May 4, 2024 A Day in Santa Fe, Folk Art Flea Market, Dinner - Restaurant 315
The day was divided into four segments for me. First, watching Arsenal beat Bournemouth to move 4 points clear at the top of the PL during which I drank a Latte Maciatta and ate a small pain au Chocolate croissant at 6:00 a.m.
Everything was directed toward attending and buying at the Folk Art Flea Market so after the Match at 7:30 we showed and dressed and Suzette heated the leftover Mu Shu Pork with the extra green onion spears in a skillet and the two remaining Mandarin pancakes in the microwave and we ate Chinese burritos of Mu Shu Pork at 8:15.
Ate 8:30 we drove to the Santa Fe Rodeo and Fair Grounds in Santa Fe on Rodeo Rd. where the flea Market was spread across two large buildings. The flea market features both craft items that have been donated and those left from the International Folk Art Sale in July. I was a little sore so I only went to the collectibles room, which was the smallest room located in the larger building containing the higher value, more collectible items. The rest of the larger building contained clothing and jewelry and some art. There is another large building located about 100 yards beyond the bigger building on the fair grounds that featured craft items of all sorts including, wood, iron, fabric, ceramic, etc.
Suzette was trying to buy items to sell at the Center’s Christmas Market, so she went through the two larger buildings.
What makes the flea market attractive is the prices are typically below wholesale whereas the prices at the Annual International Folk Art sale are retail or above retail.
We arrived at the Rodeo grounds at 9:30 and parked in a handicapped space near the big building, so we did not need to walk the 1/4 mile from the remote parking lot.
We stood in line with all the non-members beside a young couple from Tulsa who had driven in for the event. Soon we learned there was a coffee bar set up under the expansive awning area next to the bigger building, so Suzette went there and brought back a coffee and a larger fresher pain au chocolate croissant. We shared the coffee and Croissant as we waited in line until 10:00 when the Non-members were admitted, at which time we were at the half way point in the line. This event seems to garner many hundreds of people.
Suzette went through the two big rooms, which took over 1 1/2 hours. Alternatively, I saw an item I wanted the minute I walked into the collectibles room, a small carved wooden and mixed media statute by Euclid Martinez depicting the snake of evil wrapped around a tree in the garden of Eden with a guardian Angel flying overhead and a red apple perched on top. It was unique and charming I fell in love with immediately and noted that it was priced at $162, so I spoke to the nearest volunteer and she set it aside with a sold sign on it. I wandered around the room and picked up several antique fabric ikats and a DaVila wooden painted snake for $125.00 and put them in my bags to await Suzette. After an hour I got tired and my now befriended volunteer lady put the three bags under a table by the door and I went outside and sat with Megan and Robert until Suzette finished shopping. While I was sitting I saw Linda, who is co-chair of the Folk Art Society this year, and said hello and confirmed that she and T.R. were coming to our house for lunch on Monday.
Finally, at around 11:30 when Suzette was through shopping we returned to the Collectibles Room and she threw vacillating all the antique fabrics and I ended up buying the two items I wanted, the Martinez sculpture and the Davila snake.
We loaded the Highlander and drove to Stephen’s Consignment. We were rather thorough in our examination of the items and only found one item we both liked a lovely blown glass starfish from Murano that we did not buy.
It was after noon we entered the third phase of our day looking at art, when we drove to Aaron Payne’s Gallery on Lena St. We talked to Aaron for a while and I saw a lovely Alex Lowery geometric assemblage similar to one I saw at Crystal Bridge Museum that I liked but it was well out of my price range at $105,000.
I was getting sore so when we left Aaron’s we walked across the street to Iconik coffee shop and restaurant and i ordered a chai latte.
We then drove to Santa Fe Auction but it was closed, so we continued to Peyton Wright Gallery and said hello to John and looked at several nice early Raymond Jonson drawings and a lovely Kirtland watercolor of red mountains for $24,500.
We then drove to Owings Gallery, but it was closed, so we drove back up Marcy Street and visited the Addison Rowe Gallery where I saw the biggest surprise of the day, an Agnes Pelton mystical oil painting. It was an unusual subject, an aesthetic seated in lotus posture that looked like it had not been in very good condition and had had lots of conservation done to it, but Peltons are few and far between sightings.
It was 3:00 when we drove up Canyon Road to Zaplin Lambert Gallery that was also closed so we decided initiate the fourth phase of the day that was dinner at Restaurant 315 even though we were 40 minutes early. We found a handicapped parking spot by St. Michael’s school that is now rhe Santa Fe Visitor’s Center and walked the 1 1/2 blocks past the church and down Santa Fe Trail to the restaurant.
We took a table on the patio shielded from the sun and the sidewalk and roadway by a thick vine and I ordered the wine list. After we had perused the wine list for a few minutes the person setting the tables asked if we wanted anything to drink and we asked to taste the Laxes Albariño that was served by the glass. When he brought us the tastes we immediately determined it was too sweet and Suzette studied the wine list some more until the sommelier came by and we discussed one of the 3 Bandol roses, we had not heard of, Bastide de Griselle for $66.00. The other two were Terrebrunne and Tempiers, which were big roses with lots of flavor and priced over $100.00. When the sommelier said that Bastide was a milder more subtle rose with just a hint of the Movedre grape on the finish, we ordered the Bastide at $66.00. It was lovely, an elegantly light wine to complement but not overpower the food.
When we were brought menus, we immediately responded to the three course Prix fixe menu that contained pasta with ramps, fiddlehead ferns, and morels that were the items we came for. There was also a duck breast with sour cherries in the entree section. So the only decision left was which of the three appetizer choices to pick. Suzette chose the beet Gallette and arugula salad and split pea soup with a ham croquette.
When our waitress came Suzette ordered and we even gave our dessert order. I ordered the pot au chocolate and Suzette ordered the Panna Cotta.
Suzette also ordered a fresh oyster on the half shell from BC that was served in a small bowl with three small condiments containers filled respectively with horseradish, catsup, and a zesty mignonette sauce and a wedge of lemon. The mignonette sauce was interesting, made with lime juice, vinegar, cilantro, jalapeño, and minced shallot. Suzette loved the oyster and the mignonette sauce and saved itg to garnish the split pea soup that gave the otherwise heavy and bland soup a flavor enhancement.
I loved the arugula salad because it was sprinkled with the smallest lentils I have ever seen and the baked slices of golden beet and red onion in the gallette were delicious. We enjoyed everything except the small and rather tough duck breast, but even that dish was saved by the vegetable accompaniment of a lot more of the tiny lentils with a mound of finely diced (brunoise cut) carrots, celery, and onion.
The pasta was sauced in the manner Suzette sauces her pasta, with heavy cream to which the chopped ramps, and fiddlehead ferns and morels were added and baked into the small bowl of Angel hair pasta. It was an elegant and effective way to combine the small amount of high value ingredients into a delicious dish.
The pot au chocolate with a scoop of Chantilly creme was marvelous as was Suzette’s panna cotta.
We left the restaurant the happiest of campers.
After stopping for gas at Costco we returned home at 7:45 and took Tylenol and was in bed by 8:00 and slept soundly until 4:00 when I blogged this blog.
All in all it was a wonderful day of the type Suzette calls a mini-vacation.
Bon Appetit
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