Restaurant Review: Dinner for Two

All in the family

By: Susan Meadows
Published online: Friday, June 15, 2012
Appeared in: Pasateimpo

Santa Fe-born chef Andrew Barnes of Dinner for Two (aka D42), in addition to his Culinary Institute of America credentials, has one of the best support teams any chef could hope for: mom and dad. Pam Barnes bakes the homemade pies, cookies, and other desserts and runs the house. Gregory Barnes specializes in the nearly lost art of tableside preparation (Caesar salad for two, chateaubriand for two, bananas Foster for ... you get the idea) and bakes a mean onion bread served hot and begging for a dollop of quickly melting butter to each table. In a restaurant world populated with celebrity chefs and executive chefs who haven’t actually cooked in years — or at least not in the restaurants that bear their names on the menu — D42 is a delightful anachronism celebrating its 10th anniversary in Santa Fe this summer.

Sprinkled about a menu that frequently changes are dishes you haven’t seen in decades, like that copious tableside Caesar that you can order in exponential powers of garlic and anchovy tickled with a bit of Tabasco. Or the veal picatta — thin slices of tender veal wallowing in a lemony caper cream sauce. Or an entire miniature lemon meringue pie (for two, of course) piled high with a cloud of meringue like I thought only my grandmother could make.

But if you order a “tasting” of crab cakes that are fresh and light and served with a classic mildly spicy remoulade, they are intriguingly nestled next to a marinated calamari and seaweed salad straight from the Asian Pacific rather than the Gulf. Likewise, the tasting of panko and sesame-dusted lightly fried shrimp are for dipping in a south-of-the-border-inspired chile-chocolate sauce. Both of these must-try appetizers demonstrate Barnes’ versatility and adroit hand.

A choice of soup or salad (excluding the Caesar) is included with main courses, another pleasant throw- back to a more genteel era. A special of asparagus-bacon soup inspired me to run out and buy both because the combo was such a hit. The broth of the classic-tasting French onion soup, however, lacked depth. The wedge salad is a nice chunk of crunchy iceberg to contrast with creamy blue-cheese dressing and smoky bacon.

A Santa Fe Restaurant Week special of cod stuffed with shrimp floated on a fluffy hollandaise that gave you the impression it had been just whipped up, though the shrimp stuffing — like a light, shrimpy omelette — was slightly disappointing. There was a delicious Reuben on rye with a side of new potatoes and cabbage, though the sides got short shrift in favor of the perfect (and perfectly huge) Reuben. Scallops seared in a curry- infused oil awakened the senses to the subtle flavors of each morsel.

If you have room left, don’t miss the “coffee and doughnuts” — hot-from-the fryer chocolate-filled beignets served with a coffee-flavored sauce and ice cream. If my mom made those, I’d still live at home. Cookies like the cherry chocolate chunk served with Belgian chocolate ice cream are good but by comparison lack the OMG factor.

Wines are well selected. Imagine our appreciation when bottles were opened at our table for generous by-the-glass pours. The William Hill 2009 cabernet sauvignon had luscious but not overpowering fruit. Likewise, the 2009 Lot 205 chardonnay kept the oak on a leash and complemented the scallops. The Gruet 2007 pinot noir from a local award-winning winery also had nice balance. The cozy corner booth offers a front-row seat for Spanish guitarist El Niño David, who enlivens Friday evenings.

Barnes’ penchant for offering classics along with more inventive fare makes D42 somewhat distinctive, perhaps the result of a chef who learned to respect and love both in a family with deep New Mexico restaurant history (the ’60s-era Palace Restaurant in Santa Fe and El Cid in Albuquerque honed Gregory Barnes’ skills). Their significant combined cooking and restaurant experience means the Barnes family offers delicious food and good value, along with a homey, generous hospitality.