 Chile
Pepper Magazine (May/June 1994)
"You wouldn't expect to find a place like the Santa Fe Café in downtown Rosslyn, Virginia, the business district of Arlington. . . An unpretentious and humble restaurateur named Kip Laramie - a man with an obscene fondness for spicy, Southwestern style cuisine who learned his culinary skills from an old line cook at the White House - successfully established an equally as unpretentious and humble little Southwestern-style café. It's a chile oasis situated below sidewalk level between high-rises offices of bristling steel and glass."
This modest Rosslyn café does a good job of recreating the simplicity of style and purity that characterizes New Mexico-style cooking. Meals start with a basket of tortilla chips, including blue-corn chips, served with a salsa that tastes of good ground chile, not tomato sauce. The best dishes here are found not on the regular menu, but on the daily list of specials. Posole, often a special at lunchtime, is a basic "hog and hominy" dish, a stew of pork, green chile and hominy, mildly hot and richly satisfying. Dinner specials range from the traditional to the unusual. The pork adovado filling for burritos is particularly good. The pork, simmered with red Chimayo chile, is full of flavor. Oysters are rolled in blue-corn meal, fried crisp, and served with a fresh tomato salsa. Grilled chicken breast is served atop a tasty wild rice-and-buckwheat pancake and topped with a sauce made from Chimayo chile and oranges. The margaritas, made from freshly squeezed limes, are tart and delicious.
In addition to the reasonable prices, first-time restaurateur Kipling Laramie has brightened the plain rectangular dining room with the colors and symbols of the Southwest, such as turquoise paint beneat the chair rail, a grouping of cactuses against rough stucco walls, and a bunch of dried ancho chiles. Indeed, his presence is palpable as he greets guests with gusto and is quick to answer questions about ingredients by trotting out samples from the kitchen. . . The food is fun and pleasing too, particularly the specials. They reach beyond the familiar enchilada, taco and burrito combinations to include other dishes that focus on the unique flavors and ingredients of New Mexico. . . Santa Fe Café is as sprightly and well intentioned as its enthusiastic owner, and for the most part, good intentions here translate into good eats. 
New Mexico Resources (Fall/Winter 1996) In Arlington (Va.), Washingtonians hankering for chile can get a fix at Kip laramie's Santa Fe Café - a family-oriented neighborhood spot that seats 100. "'I'm cautious about saying it's authentic, because I know northern New Mexican food is different from southern New Mexican, and it's very regionalized," Laramie says. Although he says he serves 'more generic' New Mexican, Laramie seems to have the ingredients right. He uses Hatch chile, chorizon, pinon nuts, and refried and black beans. He's also known to top a layered enchilada with a fried egg. New Mexico plays prominently in Laramie's menu. His biggest combination plate is called the "Truth or Consequences," which includes chile relleno, a large chicken burrito, beef enchiladas, rice and refried beans, as well as tostada chips with chile con queso and guacamole. All for just $10.95. The draw to his restaurant, Laramie thinks, is simply that people like spicy food. He says the trend began in the 1970s with a clamor for Szechuan and Hunan cuisine. That was followed by national cravings for hot Thai food. Next, American regional cuisines like Louisiana's Cajun and Creole foods became popular, followed by Mexican. "Now, we're adding New Mexican to the list," Laramie says. Once people are exposed to the fiery fare, they get hooked, Laramie says. And he knows what he's talking about. "Green chile and pork stew used to be a special," he says. "Now, if I don't offer it all the time, I get abuse from customers. They call me up to make sure I'm serving it." |
Washingtonian
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Washington Post (February 1990)