Let me tell you how great this place was to us. We had two screaming toddlers and zero reservations, and they found us a great table even at 7 on a Sunday night. They did their best to accommodate our older one (various children's plates), but he had a full meltdown, as he sometimes does, and they never said boo! (We were outside, yet near a lot of other guests.) My wife and I wound up taking turns walking him around the Loretto church (next door). This was literally THE best meal I've ever rushed. My wife and I both went through our food quickly (to give the other person a break) and we both said each bite melted in our mouths...the food was outstanding...the service even more. People are right that it's not cheap, but it's worth it.
Review Source:My mother and I were staying at the hotel and thought we would try the restaurant. Â First my mom went in person at 5pm to make a reservation for the next evening for dinner. Â It took a minimun of 15 minutes as the maitre d' was scattered and constantly taking calls, leaving her standing there. He would be talking to her and then the phone would ring. Â Instead of asking the person on the phone to hold he would help them, ignoring her and when he returned he'd forgotten where he was and would have to start over. Â
The next day, we decided we wanted appetizers, rather than a full 3 course dinner, so we cancelled our reservation. Â When we went to just have apps, he first seated us outside. Â It was starting to get windy and chilly, so we asked if we could move inside, and he said it was fine. Â The minute we stepped foot back inside so he could seat us, his attention was moved to the phone and the other people arriving, leaving us standing there... again. Â After standing there for 15 minutes, he looks at us and says "right this way" but when we started to follow, he says "no, I was talking to them." Â Seriously?! That was the final straw, so we left. Â
He should not be the first person customers should have contact with. The manager lady was there near the end and she didn't have anymore of a clue than the maitre d'.
One of the best meals we had on our New Mexico trip! Â This romantic restaurant is located inside the Inn at Loretto and is normally a pricey place, but we went for an early dinner and took advantage of their Cena Pronto menu (5pm-6:30pm). Â I had the salad, salmon, and panna cotta. Â My husband got the tortilla soup, chicken, and apple tart. Â He also chose the menu with the wine pairing, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Â The meal started off with a spread of breads and compound butter, including the MOST delicious blue corn bread. Â I'm still craving that tiny delicious corn bread. Â I probably could eat a dozen by myself! Â We had a lovely girl from Lithuaian serving us and another man from Guatemala - both were so attentive and lovely. Â We left full, giddy (from the wine), and happy that we got a 5 star meal at a 3 star price!
Review Source:Full disclosure - I normally don't eat where I sleep, at least for dinner. However, we gave Luminaria a shot and couldn't be happier. The service was great and the food fantastic. My wife had the short ribs, which were tender without being overcooked to mushiness. I had the Sea bass and would have licked the plate except it was in a bowl. Dessert was the Nutterbutter cake and an apple tart, and both were incredible. We ate at another local hot spot last night and while it was pretty good, it didn't measure up to Luminaria. The worst part is we are leaving tomorrow and may never be back. But if we were we would stay at the Loretto and eat multiple times at Luminaria
Review Source:Okay, my girlfriends and I are all locals and were looking for something new for our weekly happy hour. Â As their happy hour deals were not mentioned on their website, I called them to inquire. Â Well let me tell you, I have never had a stranger telephone conversation. Â I asked the woman if they had a happy hour. Â "Yes we do." Â I then had to ask the time. Â "5-6:30pm." Â I then had to ask what the specials were. Â She proceeded to tell me they had select beers, wines, champagne, blah blah blah, and spirits. Â I had to go on to ask the prices of the beers, wine, champagne, and spirits, and she stuttered through the answers. Â I then asked if they had food specials and she informed me they had a reverse happy hour from 9-10. Â Okaaaay that's not what I asked. Â She then asked me, "Why exactly are you calling? Â Are you a guest or is this for some other reason?" Â Really? Â Did my basic happy hour inquiry questions seem too pervasive or something? Why the hell else would I be asking these things? Â We're a bunch of poor chicks looking for a couple of cheap hours to get smashed and fill our bellies with bar food for chrissakes! Â Anyway, the attitude of arrogance and pretentiousness from a receptionist with a pseudo-Brit accent sways me to give this place one star without setting a foot through the door...
Think we gals will stick with Agave!
My wife and I were able to get a table for 2 at 5:45. We were looking forward to dinner since we were staying at the hotel and heard good things about the service and food. The service was slow. The waiter seemed more interested in the locals that were there for dinner. Â My wife had the tortilla soup and an arugula salad. Â The soup was spicy but good. Â I had a baby wedge salad and the roasted chicken. The salad was good but the chicken was over cooked and tough. A disappointing experience. We would not return.
Review Source:A beautiful restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating a couple blocks from the Plaza. Pricey though, so expect to pay around $50+/person just for an evening meal, not including drinks, unless you dine before 6:30 PM where they have a prix fixe menu.
The staff was professional and accommodating.
I started out with the New Mexico Goat Cheese Polenta Fries Caramelized Onion Tomato Compote for $11. Â Polenta is ground corn and they shaped it into fries. Â Nothing special except for the goat cheese. Would not order it again.
For the entree I had the Grilled Harris Ranch Beef Tenderloin Roasted Pepper Ranchero Sauce, Grilled Spanish Onions and Poblano Chile for $39. It was charbroiled or burnt on the outer layer which I had to cut off otherwise that's all I tasted. Really a shame to destroy a piece of quality meat like that. Â May have been a 4 ounce cut, pretty small, especially when you are dissecting the burnt parts off. Â I ordered it medium rare and it was more rare then medium. Â It was served with no sides for $39. Sides are extra. $7 for mashed potatoes. How much does a dollop of mashed potatoes cost, or some broccoli?
Had a taste of the grilled Caesar salad and it was nice. Never had grilled salad before.
Had a taste of the seafood Paella and thought it to be a bit bland.
My sister-in-law loved the Tortilla soup.
Overall I was very disappointed with the meal, especially when you are paying so much, you expect the best, especially after reading such glowing reviews. Â The total bill was $233 for a party of 5, including 1 child, not including tip.
All in all, the location and ambience are great, but wouldn't say I would return if I am not guaranteed tasty food at a fair value. Â Next time I am I'm Santa Fe, I will spend my $ at another restaurant.
Probably the best overall meal we had during our trip to Santa Fe.
We made a reservation on Open Table and were sat immediately. The service was great and the table on the patio was really nice. Even with a very large birthday party taking up the entire main patio, servers regularly checked in with us and refiled our drinks.
We started with an order of polenta fries which were okay. They could have used more of a kick. We both really enjoyed our entrees though. I had the seafood paella and my girlfriend had the grilled chicken. For dessert we had the nutterfinger cake which was just rich enough, though it could have used a few more sprinkles of the spicy peanuts.
Dinner for two with a cocktail each was $150 including tax and tip for reference.
We went here the first night in Santa Fe and sat outside during the sunset. It was so tranquil! The place got busy fast, but service was still on par every step of the way (they must have seen the earlier year's review on slow service and beefed it up, because we felt very taken care of).
Our waitress was very friendly, very professional, and made us feel right at home. There was even a solo guitarist, Matthew Andrae, playing really soothing melodies and singing with his beautiful voice.
We had the Cena Pronto three course meal and it was delicious. The salmon was seared just right with the skin crispy and the meat a tender juicy pink. The chicken breast with potatoes was glazed very nicely.
The only "boo" was the panda cotta. The consistency was too thick and not as flavorful as I thought it should be.
A must try for couples, families and big gatherings!
I spent three nights in Santa Fe and did something unheard of for me. I ate at the same restaurant two nights in a row!
Luminaria is a visually stunning restaurant. The cocktails are absolutely delicious. The margaritas and sage cocktail in particular were yummy! The wine was at a perfect temp. The food is out of this world! I tried multiple items including dessert and nothing disappointed.
Eat here!
This is an awesome restaurant for date night, an intimate evening with a group of friends, or for entertaining visitors in the Santa Fe area. Â The food is superb and the service is top notch compared to other restaurants in the area. Â This is a very classy place and one of my new favorite spots. Â Highly recommended!
Review Source:My experience was the same as reviewers like Nancy: poor service (waiting, waiting, waiting....), including the completely bored hostess. Â We also waited 15 minutes to be seated, despite having a reservation. Â
The food was fine, but as others mention, nothing noteworthy and not worth the marked up prices. Â Santa Fe is a haven for wonderful restaurants; don't waste your money and time (both of which Luminaria will strip you of) here.
Overall, we felt it was a rip off. Â All the trappings of fine dining and little of the delivery.
We both ordered from the early evening prix fixe menu. Â We had the same thing. Â An amuse-bouche arrived before the first course: a pickle wrapped in salmon. Â I didn't eat mine, but my partner did not care for them. Â The first course was a Caesar salad. Â From the first bite I could sense this was not going to be a great meal. Â It was the blandest Caesar I have ever had - not at all like fine dining - just an ordinary salad from a lunch counter. Â The main course was a polenta lasagna. Â It was also bland, and little bit watery. Â The dessert was a chocolate cake with ice cream. Â The cake was dry, but otherwise, the dessert was good.
The staff was good. Â Our waiter was Jay, and no complaints with the service.
Things did not portend well from the outset. The hostess who seated us was bored to the point of muteness. In a dining room that was, at best, half full, it was impossible to receive service. We poured our own bottle of wine all evening. Empty dishes remained in situ.
The salad was nowhere near what it was represented to be. Little more than uninspired chopped romaine with a dry stick of some type of bread. Thankfully, the entrees of ono and salmon were palatable.
Perhaps the oddest and most disturbing part of the evening was the cleaning woman who defiantly blocked restroom access. At 8:15 pm??
There are many many wonderful restaurants in Santa Fe. Save your money for one other than this one.
Cena pronto 3 course prix fixe dinner for $29 is a great value
Beautiful outdoor (covered) patio seating w/adobe oven
Excellent wine, sangria, & beer selection; full bar
3 types of delicious house bread (chili pumpkin seek biscotti, blue corn muffin) w/salted butter
Recommendation: fantastic chipotle chicken soup
Nice leeks in ravioli
Deadly desserts; try the chocolate chili cheesecake
Complimentary amuse bouche & chocolate
Great food service by Jae & Melissa (all staff at the Inn at Loretto are great)
Validated valet parking
We ate here twice because it was so good
This review is for the "Early Dinner Menu aka "Cena Pronto" at the Luminaria, which is a great deal only from 5-630pm :) Restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, but since since it was the early evening and nice weather, we decided to get seated in the patio.
The bread basket here was probably one of the best I've had, comparing to Gary Danko. Mix of muffins, rye bread and a biscotti-like thing with pumpkin seeds.. all needless to say, delicious.
Upon chef's compliments, my mom and I were brought a bite Shiitake Ravioli. For appetizers, we tried the Ancho Pirogue, and Green Goddess Ceasar. A+. For the main, we went for the Organic Baby Golden Beets, Blue Corn Crusted Idaho Ruby Trout. A+.
Desert was interesting -- the seasonal fresh berries with mascarpone came in a martini glass and was fresh & yummy, but the red chile creme caramel was strange..it wasn't really fit to my taste. I tried to savor it but chile and caramel just don't go well together.
Service was great too! Attentive staff. We ordered champagne and the waitress always made sure to fill up our glasses.
Luminaria is located @Inn ans Spa at Loretto. Â We like to eat on the veranda. Â It is draped and tented....... with beautiful flowers...... gorgeous lanterns and chandeliers and has a soothing fountain. Â It is charming, romantic and casually sophisticated. Â Authentic Santa Fe. Â Last time, we started with a variet of breads. Â I had the filet mignon medallions with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus with a glass of wine. Very good! Â My husband had the Seafood Paella and a glass of wine. Â It was AMAZING!!!!! Â Beautiful presentation! We split the triple chocolate cake w/chantilly cream & chocolate sauce........so decidant! Â Too much but, soooo delicious! Â Then we headed to the lounge inside the hotel! Â Very nice ending to a wonderful evening! Â Very Romantic!
We also had breakfast here affter checking out at The Inn. Â We both had the Breakfast Burrito. Â Wonderful!!!
Luminaria is our favorite "fine dining" restaruant  in Santa Fe.  Thanks, Chef!
I made a reservation for 9:00 pm.  The confirmation was delivered and it said there was complimentary valet.  We arrived at 9 and there was no valet so I called the restaurant and they told me that the restaurant was closed  and that they close at 9 pm.  I explained the parking situation and the girl said she was going to check to see if we could still come in.  At 9:15 someone completely different got on the phone and asked of they could help me.  I told them that I had been on hold for quite some time while I was waiting to hear whether or not that they would take us.  The woman said that it was 9:15 and they would not take us and did not believe that there was no valet.  I told her that the other person sent one out to us. Why would they have 9:00 reservations if they close at 9?  Terrible!!!!! Terrible !!!!!
Review Source:Ate here on a recent trip for a convention and very glad that we did. Â After checking out the menu online, we decided to arrive in time to order from the cena pronto menu which gave us a variety of tastes for a fixed price, and it was a wise choice. Â Matt Ostrander is Luminaria's new executive chef and his focus includes sustainable local products so the choices that night varied from the menu posted online, but all were fun and delicious. Â I especially liked the opportunity to try deconstructed apple pie (might have been tart, I didn't make notes) as I've been seeing a lot of deconstructed dishes on TV. Â He also sent out an amuse bouche to everyone in the dining room at the time - cute little pink things on top of crostini, very tasty. Â Overall, a good meal and enjoyable evening.
Review Source:Best paella ever. On our culinary tour of Santa Fe, we ended up here after reading the great reviews (thanks fellow yelpers) and doing a walk by of the hotel and nearby chapel.
The restaurant has a nice ambiance. Cozy while still remaining spacious. We started with the garlic shrimp and chorizo and then for dinner I ordered the Santa Fean paella. Delicious and a bit different from typical paellas I've had and made... more saucy, less dry. More proteins then rice. The perfect serving plus a little bit to share with a dinner mate.
Kind of a geriatric crowd on this given evening, I'm not sure if that's the norm. Unfortunately I had to sit through a very loud, very uncomfortable conversation from the adjoining table. No avoiding it. Â
Service was fine... no complaints except our waitress was verging on overly friendly to the point of quasi-awkwardness. Â
Prices were fairly average for upper scale New Mexican dining and no trouble getting a reservation from Open Table the day before.
Highly recommend!
Wonderful atmosphere. Very inventive menu. Delicious food. Terrific service. We were really surprised. Went here for restaurant week and were wow-ed. So glad we tried it. Will definitely go back. The prices are not outrageous and well worth it. And, it was nice to see a restaurant that wasn't empty after 9 PM! There is also a lovely bar in the lobby of the hotel with live music that you can still talk over if you feel like a nightcap.
Review Source:We went here to celebrate our anniversary, albeit a little late (it was in January).
Needless to say, with just a very slight mention of it to our server - Melissa - suddenly rose petals appeared on the table........very nice touch.
We were seated in a rather "middle-of-the-room" table - but again our Melissa suggested we move to one of the corner booths.....outstanding!
We started off with some New Mexican sparkling - Gruet - not bad. Â
For the appetizer and salad, we decided to split - and glad we did - portions were very large (in my opinion)......we started with the garlic shrimp....awesome......followed that with the heirloom salad - the buttermilk blue cheese dressing was killer yum-o.
For the entrees, I am a huge meat and potatoes fan - so when Melissa told us of that nights special rib-eye with plain ol' mashed potatoes and broccolini.....how could I say no........and I was oh so glad I said yes.....absolutely mouthwatering melting good.
My other half had the special fish that evening,,,,,,,a salmon with some amazing pepper-infused spaetzle.....OMG was it delicious......we were envisioning mixing it in with eggs of a morning......unfortunately, we ate it all, so the dream ends there.
We had a lovely dessert of a deconstructed chocolate mousse....wouldn't call it the greatest, but honestly after so much food, I think our taste-buds were numb.
All in all, this place is a real gem.......the fairly "new" chef, Matt Ostrander, came to our table after dinner to inquire - which is ALWAYS a nice touch....and the sustainability factor of the restaurant is a big turn-on to us too.....we love the farm to table movement......and encourage it everywhere we dine.........to top it off, by the end of the evening our server had become our friend..........huge kudos to Melissa.........and don't forget, we'll be back for the next birthday celebration in July - patio here we come!
I don't know about dinner, but I came here for lunch three times over a two-week period, just because it was so good. The food was delicious and inventive - I had the santa fe salad, which was fresh and perfect for a fall day, the tortilla soup, which they pour out at your table so you can see how fresh and tasty the ingredients are, and the caesar salad, which was everything a caesar salad should be. Truth be told, the food was delicious, but I kept coming back for the ginger-peach iced tea and the pumpkin biscotti.
Review Source:Yummmmmmmmmmm!!!
Mixed reviews had me skeptical, but the meal set me straight. Everything I ate was fabulous. Definitely get the tortilla soup. It's award winning for a reason. Beautiful flavors and just the right amount.
The trout with barley and spinach was dee-lish. Served with a chargrilled lemon, it would have been nice to have something to balance the acidity. Save your pumpkin seed bread from your pre-dinner bread basket for this.
And for dessert, DO NOT MISS the red chile creme caramel. It is perfectly balanced. I had to eat the entire thing, even though I was full. It was just too good to leave a morsel on the plate.
Go, eat, be happy.
Service was super slow, and it didn't help to overhear the team hanging out by the reservation desk in Spanish about how unhappy they were  It seemed like this crew needed a manager.  Great food, but really bad service.  So slow that my pumpkin pecon spicy waffles were super cold by the time they made it to me.  Great bowl of fresh and delicious pasteries, so get those to go and eat 'em in your room.
Review Source:My wife and I recently visited Sante Fe and stayed at Loretto Inn and Spa. We've been to Santa Fe before and eaten in many restaurants there... plain and fancy. It's too bad we waited until our last night to eat at Luminaria. It was the best meal we had in Sante Fe. And for a restaurant town, that's saying a lot. Â The risotto with spinach ,pecans and squash was rich and delicious. My wife proclaimed the tortilla soup the best she had ever had. The manager himself made our margaritas and they were fantastic. Better than Marias.
Review Source:While the food at Luminaria was great, the service was pretty slow. I started my mother's day brunch with some special drink that was poured well enough that I couldn't really taste the liquor in it, but could feel it later. Then I moved on to the shrimp cocktail, one of the better ones in town, but still not as good as El Mason's version (which is spicier). Â The Lobster Eggs Benedict was wonderful, but I wasn't a fan of the potatoes that came with it. I think they would have been complimented by adding some black beans, but that's just me. The dessert I chose was the angelfood cake with strawberries, and it was also really good. I was too full to eat the whole thing tho...
I wish we had been seated on the patio instead of the private guest room, but I guess the patio had been booked weeks in advance... Sigh.
It did take forever to get our appetizers (like over an hour), but it seemed to go a little bit quicker once we finally got those on our table.
The final price including drinks came to $53 per person...
This may be the worst restaurant in Santa Fe. Â
They said they were missing a waiter but that does not excuse -
Whole ice cubes in martinis that took 45 minutes to get to the table, Tortilla Soup with dry nasty chicken, uncooked crab cakes, overcooked lamb with undercooked beans . . .After 2.5 hours we said NO to even seeing the desert menu. Â So they brought a poorly tempered nasty chocolate and the bill. Â No one ever came back and restaurant was now empty so after 20 minutes I went up to the counter to pay the bill. Â When I complained about poor service, food and bar they said "even rock stars have a bad day" with no apology.
The other tables were equally angry as I overheard a guest yelling at a waiter "how can you bring our food and not wine - then you take the food back and put it under a heat lamp while we wait another half hour and then get our wine with our overcooked food coming 15 minutes later"
I wasted over $100 and 2.5 hours at Luminaria. As a local I can say Santa Fe has many great restaurants don't waste your time, money or energy here! Â The only positive I have to add is the patio is beautiful.
Luminaria has amazing tortilla soup. Â On my first visit, I enjoyed the soup, chicken wonton appetizer, and the chicken entree with asparagus and fingerling potatoes. Â On my second visit, I opted for two bowls of the tortilla soup and nothing else and didn't regret it.
Skip the corn soup and the chocolate cake dessert. Â Those were unimpressive.
Luminaria's outdoor patio is beautiful and the ambience is great, but if you go around sunset, be sure you get a table where the sun won't be shining in your eyes, since their sun shades don't cover all the tables.
Luminaria was visited after a strong recommendation to check out a restaurant called Baleen. Â Turns out, Baleen had vacated about a year back, Luminaria taking its place. Â The waitress claimed that their new mentality and owner ship made the place "100x" (her quote) better than Baleen. Uh huh.
It's actually quite a nice space, both inside and outside. Â The outside area ended up being about perfect, temperature wise, as the sun set on a fairly warm day. Â Â The menu wasn't incredibly exciting, but nice enough compared to the majority of Santa Fe restaurants, and there were definitely some tasty looking things there. Â
The chicken wontons were really tasty, and pretty sizable for an appetizer, nicely crunchy with nice sauces. Â The corn soup was a bit of a let down, mushy and leaving a strange after taste. Â There was a strange piece of "meat" centered in the soup, which I actually thought was chicken, but it turned out to be some piece of bacon fat or something. Â In any case, it tasted nothing like bacon (I know and loves me some bacon). Â The tortilla soup is a much, much better route to go.
The main pork entree was fine, albeit immediately forgettable. Â Â Nicely cooked with carrots and squash underneath, it just didn't really have a ton of flavor. Â The dessert, a "chocolate explosion" (gross) was not very exciting. Â The cake was some sort of odd gingerbread-like texture surrounding molten chocolate. Â The interesting bit was the truffle on the side, which was loaded with pop-rocks or something similar, as it kept actively "popping" Â in your mouth (popping! Â not the other thing) after you ate it. Â
Luminaria's atmosphere is nice, although their food was a bit of a let down, especially considering the price. Â It's definitely one of the nicer establishments in Santa Fe, but compared to similarly priced establishments on the west coast, it doesn't really hold up.
I'm always weary of eating at restaurants in hotels, but when there are as many hotels as there are in central Santa Fe, you're bound to eat a hotel's restaurant at some point. Luckily for us, Luminaria was in our hotel and their menu looked very appetizing, especially on a cold spring night when we weren't in the mood to walk too far from our hotel for a good meal.
Luminaria is certainly tucked away in a corner of the hotel, next to the Loretto Chapel, so you won't even realize you're eating at a hotel restaurant. Stepping inside, we saw decor that was a blend between urban modern and Santa Fe traditions, a lovely juxtaposition of harsh angles with soft desert colors.
As for the service, the manager was eager to check in on us as we waited for the food and apologized profusely for what he called the delay in preparing our orders. Yet finally I told him we're quite used to European standards where it's at least an hour before you even place an order! So to keep us from growing restless, he brought us some steamed clams, an excellent appetizer before the explosion of flavors that awaited us.
As a group, we ordered chicken, trout, and salmon. Each came with risotto, and some dishes came with Brussels sprouts and potatoes. Everything was very tasty and cooked to perfection, what you'd expect from a restaurant as classy as this one. For dessert, we moved to the lounge part of the hotel but still ordered from Luminaria's dessert menu, choosing the chocolate-dipped ice cream sandwiches. Absolute perfection, and at their "reverse happy hour" prices, not a bad deal, either!
I would certainly love to try Santa Fe's other fine dining options, but Luminaria will always be there as a safe bet if I'm back in town on a cold day and don't feel like walking too far. Excellent food, beautiful restaurant, and attentive staff earn this one five stars.
Came here with a group of seven for some upscale Santa Fe fusion cuisine.
Service was good, ambiance was nice, but overall I wasn't really wowed by anything in particular, and for the price I was expecting just that.
At the table we shared a bottle of Robert Sinskey organic Merlot - which was very good, although marked up almost 250%.
Foodwise, my boy and I split the Caesar with a blue corn crouton on top, (which tasted more like sweet biscuit than a crunchy crouton) but was decent. While they split the portions for our salad, they didn't for another pair at our table who were splitting which seemed a bit odd.
For our main dish we split the 18 ounce rib-eye, which was cooked perfectly, and was far and away the best dish of the night. Our squash risotto side lacked flavor, as did the tamales or crab enchilada appetizer I sampled from the table.
Again, for the price and my expectations, it wasn't bad but far from a home run. I was also hoping for a little more New Mexico experience, but I thought the menu was lacking in the fusion department. And while the decor was lovely inside, including nicely lit local art on the walls, the fact that the restaurant was situated in a hotel vs. its own space just added to my less-than-unique experience.
Luminaria is our favorite date night restaurant. Â In a town with a tremendous high-end restaurant scene, Luminaria hangs with the best. Â
The space used to be Baleen.
I've been there three times since they opened this summer, and have been very pleased by the service (usually lacking in Santa Fe), and quality of food. Â I've had the wild boar, filet, and double-cut pork chop, with the filet being the best steak I've had in Santa Fe. Â
My wife and I went for our anniversary, and our table was covered with rose petals and a card signed by all the staff members.
All our friends that have also dined there have had great experiences as well.
LOCALS: Â sign up for the Legacy club and get 20% dining and the spa!!
Very solid meal. I was brought a yummy shrimp with cocktail sauce as an amouse bouche. I was then brought some fantastic rosemary and olive bread with butter, some chile sauce, and some black salt.
For my entree, I had the morel crusted rack of lamb. It was, in a word, amazing. I am glad I didn't order an entree so I didn't have to leave any part of this on my plate when I was done. The waitress suggested a Cabernet that paired perfectly with it.
For dessert, I had the trio of creme brulee, which was good, but not great.
I ordered from room service the next day (I was staying at the hotel, and room service is done by this restaurant) and got a chile burger and the poached pears for dessert. The burger was good (not as excellent as the lamb, but I guess that is to be expected) and the pears were okay. In both meals, the desserts were not as great as the main dishes.
The service overall was very good. I would recommend this restaurant.
Tucked away on the far side of the Inn at Loretto, Baleen has apparently been established for years, but even many long-time Santa Fe residents have never heard of it. Â Typically, when I think of a luxurious and creative dining experience in Santa Fe, I turn to The Compound, on Canyon Road. Â Chef Mark Kiffin there chooses fabulous ingredients and integrates them creatively, creating delicate and delicious flavors in every course. Â But Baleen caught me by surprise.
Recommended by a friend who went there a few weeks before, I tried Baleen a couple of weeks ago and was blown away. Â Going there for my wife's birthday, we were seated on their lovely outdoor patio, just as the sky was painting itself with the colors of sunset past the surrounding gardens and the lovely adobe "bell" tower of the hotel past the garden.
If you go during warm weather - definitely insist on an outside table. Â In the center of the patio is a roofed area (with open sides) and lovely and delicate chandeliers hanging over the candlelit tables. Â Dim white Christmas lights around the perimeter of the roofed structure made it all that more romantic.
At first, they sat us at a 2-top table near the entrance to the patio...just a few feet from where a musician was setting up to provide (amplified) music for the dinner hour. Â Let's be clear up front here - we loved our experience at Baleen and would go back in an instant. Â We did have just two little nits about our experience there.
1) After seating us at the table, we immediately felt like ours was one of the most exposed tables and that we would be WAY too close to the musician. Â We told the manager/maitre d' about our concern and he said, to his credit, "no problem", and proceeded to move us to a different table. Â The table to which he moved us was a big round 6-top, Â and they removed the other four place settings...but this table was (a) right next to the place where waiters go in and out of the kitchen, (b) right next to a humming AC unit and (c) was so big for the two of us that it felt like we were the last ones left at a wedding reception table after the other guests had left...not very cozy or intimate.
Since this was supposed to be a special dinner, we decided to try one more time. Â Again, to his credit, the manager was very gracious in expressing his understanding of our concern and went out of his way to give us one of the nicer tables under the romantically-lit roofed-area. Â So we ended up at a great table, but our nit was that we had to push them a bit to get it.
2) The second nit is that while it's nice to have live music sometimes as a background soundtrack to a lovely meal, this music was a tad on the loud side (not unbearably or disruptively so, but it could have been more subtle. Â The musician, who sounded amazingly like James Taylor, was very capable and performed well, but some strictly-instrumental classical guitar might have been a better fit.
OK, nits out of the way, I should say that the service was excellent and the food was just fabulous - as good as the best in Santa Fe and most of the US. Â We started out with a Petite Herb salad which, interestingly enough, was served almost focaccia-style, on a piece of delicious toasted artisanal bread with a creamy goat cheese and some carrot foam. Â Dee-lish.
On to a perfectly-cooked foie gras with choke-cherry compote. Â I don't really know what choke-cherries are, but they're a great match for the foie. Â We paired that with a nice glass of Sauternes. Â Although we didn't request it, since we said that we would be sharing everything, the kitchen split all of our courses onto two artistically-presented plates and even split our shared glass of Sauternes into two glasses.
For the main dish, we decided to try both the Kurobota pork and the Halibut. Â Both were cooked to perfection and seasoned delicately and sufficiently. Â Paired with a glass of Rodney Strong Pinot Noir and a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, we were happy puppies.
Too full for dessert, we just enjoyed a cup of coffee as we gathered in the beautiful view around us and agreed that we would definitely be back to Baleen again.
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