October 5, 2013 Dinner –Oktoberfest at Greenhouse Bistro, A Great Food Day

October 5, 2013 Dinner –Oktoberfest at Greenhouse Bistro, A Great Food Day

Breakfast – Applewood Bacon BLT’s with Radicchio and garden fresh tomatoes on mayonnaise smeared Fano Baguette

Who needs to go to the Growers; Market when you have these wonderful ingredients at home.  Sat in the garden eating sandwiches watching the balloons go overhead.

Lunch – Quick sauté of garden fresh onion, basil, three kinds of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and casarecce pasta with olive oil, butter and white wine (Sauvignon Blanc).  We ate in the garden again and drank a glass of Dog Pond” New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  The liquid liberated from the tomatoes mixed with the wine and basil to make an elegant broth, lightly flavored with dairy from the mozzarella made a very special light broth.  We both thought about the best of Italian cooking simple combinations of garden fresh ingredients.  

We then drove to the spa and had massages and then met in the Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery for

Dinner – We walked across the parking lot from the spa to the Greenhouse Bistro around 4:45 p.m. for its Oktoberfest celebration where we were greeted by waitresses dressed in traditional German costumes and served tastes of German Beers (Spaten Oktoberfest, Beck’s Oktoberfest and one other).  We decided to split the      Appetizer and the short rib entrée from the new Fall menu instead of the Oktoberfest beer, bratwurst and strudel special.

  We were first served an appetizer plate with a small ramekin of German beer and cheddar soup and a German style pretzel with German mustard, both of which were delicious.  Then a small salad was served with lettuce and cucumbers from the Center’s own organic garden lightly dressed with vinaigrette.  Then the baked chili flavored gourges were served with homemade apple butter.  They were soft and airy in the inside with air filled cavities like Yorkshire pudding but without the grease and delicious smeared with the cinnamon flavored apple butter.  We could not eat the large basket of them and our waitress finally asked, “Are you ready for your short ribs?” 

We answered yes and shortly a plate with a pile of sautéed vegetables piled on a slow cooked beef short rib lying on a mound of chunks of deep yellow colored potatoes was served.  We asked executive chef Angeloe Dixon how he prepared the potatoes and he said he brined them in salt water and then dried them and baked them and then when ordered deep fried them to crisp them up to order.  Their texture was delicious but they were a little salty if you do not like the flavor of salt.   We mentioned that and he seemed interested in adjusting their saltiness.  Actually the lightly sautéed vegetables (sliced red onion, portabella, garlic and zucchini) in white wine were slightly sweet and when a fork was loaded with the BBQ sauce flavored short ribs, a piece of the potato and some of the vegetables made for a delicious combination of flavors without any one overpowering the other, and that is how Chef Angeloe said he intended them to be eaten.  I is hard to criticize one man’s taste over another’s when it comes to his perception of how the elements of a dish fit together.

We took a piece of strudel home for dessert later because we were completely satisfied with dinner.

Bon Appétit

P.S. Big news.  The greenhouse Bistro is participating in Edible Santa Fe’s Moveable Feast this year along with over 40 other area restaurants.  From October 8 to October 18 it is serving three course prix fixe dinners for $18.00 featuring some of the foods eaten along the historic Camino Real. 

During the week of October 8-12^th the Appetizer will be Pan Seared Polenta with Tenderloin of Beef Jerky garnished with organic greens, the Entrée will be Slow Cooked lamb served with saffron fideo and the Dessert will be Apple Flan topped with a honey glaze.

During the week of October 15-18 the Appetizer will be Zucchini Corn Fritters, the Entrée will be Rosemary Skewers of elk tenderloin, served with a rice fruit pudding and Dessert will be chocolate pinon bark.  This exciting food is just a thirty minute drive down the Camino Real from Albuquerque.

For more information check the Bistro’s website at www.greenhousebistro.com.