Saturday, September 4, 2021

New Mexico Part 6: Campo

Click here for Part 5.

We are almost to the end of our journey. July's New Mexico travels brought us to Kakawa Chocolate House, Sazon, Canyon Road, and Los Poblanos. Now we'll take one final look at Los Poblanos, specifically at their restaurant, Campo. Because the ingredients are fresh, the menu changes seasonally, so the selection may vary from what was available when I was there. 

Campo hits that casual-chic New Mexico style. You can show up for breakfast in shorts or athletic clothes or a cotton dress. For dinner, the cotton dress would fit, too, though you can also dress up a bit more. I liked to go with the slightly dressed up angle paired with comfortable shoes. Seating is mainly outside, overlooking the gardens with the Sandia Mountains distant in the background. 


The first dinner there included the Lavender 99 cocktail, Grilled Squash appetizer, Carrot Cavatelli, and Chocolate Cherry dessert. As I've mentioned, lavender is the main product from Los Poblanos, so any chance you get to try out a new lavender product from them is a good idea. The lavender cocktail was fresh and light and floral--exactly my brand of cocktail. If you like floral cocktails or lavender, it's a don't miss. 


Grilled Squash are an easy win for me, too, because zucchini is a bit of a favorite of mine. The pasta at Campo is made in-house, so the Carrot Cavatelli was excellent. The pasta was the right texture, and the flavors of the sauce were nuanced. The Chocolate Cherry was nice but didn't stun me; I'm picky with desserts since I already have a couple of great chocolate recipes at home.

Breakfast brought another amazing lavender choice, the Lavender Latte. I've had three different lavender lattes this summer. One didn't taste strongly of lavender. The other had more of that peppery lavender flavor and was also somehow too creamy. Campo's was by far the best. Los Poblanos has the best lavender, so whatever type of food or beverage or beauty product they add it to receives such a fresh and potent burst of lavender that it's unbeatable. 

I also got the Monte Cristo because Disneyland. Monte Cristo sandwiches make me feel like I'm bringing a touch of Disney into my day.

Peacocks wander the grounds, and one came to visit our tables.

If you're on the go while visiting Los Poblanos but still need something to eat, there is also the Farm Shop. The gift shop area sells their lavender products as well as other sundries. The food counter sells coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and other grab and go items (like crackers, cheese, bottled beverages, honey, chips). We picked up sandwiches from there for lunch and took them to the Rose Greely Gardens to eat. Normally I don't eat ham, but do you see this ham and cheese? Do you see that bread? Talk about simple perfection. 

I also ended up with a Chocolate Lavender Gelato from the Farm Shop that was very good. 

And I got a Lavender Spritz from Campo to walk around with. If you find grapefruit a little strong on its own, lavender makes for a nice accompaniment. 

When dining at Campo for dinner, you will also receive an amuse bouche before your food. The first night it was pate on crackers. The second night was slices of cucumber. I guess you can tell which I was more excited for given that I have a picture of one but not the other.

This second night, I had the Campo Margarita, which is also made with lavender. As a margarita, it was very nice, but perhaps floral cocktails are more to my taste than margaritas, even with lavender. 


Appetizers were the Warm Potato Salad and Baked Goat Cheese, which was a lovely cheese with lovely bread. 

Because I had enjoyed the pasta the first night, I went with pasta again with the Spaghetti Carbonara. While it was still good, again I found that the Carrot Cavatelli had been more to my tastes, which moved it into the wonderful range. The spaghetti would appeal more to someone who likes bacon. 

Dessert this second night was the Sweet Tea Sorbet, which is a new way of interacting with green tea.


The final visit was breakfast again, which included the Chai and the Seasonal Omelette. 


While Campo is a welcome restaurant if you're staying on property (and very much enjoying being on property without wanting to leave just to eat), you can also dine there even if you're not staying. Either way, you'll find a delight in flavors and freshness. What makes food good is not just what happens after it arrives at the restaurant's kitchen; it's also everything that happened in the lifespan of the ingredients. Dine at Campo for that farm to table elegance. 

Click here for Part 7.

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