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The upstairs bar and restaurant space on Lincoln Avenue known for decades as the Ore House was a long-time favorite hangout for locals and visitors. The Ore House lost its lease, changed its name to The Ore House at Milagro, and moved nearby to San Francisco Street. The old restaurant space has been beautifully remodeled, cleaned up and re-envisioned. The attractive result holds promise as an up-and-coming downtown watering hole and/or a place to get a bite to eat. The 4,000-square foot space has room for 175 diners and promises live music this summer.
Now known as the Thunderbird Bar and Grill, the restaurant has been open since October serving lunch, dinner and a bar menu. Friends and I visited recently and concurred that the space looks more inviting than it has for years thanks to great lighting and a redesign that opened the floor plan. And the prices, while not the lowest in Santa Fe, are legitimate for one of the city’s prime locations. Once the weather warms up and the downtown hotels begin to fill, I bet you a cool glass of lemonade that the Thunderbird balcony will be jammed from lunch time through last call.
The temperature was near freezing when we arrived last week, but our server still asked if we wished to sit on the balcony. Deciding to save that experience for later, we opted for the large main dining room, a large, welcoming space with warm stone walls and Southwestern décor including kachinas, a mural of Mother Earth and Father Sun and a large bar area. A second dining room – fans of the old Ore House may recall it as the room with the fireplace – adjoins the first. (The fireplace is gone.)
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Thunderbird Bar and Grill LOCATION: 50 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe, 505-490-6550 HOURS: 11 a.m.-midnight Mondays-Saturdays; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays FULL BAR |
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Owner Armand Ortega, a long-time Santa Fe businessman, also has put some attention into the drinks, stocking a large selection of tequilas, as well as New Mexico beers and wines.
The menu is standard fare for Santa Fe: steaks, burgers and some Southwestern-style choices. We started with a special, an appetizer that combined crisp, breaded and fried calamari with an assortment of fried veggies ($9). The serving was plenty for the four of us as a shared starter, and I liked the addition of the vegetables to the squid rings and tentacles. The combo came with standard tartar sauce and a refreshing, spicy, chile lime dip.
We also sampled the mac and cheese with green chile ($11). This comfort food benefited from the subtle picante twist. The chile was flavorful, but spooned on with a gentle hand. I liked the creamy cheese sauce, the use of penne pasta instead of regular macaroni and the crunchy bread crumbs on top. The kitchen staff split the order into two bowls for easier sharing – a nice, customer-friendly touch. When we commented on the huge serving size, our waitress speculated that the chef may have given us a bit more because we were splitting, but there was no extra charge.
Entree servings also were generous. The steak tacos ($16) consisted of three large tacos built on flour tortillas. The meat was topped with pickled onions and avocado, and served with lime wedges and a drizzle of sour cream with salsa, pinto beans and rice on the side. The meat was tender and plentiful, but for my taste the pickled onions overpowered the steak. Next time, I’ll ask for them to be omitted. These tacos reminded me of fajitas without the grilled peppers.
The enchiladas ($14) also got mixed reviews. We ordered a combo of cheese, chicken and steak with green chile and a side of red. The chile here reminded me of something you’d find in California. Not bad, but a shock to my expectations of traditional northern New Mexican chile. The soft zucchini plated with them was OK, and as with the tacos, the beans and rice were hot and tasted freshly cooked.
When I come back to the Thunderbird, I’ll follow my friend’s lead and try steaks and sandwiches. The rib-eye steak ($18) was great, thin but full of flavor. My friend liked it so well, he barely touched the steak fries that came with it, but I can vouch for them. Delicious. And the 8-ounce burger ($11.95) was better than average, too, with nice, juicy but nongreasy ground beef, a fresh bun and fresh garnish. You can also get Kobe beef and mushroom chicken breast burgers. Instead of French fries, we tried the thin, crisp sweet potato fries. We could also have opted for a cup of soup or a salad.
We shared the Thunderbird’s version of crème brûlée for dessert ($8). The custard had a mild lemon and vanilla flavor with a nice crisp brûlée topping. It was larger than the standard version. My friends enjoyed it, but I found it too sweet ($8). When we asked if the coffee was fresh, the waitress volunteered to have some made just for us, and it was great ($2.50).
