Tomme

You know how you just wander around a city you are visiting and all of a sudden decide you are hungry and look up and - hey this will work! That is what Tomme (pronounced tum) was for us.

This isn't probably the best way to pick a restaurant, but hey I kinda like just stumbling upon something and giving it a go. Now, I will say the second we walked in I almost said, let's try again. I hate to say it, but this place gave off a super cool black and white hipster vibe. I was a little more in the mood for a relaxed New Mexican kinda lunch, but whatever we forged on!

So they were still serving brunch late into the afternoon. This was a bit disappointing since we had breakfast (albeit it 4 hours earlier), so the only thing that really appealed to me on the menu was the burger. Now I will say this, while I wasn't totally in the mood for a burger I was happy with what I was given.

The burger was super tall (like how am I going to get this in my mouth tall), but small around and it was served with a pile of hand cut fries. The burger tasted fresh and looked hand formed. It was well seasoned. They also added a bit of basil (I think) to the lettuce and salt and peppered the tomato (all a nice touch and layered the flavor). In the end it was a pretty darn good hipster burger.

We got a good view of the street and the service was attentive. It was an a-ok place and in the end the food was good! Not bad for a random drop in :)

Phew. How is this possible, Santa Fe? I visit SF 2x year for a short wknd and am shocked by the quality of food here. It's awesome and Tomme proves that even though NYC Is competitive, Tomme is exceptional and comparable amongst the greats.
The owner, Max was super friendly and hilarious, She worked up an impressive modern bistro with the best fried chicken I ever tasted, (sorry new yawk) I originally frowned when the plate was layed out in front of my famished eyes as it was only one piece of chicken, but eating on, it was ONE BIG PIECE OF chicken with perfect cooked kale. perfect portion, I tried other plates on my table which included duck, steak and beef ravioli. Every dish was spectacular. those french fries with the steak, oooooooo weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..

Folks in SF might think the food here is bank,$$ but it really isn't as you really get your bang and wow for the buck but hey, if it is, let it be. you can't get better food than this.

I'm in love.

I had trouble deciding whether to visit Tomme or the next-door Galisteo Bistro on our last night in town, what ended up being the deciding factor was just that according to Open Table there were more reservations available.

Our start was a bit rocky; I was trying to read the daily menu on the outside before we went in, just because I am kind of picky but would never be rude enough to actually leave the INSIDE of a restaurant if I didn't see anything on the menu I liked. But, the firepit that was keeping folks warm was kicking up tons of cinders right onto my coat so rather than catch fire we decided to just dive inside and take our chances.

When we asked the hostess for a table for two, she asked "Are you Tony?" to which I replied "No, we'd just like a table for two." She looked completely dumbfounded and finally said, "I'll have to get back to you." Which seemed odd, as the restaurant wasn't full, though there were a number of tables occupied. A moment later another couple walked in and had a similar experience, which the four of us laughed about... imagine a restaurant that is surprised when people want a table! But this was no biggie, for no more than a minute or two later the hostess returned and seated us right next to the open counter to the kitchen, which I will preview the rest of the review by hinting is the best seat in the house for reasons yet to be shared.

Our menus came (not by themselves, they were obviously brought to us!) and we perused. I was seriously tempted to load up on lamb by ordering both the lamb rib appetizer AND the lamb entree, but this was not to be. The pasta dish was described merely as "pasta" with a list of the vegetables included and ricotta. I wasn't sure exactly what this would be so I asked the waitress if it had a sauce. She said, "yes." So I asked then, "what kind of sauce does it have"? She said she'd have to ask, so turned around to the aforementioned counter to ask the chef, Chef Wrede. He started explaining to her, but then just turned to us and started describing the sauce directly to us. I don't remember exactly what he said, words like tomato, cream and butter I believe were part of it, but it sounded really good... and there was also mention of fresh homecooked noodles (which one of the assistant chef's held up for my view)...so I was sold. He asked if I was vegan, and said he could accommodate if I was, but no, I'm just an omnivore who is a sucker for pasta and vegetables, so I was happy to be hit with his best shot.

We ordered the coriander encrusted lamb rib starter, a mushroom tart starter (for the other half, as I don't eat mushrooms), I ordered the pasta, and dear honey ordered what I termed the "duck, duck, goose" which actually was a cassoulet with four different kinds of duck (sausages, roasted, I don't even remember but it was a lot of duck).

Before the appetizers came, our hostess came by with tiny little plates that had what looked like art on them. She explained it was a tuna sashimi with mint pea sauce, a gift from the chef. It was very good and we called back our thank yous to Chef Wrede.

The lamb ribs were a much more generous serving than I was expecting, and since my love had his own appetizer I got to eat most of them (yay me!). They were perfect, flavorful, and the curry they came with creamy and delectable. I could have made a meal out of these easily. Dear Honey enjoyed his mushroom tart as well, he gave me a piece of the crust to try and it was flakey, fresh and light. Quite delicious.

Then the entrees arrived and our delight raised up to the 8th plane of heaven level. The pasta I was served looked like a work of art and tasted twice as good. It was loaded with roasted veggies - beets, squash, peppers, I can't even remember all of them. The ricotta complemented them perfectly as did the light tomato cream sauce. Calling this dish a lasagna would be like damning it with faint praise, so far out of the realm of any other lasagna it was. I did not in any way, shape or form miss there being no meat in it, though I am a sucker for italian sausage. I would have licked the plate if I could have.

My other half was similarly happy with his cassoulet. All the various ducks were cooked perfectly and flavorfully (and even in the case of one of them, a lot stronger flavor than I was expecting!), and the bean part was flavorful and delicious as well.

For dessert we had an amazing custard the name of which I've forgotten. It was divine.

Chef Wrede is friendly, personable, and a culinary artiste. Go. Many times. It's surprisingly affordable as well for the quality.
--
Tomme has closed (BOO!) - Chef Wrede is opening a new restaurant, Joseph's, in October (YAY!). See here: http://www.santafe.com/blogs/read/notes-from-the-field10

First of all, this is one of the best hidden finds in Santa Fe. I've been coming to Santa Fe for seven years, and hit many restaurants, but spending more time here since November I've been disappointed because I thought Santa Fe had more to offer. So finding this restaurant tonight was an absolute joy!

Second, the hostess is "MC" a lovely woman originally from Texas, who is the most fantastic hostess I've seen in a long time. She's humorous and will put a smile even on the grinch.

As far as ambiance, it is sort of stark industrial but I like that type of decorating. The only negative thing I found is that I did not like the artwork and thought it blended in with the walls.

Now the food: WOW! It is American food deconstructed and rebuilt. To me it was like a Top Chef challenge where they take traditional dishes and have the chefs re-engineer them.

Being a foodie, we tried several items although we could not finish them. We ate the chicken pate which was heaven and also tried the short ribs were incredibly moist and I won't give away the secret, but he flavors are divine and the method of serving them is unique, unlike what I have seen before.

We also tried the saffron carrot soup which was heaven in itself. Based on the Yelp reviews, we tried the southern fried chicken, which was without a doubt the best southern fried chicken I have ever had, not greasy, boneless and very rich buttermilk flavor. The meat was so tasty and moist you do not need to dip them in a sauce for flavor like other restaurants. We also tried the grits and shrimp, and to my delight, I found out I actually liked grits. They are seasoned and creamy and if I could make them like that, I would have them all the time. Likewise the potato croquette and the greens were utterly fantastic with large chunks of bacon. YUM!

Our only disappointment was that we were too full to try desserts, which looked incredible (we were spying on other tables) and based on comments from other customers - they were great. So we will head back one day and just be desert whores. :)

So, run, don't walk to Tomme (pronounced "Tum"). It is worth the time. With all the food and a great bottle of wine, we spent $110 and based on many restaurants I've spent way more than that on, it was worth the money and I would go back on a heartbeat.

August our server was wonderful and very, very professional. She works Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and I highly recommend having her as your waitress.

I just love the minimalist decor, downtown location, amazingly wonderful food and attentive service. The price was very reasonable for the quality and presentation of the food. This place will become an "in place" to go and then I'll have to make reservations a week in advance! Wrote a full review: http://stripedpot.com/2011/10/06/an-evening-in-santa-fe-tomme-a-restaurant/

After a day of walking around the Plaza we were on a mad hunt for a good place for lunch. It was around 1pm and they were serving brunch. We weren't really in the mood for brunch at 1pm, but thankfully they had what I would call lunch food on the menu.

My first disappointment was that they didn't have any soda's on the drink menu. I'm not really a water person and it seemed like the options were either water or some booze-flavored drinks (i.e. mimosas). So I stuck with water :)

I got a burger with fries. It seemed to take forever before it came out, but since I was starving I wasn't sure if that was just my perception or not :) The burger was cooked just the way I like it and it was definitely one of the better burgers that I've had. The fries were yummy, too.

I stumbled upon this restaurant trying to get out of the rain and find a decent meal to eat that wasn't Tex-Mex. A pleasant surprise, as I was informed that they had only been open about 1 week or so. The restaurant is located in the spot previously occupied by Louie's Corner Cafe. The decor is modern eclectic minimalist, which appealed to me.

The menu is not overwhelming but just fine in my opinion. The starters all looked quite tasty, but the mussels entree called out to me as a starter so I inquired and they obliged to serve them to me as a first course. The portion was a good size, (not sure if it was reduced for a starter or simply the entree portion). The mussels were done in the classic style (white wine, shallots, butter & parsley), however the mussels themselves didn't seem to be infused with the flavor of the broth, although the broth was spot on. I selected the Steak Frites as my main course. The steak was cooked sous-vide and was a perfect temperature. I was informed that the steak was finished on a grille. It was accompanied by frites with an aioli sauce, (a nice touch). The wine list was not extensive but had reasonable offerings, including wine by the glass. I selected a Chilean Cab by the glass which seemed to pair well with my main course. I finished my meal with a nicely pair cheese plate. To cap things off a double espresso.

Since Tomme just opened and it was a Tuesday night the restaurant wasn't busy so the staff was quite attentive. After speaking to Max, I found out that Tomme is designed to be a less expensive alternative to Max's which is run by the same people.

Even though it is early days for this restaurant, it seems very promising and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoy a fine meal.

I keep finding that most of the Santa Fe restaurants I try are a cut above the ordinary and Tomme does not disappoint. Minimalist decor , pleasant service and a menu that doesn't overwhelm.

I had hoped to start of with the frisee salad with lardons and poached egg but instead swapped with one of my companions for a appetizer of grilled steak over braised Brussels sprouts and gnocchi. Both were excellent choices and two of them together would have made up a great small plates meal.

For an entree, I had the cassoulet. I can't understand how they took such a heavy, hearty dish and made it so light. Superb and it will serve as a gold standard for cassoulet for me in the future.

The desserts are fabulous too. The blue cheese ice cream that came with one and the potted cream were both fabulous.

The wine list is good and there are a couple of good values scattered among the higher price picks, nothing too exorbitant though.

One of my companions had faced the meal a bit skeptically but after dinner he remarked about what a great restaurant it is.... I agree whole heartedly.

Restaurant is closed. Sorry for the one-star rating, but have to "rate" it in order to post this note.

The name of the place is pronounced TUM. And it is yummy for your tummy. :)

We're relatively new Santa Fe locals and decided to try a new place. I'm glad we wandered in to try it. The soup served as an appetizer before our entree was very tasty.

The steak-frites are melt in your mouth delicious, and the southern fried chicken with kale is just...wow, so good! The fried chicken was not heavy, the flavor was perfect, and the chicken was boneless. For dessert, we had the Chocolate Pots De Creme and it was more like a warm chocolate pudding. I will just say this is a must have because we found ourselves wanting to lick the little pot because it was just so delicious.

I also liked how the server engaged with us to get a feel for what we might like after spending a few minutes looking at the menu. After getting a sense of what we like, he suggested that we try a wine, then told us what might pair well with it. He also told us what might NOT go well with the white wine we ordered and I appreciated his depth of knowledge about the wine and the food on the menu. Without prompting he even told us what he liked the most.

My bf and I will be back again for a delightful dining experience!