Christmas Eve in Santa Fe Farolito Walk and Dinner at Geronimo

This is our first Christmas in Santa Fe as a resident, although we have spent a few Christmases here as vacationers in all the previous Christmas holidays this was going to be my first time walking Canyon This is our first Christmas in Santa Fe as a resident, although we have spent a few Christmases here as vacationers in all the previous Christmas holidays this was going to be my first time walking Canyon Road and view the holiday celebrations Santa Fe style. To coincide with the Farolito walk we planned this year Christmas Eve dinner at Geronimo as a special treat.  The weather created a lot of anxiety on the 24^th, the rain started at 6am and it just continued throughout the day, we were nervous that not only would we have a hard time parking but the festivities would be dampened by the rain (pun intended).  

To relieve some of the stress we made a decision to go down early and grab a Hot Toddy at Joe’s Tequila Bar at The Inn at Alameda.  Joe’s Tequila Bar is a new addition to the Hotel and is one of our go to places to start the evening off in Santa Fe.  Their Manager Corey and Bartender Tabitha are always great hosts and they pour a great drink at a great value while making you feel right at home.  

After our holiday drinks we started up Canyon Rd. the rain had stopped and the crowds were out enjoying the Christmas and Holiday spirit. There was no shortage of great entertainment from traditional Russian Music to Christmas Carols and good old fashioned Country, combined with farolitos, small pinion luminarias and beautiful holiday light displays on our walk up Canyon to Geronimo was a great Santa Fe holiday experience.

We made it there right in time for our 7:30 reservation and they put us exactly where I had requested next to one of the Kivas in the back of the restaurant where it was warm and cozy.  The restaurant was very busy the staff was very welcoming making us feel at home as soon as we walked in.

The menu for the evening was Prix Fixe and had many of their signature items including some holiday specials available.  We started the evening with a cocktail while looking at the great selection on the Christmas Menu.  I had the Chocolate Martini and JoAnn had the Cosmopolitan.  I am a late bloomer and just started making and drinking martinis, this martini expanded my martini appreciation by making a serious drink a lot more fun.  Our server Aaron was a pleasure we found out he also is the bartender, he was always there at the right time to answer questions and his support staff kept the water glasses full and made sure your table was perfect for each course.  

My wife and I divided and conquered by ordering dishes that were different so we could both sample each other’s.  We started with soup, I had the Lobster Bisque and she had the Veal Consommé with Short Rib Dumplings.  The best part of having soup at Geronimo is the presentation of the liquid pour over for foodies like me that want to share the experience with their friends on Instagram. This was a great start to an evening of fantastic food and presentation. 

The next course I had the Macaroni stuffed with Ox Tail in a Foie Gras and Truffle gravy and JoAnn had Wild Mushroom and Truffle Risotto with Capers.  My dish was so good I ordered more bread just to sop up the Foie Gras gravy, this dish was rich, flavorful and creative and reminded me of a similar meal at Lasserre in Paris.  JoAnn loved her Risotto, everything was so fresh and the capers provided a briny bite that brought the dish together. After the First course we stuck with the same cocktails to take us into the main course

One of my favorite dishes is Sea Bass in a Miso broth, Geronimo has a Green Miso recipe with Ramen noodles and Truffle, so this was an easy choice for me, I have had a similar preparation of Sea Bass in Del Mar and Seattle and loved it both times.  Joann ordered the Locally provisioned Rack of Lamb with Corn Polenta, roasted Leeks and a Merlot Lamb reduction, we eat Red Meat on special occasions so this was a great treat. The Sea Bass was cooked perfectly firm on the outside and moist on the inside with the Green Miso Broth and Bok Choy it was not only very beautiful but it was delicious and as a added bonus it was healthy.  JoAnn’s Rack of Lamb was cooked a perfect medium rare and was so tender it literally did melt in your mouth.  I was lucky enough to get one of the lamb rib bones and I can still remember how it tasted when it hit my tongue.  It was tender, it had just the right amount of fat to coat the tongue and the seasoning with the Merlot reduction was perfection.

But wait we had one more course dessert, fortunately I knew this was going to be a fantastically rich meal and I had ordered the cookies dessert to go and we split the Toffee Cream Brûlée.  It was just about this time we started taking to the folks at the next table who had come down from Taos to enjoy Christmas.  They had moved to Taos several years back to start their new adventure.  We were able to end the evening having a great conversation and enjoying the very rich and creamy dessert. We do not go to Geronimo’s often because it is a special treat for us.  The meal and the evening will be remembered for a long time because of the Farolito walk, the great food and service at Geronimo’s and the awesome atmosphere and experience spending the holiday evening with my wife JoAnn.  

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