Review of Joseph's Table

I was concerned about going to Joseph's Table because of the mixed reviews, and I should also say that I went on a Monday night, when it was really uncrowded, and I was dining alone. But, seriously, it was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. It started with my waitress, Jennifer, who despite the fact that I was by myself, treated me with the utmost respect and concern for my experience. The dining room is beautiful, a little dark, but for romantic couples that would be a plus. Also, I noticed some private booths that had curtains for privacy, which would be great for romantic couples.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I've noticed that vegetarian selection often hold the key to the creativity of a chef. It's easy to just grill some meat and put some sauce on it, but what do you do if there's no grilling involved, particularly in New Mexico where grilling is a major preparation choice.

I started with a Bibb lettuce salad with avocados, oranges, almonds in a vinaigrette. There was nothing necessarily spectacular about the salad; one could find salads similar to this in many restaurants in Los Angeles, say. But it was exactly what I expected, and it was very good. I was happy at this point, especially with the Rhone wine that I was drinking.

But everything changed with the entree. The vegetarian option was an eggplant enchilada in a mole sauce, a sweet potato tamale and a fruit empanada. My waitress had warned me that it was a little busy, and normally, I don't like that in food. But this combination was seriously fantastic. Each item was rather small, so each didn't overpower the others. Each had a completely different taste from the others: the enchilada was savory, the empanada was sweet, and the tamale was a transition between the two. It was served with rice, some avocado salsa, and a green bean salad. I know what you're thinking, that's too much, but really the tastes blended perfectly. When I dine alone, I usually read, but halfway through this entree, I just had to stop reading because the tastes were so perfect, so intense, so stimulating, that I had to enjoy them completely.

For dessert, I had a bay leaf creme brulee, that was really just a normal creme brulee, but it was perfect, and Jennifer had suggested a muscat wine, and it worked fantastically with it.

This was an expensive meal, don't get me wrong, but it was completely worth it. And if you're in Taos, I highly recommend Joseph's Table. There's true culinary creativity going on there.