Dine out during Santa Fe Restaurant Week
January 26, 11:50 AM - Santa Fe Insider Travel Examiner Billie Frank
Here’s a great scenario for a foodie. You’re visiting Santa Fe and you can eat at some of the best restaurants in town for $25.00 a person for a three-course meal. Would you pinch yourself to see if you’re dreaming? Visit The City Different for Santa Fe Restaurant Week February 28th through March 6th, and this can be your reality.
Dinner at some of the more expensive venues is $40.00 per person; on the other end, some are charging $25.00 for two. In addition, each venue will also be offering their regular menu. Beverages, taxes and gratuities are not included in the dinner price. Currently, forty-one Santa Fe restaurants are signed up. More may come onboard before the event. These reasonable prices should give a boost to the local dining scene in a traditionally slow season.
The forces behind this dream-dining week are Michele Ostrove and Lucien Bonnafoux of Santa Fe’s Wing’s Media. They moved here from San Diego about a year ago and were surprised that Santa Fe did not already have a Restaurant Week. They had seen the success of San Diego Restaurant Week; over 200 restaurants currently participate there. Restaurateur friends said their business tripled during the event. The concept that started in New York City as a lunch event in 1992 and expanded to dinner is in major markets all over the country. They decided to bring the concept to Santa Fe. The amazing thing is they began planning in October 2009 and have pulled the entire event together is just a few months. “We are pretty much working 24/7.” Ostrove said via phone.
In addition to dining, some hotels are offering special rates to entice out of towners to visit Santa Fe for Restaurant Week. Local folks can take advantage of these specials to have a mini-getaway or to enjoy wine or a Margarita with dinner and not worry about driving home afterward.
And, it’s more than dinner. There will also be chef demos, wine and beer tastings and other events scheduled during the day in conjunction with this special week. The website will be posting a sweepstakes to win Santa Fe lodging, meals and more. It is not up yet, but check back.
New Mexico Restaurant Week sponsors include Santa Fe Restaurant Association, Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, New Mexico Tourism, New Mexico Rail Runner Express, Sysco, Shamrock Foods, Southern Wine & Spirits, National Distributors, Citadel Broadcasting, Edible Santa Fe and Santa Fean Magazine.
Albuquerque has its own event scheduled the following week; March 7th through 13th. Twenty-one restaurants have signed up to participate to date. Ostrove expects the number to go up. An avid food enthusiast can schedule their visit to include both events.
The plan is to make this a semi-annual event. Look for the next Santa Fe Restaurant Week in November.
Make reservations early to be sure you can get the eateries and times you want. Take advantage of these deals and try more than one. Bon apetit!
