Side Dish, 07/11/2007 - New, revamped joints hit the spot

This is such a great gig. Because I am a columnist and not a restaurant reviewer for The New Mexican, I occasionally receive invites to sample the menu of a new restaurant before it opens in what is referred to as a “dry run” or “soft opening” — something similar to a run-through of a Broadway show before opening night.

Because you are an invited guest — read “guinea pig” — the menus don’t usually have prices on them and you may or may not be asked to fill out a small questionnaire or tell the chef or manager what you think of the experience.

Recently, I got a sneak peek at two menus that showed such promise I am happy to spread the word and alert our readers to the most up-to-the-minute dish on the restaurant scene. Both places are now open to the public — and I bet some of you have already lined up to check them out.

I have to admit that I ate at the original Pink Adobe (983-7712) only once, more than 10 years ago, and it wasn’t memorable. The goal of the venerable restaurant’s new owners, the Garrett Hotel Group, was to keep the charm and feel of the 53-year-old Santa Fe institution, and retain the comfort-food philosophy of The Pink’s late founder, Rosalea Murphy.

I think they have been successful on all accounts. The place looks great; there are rich, new colors on the wall, a few touches of art here and there, and an eager-to-please staff that would do Murphy proud.

Since I had no memory of the previous menu, I wasn’t sure what was new or what was revamped, but everything we tasted was delicious — not a clunker on the list.

I was never a fan of escargot, but The Pink’s version was tender and garlicky, served baked in tiny mushroom caps. Clams Lucifer were appropriately spicy — bite-size Manila clams doused with a splash of tequila and napped with a red-chile sauce perfect for dunking the crusty house bread. The night was too warm to try the house French onion soup, an item that has been on The Pink’s menu since for more than 60 years. The crab cakes, served with grilled asparagus and zippy mustard sauce, had more crab per bite than any other version in town.

I had always heard about the Steak Dunigan, so I just had to try it — and boy, it is terrific. Somehow the New York strip steak is charred so quickly that it has the most amazingly caramelized, crusty exterior but retains a tender, as-ordered medium-rare center; my mouth is watering as I write this. There are the perfunctory sautéed mushrooms and chopped green chile on the side, or a version with neither — cleverly called Steak Un-Dunigan.

Kudos to the management for offering many of the main courses in half-order portions — a sign they are sensitive to changes in dining habits.

The biggest surprise was our sampling of two of The Pink’s vegetarian options — a grilled vegetable salad with organic greens and goat cheese-topped crostini, and a scrumptious roasted vegetable and fresh mozzarella filo-wrapped pastry topped with a fresh tomato-basil sauce. Either would satisfy even the most carnivorous politico from the Capitol next door.

It’s nice to see a menu that can excite both meat-lovers and their non-meat-eating friends.

The liquor license had not been transferred over at the time of my visit, so you’ll have to explore the new wine list on your own. (It’s in place now.) And — since we never saw a bill or menu prices — you will have to make the call on perceived value. With food this good, though, I can’t imagine you will be disappointed when the bill arrives.

►Chef David Sellers’ Amavi (988-2355) — in the space formerly inhabited by Julian’s — will be THE new restaurant locals and visitors will clamber to get into this summer and fall.

Is it possible that 24 hours after the chef fired up the stoves for the first time, and the staff first set the tables, that a place can run so smoothly and the food be so delicious?

Sellers and his wife Heather, who will manage the restaurant, clearly have their act together; the soft-opening night I attended was a who’s who of the Santa Fe food scene. I joked that if a bomb went off that night a good chunk of the local “fooderatti” would be taken out.

Chef Rocky Durham, with his artist-mother, Linda, Local Flavor publisher Patty Karlovitz, caterer Marja Martin, Santa Fe School of Cooking Director Nicole Curtis Ammerman, former restaurateur/caterer-turned-Realtor Shirley Pisacane, various wine reps and other curious foodies all were treated to Sellers’ unique spin on Mediterranean food.

Don’t miss the sautéed bay scallops with homemade saffron linguini, the North African mez salad, the ricotta ravioli with veal ragu, the Pollo al Mattone with pancetta, capers and lemon, or the buttery apricot-plum upside-down cake — all creatively presented and simply yummy.

Amavi is off to an amazing start.

►There are four more days of events at The Taste of Taos fundraiser that benefits that town’s Holy Cross Hospital. I imagine it’s 10 degrees cooler there. For more information, go to www.tasteoftaos.com and cool off while sampling wines from almost 30 regional vineyards and food from more than 20 restaurants.

►Tickets went on sale for the 17th annual Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta last week; if you want to get into the Grand Tasting (and other prime events) you’d better get hopping by calling 438-8060 or e-mailing info@santafewineandchile.org.

To share a tip or dish about the local food scene, send an e-mail to chefjohnnyvee@aol.com or call 505-699-3419.