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CULINARY GENIUS IN TAOS
by Stephanie Pearson
Santa Fean Magazine
Santa Fe, NM
January/February, 2006
"Oh my God. Oh, my lord. Ohhhhh, boy..." My dining partner's inner sensualist is fully unleashed, and he's only on his second course. But what a course it is: the Hawaiian Marlin Sashimi on Fried Kale with Orange Soy Vinaigrette Salad ($16), dreamed up by 39-year-old Joseph Wrede, the visionary behind Joseph's Table, the most original restaurant in New Mexico.
There are fine-dining experiences and then there are food explorations. Expect the latter at Joseph's Table, tucked unpretentiously in the lobby of the Hotel La Fonda, o the historic Taos Plaza. This split-level space is a realm of whimsical sensory overload - Arabian Knights meets Wild West saloon, with a little Alice in Wonderland thrown in - but when it comes to food, Wrede and his staff get down to business. Our waiter, Kevin, was fluent in every detail of the daily-changing menu, informing us that the beef I my organic steak tartar starter ($14) was flown in from Australia because cows down there are organically raised and harvested young producing more-tender meat. And when it came to my Taos Pueblo Squash Tart entrŽe (on the menu's low end at $18), Kevin practically gave me the exact coordinates of the spot where the gourd grew on its vine.
This earthy yet ethereal approach to fine dining is one of the reasons Wrede is almost a cult figure among foodies nationwide, Food & Wine named him one of America's 10 Best New Chefs in 2000. His restaurant, opened in Ranchos de Taos in 1995 and relocated to La Fonda in 2004, is one of only seven AAA Four Diamond Award winners in New Mexico. And for the last three years the taste wizard has won the Distinguished Restaurants of North America's Award of Excellence.
Wrede's true genius, however, lies in the way he can merge a flavor from anywhere o the planet with on halfway around the world. "I like to take two ideas and see how many bridges I have to build to put them together," he explains. Lately, the chef has been trying to forge a link between Mexico and Japan. "Mexico is the closest c7ulinary empire to Taos," he explains, "and Tokyo - it's just really sophisticated. I want my food to look like the Southwest but be Japanese in influence."
Ultimately, Wrede plans to open an urban venue to complement his Taos restaurant, but he's in no hurry. "The best chefs in the world are in their fifties," he says. "I have 10 years to get my act together."
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Phone 575-751-4512, or e-mail info@josephstable.com for more information.
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