A New Adventure in Our Lobby!

Dear Friends,

For decades, the only hotel shop that we’ve actually run ourselves has been the small newsstand that evolved into a gem of a gift shop under the leadership of manager Sophie Dant. Starting this month, we’re expanding La Fonda’s offerings to fill 1500 square feet on the corner of the hotel facing the plaza that used to house La Fonda Indian Shop. This will be a unique retail experience combining travel essentials with contemporary giftware, New Mexico food and beverage items, and home furnishings inspired (like our recent renovation) by Harvey House architect and designer Mary Colter. Think of it as your gateway to Santa Fe!

Sophie Dant will bring the roster of artists she has cultivated around Northern New Mexico to continue providing the shop with original handmade items, from oil paintings to ceramic tableware. But we’ve also called on retail consultant Jill Heppenheimer, who owned the Santa Fe Weaving Gallery for many years, to seek out one-of-a-kind gifts that reflect a “La Fonda lifestyle,” sourced from around the state. These will include cool logo items like our lime-green, felted-wool wine carrier, along with luxuries like watches and hand-turned wood pens. If you love browsing museum gift shops, boutiques, and in-flight catalogs, you should spend some happy hours in Detours at La Fonda!

Yes, we’ve named the store after the famous “Indian Detours” that got their start here under Fred Harvey. Only this time, we’re bringing the handmade and homegrown right to our doors. It’s no secret that shopping is one of the best-loved hotel amenities, especially for those who’ve “been here, done that.” Come browse Detours at La Fonda and let us know what you think—we’ll be tweaking the selections and layout for months to come, to ensure it fits into the sophisticated but homespun experience you’ve come to love about us. 

Happy shopping,

Jenny Kimball

INGREDIENTS

2.5# yellow onions, thinly sliced

2oz clarified butter

4oz Cognac

3qts beef stock

To Taste kosher salt and white pepper

Garnishes: Crunchy cheese croutons or crusty french bread, slices of Gruyere cheese.

INSTRUCTIONS

In a 2 gallon stock pot, heat the clarified butter and add onions.

Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are caramelized.

Add cognac and flame, cook until flame goes out and add beef stock.

Bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour, season to taste with kosher salt and white pepper.

Now you can place hot soup in individual crocks, add crunchy croutons and top liberally with slices of Gruyere cheese.

Place in 500 degree oven until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

SLURP!!!!

Award-winning Bay Area clown Geoff Hoyle brings his one-man show Lear’s Shadow to the Lensic, a retelling of King Lear through the eyes of the court Jester (Feb. 27). Local luminaries take the stage in a light-hearted theatrical reading that imagines a meeting between Mark Twain and William Shakespeare (Jan. 31), with Valerie Plame, Lensic executive director Robert Martin, and film critic Jonathan Richards at the Lensic. The all-male British dance company BalletBoyz brings its cheeky show to the venue (Feb. 11), followed by legendary comedy troupe Second City, back in Santa Fe with their Valentines Day show “Hooking Up” (Feb. 12).

Performance Santa Fe opens 2016 with its customary New Year’s Eve concerts at the Lensic, featuring pianist Joyce Yang. The Santa Fe Symphony serves up a menu of Bizet, Bach and Shostakovich (Jan. 17), and for Valentines Day, heartfelt pieces by Mozart, Weber and Dvorak (Feb. 14). Santa Fe Pro Musica’s annual Classical Weekend features virtuoso pianist Per Tengstrand (Jan. 23-24), with an Artist Dinner after the Sunday concert. Performance Santa Fe brings the string trio Time for Three to the Lensic (Feb. 16), followed by  the unconventional organist Cameron Carpenter performing a wide-ranging repertoire with his monumental digital Touring Organ (Feb. 20). Joseph Illick’s “Notes on Music” series reacquaints us with Gilbert & Sullivan (Feb. 9) at the United Church of Santa Fe. 

In contemporary music, the San Diego-based tribute band Cash’d Out honors the legacy of the original Man in Black at the Skylight (Jan. 22), and Big Head Todd & The Monsters plays the Lensic with special guest Mike Doughty (Jan. 26). Acoustic “fingerstyle” guitarist Shaun Hopper plays a concert at Eldorado Hotel for the Spanish Colonial Arts Society (Jan. 23), and Canadian Brass brings its renowned musicianship to the Cathedral Basilica, showcasing genres from Baroque to Dixieland (Jan. 26) and prolific songwriter Steve Poltz performs at the Jean Cocteau Cinema (Jan. 31). 

The New Mexico Museum of Art opens the touring exhibition First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare (Feb. 6-28), a rare look at the first edition of the Bard’s classics, starting with a free public opening (Feb. 5), complemented by activities planned all month.

Also at the art museum, three local artists with work in the exhibit Looking Forward, Looking Back will discuss opportunities for women in the arts (Jan. 9). At the New Mexico History Museum, archeologist Matthew Barbour will talk about the finding of a mass grave of Confederate soldiers at Kip Siler’s home in Pecos, with Siler on hand to show some of his artifacts (Jan. 17), part of Family Fun Day events.

The Museum of International Folk Art will host a discussion about flamenco in New Mexico as part of its exhibition on the dance form (Jan. 31). The museum then celebrates the Asian New Year for its opening of Sacred Realm: Blessing and Good Fortune Across Asia (Feb. 28).

Learn about the French in New Mexico (Jan. 13), the discovery of a mass grave of Civil War soldiers in the Pecos (Jan. 17), or the making of hide paintings (Jan. 17), free with admission to the New Mexico History Museum.

Rush on over to the Institute for American Indian Arts for the 2016 Winter Writers Festival (Jan. 2-9), with readings by noted authors (including Joy Harjo and Sherman Alexie), along with students in the Creative Writing program, free to the public.

Los Alamos scientist Karissa Sanbonmatsu will speak on “Epigenetics and Love” at the Lensic (Jan. 19). The Lannan Foundation brings Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, a scholar of the BlackLivesMatter movement, to speak with author Donna Murch (Jan. 20). Then New York Times critic and novelist Teju Cole will speak with writer and journalist Amitava Kumar (Feb. 3), and Native rights activists Winona La Duke and Mililani Trask share perspectives on Feb. 24.

Santa Fe beefs up its culinary credibility with a new event, the 1st Annual Santa Fe Foodie Classic at the Santa Fe Convention Center (Jan. 15-17), with seven-course dinner with wine pairings, a foodie showcase, three-chef competition at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, and other foodie favorites.

Sample New Mexico’s hoppy favorites at the 5th Annual WinterBrew Festival at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market (Jan. 15), with 16 breweries and four local restaurants to sample.

Get ready for Restaurant Week! The city’s top dining establishments will be offering prix-fixe menus (including La Plazuela) to adventurous diners during the last week of February. Keep checking the website for the growing list of participating restaurants, many of which take reservations. Check back for the menu to be posted on the La Plazuela website. Get ahead of the crowd and make your reservations at La Plazuela, please call 505-995-2334 or to visit the La Plazuela website, click here.

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