While Northern New Mexico is fortunate to play host to gorgeous weather year-round, few seasons compare to the one some call late summer and others early autumn. Here at Angel Fire Resort, we know it simply as September. And September in the Land of Enchantment offers visitors the perfect climate for fine dining outdoors. After all, dinner always tastes better after a busy day on the mountain.
So pack your favorite sweater and get ready to take a culinary adventure at Angel Fire Resort!
Fine Dining at Elements
Located on the upper level of the Angel Fire Resort Country Club, Elements crafts a wide variety of
appetizers, steaks, seafood, and cocktails for visitors to enjoy. Open daily from 4-9 PM, the staff at Elements only cook with the finest ingredients to ensure every meal served is fresh and savory. And the ample outdoor seating options — open to couples, groups of friends or colleagues, and families — provide diners with stunning views of the surrounding Sangre de Cristos.
About Those Elements Appetizers…
To describe them as mouthwatering is an understatement! Appetizers range from Spinach and Artichoke Dip to Oyster Rockefeller. There’s also a soup du jour, made in-house daily using seasonal ingredients: a perfect starter on a cool autumn evening.
If greens are more your thing, start your meal with a salad. Elements’ Caesar, Caprese, and Wedge salads are tossed with fresh produce and the most delicious additional ingredients such as housemade croutons, applewood bacon, and genuine Buffalo mozzarella.
From Appetizers to Aperitifs
To accompany your meal, we recommend any of the handcrafted cocktails that are an Elements specialty. Bright with botanicals, the Violet Lemonade, Elderflower Spritz, and Basil Crush are sure to please.
There are wine lists, and then there are wine lists. Elements has received Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for five consecutive years. You can trust Elements’ sommeliers to recommend the perfect vintage — red, white, or rosé — to pair with your dinner.
The Elements bar also carries an extensive selection of beer. Here, you find both old favorites (Guinness, Dos XXX, and lighter fare) as well as microbrews. Local favorites include Sierra Nevada’s highly hoppy Tropical Torpedo, Ex Novo’s Mass Ascension (a clean IPA with notes of stone fruit), and Sante Fe Brewing’s Social Hour, a hazy ale styled after witbier.
Whatever you do, be sure to check the menu frequently. You never know what might show up on rotation!
On to the Main Course
The hardest part about dining at Elements is deciding on an entrée. Each and every one tempts with its own unique delights.
Handheld fans will want to sample the restaurant’s French Dip sandwich, made with Wagyu Prime Rib. But Elements hasn’t neglected the knife-and-fork set. The Wagyu Filet or Rib-eye comes with housemade Bearnaise sauce. You can also order the Wagyu Prime Rib cut to order and served with your choice of baked, garlic mashed, or au gratin potatoes, as well as the chef’s choice vegetable medley.
So much for the turf. What about the surf? Angel Fire Resort may be landlocked, but Elements sources the freshest, highest-quality seafood for its menu. We’re talking Pan-Seared Halibut served with a velvety Beurre Blanc sauce, Fish and Chips made with beer-battered Alaskan cod, and a Seafood Fettuccine that doesn’t skimp on the shrimp or scallops. If you have a hankering for a New England classic — the Lobster Roll — you’ll find that at Elements too, and made just the way you’d taste it in Maine.
Sweet Everythings
No dining experience at Elements would be incomplete without dessert. Make S’mores tableside with their easy-to-use kit. Or let Elements do the prep work for you with their Chocolate Mousse (topped with freshly whipped cream) or Crème Brulee, served with housemade pastry crème, expertly torched sugar, and fresh berries. Split one or keep it all to yourself — it’s still a rare treat.
Fine Dining at El Jefe
Located at the base of our Chile Express Chair Lift, El Jefe is open from 11 AM to 9 PM daily, serving lunch and dinner (with a happy hour in between). This fresh-Mex taqueria serves delicious tacos and burritos along with a sparkling selection of cocktails, tequilas, tap and bottled beers, and much more. And you can enjoy all this outstanding Southwestern fare while kicking back in a carefully cultivated outdoor dining experience.
Start your meal at El Jefe with an appetizer, such as their Green Chile Cheese Nachos. Or wade into the red vs. green debate with an order of housemade chips and salsa. Your options include a red salsa, a tomatillo salsa, a red fire salsa, and a poblano sauce. If things get a bit too spicy, drop the temperature with a cocktail, such as the El Jefe Margarita, a Spiked Horchata, or one of the bar’s signature Sangrias.
El Jefe takes tacos very seriously, with a dozen different types to choose from. Some varieties are traditional, such as the Rio Verde Pork Carnitas taco or Carne Asada taco. Others are unique to El Jefe at Angel Fire Resort, such as the brand-new Ain’t Yo’ Daddy’s Fried Chicken taco or the Santa Fean taco. Each comes accompanied by classic sides like Tex-Mex rice, refried pinto beans, and guacamole.
Meanwhile, El Jefe’s burritos are the stuff of legend. They’re packed with Tex-Mex rice, refried beans, grilled onions, bell peppers, Pico de Gallo, cheddar Jack cheese, and your choice of smoked brisket, ground beef, Carne Asada steak, chipotle chicken, or veggies. The menu also sports two specialty burritos: the Todo El Dia Breakfast Burrito Grande and the Jefe Cali Brisket Burrito.
Finally, families take note: every item on El Jefe’s kids’ menu is served with your little one’s choice of fresh fruit or fries.
Live Music + Outdoor Dining = The Perfect Fall Evening at Angel Fire Resort
All September, you can enjoy live music at Elements and El Jefe every Wednesday evening.
Elements also hosts performances on Saturdays and Sundays. Musical guests this month include William Archuleta, Tom Perry, MHC, and Jae Lesley.
Sweet sounds, beautiful scenery, a comfortable outdoor setup, and some of the best cuisine in Northern New Mexico — now those are things worth savoring! And remember: if you book a 3-night stay between now and the end of the month, you’ll receive a FREE $100 activities credit. So why wait for the leaves to turn? Wine and dine yourself in the crisp autumn air at Angel Fire Resort this September.
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