The Burrito Wagon – Taos, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Elvis Presley once crooned about “Memories pressed between the pages of my mind–memories sweetened through the ages just like wine.” Sometimes memories take you back to an idyllic time or place when things were simpler and food tasted better. Such is the case with my memories of the Burrito Wagon, a Taos institution I began frequenting shortly after its 1970 launch. No stereotypical “roach coach” to be derided and laughed at was this mobile kitchen serving the finest overstuffed burritos in Northern New Mexico. In my romantic’s mind, my unabashed affection for the Burrito Wagon took me to that idyllic time and place. Alas, the reality was that because the Burrito Wagon is not open on weekends, we hadn’t visited…

Joseph’s Table – Taos, New Mexico (CLOSED)

When chef and owner Joseph Wrede launched Joseph’s Table several years ago in Ranchos De Taos,dining patrons and pedantic critics alike were ready to beatify him (a culinary Saint Joseph). In 2000, Food & Wine magazine named him one of the top ten chefs in America, extolling his use of locally grown organic produce in “surprising, sensual ways.” The London Times called him “the voice of modern American cuisine.” Even Food Network luminary Bobby Flay came calling during a visit to Taos. On June 28, 2002, Wrede closed his restaurant to contemplate the lucrative lure of a corporate chef position. The Taos culinary world breathed a collective sigh of relief when he launched his new restaurant in December, 2003. Housed…