaurant (recipient of the 2001 James Beard Award for Best Restaurant).

She is the author of A Twist of the Wrist (which includes Bellavitae’s recipe for Piquillo Peppers with Tuna), Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book, Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery (recipient of a 2000 Food & Wine Best Cookbook Award), Nancy Silverton’s Breads from the La Brea Bakery, and Desserts.

Nancy trained at London’s Le Cordon Bleu and Les Ecole Le Nôtre in Plaisir, France.   In 1982, Wolfgang Puck hired her as pastry chef for Spago, the restaurant that helped jump-start Californian cuisine.

Here is Amazon’s description of Nancy’s latest endeavor, The Mozza Cookbook, co-authored by Matt Molina and Carolynn Carreno, to be released on September 27:

Nancy Silverton has one of the most brilliant résumés in the culinary world, and is currently the owner/chef of the two hottest restaurants in Los Angeles, Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza.  With The Mozza Cookbook she brings us the delicious, wildly popular dishes from these eateries—as exciting and satisfying as anything you might be served in the heart of Italy.

Silverton takes us through a full Italian meal:  stuzzichini (appetizers), latticini (mozzarella bar), antipasti, pizza, primi (pasta), secondi (meat and fish), contorni (sides), and dolci (desserts).  The recipes range from familiar, simple tomato sauces, Garlic Crostini, Margherita and Funghi Misti pizzas, and Mussels al Forno with Salsa Calabrese to more intricate dishes like Fried Squash Blossoms with Ricotta, Burrata with Leeks Vinaigrette and Mustard Breadcrumbs, Grilled Whole Orata with Fresh Herbs and Olio Nuovo, and Olive Oil Gelato.

The detailed, easy-to-follow recipes; the author’s lively, encouraging voice; and her intimate, comprehensive knowledge of the traditions behind this delectably decadent cuisine make this the ultimate must-have Italian cookbook.

One commonality of Nancy’s cookbooks is, well, the recipes work.  She is meticulous in most everything she does, which is reflected in her cookbooks.  I’ve pre-ordered mine and saved 35%, which you can do by clicking here.

The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles’s Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, with an introduction by Mario Batali, promises to be another winner from Nancy Silverton.

 

Further Reading:

 

 

Rome’s Restaurant Week coming in November

Posted on by Jon

During Rome Restaurant Week, some of the city’s top restaurants will be offering three-course, gourmet meals from €25.00 per person (drinks not included).  The offering begins November 15th and continues through November 21st.

The restaurants have been chosen according to their reviews in the Gambero Rosso and Michelin Guides, the Slow Food Guide and L’Espresso magazine.  Restaurants with more than 75 points in the Gambero Rosso Guide will charge an extra €10.00 per person and those with Michelin stars will charge an extra €10.00 per star.

To find participating restaurants and book reservations, visit the Rome Restaurant Week website.  

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