Jay B.
Yelp
Remember how I said some of the best places to eat always seem to be the farthest away? This place is no exception; they're located on the outskirts of Sunland Park. They're also most definitely worth the drive.
As with most new places I've never even heard of, I didn't know what to expect going in. I originally happened by this place because they were featuring a wine tasting. That said..
It was a little surprising that said wine tasting only featured four wines to sample. Then I remembered this was New Mexico and thought, "You just came from El Paso, you idiot. This isn't California. Now taste the damn wine and be merry!"
This guy seemed to be very passionate about his wine, I can say that much. As to how knowledgeable he was about wine, I couldn't tell ya. Honestly, I know surprisingly little about wine, other than the fact that it comes from grapes and I love to drink it (but mostly reds).
The wine tasting alone was enough for me to sit in and have dinner. And since I suspect this was the whole reason for them to offer samples without charging an admission fee or validating ID upon entrance, I figured it'd only be fair to throw them a little business. Because their clever ploy worked.
Even though I had the option to sit at the bar, I opted to sit in their dining area. The first thing I noticed immediately upon entry is how classy the decorum was. It was SO classy, in fact, that I was instructed to remove my hat whilst dining. Didn't see that one coming. I didn't mind [much], but it only made me wonder...had I sat at the bar, would I have been able to keep my hat on? Also, how come it's okay for the dude at the table across from me to wear jeans in a setting like this? Ah well, no big deal. Time to sample the food.
Tonight they featured French onion soup as their soup of the day. And let me tell you...it was arguably the best French onion soup I've ever tasted! It was subtle, yet seasoned beautifully. Not too salty, not bland at all. It featured toasted bread smothered in Swiss cheese in the middle. But the broth did a fine job of keeping the bread just soft enough not to be awkwardly hard as a rock a midst soup. The flavors blended like harmony. I almost thought I heard harps playing in the background from the moment I took my first sip.
For my main course, I chose the Pasta de Mare. Because....seafood. Three letters for this dish: OMG!! Where do I even start? Well..
It's tough for me to describe the sauce they used for this pasta dish. Because it's nothing like anything I've ever experienced before. It wasn't quite Alfredo, but somewhat reminiscent of it. It, too, had a subtle flavor to it that complimented all the other ingredients perfectly. Now, I DID add a dash of salt and pepper to taste...only for the sake of tailoring it to my palate's preference. But ultimately, this is easily the best seafood pasta dish I've tasted in a long, long time.
The scallops were perfectly seared and tender. As you can imagine, few places get this protein right. They also give you two extra large shrimp: delicious! And finally...lobster claw pieces...all over a bed of linguine. There was zucchini, too...though you could barely taste it. The entire thing came together like a symphony. I was impressed with the portion size as well. It wasn't overwhelming at all! Hopefully, the photo I took did it justice.
Though this is my first visit and I don't care much for the location, the latter is mainly due to the fact that the surrounding streets leading to the highway are ostensibly bogged down with endless miles of construction work. Despite all that, I wouldn't be the least be surprised if an updated review gets posted by moi.
Overall rating: I'm totally taking the wife here for date night in the near future!
