THANKSGIVING
First let’s start with the negatives. The sociopaths among us will not be able to work out on this day at either Taos Spa & Tennis or High Altitude Fitness. The time is long gone for a healthy lifestyle. Submit yourself to a double digit increase in weight. You will not be shunned by your bloated brethren. This next bit of information is to save you the hassle of calling restaurants that value their workers enough to let them enjoy this gluttonous holiday with loved ones. Love Apple, Sabroso, and Mary’s, will be closed. Don’t call, you’ll be received by apologetic voicemails.
Taos Ski Valley does not have any specific Thanksgiving events planned. Still you could go there for Thanksgiving as they will be reopening the 192 at the Blake. This luxurious but oddly
sparse restaurant does have an immaculate seafoam green tiled oven, heart and center, of their openly displayed kitchen. If you would like to build up an appetite or burn off some calories after a meal, you can lace up your ice skates at the nearby Eis Haus ice-skating rink. With built-in fireplaces you can relax, skate, keep yourself warm, and if need be head back to the 192 for an extra dirty Tito’s martini shaken with rigor and the ice shards strained on top so one could theoretically “skate” on them. This is just a simple worthwhile idea. Rentals are $20 for the afternoon, $25 for evenings.
South of the ski valley, in Arroyo Seco, Aceq will be doing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with the intention of feeding you enough to be more than full and still have leftovers for the next day. The “traditional” features turkey as the protein and includes as sides: mashed potatoes, stuffing, choice of regular or red chile gravy, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. This will set you back $60 per person. For an additional $15 you can opt instead for the beck and bulow (a top choice meat purveyor) bison prime rib dinner. Even vegans can fatten up with the rest of us. For $50 per person, the vegan option features an impossible burger meatloaf and includes as sides: baked acorn squash, baked brussel sprouts, vegan stuffing, vegan gravy, and that classic cranberry sauce.
The apéritif flight they’re offering pairs well with the hearty flavors. The flight gives you two ounce servings of five aperitifs. One of the standouts is the Barbadillo Ataman Vermut, a vermouth built on Manzanilla sherry with quassia, bitter orange, wormwood, elderberry, and rosemary. The effervescent traditional semi-sparkling orange wine from Greece, Paleokerisio, is a welcome surprise.
Further south, Medley., will also be participating in the gobble gobble dinner game, at $65 per person. Be
forewarned, the meal comes with an automatic 20 percent gratuity. Not that you would sink beneath that percentage, but it is good to know nonetheless. Their holiday menu is quite eccentric and bold. The appetizers give you a choice of either a blue crab bisque, apple griddle cakes, fig salad, or sweet potato gnocchi. The entrées are more standard. You’ve got either turkey, salmon, filet mignon, or lasagna, each served with complementary sides that exquisitely accent the main proteins. Every single item on the menu has a recommended beverage paired with it, even the caramel apple pie is paired with a tea.o.graphy fall fig tea. If you want to be taken for a culinary ride, the medley. staff has you covered.
In the heart of town, Lambert’s will offer an elevated dining experience for those who do not want to travel far from town, or those who trust this restaurant’s pedigree. The menu is not prix fixe, you can ignore some things and gorge on other extravagant items. Choose your destiny. The Chévre Custard appetizer does sound compelling. The dish has pork rillette (pork cooked in its own fat for a long time). That’s all I really need to know. At least two of these for the table. Lambert’s is the only place where you can indulge in halibut for Thanksgiving. Good reason alone to give them a shot. Any entrée can be augmented with a butter poached lobster tail. If any moment justifies such
Aceq serves up a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. opulence, this is it.
Remember these words: survival, efficiency. Call these restaurants, call other restaurants I’ve managed to neglect, make reservations as early as possible. If you get rejected, use the gift of gab, keep calm and carry on.