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The Junction Restaurant has opened in Santa Fe's Railyard. (Eddie Moore / Journal)
Some Santa Fe restaurant locations have reinvented themselves – same address, different chef, different theme, different clientele. I like the casual good looks of Junction Restaurant, the newest business to inhabit the address in the Railyard that was once home to the Railyard Restaurant and Saloon (and something else before that). I’d describe this incarnation as upscale sports bar.
The food here is fancier than the space. Although the restaurant has been open only about two months, the management, staff and executive chef Megan Tucker seem to have worked out most of the kinks. Friends and I visited twice, and both times the experience was mostly positive.
If you remember the space, you’ll notice that the new owners have simplified the seating, reorganizing it to install a large bar against the south wall and a lovely patio that’s great for lunch or early-evening cocktails, at least for a few more weeks. In addition to seven televisions tuned to sports stations, the decorations includes old photos of trains and comfy booths in wood tones. The high ceiling and hard surface makes this a space place, especially when the room is crowded with intense football fans.
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Junction Restaurant LOCATION: 530 Guadalupe St., Santa Fe, 505-988-7222 HOURS: 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; noon-midnight Sundays FULL BAR |
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I’ve eaten here twice and each time been impressed with the waitresses assigned to my table. They’ve been smart, witty, friendly and provided good company besides getting the food and drinks out correctly. They have made eating here a pleasure.
Junction has ambience and service down well, and the bar was busy both times I ate here. The glitches seem to be in the food. Junction offers a menu of appetizers, sandwiches, salads and a few heavier meals and a bill of specials that change weekly. My friends and I had some winning appetizers and entrees, but also ordered some dishes that need rethinking or replacing.
I liked the dumplings, juicy potstickers with a tablespoon or so of ground seasoned pork inside, served with a thick peanut sauce on the side. They arrived hot, gently browned and slightly crisp, presented atop ribbonlike swirls of orange carrot and white radish. Very nice, and more upscale that one would expect from a sports bar ($11).
The Huevos Diablos ($6), Junction’s version of deviled eggs, were a pleasure to find on the menu. The filling includes a bit of chipotle to add character, and the presentation features a pretty green cube of avocado on each egg half. The eggs arrive atop the same carrot and radish swirls mentioned earlier. We received five halves, which seemed odd – why not six? What happened to the other half?
Our group of four also shared the nachos ($9). I loved the spicy red chile sauce, a nice change from the traditional pickled jalapeños or salsa. But tasty as it was, the sauce made the chips so soggy we had to eat them with a fork. I liked the generous addition of chopped tomato and lettuce, but if I were in charge, I’d add more cheese, extra chips and maybe offer an optional scoop of guacamole.
On one of my visits, I found a wonderful Antipasto Salad ($12) on the specials menu. It was huge and beautiful, easily a meal in itself or plenty for two or three to share. With arugula as the base, the salad featured red onion, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers and sweet little orange and cherry tomatoes arranged individually around the greens like a salad buffet. The provolone and salami were folded together in rosettes.
The only thing that would have made it better would have been good bread, maybe a warm Italian rosemary focaccia. Junction offers other six other salads, a healthy option you don’t expect in a sports bar.
I also tried another special on another visit, but unfortunately it wasn’t very special. The special roast pork quesadilla with carmelized onions and cheese was mostly tortilla, too skimpy on all the fillings ($12).
In contrast to the quesadilla, the Cali Turkey sandwich ($11) offers a feast of beautiful sunflower sprouts, sliced tender white turkey meat, lettuce avocado, tomato rounds and even bit of green chile. The Green Chile Philly ($11) was another winner – tender beef from slow-cooked ribs, caramelized sliced onions and stringy melted provolone. The sandwiches came with choice of sides, and we tried both the regular fries (good) and the sweet potato fries (very good) and the ginger slaw (wonderful). I didn’t sample the Junction Burger, a staple here, but it looked tasty as it passed by on its way to other tables.
I liked the desserts. The specials menus features a Petit Ice Cream Sandwich ($4) that uses fresh, house-made chocolate chip cookies, a scoop of softened vanilla ice cream and a bit of chocolate sauce. It’s delicious, and just the right size. The pecan brownie sundae ($7) is another winner, a luscious combo of chocolate, nuts, chocolate chips, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and a swirl of chocolate sauce. The cherry crisp ($6), had a great granola-style topping and nice accent of lemon. The deep burgundy of the whole bing cherries added to the appeal, and, with less sugar, it would have been even better.
Junction is off to a good start, and just in time for the football season.
