July 14, 2018 Lunch – Gutiz. Dinner – Lambert’s

July 14, 2018 Lunch – Gutiz.  Dinner – Lambert’s

We awakened early and packed and ate a light breakfast and left for Taos by 8:00.

When we arrived in Taos around 10:30 we went to the plaza for the Farmer’s Market.  There were lots of vendors, but we did not buy anything.  Suzette had researched restaurants on the way up and we had decided to eat dinner at Lambert’s and lunch at Gutiz, the only French restaurant we were aware of.  We arrived at a Gutiz at around 11:30 and drank glasses of Rose de Provence for twenty minutes while we waited for a table on the patio.  When we were seated we ordered two of the specialties, paella and drunken chicken.

It took a while because the dishes had to be prepared.  The Drunken Chicken was a bowl of string beans, peas , potatoes, two drumsticks and one chicken thigh in a gravy covered with a sheet of pastry dough and baked in the oven until golden brown.  Both dishes were excellent .  When we finished the glasses of rose we had, we ordered glasses of Spanish white wine.  When we left the restaurant we asked to see the bottle of the white wine and discovered that it Marques de Riscal Verdejo from Rueda, which is one of our favorite white Spanish wines.

We drove to the Harwood Museum and saw the extensive Larry Bell show and the Peter Sarkisian show, which was amazing.

We then watched a screening of a documentary on the LA artists who showed at Fergus Gallery in LA.  Suzette was interested in four color woodcuts by Mark Strong who was handled by Gallery 203’ so at 3:30 when the film ended we drove to Gallery 203 where Eric showed us lots of interesting pieces of art in addition to the Mark Strong woodcuts.

We then drove to Kachina Lodge and took naps in our spacious room.

I love Kachina Lodge. It is a holdover from the great motor hotels of the 50’s with over hundred rooms, a large dining room and bar, a large wooded lawn and swimming pool and patio for dining and a convention center, none of which, except the swimming pool function at this time.

We rested until 6:00 and then dressed and went to an opening at MoMo Gallery on Bent Street and the Stables Gallery next to Taos Inn  and then at 7:00 to dinner at Lambert’s.  Eric told us the story about the Stables Gallery.  It is located in the stables attached to Mabry’s house and is ownedbty the Taos Art Association.  Mable Dodge Lujan stayed in the house in 1916.  Eric said there was going to be an exhibit in the Stables Gallery and a portion of the proceeds of sales of art will be used to improve lighting and landscaping.  It needs it.

After a few minutes wait at Lambert’s we were shown to a table on the patio next to one of the apple trees.  Our waiter was excellent.

We were enchanted by the daily specials.  The appetizers were soft shell crab on a beet coulis and a salad of micro greens and pickled daikon and carrot like in a Vietnamese restaurant  and steak tartare topped with a raw egg, capers, a pile of pickled brown beech mushrooms, and an arugula salad and small plate filled with fresh baked crackers dusted with ricotta cheese.  We were also served a basket with slices of lightly toasted bread, a head of roasted garlic, and a ramekin of whipped butter.

We spread butter and roasted garlic on bread and crackers and then spread them with steak tartare arugula, and pickled mushrooms for wonderful bites.  The soft shell crab was equally wonderful battered with a rough cornmeal batter and deep fried to golden brown; it was crisp on the outside and tender succulent crab meat on the inside.  We cut pieces off the crab and ate them with the beet coulis and pickled salad.  These two appetizers are not the kind of dishes we make at home and make us happy to go to good restaurants.

We looked at the wine list and decided upon a bottle of Marques de Murrieta 2011 white.  We had never drunk it before, but decided to splurge a bit and pay the $54.00 price for it, since the menu and our waiter said it was a wine of great complexity.  As it turned out the wine was an oak aged Viura, which we enjoyed very much.  It went well with both appetizers and our entrée which was the catch of the day, a grilled Halibut filet on a bed of soft polenta floating in a green pea jus and garnished with pea sprouts.

Between the appetizers and the Halibut entrée we shared a kale salad served with fresh ricotta and pickled peaches and golden raisins, which was an excellent palate cleanser.  We both thought the thin peach slices and raisins had been poached in a sweet wine like moscato and flavored with vanilla.  The ricotta was rather plain, not as interesting as Suzette’s mint infused cheese.

We both loved the meal.  The total bill was $144.00 before tip and tax, which seemed like a bargain for the quality of ingredients, preparation, and wine.

We drove home and after walking to the Lodge’s deserted lobby, went to bed.

  I was a little saddened that the Kachina Lodge’s glory days seemed to be behind it, but the rooms are still comfortable and very reasonably priced.  We paid $85.00 for our room with a king sized bed.

We are enjoying our mini-vacation.

Bon Appetit