D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
February
2008
Table Talk
The Whiskey Creek Steakhouse & Saloon, a cowboy-themed restaurant offering live music, southwestern cuisine and a cigar bar, will open this fall in MorningStar's old location at 210 N. Bullard St. in Silver City. That's within staggering distance of Isaac's Bar & Grill and the Twisted Vine wine bar, and directly across the street from the Buffalo Bar & Dancehall. In fact the new owners, Mike Brinton, a Phoenix businessman, and his wife, Dawn, have also bought the Buffalo Bar. Brinton says the steakhouse will be a real Ol' West kind of place, "where everybody can come and enjoy themselves, I mean, whole families." Tyrone architect Michael Ramsey will fully revamp the interior to bring about the transformation of the long-empty storefront, Brinton says. Of the Buffalo Bar, Brinton says the place will get a lot of TLC to turn it into a music hotspot, featuring touring bands and major name performers. Shevek Barnhart, chef-owner of Shevek & Mi restaurant, also on Bullard Street, will be doing the menus for both venues, Brinton says.
Silver City will get another lunch spot this month when chef Mel Pearson opens Mel's Cafe at the Kumquat, serving up weekday lunches and catering through the Curious Kumquat's newly certified professional kitchen. Chef Mel says she will offer three homemade soups each day and lunch options at a good price point. Pearson adds, "Since my husband and I just had a baby, we can't afford to eat out any more at most places, so this is my answer to people looking for good food they can afford." Pearson says she'll serve up a wide variety of fare, "some healthy, some decadent, everything delicious and decently priced." Along with simple sandwiches, Mel's Cafe will offer decadent mac-and-cheese and lasagna entrees. Gourmet take-out items will be available in the Kumquat to-go fridge, and the eatery also will have limited seating. "I expect a lot of lunch orders will be call-in and pick-up," Pearson says. Rob Connoley, who owns the Curious Kumquat with his partner, Tyler Connoley, says the business' food-safe kitchen is available for lease to other cooking professionals, and says the company's connection to gourmet suppliers will make it easy for Pearson to create any kind of menu she wants. "She can do anything she wants because we can get her any ingredients she wants," Connoley says. Mel's Cafe will serve 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., weekdays. 313-9232.
Cali McCord has hit a high note! The owner of Meson de Mesilla has at last reopened her vastly renovated inn — complete with a restaurant and swanky new bar. McCord has owned the property for o ver a year, and the renovations are reported to have cost nearly $1 million. The inn has 14 rooms. Torch, the restaurant, seats 89; there's also a banquet room and a bar, called Merci's Spirits. McCord, a former country music singer, will entertain nightly backed by a jazz band called Smoke. 1803 Avenida de Mesilla in Mesilla, 525-9212.
The Patio Cafe in Deming is moving from its off-the-beaten-path location to the plaza by Pepper's Market. The cafe takes the spot vacated by Caliche's, a frozen yogurt joint, at 1521 Columbus Road.
A Taste of India, 101 University Ave., E3, near Mix in the FedEx-Kinko's Plaza on University, has posted notice of its intent to secure a liquor license.
Mountain Mudd owner Kathy Salopek, who moved her Lohman Avenue coffee hut to Telshor just last fall (Table Talk, September 2007), has shut down that kiosk and the one at 580 S. Valley Dr., keeping open only the operation at 2525 N. Main St. in Las Cruces. Salopek, who opened her first Mountain Mudd on Lohman in December 2002, says she wants to have more time and energy for her family. Gift cards, pre-paid drink cards and other promotions will be honored at the North Main Street location. Mountain Mudd is a national franchise started in Billings, Mont. www.mountainmudd.com
In the "Hard to Find Good Help These Days" department, Marc Laliberte, chef-owner of Marc's European Grill, checked in to say he hopes to soon have adequate staffing to re-open his restaurant at 420 Avenida de Mesilla. Laliberte says he made the decision to close the eatery temporarily rather than jeopardize the quality of the Grill's food and service. Chef Marc writes, "I am still actively seeking new employees for the restaurant and I will open soon as I put a team together. I appreciate your patience. Meanwhile I would appreciate your comments and suggestions on any topic concerning the future and success of the restaurant. I built it for you and what you think is important to me!" Laliberte urges folks to write him from the restaurant's Web site, where folks also can check for a grand re-opening date and get updates of the restaurant's progress. www.marcseuropeangrill.com, 647-1112.
Closings — some for now, some for good: La Posta de Mesilla, a landmark restaurant near the plaza in Mesilla, closed in January for "an overdue renovation," according to owners Tom and Jerean Hutchinson. They report that the remodeling project and kitchen renovation is the first of a three-phase project that will add outdoor seating, and additional indoor seating and space for private parties. The Hutchinsons hope to reopen February 7. According to the restaurant's Web site, laposta-de-mesilla.com, the La Posta de Mesilla restaurant originated in 1939, in the northwest corner of the historic building, part of the LaPosta Compound, first constructed in the 1840s and an important stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach Line after the Civil War. 524-3524.
The Teapot Dome in Deming has closed for good, as has the Organ Mountain Cafe, a great little breakfast place in Organ, 11 miles northeast of Las Cruces. Nancy Abernathy, owner of the Organ eatery, says she is retiring and that the restaurant is for sale. 373-3000.
And Villa Crema has had a meltdown. The "gelati" store at 2331-B E. Lohman Ave. in Las Cruces has closed and the building is for lease.
— Donna Clayton Lawder
Send restaurant news to donna@desertexposure.com