Attention to detail gives eatery right touch
Menu lets you know you could be in any sophisticated city
Tomme, an upscale, downtown Santa Fe restaurant, stands out from the crowd for its attention to detail. Customers notice this, perhaps subconsciously, as soon as they enter this well-kept, subtly decorated corner restaurant with windows facing onto Galisteo and Alameda. The downtown location may have locals searching for a parking place, but it is convenient for visitors staying at the city’s upscale hotels or for train passengers who take advantage of the free shuttles. The menu lets you know that, while this is Santa Fe, Tomme could be in any sophisticated city in the United States and beyond. The spring menu has not a green chile in sight.
Like its predecessor — Max’s in the Guadalupe neighborhood — Tomme has had a series of chefs, with Daniel Johnson and sous chef Dale Kester currently at the helm replacing Joseph Wrede. The crew on board did a fine job from appetizer to dessert.
My three friends and I started with a pair of appetizers, beautiful oysters on the half shell ($18 for six) and a caramelized leek tart ($11). The oysters were fresh, a baseline requirement, and arrived in a tray of ice with a little container of what looked like salt. But, our waitress explained, it was actually prosecco granita, a champagne snow cone in a bowl. The oysters were Kumamoto, a variety native to the West Coast and cultivated mostly in the Puget Sound and British Columbia. Their tiny fluted black and white shells looked like miniature art work, almost too pretty to toss away.
Our tart arrived hot and fragrant, about six inches in diameter and maybe an inch deep. The crust was amazing, almost cracker thin, crisp and golden brown. It tasted as good as it smelled, bursting with fresh flavor. The mixed greens that came with it were just-picked fresh, tossed with a tart dressing.
Most of our entrees also got rave reviews. I had eaten the “Brick Chicken” here before and enjoyed it. (The brick flattens the meat for even cooking.) This time, I thought the chicken a bit dry, but still very good. I appreciated the crispy skin and the light lemon-scented couscous that came with it. ($24)
Like Kumamoto oysters, rabbit is a dish you don’t see on many menus. Tomme does an outstanding job with its rabbit pasta creation. The shreds of meat arrive among soft, perfectly cooked noodles, seasoned with tarragon and fresh parsnips. ($26). The flavors worked together to create a dish that was satisfyingly filling without being too much. I look forward to enjoying this treat again.
The filet of beef, served with potatoes and asparagus, also stood out from the crowd. This time, the meat was the star, perhaps the most tender beef I’ve ever had. In addition to the chef using a good cut — the waitress believed it was tenderloin — the sous vide cooking process of vacuum sealing and then submerging it in a water bath kept the juices from escaping. My friend who selected this dish praised the steak sauce. My only complaints about the perfect au gratin potatoes and the fresh asparagus is that the servings were too small, especially for the $34 price.
I found the pan-seared yellow tail a bit fishy. But I loved the side dishes that came with it and the clever way they were presented. The peas had been puréed with a bit of mint and made a bright green base which occupied about half the plate. The fish steak was arranged on one side of this green lake and the other side dish, spinach, on the other. The fresh spinach leaves had been sautéed with garlic and finished with golden raisins. I loved the contrast of the dark green against the lighter pea base as well as the interplay of flavors. ($30)
Desserts were so memorable, I would come again just for them. The panna cotta, a creamy cloud of goodness, had just a hint of bay leaf, a spice I associate with pasta sauce, not dessert. The custard was slightly sweet and light, light, light. Oval rings of berry coulis encircled it like concentric halos. The warm chocolate pudding ranks high as comfort food, in part because of the brilliance of serving it warm rather than chilled. The chocolate used to create this was first-rate, and the garnish of slivered almonds another master stroke.
The waitress anticipated our needs. She brought everything with a smile, from the amuse bouche, a two-bite appetizer of warm duck confit with slivers of roasted asparagus, to the fresh sour dough rolls with soft butter. The meal moved forward at a reasonable pace and the restaurant was quiet enough for easy conversation on the non-busy night when we visited. The patio will allow extra seating in the summer.