Food for Father's Day - SantaFe.com

This Sunday, we celebrate Father’s Day, honoring the fathers and father figures in our lives. Considering that Father’s Day didn’t become an official holiday until more than 50 years after Mother’s Day was established (in 1914), it’s important to express our gratitude on this day, in ways our fathers will always treasure. Consider going beyond the cliched necktie and golf tee gifts this year and treat your dad to a meal he’ll remember, whether it’s a Father’s Day brunch, prime rib in a Santa Fe steakhouse, tapas and traditional Spanish sherry. Here are a few ideas to consider, and while you still have a few days to plan, it’s always wise to make reservations in advance. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, including those no longer with us.

If a celebratory brunch is on the menu, head over to Midtown Bistro for a special Father’s Day version. The menu includes grilled steak and eggs with potato hash; grilled petite petite filet mignon with green chile mashed potatoes, green beans and demi glaze; and a five-ounce burger topped with bacon, mozzarella and green chile with parsley fries. Perfect for the man who loves meat and potatoes. But if your father favors seafood, you’ll find it here, too. Try pan-seared halibut with spring vegetable risotto and saffron buerre blanc, or Pacific Blue Crab cakes with mango salsa and lemon aioli. There’s even beer-battered Alaskan cod fish and chips with jalapeno tartar sauce and citrus cole slaw. The dad with a sweet tooth will rightly opt for mascarpone-stuffed French toast served with fresh berries, smoked bacon and Vermont maple syrup.

For a more traditional meat-and-potatoes meal, treat dad to dinner at Rio Chama, Santa Fe’s go-to steakhouse, where the Prime rib will suite the occasion perfectly. The ribeye roast is first brined with herbs and spices for a full 48 hours, then grilled and slow-roasted. Next, it’s plated with mashed potatoes, horseradish cream, jus and green beans, most likely the way dad has eaten this dish over the years. Among the other options, consider elk tenderloin, a hearty dish served with potato salad, purple sauerkraut and a sauce made of juniper berries and port wine. Or, dig into a South Dakota bison burger, or an open-faced red-chile blackened Prime rib sandwich with sauteed mushrooms and asadero on garlic bread. Throw in a side of truffle fries and you’ve got a gourmet meal that’s a terrific tribute to dad.

Joseph’s Culinary Pub is a great place to salute your dad with creative fare that’s hearty and delicious. A signature dish here, Steak au Poivre gained national acclaim when it was on the menu at Chef/owner Joseph Wrede’s first restaurant, Joseph’s Table in Taos. The flavorful beef tenderloin is coated with black pepper, perfectly cooked and served with Madeira mushrooms, veal demi and potato purée. Equally hearty, the boneless braised beef short rib is served with a delectable red chile demi, carrot -green chile salsa, mango pico de gallo and warm corn tortilla chips. Pair either delectable dishes with a glass of Kermit Lynch Cypress Cuvee Cotes Du Rhone and your father will be grateful for your gift.

More meat is on the menu at Hotel Santa Fe’s Amaya, but first begin with the house specialty Manhattan, crafted with Taos Lightning Rye Whiskey, whiskey barrel-aged bitters and sweet vermouth. Be sure you’ve brought your appetite, as you’ll be dining on grilled ribeye, spiced and charred and served with grilled asparagus and citrus chutney, pea and little gem salad with farro and pecorino. Or try the pan-seared venison medallions, accompanied by roasted purple potatoes, artichoke hearts, herbed tomatoes and a reduction of soy and orange. You could also venture to order wildberry and guajillo glazed duck breast with flagolet beans, applewood smoked bacon, spinach and berry veal reduction. Whatever you choose, Chef Walter Dominguez’s innovative fare will leave you happy and full.

At La Boca, you and your dad can share some outrageously good tapas, including the New Mexico Flat Iron Steak, which tastes delicious on its own but, when drizzled with the house-made smoked sea salt caramel sauce, is just crazy good. Try, too, the chorizos Iberico with mustard seed caviar and grilled artichokes dressed up with goat cheese and a refreshing mint-orange zest. Go all out—why not, it’s Father’s Day—and add an order of Chef James Campbell Caruso’s justly famous paella, a panful of shrimp, chicken, chorizo, rioja, sofrito, peas and sweet-tinged saffron rice. Don’t miss the opportunity to enhance your meal with a glass of jerez, or authentic sherry from Cadiz, where jerez is a protected designation of origin, made mostly from Palomino grapes. Your server will happily pair the right Spanish sherry with your dishes, and you’ll be amazed by the complex layers of flavor in each sip.

If you have plans during the day with dad, wind things down in the late afternoon or early evening with a cocktail and a snack on the glorious rooftop at the Drury Plaza Hotel’s Bar Alto. Admire the endless sky and views of Santa Fe, or take in the fiery sunset, as you sip a handcrafted cocktail, the Mezcalera, made with mezcal, blanco tequila, lime orgeat and peychaud bitters, or the Mighty Moose, a concoction of rye, green chartreuse, fernet, lemon and cinchona bitters. Share an appropriate plate of Papa Cigale y Familia, Cajun crawfish etouffee layered with cheese, tomatoes, tortilla chips, scallions, jalapeno and cilantro. Or, dig into the Aleman, a hearty serving of German beer-marinated brats on buns with mustard and house-made sauerkraut. Be adventurous and go for the Drunken Caiman Mini Kabobs, skewers of Gulf of Mexico marshland alligator tail meat marinated in tequila, orange liquor, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and honey. As the sun goes down on a perfect day, your dad undoubtedly will be pleased that you treated him to some of Santa Fe’s best fare.

This article was posted by Cheryl Fallstead

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