The Buffalo Thunders - Santa Fe

The final evening of our press trip began with a tour through Buffalo Thunder Resort, located about 15 minutes north of Santa Fe.  After we toured the lobby, the spa and the indoor pool area, we visited the breathtaking Governor's Suite, bi-level accommodations with two bathrooms, an enormous living room with two-story windows and fireplace, multiple bedrooms, and exquisite art and furnishings - often made of natural materials.

Then the group assembled on a wide terrace for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, as roiling clouds that had contained their stormy contents so effectively for the past several days prepared to unleash their fury. Wind whipped across the landscape as thunder growled in the distance.

A sudden gust assaulted the terrace. Pedestal tables teetered, women held down their skirts, and guests grabbed every glass and plate they could carry. The staff ushered the crowd into an adjacent lobby, pulling the portable bar in behind them and, within minutes, the storm 'disappeared' behind thick adobe walls. The storm somehow seemed a fitting tribute to the resort where we shared our last dinner before departing for home.

Afternoon Tasting at Los Mayas, Santa Fe

The turquoise entry door at Los Mayas Restaurante greeted us warmly. So did the staff, particularly current executive chef and owner, Fernando Trillo, who clearly relishes his role as host. Natural light and bright colors continued throughout the old adobe restaurant and onto each plate.

Our tasting menu included nopales - pads from the prickly pear cactus - topped with Ranchera sauce, a tortilla-wrapped plantain smothered in a sweet mole sauce, and the first agave wine I had ever tasted. This rare wine is the 'mother' of tequila and the only variety served with lime.

Fernando's mother started Los Mayas, and recipes from the family's home Mexican state of Puebla are something of a rarity in Santa Fe. The restaurant also offers northern New Mexican dishes such as tri-color enchiladas and enchilada chicken mole and tamale pork red chile.

But the most exquisite part of our visit came when Fernando sat near the head of the table as he played his guitar and sang for us. By the time he ushered us out with kisses and hugs, we felt as if we had dined in a private home.

New Mexico's Original Clay Cookers

The clay cooking pot was shades of brown and black with gold flecks throughout - its design, a cousin of cazuelas from Spain and Romertopf terra cotta clay cookers. Available in Cafe Pasqual's Gallery, Santa Fe, above Cafe Pasqual's, it was crafted by Apache medicine man, Felipe Ortega, who has kept the same price on his piece for 14 years. Several shelves in the tiny gallery held his work, while pots created by a student (and slightly less expensive) lined another wall.

Ortega's breath literally shaped these pots, which sell for $100 per quart. Once fired, the indigenous clay makes each pot microwave, oven, and stove-top safe (although they should not be put in a dishwasher), because of silica that naturally occurs in the clay - a precursor to glass which makes it especially sturdy.

Despite their rugged appearance, Ortega's pots were surprisingly lightweight. Their generations-old design included a ridge near the top that remains cold to the touch, even with hot food sitting inside the 'bowl' of each pot. The indigenous clay also is naturally salty, reducing the need for added salt during food preparation; in fact a pot of beans cooked in one of these pots requires almost no seasoning.

Sometimes, old ways of preparing food are definitely worth a second look.

Happy Hour at Buffalo Thunder Resort

After a long day in which our tour group traveled a handful of different directions, we met at the new *Buffalo Thunder Resort on Pojoaqua Pueblo land outside of Santa Fe for our farewell happy hour and dinner. We arrived on a covered adobe porch where servers offered sangria, wine, and mixed drinks, giant shrimp and bruschetta. Despite the fact that it was late October, early evening began with almost balmy temperatures.

As our now-familiar crowd arrived at staggered intervals, storm clouds thickened and the sky darkened. Only a hint of sunset pierced the gray expanse. The dull roar of thunder accompanied sheets of rain that traveled across the distant sky.

Suddenly, a wave of wind blew across the porch fiercely, carrying the first chilly raindrops of evening. We retrived toppled wine glasses and fallen plates, held down skirt hems, and tried to steady our tables until staff members shooed us inside. A huge wind gust banged the outside door against the inside wall as everyone streamed into the lobby, followed quickly by the rolling bar. Safe inside, we watched, mesmerized, as the storm rolled along before us.

It somehow seemed fitting, given the name of the resort, and a memorable end note to our fabulous week-long adventure.

*Buffalo Thunder Resort is a cooperative venture with Hilton Hotels

Tapas at Santa Fe Plaza

Afternoon sunshine streamed into the tiny restaurant, illuminating white adobe walls, a white antique ceiling and well-worn brick floors. Canelones arrived piping hot, full of lump crab and scallops, and served in a rich, seductive manchego cheese sauce. But we weren't dining in a top flight Italian restaurant. Instead, we sat at small, linen-draped tables in the quaint Santa Fe restaurant space christened La Boca.


Since August 2006 owner, James Campbell Caruso, has created Spanish tapas and Mediterranean food in his restaurant just off the renowned Plaza, and gained a loyal local following And no wonder - Caruso's exburant enthusiasm for his food and his restaurant are infectious. Add on the fact that Zagat restaurant guide editors named La Boca 'one of the area's most notable' and there's good reason to make a reservation before you dine here.


Tapas lovers will find loads of choices, from tuna carpaccio with olives and blood oranges to fried egg with chorizo and potatoes; bruschetta with crimini mushrooms, egg, truffle oil and reggiano; and Gambas al Alcaparra - which combines grilled shrimp with capers, honey, sherry and lemon. Entrees range from sesame crusted salmon to grilled lamb chops and Angus rib eye.


Just be sure you don't over-order the tapas. You'll be amazed how much food fills a single plate.

The Road to Taos

It's been 27 years since I first saw the Rio Grande River coursing through the center of New Mexico, on its way from Colorado's San Juan Mountains. With my car windows open and the radio turned off, I occasionally heard rushing water and glimpsed the glistening river as it catapulted through the ancient stream bed and I sped along interstate 25 towards Taos.

When I drove the 'road to Taos' with my best friend, during our first travel adventure together, the river rolled along to our left as the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo mountains rose majestically beyond our passenger window. Brilliant sun cast sparkles across the Rio Grande and crisp spring air filled the car.

I returned with my family several years later, and we drove through a flat, sage-brush topped landscape on our way to the Rio Grande Gorge - a seemingly bottomless rock cavern in the midst of high desert, and waded, elsewhere, in the shallows. Then, last October, as my husband and I traveled from Santa Fe to Taos, the rushing river greeted us again, a permanent fixture in an ever-changing landscape.

Santa Fe Diner Food

Equal parts American diner, local hangout, visitors' favorite and culinary melting pot, Santa Fe's Plaza Cafe has operated continuously for 80+ years. We walked through the door and stepped back in time, as we viewed a wall covering of broken plates, red upholstered booths, a chalkboard 'specials' menu and a tin ceiling.

Dionysi Trazatos and Beneranda Saiz married and merged their Greek and Mexican culinary heritages with traditional New Mexican dishes and diner fare, when they purchased the restaurant. Today, son Andy still serves homemade Greek, Mexican, New Mexican and American cuisine.

One morning we chowed down on the Greek Canape - an English muffin with spinach, onion, tomato, a poached egg and feta hollandaise sauce, decadent; vanilla and cinnamon-flavored French toast made from challah bread encrusted with sweet cereal; and Enchiladas Divorciados, a corn tortilla stuffed with screambled eggs, avocado and cactus, and served atop spicy tomatillo and smoky Chipotle salsas.

We also tried Papas Fritas, a spicy deep fried potato topped with egg whites, homemade red chile sauce and cream and an awesome N.M. Chile Relleno - a Monterey Jack-stuffed New Mexico green chile cooked in egg batter and then topped with more green chile and cheese. The only problem with our breakfast feast was that, because we wouldn't return to our hotel anytime soon, we couldn't take 'doggie bags' with us. And we'd have to save a taste of Plaza Cafe's remaining menu for another day.

Raw Food Feast at BODY

As interest in raw foods has grown, folks who have long 'eaten raw' delight in sharing recipes. Such is the case at BODY cafe, in Santa Fe, N.M. Lest you think raw food can't possibly be gourmet fare, BODY's menu will quickly change your mind.

BODY's owner, Lorrin Parish, has eaten vegan/raw food since the 1970s. She has more than 250 recipes at her fingertips and an upcoming cookbook titled Raw Holidays. "Raw foods are living foods that still have their natural biological functioning retained or restored," she says.

Thai soup kicked off our meal, with cashews and Brazil nuts, coconut, Thai lime leaves, chile, ginger, and lemon grass. Collard green burritos with rice and Brazil nuts, and jicama sushi, followed. And ultra-rich slivers of chocolate ganache made with raw, hand-ground cacao beans proved ultra-satisfying to even the most diehard chocoholics.

BODY also offers spa services, a boutique full of organic clothing, accessories, gifts, and music; a daycare facility, and a studio for yoga, dance and Nia classes; and hosts special events such as concerts, dance performances, lectures, and workshops. It's a place designed to promote and support optimal health and well-being of body, mind and spirit.

Lobster at Coyote Cafe

Just because you're dining in New Mexico doesn't mean everything you eat will have a Mexican/New Mexican flavor profile. In fact, many Santa Fe restaurants offer a huge variety of options - including the legendary Coyote Cafe.

We tasted multiple dishes that were a feast for the eyes as well as our palates. Maine lobster with Vietnamese chutney was simultaneously gorgeous, tender, sweet and spicy. Chef/owner, Eric DiStefano, also served samples of elk marinated in Negro Modelo Beer with a side of garlic mashed potatoes; and a large ham tortelloni and a sherry mushroom sauce.

Dessert offered a trio of tastes. Pedro Jimenez sherry was the perfect sweet counterpoint to coconut ice cream and torto, a decadent round of chocolate almond and caramel layers between dark chocolate cake, covered with deep, dark chocolate ganache. The striking ambience has plenty of punched copper, natural light, and ribbon-like light fixtures that cast a warm glow across the contemporary space.

So next time you visit the Land of Enchantment, know that the culinary options are broad and creative, with something for every taste.

Santa Fe's Portal Program

It's barely 10 a.m. and dozens of people have already reached the portal at Santa Fe's Palace of the Governors. Individual artisans offer everything from sterling and turquoise bracelets to hand-beaded necklaces, one-of-a-kind sand paintings, and hand thrown pottery. Some artisans make their living at the portal, while others supplement a primary income. Customers arrive with cash and checkbooks in hand - no credit cards allowed.

This is the Portal Native American Artisans Program where upwards of 60 artisans display their exquisite wares on the building's front sidewalk, 360 days per year. More than 900 certified program members from 41 pueblos, tribes, chapters and villages scattered throughout New Mexico and parts of Arizona, participate in a longstanding lottery system for the honor of selling here each day.

And, whether you purchase a clay figure whose paint color comes from spinach, a turquoise-encrusted bola tie, or a refrigerator magnet decorated with a sun god made from sand, each item is guaranteed authentic. Every participant in the portal program follows strict artistic guidelines and, most importantly, signs their work.

New Mexico Light

Ever since Georgia O'Keefe painted Northern New Mexico images in bright, bold brush strokes, the area has been known for the natural light that suffuses every element of life throughout this area. Whether snow blankets the streets of Santa Fe, cholla bloom bright pink against spindly, spiked branches near Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, mid-summer heat bakes the town of Taos or golden leaves decorate trees along the road to Chimayo, bright blue skies provide a frequent backdrop.

Sometimes man-made color pops against Northern New Mexico's natural beauty too. One day, as a friend and I departed a Taos cafe on a surprisingly warm September day, we noticed pink umbrellas above the sunken front patio. My camera and I could not resist this shot.