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Travel Nerd
Outside Interests
Summertime in New Mexico means hot, sunny days and breezy desert nights. Keep your cool by dining al fresco at these eight restaurants. By Ashley M. Biggers
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The patio at the Old Blinking Light Kitchen in Taos offers scenic views of the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains. |
Northern Road Trip
In Taos, locals recommend the Old Blinking Light Kitchen and Cocktails [100 N.M. 150] for outdoor dining. Affectionately named after the yellow blinking caution light that used to mark the turn to the Taos Ski Valley north of town (and which became something of a local landmark) the Old Blinking Light offers pristine views of the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains from its casual patio. The restaurant serves New Mexican food with Taoseño flare—like the vegetarian enchiladas with calibacitas. With a beer, wine, and full compliment of margaritas on hand, the Old Blinking Light is the perfect place to wind down after a day hiking in the mountains or exploring Taos’s eclectic downtown.
Traveling from Taos to Santa Fe, it’s easy to cruise past Embudo Station Restaurant, located 25 miles south of Taos off N.M. 68. The casual dining restaurant is nestled amongst the cottonwoods along the Río Grande, and is well worth a side trip to nurse a locally brewed cerveza (beer) while listening to the rushing river waters. The restaurant emphasizes farm-to-table cuisine with dishes like their bison meatloaf and Tierra Amarilla lamb T-bone, both of which use local meats.
After a day perusing the galleries on Canyon Road or attending one of Santa Fe’s many summer festivals, there’s no better place to cool off in the City Different than Bishop’s Lodge’s Las Fuentes Restaurant and Bar [1297 Bishops Lodge Road], located amongst the foothills north of the city center, on the edge of the village of Tesuque. From the aptly named Sunset Terrace, you can take in the coral and golden hues of a desert sunset while sipping a glass from the Lodge’s extensive wine list or nibbling on their elegant, ranch cuisine.
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Casa de Benavidez serves New Mexican favorites on their lush patio in Albuquerque's north valley. |
Central Road Trip
As you travel south on I-25 toward Albuquerque, cruise through Corrales to Indigo Crow Café and Bakery [4515 Corrales Rd.], an intimate adobe restaurant serving elegant, contemporary American cuisine. While enjoying dinner entrees like oven-roasted duck breast with a cherry zinfandel glaze, you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the pastoral village: chat with a local over the fence, rub a horse’s nose as his rider takes him for an evening trot, or watch a tractor chug by.
In Albuquerque, two New Mexican food restaurants have cornered the market on summer patio dining. Casa de Benavidez [8032 4th St. NW], thrills the locals who frequent it with a lush patio complete with a koi pond and abundant flowers. Don’t miss the sopapilla burger, which replaces the traditional hamburger bun with halves of deliciously fried dough. With its lovely water fountains, towering cottonwoods, and chile ristras, the patio at El Pinto Restaurant [10500 4th St. NW] provides an idyllic New Mexican ambiance.
Southern Road Trip
In Las Cruces, De La Vega’s Pecan Grill and Brewery [500 S. Telshor Dr.] is known for its six local brews and prime beef cuts, each of which is smoked with flavorful, local pecan wood. But to take in views of the Mesilla Valley and spectacular sunsets, head to D’s Backporch, the restaurant’s outdoor patio that serves equally delicious casual fare (think burgers and sandwiches) and offers up live music three nights a week.
If you’re in Carlsbad, the homey Blue House Bakery & Café is the perfect lunchtime spot. Inside, the café celebrates colorful French provincial-style, but if you want to escape the heat and still dine outside, pick a spot beneath the aptly named bungalow’s porch or shade trees. Here you can munch leisurely on homemade pastries (don’t miss the zucchini bread), espresso drinks, and the fresh, daily lunch special.
