A Wonderful Day In Santa Fe

A Wonderful Day In Santa Fe originally published on Food and Fond Memories on December 19, 2013 by sandyaxelrod Leave a Comment (Edit)

A painted bronze sculpture of five cowboys playing cards

“Aces and Eights” by Gib Singleton

After the chilly snowy day we had the day before, we were thrilled to awaken to the sounds of birds chirping outside our window announcing the sunshine. We had a lovely breakfast at our hotel and headed on our way to the Plaza to visit old Santa Fe. It was wonderful. Filled with little shops of all varieties, but no necklaces for Hershi. We were on a mission to find a really cool collar for our little boy, our Yorkie Hershi. We did manage to make a few small purchases. Unfortunately we couldn’t afford what we really fell in love with. That was a sculpture titled “Aces and Eights” created by Gib Singleton that was priced at well over $100,000.

St. Francis of Assisi Church

A colorful stained glass window in a church

A Gorgeous Stained Glass Window in St. Francis of Assisi Church

We did, however, thoroughly enjoy visiting the St. Francis of Assisi Church. The church originally was built as a series of adobe buildings beginning in the very early 1600s. In modern times they actually built the magnificent church that stands there today. It has soaring ceilings and spectacular stained glass windows and is so inspiring that we took tons of pictures to remember its beauty.

A shopping area with bronze sculptures of children playing

Beautiful Canyon Road Shops

A little dog dressed in Mexican costume for Halloween

New Mexican Chihuahua

A medium sized dog dressed as a ballerina

The Lovely Ballerina

She is Such a Wench!

A small black dog wearing a beaded dog collar.

Hershi’s New Necklace

From the Plaza we drove the short distance to Canyon Road which hosts a myriad of galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Lots to ogle over! Unfortunately there was no pet boutique there either, but we were told to go a shopping center in the railroad district where they had a fabulous pet shop called Teca Tu – A Pawsworthy Pet Store and Deli. It was Halloween day and many shoppers brought their dogs to visit in full costume. What a hoot. My favorite was the Greyhound dressed as a wench. But beside the fashion show they had the most amazing selection of collars we had ever seen. We chose a fabulous one for our furry baby that looks quite Navaho.

A white plate filled with a saucy entrée and two slices of garlic bread.

Syrah Braised Chorizo and Garlic

Two white plates with the bare remains of some red sauce.

We licked our plates clean!

For our last dinner in Santa Fe we decided on Italian food for dinner at a lovely restaurant in the railroad district. Pranzo Italian Grill was elegant but relaxed. The staff was so warm and welcoming. Their descriptions of the dishes made us want to taste everything. For a restaurant that has been in business for 25 years it is still fresh and new with a menu that is both traditional and innovative at the same time. Our server Greg was so great. I found his name quite fitting as he was gregarious and very passionate about his work. In order to taste as many dishes as possible we had two appetizers and two dinners. We started with off with the perfect Semolina Bread with house made red chile oil and herb olive oil. Off to a great start we devoured the Syrah Braised Chorizo and Garlic served with Bruschetta. The chorizo and the wine exchanged flavors and the wine also mellowed the chorizo and the garlic creating such a delectable dish. We wished we could have licked the plate but instead wiped it clean with some of that Semolina Bread!

Deconstructed Caesar Salad

Next we totally inhaled the Deconstructed Caesar with Fried White Anchovies. OMG was it ever good. The anchovies were fried in a light tempura batter and seemed to melt inside. The dressing was lemony with just a hint of mustard. Steve said he had finally actually tasted a dressing as good as mine, well almost. I found it very similar but the addition of the mustard gave it a little more tang and there might have been a drop more lemon.

A large white oval plate covered with New Mexican Lamb with Faro and Olives

Pranzo’s Luscious New Mexican Lamb with Faro and Olives

A large white pasta dish filled with linguine and fresh clams in their shells topped with grated Parmesan

Pranzo’s Linguine with Fresh Clams

A white oval bowl filled with three scoops of ice cream and dried with fudge sauce and fresh whipped cream.

Dolce Gigante!

For our entrees Steve had the Vongole con Linguine. It was fabulously, garlicky and loaded with fresh clams with perfectly cooked pasta. My dish, the Roasted New Mexico Lamb Loin with Coriander Faro, Assorted Olives, Capers and Sun Dried Tomatoes, was so luscious that Steve, who doesn’t love lamb, couldn’t keep his fork out of my plate. I think he has been converted. Hallelujah. Amen.
We were quite sated but we had paced ourselves well to save some room for dessert. And boy was it ever worth it. We shared the Dolce Gigante alla Pranzo. It was total decadence with scoops of Espresso Toffee, Tahitian Vanilla and Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Creams topped with Espresso Creme Anglaise Whipped Cream and Crumbled Biscotti. I think I would go back to Santa Fe just to revisit Pranzo Italian Grill.

Pranzo Italian Grill
540 Montezuma
Santa Fe, NM
505-984-2645
www.pranzosantefe.com