When asked about favorite places to dine in Santa Fe, where I was heading with friends, most had Geronimo and Sazón on their to-try lists.

Coming off Canyon Road into Geronimo, I felt elegant. The staff welcomed us. The lights were low, banquettes cushioned and tables spaced wide apart. I could hear my traveling companions without straining.

That bubble burst when our unseasoned server set down our cocktails and began pouring our red wine.

Worth having is the lobster poblano bisque with rock shrimp, fingerling potatoes, leeks and chunks of lobster meat ($22) in a rich broth.

Also good are the rectangular stack of oven-roasted beets with candied pistachios, goat cheese, crispy prosciutto over bitter greens ($20) and the tender Tellicherry-rubbed elk with garlic-mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas in a brandied mushroom sauce ($50).

At Sazón the colossal white shrimp from Gulf of Mexico, fried in a light crispy batter drizzled with sweet Thai chili aioli, would have been wonderful if served hot, not room temperature, as were our other entrees. That’s a long story, ending with two delectable desserts we wouldn’t have tried.

 

We asked Julian, our attentive server, to describe the desserts more than once as we loved the almost poetic way he did so.

One had layers of crispy pastry intermingled with assorted berries served in a light mascarpone sauce ($14). The other their Dulce Sinfonía ($16), danced on our palates as he described it. Literally. As we put the spoonful into our mouths,  he said we’d have the strong flavor of caramelized ginger; that sharpness gets cut by the creaminess and temperature of the avocado. At the back of your palate comes more, heat from jalapeño peppers and warmth from toasted pine nuts. A sweet symphony for sure.

 


This is Chef Olea’s signature dessert we never would have experienced! So glad we did.

 

Geronimo
724 Canyon Rd
Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
(505) 982-1500
geronimorestaurant.com/

Sazón
221 Shelby St,
Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
(505) 983-8604
sazonsantafe.com