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With its beautiful grounds and rich history, Bishop’s Lodge Resort has been a fixture in Santa Fe for generations. Traditionally, this was the spot where locals came to celebrate a special occasion, mixing with the lodge’s clientele of upscale tourists.
A recent visit for dinner confirmed that food and service are back to first-class status here. Based on an elegant meal friends and I enjoyed, I recommend the restaurant to anyone with some extra dollars to spend and an evening to devote to good food and service. The dining room features beamed ceilings, soft lighting and, after dark, a view of farolitos along the outdoor deck.
Chef Christopher McLean’s fall/winter menu is in place, and it is filled with wonderful and unusual choices. I didn’t try everything, but everything I tried was worth going back for. And, as a nice outreach, locals can order appetizer, entrée and dessert for $34. Considering that entrées range from $21 for an unusual vegetarian plate to $37 for a meat-filled Mountain Man platter, the deal is a wonderful opportunity to return to Bishop’s Lodge or try it for the first time.
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Las Fuentes Restaurant LOCATION: Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa, 1297 Bishop’s Lodge Road, Santa Fe, 505-629-4822 HOURS: Breakfast, 7-10 a.m.; lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner, 2-9 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. FULL BAR |
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While everything my three friends and I ordered was better than average, I’ll start with my favorite course of the evening: dessert. We each had something different, each sweet treat delicious and beautiful. My favorite was the buttermilk pana cotta with grapefruit sorbet. It might sound odd, but the taste was audacious: smooth light custard at room temperature topped with the icy bittersweet tang of grapefruit.
The banana parfait, layered with vanilla wafers, arrived on a plate instead of in a parfait glass with a tease of peanut brittle on the side. The flourless chocolate cake with almond ice cream, plated with festive chocolate swirls, looked as good as it tasted. And the apple barrel, a vertical apple pie made from Bishop’s Lodge’s own apples and served with a bit of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, matched the season perfectly.
If it hadn’t been for the “locals’ special,” and my curiosity, I would have passed on desserts since my appetizer and entrée had left me nicely satisfied. I’m glad I tried them so I can recommend them to you.
We all started our meal with something different. The hearty Santa Fe Masa Soup featured chicken, corn, black beans, a bit of fresh cilantro and a broth enriched with mild cotija cheese. Garnished with crisp tortilla strips, it made a warm and hearty appetizer.
We sampled two salads: a beautiful beet salad with fresh greens, a bit of mint and local feta; and the Pistachio Blue Salad, a unique mix of arugula, jicama and soft butter lettuce tossed with candied pistachios and blue cheese and finished with a light vinaigrette. The crab cake, although less adventurous, was good too.
Entrées include four seafood choices, chicken, duck, quail, beef and lamb. I had trouble deciding what to order, but our good-natured, well-informed waiter included a dish called Tasting of Local Lamb in his recommendations. This was an interesting buffet-on-a-plate combination of flavorful and slightly spicy lamb chile, a small blue corn enchilada, a tamale with tender lamb shoulder meat inside and a petite serving of rice, squash and red peppers. Each offering was delicious and unusual.
My friends were equally pleased with their choices. The Mountain Man, another creative combination plate, is sure to please a meat eater. The elk tenderloin was fork tender and the buffalo chipotle sausage was lean and well-seasoned. But the star of this meal was the rabbit pot pie, served in its own single-serving cast-iron skillet. The pot pie is a stellar creation, worth a ribbon in a cook-off somewhere.
Like the lamb and the Mountain Man, the vegetarian plate here also provides a fine sampling of treats: a quinoa and couscous relleno, the corn and green chile tamale and a crisp mushroom flauta. The least-fancy award went to our seafood entrée, the salmon. This looked rather ordinary, a dish of fish with potatoes and broccoli, but the pizzazz came in the luscious flavors.
Our waiter and his assistants treated us like welcome guests, anticipating our requests, answering questions with a smile, reappearing with regularity but never intrusive. In addition to our party, the restaurant was hosting two tables of eight or 10 and a party of two. Chef McLean visited each group of guests, welcoming us all and asking how we liked the food. A very classy touch!
