Familiar Friends

AlwayzReal

I’m sure many of you have those people in your lives, or even places, that feel just right. Maybe you haven’t seen this person for a year, maybe even ten years, but when you get together, it feels like no time at all has passed and it’s smooth and easy.

I have one of those people visiting right now, my longtime friend, Susan. She drove all the way out from Tacoma, WA  to stay with us for just a few short days. We had planned to float the river, maybe take her on a scenic drive through Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu Lake and maybe land in Chama for lunch and squeeze a hike in there too.

Well, as fate likes to do, the weather had other plans. Our float day turned cloudy and horribly windy with thunder and assumed lightning, though we saw none. Tree branches came down, the river looked like it was flowing backwards, some of our awnings came loose and are now in pretzel disarray. Being our friend's birthday, we were determined to do something uniquely fun.

Earlier that morning, she and I had hiked up to the top mesa of Poshuouinge Ruins. I have been up to this stunning site many times and she had made this short and steep trek once herself on another visit. It was perfectly hot and cloudy and wonderful. The forest service has been up there every day for a while now. They are seeding the hills with native grasses, hoping to stave off erosion. It’s very impressive to watch those young men and women heft heavy straw bales and 50 lb sacks of seed all the way up that steep and rugged near mile trail! We also went to the farmers market, though it was small with only a few booths lined up on the shady side. I’m thinking the wind scared off a lot of the would-be vendors. 

We had dinner plans, but found ourselves with time to spare and decided that one of the best places in the Abiquiu valley to spend some pre-dinner cocktail time on a hot and wildly blusterous afternoon, was our very own rooftop deck overlooking the river. It was a great choice and we enjoyed watching the crazy storm pass through.

As for dinner, we chose one of our favorite local gems, The Artesian Restaurant at Ojo Caliente. Like an old friend, this warm and inviting place is easy and smooth. We opted to sit in the bar area instead of the larger, louder and brighter dining room (that requires reservations, FYI). It was nearly full, with locals and visitors alike. Feeling mildly ravenous, we started with the Poblano Fries and my, oh my, these are good! Lightly battered long strips of poblano chiles, crisply crunchy and served with a side dipping sauce of a vinegar concoction with a hint of sweet and spice. The batter was a bit on the salty side, so I thought a savory aioli would be a better compliment and asked for a ramekin of their chipotle mayo. It was the perfect companion, cut the salt a bit and rounded out the chiles nicely.

I ordered the Beet Salad for my entree. This is a huge portion heaped onto a lovely rectangular plate. Arugula was tossed together with toasted pepitas, walnuts, julienned beets, plumply sour cranberries in a slightly sweet raspberry balsamic vinaigrette and topped with a generous portion of a creamy goat cheese. As a rule, I don’t particularly like sweet dressings and this time was no different.  Next time, I’ll ask for it on the side.

The birthday girl went for the Green Chile Cheeseburger.  Ordered medium rare, it came out perfectly. The meat was subtly gamey and the chile added the perfect amount of spice.  A heap of shoestring fries and a large slice of tart pickle rounded out this old standby.

My wife went out on a limb and ordered the Rack of Lamb. This dish was the star of the evening.  It was perfectly roasted in a slightly sweet sherry reduction and served with a flavorful, buttery sweet potato mash. Though the menu indicated it came with broccolini, the asparagus that showed up was preferred by us all, even if it was left on the grill just a minute too long. Looking back at the description, it was listed as a sherry reduction, but those were definitely cherries hiding under the Rack, and they were indeed the perfect ending to the mash up of incredible flavors on the plate. If the food is this good, I don’t mind a few typos on the menu.

My wife’s house made Sangria, my warming and bold Malbec and Susan’s tame Pellegrino, were a perfect pairing for a lovely evening and birthday celebration.

Though this splendid dinner did not disappoint, in my opinion, the use of a little less salt and sugar would elevate this meal to an even higher level of deliciousness. Satiated and full, a sleepy drive home in the comfort of familiar friends, off to bed we went. By the way, the entire decadent meal came out to about $160.