Whether you go to Taos New Mexico for skiing, a romantic getaway, a family vacation or solo, to hike and read, take notes on these fabulous “eats” in this gem of a getaway destination.
Sabroso Restaurant & Bar:
Sabroso is housed in a 150-year-old adobe in Arroyo Seco just outside Taos on the main road to Taos Ski Valley. Imagine dining fireside with fresh-squeezed margaritas, raw oysters, and wood-grilled steaks and salmon. On one side, you have a lovely adobe-style Mexican restaurant with a fireplace and on the other side, a piano bar where they have live music weekly. The bar is apparently often referred as “Seco’s living room”.
Some of their appetizers include crab cakes with house-made remoulade, fish tacos with shredded cabbage, cheese & fresh pico de gallo, corn tortillas, with roasted habanero salsa on the side, Fried Calamari, served with a honey mustard & romesco sauce, Thai Spring Rolls wrapped in rice paper, wild shrimp, fresh mint, cucumber, scallions, with a sweet spicy Thai dipping sauce and what our host Adriana said we must not leave the restaurant without trying — Fried Portabello Mushroom Strips with a soy-ginger dipping sauce! YUM!
There’s also Fresh Delaware Blue Point Oysters or raw, or served Sabroso style with house-made bacon, parmigiano-reggiano & butter.
They offer fresh salads which is a great accompaniment to any main, such as Caesar Salad with salmon or shrimp, Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese, rouge & golden beets in an apple cider vinaigrette and their Wedge Salad, served with red onion, grape tomatoes and frizzled prosciutto.
For “red meat” mains, they have a Mixed Grill, a Filet Mignon using New Mexico beef in a brandy and green peppercorn reduction, a Colorado Black Angus Rib Eye Steak, Steak Frites New Mexico Style which is rubbed with spicy ancho chile sauce, served with fries and jicama slaw and a Sabroso burger with sweet potato or regular fries.
On the more elaborate side, you can get a Braised Buffalo Short Rib with an Asian sauce, jicama slaw & fries, Hickory-Smoked Baby Back Ribs with barbeque sauce & fries, Sabroso Bouillabaisse, which is essentially a Provencal Fish Stew with mussels, calamari, & other seafood, in a light tomato, herb, & wine broth, with crostini, Liver and Onions with house-made bacon and garlic mashed potatoes, Scottish salmon and Mushroom Ravioli dressed in a fresh tomato sauce with parmigiano-reggiano! OMG – all of it was to die for!
They had a special grouper on the menu that night, with sun dried tomatoes, garlic risotto, chives and butter (below). And, I tried the Cornish Game Hen Confit, served in a Chimayó chile & balsamic rub, stuffed with wild rice, shallots, dried apricot & toasted pistachio.
Desserts were also oh so good…..
The Córdova Room, the main dining room area.
Two thumbs up – we would definitely return. Our only regret was that the night we were there was a night they didn’t have live music – the bar/lounge area was magic!!
Details:
Sabroso Restaurant & Bar
Ski Valley Road
470 State Highway 150
Arroyo Seco, NM
575.776.3333
Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe
Orlando’s is a colorful and authentic Mexican eatery with an open kitchen for enchiladas, fish tacos, margaritas & craft beer.
The ambiance is warm and inviting with tons of bright colors throughout this casual but authentic restaurant.
They even had baked goods, cookies and pies at the counter, which you could order on-site or to take home.
The fare is classic New Mexican and include classic entrees like Grilled Chicken Fajitas, sauteed with onions, red and green peppers, eans, posole, sour cream, guacamole, salsa and torillas, Fish and Shrimp Tacos, topped with cheese and cucumber pico de gallo, Frito Pie, which is a large bowl of beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions with chicken or beef, topped with green, red or chili caribe and Fritos corn chips, or a Grilled Carne Adovada, which are three grilled marinated pork medallions topped with chili caribe, beans, posole and a flour tortilla.
You can also create your own bowl of anything you wish or go totally casual and get the burger with beer-battered fries or a grilled chicken breast sandwich – get it with the chopped green chili. Alternatively, you can opt for the Sloppy Bro, served on an open bun and smothered with red or green chili and cheese or the Chimichanga (love the name), which is a massive flour tortilla filled with chicken or beef, onions and cheese and then folded, deep fried and smothered with red chili caribe, beans and posole. Yum!!
We got a combination plate so we could sample a tamale, enchilada and a soft shell taco. There’s also burritos of course, Chile Rellenos, a Taco Salad, Blue Corn Shrimp or Beef Enchiladas, or something they refer to Los Colores, which are three rolled blue corn enchiladas (chicken, beef and cheese), and served with beans and posole.
Very authentic and down-to-earth and more than one local recommended it.
Details:
Orlandos New Mexican Cafe
1114 Don Juan Valdez Lane
Taos, NM 87571
(575) 751-1450
El Mez, Lambert’s and the Love Apple:
Other restaurants worth noting include El Mez, Lambert’s and Love Apple, which every local told us to try. While we didn’t have time to hit them all, everyone raved about the Love Apple (what a fabulous name), as it is known for its local, organic home cooking. They are located in what was once known as the Placitas Chapel, a little catholic church, which was built around the 1800’s and in operation for 100 years.
The Love Apple is a small thirteen table farm-to-table restaurant and their food is nonlinear, inspired by northern New Mexican farmers’ fare and slow summer sunsets.
They believe in working in conjunction with nearby growers and artisan producers to create menus which highlight local food and regional farmers. In their kitchen, you’ll find containers stacked with organic raw ingredients such as dried beans, rice, quinoa, and nuts as well as organic olive oil, agave nectar and local honey, whole spices which they toast and grind fresh, locally milled flour and organic cornmeal for their cornbread.
What you will not find in their pantry is, as Michael Pollan says, ‘the stuff from the middle of the grocery store.’ They don’t have pre-made anything; no corporate brand name logos, no ingredients with 15 letters that you’ve never heard of and no high fructose corn syrup. BRAVO!!! Two thumbs up.
Details:
Love Apple
803 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte
Taos, NM 87571
575.751.0050
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
