Horno restaurant owner and chef David Sellers has been nominated for Best Chef in the Southwest region, the James Beard Foundation announced Wednesday.
Horno restaurant owner and chef David Sellers has been nominated for Best Chef in the Southwest region, the James Beard Foundation announced Wednesday.
“A gastropub where street food meets indoor dining” is how Horno Restaurant bills itself. I suppose that’s intended to suggest the casual atmosphere of a pub and the informality of street food (think food trucks, food booths at fairs, pop-up cafés).
Horno, which is pronounced OR-no and means “oven” in Spanish, does have the lively atmosphere of a pub, with folks who’ve clearly come in just for an ale or a glass of wine and some conviviality at the intimate little bar. But the food is much more sophisticated than fits the notion of most street food. Everything on the menu has a unique twist, except perhaps for Leo’s Smack Down Burger ($17), the Beer Battered Fish Sandwich ($18) and the Roasted Meatball (yes, that’s singular; $9). You can eat Horno Focaccia ($5), crunchy on the outside, warm and soft inside, with just a bit of ordinary olive oil and balsamic. But you can also add the twist, honey-whipped goat cheese and Sicilian olive tapenade ($6) — and why wouldn’t you?
Horno is the latest restaurant created by chef David Sellers and his wife, Heather Sellers. David Sellers began his culinary career in New England, then spent 10 years at Santacafé. In 2007, he opened Amavi, which closed in 2012. In 2014, he created the nonprofit Street Food Institute, a highly successful culinary education program still in operation. After a few years’ stint back in New England, he returned to Santa Fe and, in 2021, he and his wife opened Horno in the space previously occupied by Il Piatto.
Horno’s specialty is small plates, ranging in price from $5 to $19. My companion and I wanted to order them all — well, except for the pork belly, never a favorite of mine — but with our server’s assistance, decided five would likely do for a full meal for two. Neither of us was tempted by the large plates ($19 to $28; market price for seasonal items). They sounded appealing — hanger steak, roasted chicken, seafood capellini, and more — but not nearly as exciting as the small plates. Neither were we interested in Horno’s excellent selection of salads. Not on this trip, anyway.
We started off with that satisfying focaccia, hands-down the best I’ve ever eaten in Santa Fe, followed by Pimenton Grilled Octopus ($19). The cephalopod was sliced into white disks, grilled, and served over a farro concoction drizzled with a mildly spicy piquillo pepper sauce. We were pleasantly surprised to find the octopus— which can be tricky to cook — tender and flavorful. (Bizarre trivia: Some Greek fishermen put their freshly killed octopus into commercial clothes washers; the banging about tenderizes the sometimes rubbery meat.) The only detraction was the lack of color in the dish; the diced zucchini in the farro, if sliced larger, might solve that, along with a whole piquillo as garnish.
Miso Roasted Veggies
Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
My companion and I agreed that the Miso Roasted Veggies ($11) were spectacular: grilled and coated with a perfectly salty miso sauce, red bell pepper, eggplant, mushroom, and other veg tasted fresh and still slightly crunchy — and satisfied our wish to include some healthy produce among our choices. I especially love eggplant and rarely find it used this creatively and not overcooked. The portion was sizeable and the presentation, with sauce swirled in a circular design on the white plate, was lovely.
Those three dishes together would make a balanced and appealing meal for one, likely with leftovers.
Roasted Meatball and Smoked Chicken Wings ($15) completed our small plate selections. The former was a racquetball-sized meatball, a savory combination of beef and pork with cheeses in a marinara sauce. But it presented a dilemma. How do two people eat one meatball? Two smaller meatballs would have been preferable. And, well, the idea of a singular meatball seems a little precious. Mind you, there was nothing wrong with our meatball, but it wasn’t surprising or unorthodox, unlike our other choices.
Horno’s chicken wings looked more like small chicken legs, plump and juicy and perfectly cooked in a sticky Thai crab caramel sauce with piñon nuts and green onion. I couldn’t discern the seafood flavor, but my companion could, and though neither of us is usually fond of chicken wings, these were not your average “buffalo wings.” (My companion, who hails from Buffalo, N.Y., says they were invented there in 1964 at the Anchor Bar and the National Chicken Council confirms this). The sauce was a little too sweet for both of us; the addition of some chile or other piquant spice might mitigate that. Kudos to Horno for providing steamed towels for post-wing hand cleaning.
Chocolate Tahini Torte
Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
For dessert, we tried the vegan Chocolate Tahini Torte ($10) with meringue cookies, strawberry coulis, and almond caramel sauce, as well as a Banana Cream Parfait ($10) with vanilla wafers in the bottom. The Banana Cream Parfait was a bit too much like Mom’s standby dessert, though somewhat richer. Served in a Mason-type jar, the portion was more than my companion could eat after a full meal. The torte was silken, dense, and rich, and would thrill any chocoholic. And no, you wouldn’t guess it was vegan.
The restaurant offers an extensive wine and beer list and a selection of dessert wines for those so inclined, but does not have a full bar. We stuck with a reliably good and familiar Daou chardonnay ($12 a glass) on this excursion.
In the end, the two of us didn’t eat our entire meal; five dishes were more than enough. We agreed that the Miso Roasted Vegetables were our favorite, and that we would definitely return to try the other small plates.
The Sellers have done a good job of improving the acoustics in the space; the effect of the conversations among the happy folks at the bar, near where we were seated, was just that — happy, but not overly noisy or irritating. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable and, along with other staff members, showed up at just the right moments without being intrusive. We dined on a Monday night, and the restaurant was full; reservations are recommended.
Despite Covid-19, my companion and I have been dining out for some time, but our superb experience at Horno felt like a celebration of returning to the social world. Horno’s atmosphere, service, and food will lure us back, and soon.
