| Joseph Wrede of Joseph’s
| Chef Steve Lemon of Pranzo
| Photo: Kate Russell
| Chef Clay Bordan of Tabla de los Santos
Speaking of gluten-free, apparently it’s a trend that’s here to stay. Clever entrepreneurs like Leslie Thompson, at Momo and Co., and Dionne Christian, at Revolution Bakery, have hopped on the bandwagon, and are turning out tasty baked goods made without gluten. Vegan options abound as well, and I commend both companies for striving to improve on what started out as a quality-challenged line of food. Currently in my life I am gluten-full, but I’m glad to know the options exist. Santa Feans freaked when Bobcat Bite had to close its doors early this summer, smack dab in the middle of burger season. But, hallelujah, owners Bonnie and John Eckre picked up stakes and opened the Santa Fe Bite in Garrett’s Desert Inn. They even expanded the menu to include breakfast and dinner. The new digs will need some roughing up to match the former cafe’s atmosphere, and, as someone said to me, “The griddle is gonna have to build up some grease before the burgers taste the same!” I’m excited, because the Bite is right around the corner from my house, and I do love those green chile cheeseburgers. Andrea Clover, previously the wondrous pastry chef at Inn and Spa at Loretto, has joined the team to offer a full line of fancy Chez Drè Pastries. You can go home again – Steve Lemon is back at Pranzo after almost a decade following other pursuits. Already I have enjoyed his sprucing up of the Pranzo classics as well as the addition of some of the terrific stuff he did out at O Eating House. After all these years I still LOVE his frito misto of delicate fried shrimp, scallops and calamari.And his home-made burrata––it’s to die for. There’s a new kid in town at the Hotel St. Francis’s Tabla de los Santos. Clay Bordan hails from the east coast but has cooked around the West and has a résumé rich with the current trends: local, organic and seasonal. Although the restaurant is ensconced in the hotel, it is Bordan’s baby all the way; “new menu, new owner, new attitude” is his marketing mantra. With such a terrific location and pretty dining 18
SEPTEMBER 2013
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