The Turquoise Trail Bar & Grill offers a good meal at a good price. (Journal File)
I have a friend who’s always looking for a good deal when it comes to food, especially when saving money also involves eating meat. So Buffalo Thunder’s promotion of $10 prime rib at its Turquoise Trail restaurant caught his attention. He persuaded me to tag along. I’m glad I did.
Turquoise Trail is one of at least four restaurants at the Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino. You’ll find it down the escalator, past a herd of flashing, clinking slot machines. (It has nothing to do with the historic Turquoise Trail that takes you to the communities of Cerrillos and Madrid.)
Although the restaurant is open to the casino where many patrons smoke, I was pleased to discover that the dining room didn’t smell smoky, at least not on the afternoon of our visit. (By law, all restaurants in New Mexico are smoke free.) The ambience? A designer’s replica of a diner, with the addition of a giant-screen television that dominates the room and at least seven other smaller television monitors, all receiving various sporting events with the sound on mute. Thank goodness!
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Turquoise Trail Bar & Grill LOCATION: 30 Buffalo Thunder Trail, Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, 15 minutes north of Santa Fe off U.S. 84/285, 505-455-5555 HOURS: 11 a.m.-midnight Sundays-Thursdays (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.); 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays FULL BAR |
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When I asked, the smiling hostess said she was from Nambé Pueblo and, of course, knew my friends who live there. She seated us, offered menus and took drink orders. We saw her periodically during our time at the restaurant, seating other customers and busing tables, working hard. On this Sunday afternoon the restaurant was busy, probably three-quarters of the booths and tables filled. Our sweet hostess and two waiters had a challenging job to handle us all, and they did their best and kept a good attitude. On Internet food sites I’ve noticed some griping about the service, but it got the job done without too much delay. The style seemed appropriate to the casualness of the restaurant.
In keeping with the décor, the menu features mostly comfort food, which for a northern New Mexico clientele wisely includes regional favorites with red and green chile. The chile here is surprisingly good. I tried both red and green with my pot-roast burrito, and liked them, especially the fresh taste of the green. The burrito, filled with tender beef (that did taste like pot roast) and pinto beans, was plenty for two meals. It arrived overflowing from the big flour tortilla, nicely garnished with fresh iceberg lettuce and diced tomato. At $8, it was a deal.
The prime rib, the reason we’d come, was good too, and my friend ate with gusto. I found it a little on the fatty side, but he explained that fat adds flavor. It arrived medium rare as requested, and the serving was ample. The meat came with a large baked potato dressed with bacon bits, chives, butter and sour cream in plentiful proportion. The slice of beef sat on top of the vegetables, green beans and overcooked zucchini. But never mind; for $10, the meat and potato alone are a good value.
We also ordered a cup of the soup of the day, clam chowder. Unlike some chowders that are mostly potatoes with a few clams for show, this soup had no discernible potato pieces. Instead, it featured an abundance of little clams in a broth with a touch of cream. Not too rich; not too heavy. Nicely done. You’ll also find fajitas, burgers, fish and chips, a T-bone, nachos, Caesar salad, grilled salmon, enchiladas and more. If you want a challenge, the Blast Resort, a 6-pound hamburger, is free if you eat it all in the specified time. Yikes.
Desserts, like most of the menu, celebrate classic diner fare and include a banana split, chocolate cake and apple pie. We tried what seemed the most unusual, pound cake with a rum sauce and sliced apples. The cake was dry but pretty with the caramel-colored drizzle of sweet rum sauce. The soft cooked apples added a nice touch. The dessert came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, all served attractively on an oblong plate. Good effort goes into concocting something like this.
Considering the portion sizes and the average or higher quality of the food, Turquoise Trail is a bargain. Our lunch for two, with one Coke and half my burrito in a “to-go” box, was $32.40 with tax before the tip.
