I posted a Photo of the Day a couple of weeks ago of the beautiful cucumber soup I ate at the Hotel Santa Fe’s Amaya Restaurant. I happened to go there as a guest of the Hotel, and my first outing was an amazing evening “Dinner With the Artist” which resulted in one gorgeous new pair of earrings, a meeting with Connie Tsosie Gaussoin, and a delicious dinner at Amaya.

Last night when my sweetie and I couldn’t decide on a light dinner and neither of us wanted to cook, he suggested a return to Amaya. “Let’s drop in the bar and have a glass of wine,” he said. “Maybe we’ll see something on the appetizer menu that appeals to us.”

Hotel Santa Fe is one of those ubiquitous hotels that seems to have been here forever but that we totally missed over the years. It sits at the corner of Paseo de Peralta and Cerrillos, quietly unassuming behind those adobe walls, and then once you venture in the gate, you find an oasis of calm and beauty. If that sounds just a bit too poetic and Santa Fe-ish for you, I apologize. It’s just the best way to describe the place. It makes you feel calm. Makes you want to sit back and enjoy. Very inviting. . .

But back to the bar menu. We were greeted by the extremely hospitable staff (“They’ve been very well trained,” my guy said at the end of the evening), served a Gruet red blend that was smooth without being too heavy, and then handed the bar appetizer menu. I chose the West Coast Black Mussels, a concoction of fresh mussels sauteed with white wine and roasted garlic sitting in a broth of Spanish chorizo, lemon juice and butter. My guy had the Achiote Seasoned Mahi Mahi Tacos.

Did these dishes taste as good as they look? Absolutely. Actually better. The evening was relaxing, the service was attentive without being overbearing and the food was, once again (just like the Dinner with the Artist), mouthwateringly delicious. This chef knows exactly what he’s going.

We are going back. Again and Again. I’m dying to see how they surprise us next time. Although we’re not going to be so easily surprised from now on. We’ll just expect the perfect evening experience that we’ve had in our two visits to Hotel Santa Fe and Amaya.

And of course, I’ll keep you posted. Or maybe I’ll see you there.