City: Santa Fe, NM

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (505) 995-4530

Address: 309 West San Francisco St.

Description: One of New Mexico’s top restaurants, the Old House’s food is both beautiful and original; the atmosphere upscale and peaceful. Under former executive chef Martin Rios, this award-winning hotel restaurant’s contemporary southwestern cooking scaled new heights; new chef Eugene Staples continues that tradition and has added global touches to some old favorites. Try his unusual warm Brussels sprout salad with caramelized pear, radicchio, and bacon vinaigrette or sautéed scallops with saffron velouté and prickly pear. Popular entrees include rack of lamb with roasted spaghetti squash and rosemary jus and buffalo strip with cowboy beans, sautéed spinach, and crispy onions. Locally sourced beef and free-range chicken and organic produce are on the menu. The Old House, which offers a full bar, is open for dinner only. Private dinners can be arranged in the Wine Room. You can also eat at the Eldorado Court, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers a less-gourmet, less-expensive menu. It adjoins a sometimes-lively cocktail lounge.