Features > General > Santa Fe Friday Night: Galleries and Dinner
Forget dinner and a movie. Friday nights in Santa Fe allow you to nourish your intellect before you please your palate. Many of the 100 galleries and studios lining Canyon Road stay open later, turning this pedestrian-heavy street into an open market of museum-quality pieces even as the open doors to many of the fine dining establishments waft delectable smells into the cool night air.
A narrow track that leads into the Sangre de Cristos, Canyon Road's history is diverse and humble. Originally a footpath used by Native Americans, burros later took over the dirt road carrying loads of split pinon back into town for the rich Spanish settlers. By 1915, the once-sleepy rural neighborhood was home to a few professional artists. Now, Santa Fe is the second-largest art market in the nation with visitors traversing the lane to stare, open-mouthed, at some of incredible artwork.
In some of Upper Canyon Road's galleries, I saw brush strokes so precise that I could make out depth in each blade of grass. The only option after such awe-inspiring mental stimulation was to eat myself into a stupor. And because this is Santa Fe, art can also be of the culinary kind: The Compound, El Farol and Geronimo are all situated between modest adobes that house fifty-thousand-dollar canvases. We'd made reservations at Geronimo, a Canyon Road institution. Our waiter explained that the menu changes daily “ no additional specials “ and the small wine list offered some nice boutique wines. My husband greatly enjoyed his first course of smoked shrimp soup while I was enamored with my elk tenderloin. I have to admit the food was slow “ two large parties in the back rooms kept the kitchen busy for over an hour. To compensate, the restaurant brought out free desserts “ a nice touch. The waiter was knowledgeable about the wine list, but I was less than impressed with my Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. However, my husband's Pinot Noir was so well structured; I wished I'd ordered it instead.
With the bounty of food and art choices, I highly recommend a Friday evening tour of the short track. There's another intriguing new element to explore each time we go.
By Anna Philpot
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