Robert G.
Yelp
I don't have a single bad thing to say about the food we got here. If you've read my other reviews, you know I don't shy away from pointing out flaws.
The shishito peppers with miso butter were fantastic. The peppers themselves were clearly very fresh, and perfectly blistered. I was a little skeptical when I saw that the shishitos came with a miso butter, because I think blistered peppers are wonderful on their own (maybe unsurprising given that I partly grew up in western NM). But the miso butter tasted so good I can't say it was wrong to pair them. Plus the butter I didn't put on the peppers went straight onto my bread -- perfect!
We were also happy we ordered the burrata. If the burrata wasn't set that day, then they musta put some kinda magic spell on it, because it tasted absolutely pristine. The pickled cherries weren't my favorite by themselves, but certainly melded well with the balsamic in the greens. I appreciate when dishes are constructed so thoughtfully.
Speaking of the greens, we ordered two of the "gardens greens" after learning that they come directly from the restaurant's garden. I really think there's no substitute for farm-fresh greens. I've read that spinach loses 50% of its Vitamin C in the first few days after it's picked, even if refrigerated, and I suspect there are other goodies in greens that degrade if they're shipped around before being eaten. And lots of restaurants say they have good greens, while it's just a disappointing lie. Not so with Arroyo Vino: each leaf was perfectly lustrous, with a pleasing crunch and a flavor hefty enough to counterbalance the robustly zingy dressing. I usually don't care for green leaf lettuce, but this was great.
My only gripe was that the greens' dressing wasn't quite salty enough for my tastes tonight. I say "tonight" because I think people's taste for salt varies a lot, both between different individuals and even the same person depending on the day. We hiked in the hot desert today, so I think we needed more salt than usual. (I guess this is a long way of saying that I think every restaurant should have a salt shaker on the table.)
For our main course, we got the Swiss chard gnocchi, which was great. Again, the chard was super-fresh, giving the dish delicate herbaceous notes that rested harmoniously atop the gnocchi's earthy bass figure. The chopped porcini weren't very interesting as an element of the dish, but the umami they provided to the sauce was indispensable. Many gnocchi dishes are bland or scattered, but this one was both tasty and well-composed.
After a meal this good, we felt it'd be smart to splurge on dessert. The miso ice cream lived up to expectations, though I wonder if this could be done vegan, a la Van Leeuwen. The pistachio cake was a liiiiiittle dull on its own, but the strawberry jam rocked the house, and and the lemon ice cream played a clutch relay anchor. But the star dessert was our chocolate-espresso pot de creme, with its wonderfully silky-yet-unctuous texture, and with the addictively bitter flavors of the respective beans locked in a battle for our tastebuds' attention.
The wine was also fantastic. We got a Marchetti, which our server described as "brutal" and "rugged". Apt words, because the wine tasted something like a national park: wild and robust, with perhaps even a hint of the volcanic.
Service started out a bit on the formal side for our tastes, but our server aimed to please and quickly figured out our style. By the end of the night service felt less like a restaurant and more someone graciously and comfortably hosting us in their home.
We don't know the next time we'll be in Santa Fe, but Arroyo Vino is definitely a keeper.