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The Midtown Bistro is a classy addition to Santa Fe’s dining scene. (Eddie Moore/Journal)
When a new restaurant comes to town, I try to give the owner, chef and staff a couple of months to get the glitches worked out before I visit. I do this professionally as the Journal’s restaurant critic for Santa Fe and points north, and personally as a customer who enjoys a good meal well-served. However, I’d heard complimentary things about Midtown Bistro, Santa Fe’s new place to see and be seen, almost since it opened in early December.
This restaurant challenges the popular theory that location means everything. Tucked away on San Mateo near Second Street Brewery and the old Cloud Cliff restaurant, Midtown Bistro lies far from the popular tourist path behind Santa Fe Stone. But the lack of a downtown, Rail Yard or Guadalupe Street address didn’t seem to deter customers, at least not the day friends and I visited for Sunday brunch. The place was packed with old and young. And with good reason. Midtown Bistro is a top-notch operation. Kudos to executive chef Angel Estrada and the staff.
We didn’t have a reservation (who knew?) but were lucky enough to be seated at the last open table for four. A server brought us two types of bread with soft butter to keep starvation away. The fresh coffee and orange juice we ordered arrived quickly, too, keeping us alert as we studied the menu.
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Midtown Bistro LOCATION: 901 W. San Mateo, Suite A, Santa Fe HOURS: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Saturdays; Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. BEER AND WINE |
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I appreciate the variety of Midtown Bistro’s brunch: salads, two soups and a nice assortment of both breakfast and lunch choices. You’ll find breakfast standards – an omelet, steak and eggs or eggs with meat and toast – and lunch-style entrees such as a Cobb salad and a burger. I was tempted by the waffles with fruit compote and bacon. The grilled portobella mushroom salad sounded great. But, finally, I selected a cup of the day’s spinach soup and the calamari with a salad.
Maybe it was the time of day, but the calamari rings reminded me of tiny glazed donuts. They had a lovely crunch and a fabulous lightness that could make you forget they were fried. The greens that came with them had been tossed in a light simple oil and vinegar dressing. This entree ($12) would make a good starter to share and you’ll find it on the menu without the salad ($9).
Eggs Benedict, a mainstay on any brunch menu, shows up here as a meat-free version with soft ripe avocado slices and a bit of tomato to cushion the poached eggs from the toasted English muffin halves. You may add ham for a more traditional approach or order crisp bacon on the side. My friends, who are Eggs Benedict aficionados, declared that this was one of the best versions they’d tried. I thought it was yummy, too. The Reuben sandwich was hardy and fresh, with about a half-inch of meat and tangy sauerkraut. It came with crisp, thin house-made potato chips.
The Bistro is a pleasant spot for brunch, full of the energy of happy guests and the quickly moving staff. The servers were neatly dressed, polite and well-informed. We never had to ask for water or coffee refills. Our waitress knew the menu and answered our questions with a smile, including our inquiry about desserts.
The chocolate layer cake, carrot cake and New York-style cheese cake sounded tempting, but we were delighted with our chocolate mousse and the Tres Leches cake. I’d be inclined to come back for the mousse alone. It was deeply chocolate – not too sweet – rich and arrived beneath a little cloud of whipped cream trimmed with chocolate syrup. The Tres Leches was beautiful, too: a rectangular piece of moist cake topped with whipped cream and swirls of strawberry and mango syrup.
The dinner menu includes appetizers such as vegetable tempura and a cheese plate, several salads, the day’s soup and pasta, two seafood choices, pork chops, a rib-eye steak, rack of lamb and more.
At weekend brunch or weekday lunch, the dining room fills with natural light that adds to its appeal. The color scheme is simple: white walls, a gray insulated ceiling to keep down the noise and red upholstery on the chairs and bancos. At brunch, each table had a vase with fresh tulips. When the weather allows, the restaurant plans to expand to a patio.
Owner Edmund Catanach and chef Estrada garnered years of experience at Santacafe, another of Santa Fe’s memorable restaurants. Their knowledge of the restaurant business is reflected in the quality of food and service at Midtown Bistro. Bravo!
