Sometimes a new restaurant opens in Santa Fe, and the non-food writer part of your brain tells you to wait a little bit and let them get settled before you worry about turning in a review. Other times, the wait becomes unbearable, you just keep thinking about that place, then you finally tell your buddy you’re sick of waiting—the time is now.
This is a rough approximation of my recent train of thought about Versos Mexican Cocina (105 E Marcy St., versossantafe.com), that exciting new Mexican fusion spot that opened up inside the Palace Modern Hotel (in a space formerly occupied by a tattoo shop, Boultawn’s and, if you’re old, Ecco.) In case you already are familiar with that little bit of real estate, you’ll still find its newly renovated ambiance to be quite lovely, like a mix between fine dining and a more cazh lunchy kind of place. For now, it seems, Versos is all about breakfast and lunch only, plus a 3 pm close time, but if I know anything about the restaurant world after working within it for years, it would make perfect sense for dinner service to pop up sometime in the near future. In fact, it seems likely diners might start demanding it, because sometimes Mexican cuisine can be a bit heavy for lunch, especially if you must return to work afterward.
First, though, some background. Versos owner Celina Montaño opened the restaurant in May, and she did so with an assist from former Paloma sous chef Mateo Garcia. While it’s hard to say the precise division of labor over there, the team-up seems like a dream already, from the aforementioned ambiance and exciting menu to the service, presentation and all-around vibe.
Perhaps the most enticing aspect just now? Pricing. For a new eatery with an impossibly clean and bright dining room to drop a menu featuring dishes that mostly hover around $15-$20 or so is astounding. If a dinner service does come, we can likely expect a bit of a nighttime price hike (this is a prediction, not a promise, though one that probably sounds familiar to locals who’ve dined downtown over the years). For the moment, Versos is easily one of the most affordable downtown sit-down restaurants. This is doubly exciting due to an all-day breakfast menu, numerous dishes you know and some you likely don’t know yet. Garcia is a wizard, it seems, and my companion and I not only had a stellar meal, it fixed his hangover and neither of us felt overstuffed by the time we finished lunch. And yes, we did go back to work after.
Surprisingly, Versos wasn’t packed during our visit. Perhaps it’s still too new for the throngs to be aware just yet, but we didn’t have to wait for our table. That didn’t make the menu any easier to parse, though that was mainly because every dish sounded better than the last. Yes, you’ll find breakfast burritos and tacos and tamales and tortas on the menu. You’ll also find less-expected dishes, like elote pancakes, tetelas, various tapas and more. Expansive menus can be a sign that a restaurant’s brass are overthinking. In the case of Versos, however, Garcia impressed so resolutely with a mere two dishes that it seems likely he’s just plain talented.
As I say, my companion was in the throes of a post-Father’s Day hangover, and you know what that means—breakfast food, the greasier the better. Versos is straight-up not greasy, though, even if it does offer fried eggs in various configurations. In my buddy’s case, they came sunny side-up and served atop a beef tetela with cotija cheese and an avocado crema ($14). The tetela is an interesting middle ground between items like the humble quesadilla and the entirely more pastry-ish empanada. At Versos, it comes crispy with a thin yet satisfying layer of asadero and chorizo inside, then served atop a bean sauce that is maybe best described as a non-thick bit of refried beans. “You have to take a bite,” he said, while making the most serious face I’ve seen a man make. He was correct. As the flaky and crusty heirloom corn outside gave way to the hot cheese and chorizo inside, parts of my brain lit up that felt dormant before. Hangover or not, this is one hell of a dish.
I myself was in more of a lunch mood, so I selected the pork belly Coloradito with slow-braised pork belly served in a red chile sauce atop refried beans with a side of corn tortillas ($20). I found myself fascinated by the chile insofar as its flavor. The spicy aspect simply wasn’t there, making the dish feel a little bit more like mole, though let us never forget that chile is a day-to-day thing, so don’t count on anything. The pork was so tender and the chile was so bursting with rich flavor that it honestly didn’t matter, though, and I used the corn tortillas to make my own little tacos, even if I wasn’t sure they were vital to the mix in the case of this dish. That is, it stands on its own, and is sort of a microcosm into chef Garcia’s vision: The slow-braised pork part telegraphs care and foresight, plus a more modern and elevated eye toward cooking methodologies for age-old dishes. The throw-it-in-a-tortilla part felt like the hands-on Mexican dining out experiences of my Southern California youth, though, which was beautiful.
For now, it seems, Versos is sticking with non-alcoholic mocktails, and you’ll also find coffee, horchata, some juices and more, not to mention a menu dedicated to the kiddos. If owner Montaño embraces dinner service at some point, it could easily become the restaurant to beat for a romantic evening downtown minus the pomp and pressure of a white tablecloth. This one easily stands alongside the James Beard Award-nominated Zacatlán for one thing, and its staff seems motivated to offer something exciting. Certainly there is room to grow, but holy moly—what a strong start.
Dining and Cooking