Dolina – Santa Fe, New Mexico

For my dad, a professional educator for thirty years, it wasn’t enough that his children learned how to spell cat, dog and all the other traditional first words kids learn to spell in school.  He taught us how to spell Czechoslovakia, rhinoceros, aesthetic and other multisyllabic words.  He also taught us what those words meant.  Being kids, we giggled when he taught us about Lake Titicaca in the Andes of Bolivia, but marveled at its size and altitude.  Because of his teaching, one of my sisters could (at age seven) recite the alphabet backwards as quickly as most people can recite it forward.  Two of my sisters were double-promoted and both finished high school as valedictorians.

My dad didn’t teach his precocious brood so we could show off in school, but to inculcate a love of learning.  It’s served the six of us very well.  Every one of my brothers and sisters has been highly successful in their chosen professions and in life (I’m the family dunce).   You might think learning about Czechoslovakia didn’t have any value, but it gave me a lifetime of curiosity about other nations and cultures.  It’s a curiosity that extends to the cuisine of exotic nations.  I’ve never been afraid to try anything and have generally found most foods far more than palatable.  In every way, my dad sired the NM Gastronome.

Sadly, my dad’s travels weren’t relaxing sojourns.  Nor did he see all the sights in their resplendent glory despite nearly four years in Europe  He didn’t share much about his travels, but we were to learn some of his destinations included France, Luxembourg and Germany.  Instead of dining on fine cuisine and enjoying great wines, during his travels he was eating cold “K-Rations.”   Instead of enjoying castles along the Rhine, he was helping liberate Buchenwald where unimaginable acts of man’s brutality to man were perpetrated.   He never did visit Czechoslovakia, the nation he taught his children to spell.

Though my Kim and I lived in England, we didn’t get to Czechoslovakia–now split into two states:  Czechia and Slovakia.   Nor did we partake of Slovak delicacies.  England, at the time, didn’t offer much culinary diversity save for kebabs, chicken tika masala and Chinese take-out.  Frankly, save for a few large metropolitan areas (such as my Kim’s birthplace of Chicago), you won’t find many Slovak restaurants across the fruited plain either.  In the summer of 2017, Santa Fe became one of relatively few cities which could boast of a Slovak restaurant…and what a restaurant it is!

Within two years after its launch, Dolina earned “Best Cafe, Santa Fe” recognition from Edible Santa Fe.  That recognition was a precursor to national acknowledgement it would earn just five years later.  Dolina (Slovak for “Valley”) is a fabulous Lilliputian eatery creating huge flavors with a menu unlike that of any other Santa Fe restaurant.   Also unlike much of its brethren in the City Different, Dolina won’t empty your wallet.  Any sticker shock you’ll experience is because you might expect to pay much more for cuisine of this caliber.  Santa Fe has embraced Eastern European cuisine with the same gusto and enthusiasm with which it celebrates Zozobra.

In 2024, a panel of esteemed judges selected Annamaria Brezna O’Brien as a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard “Best Chef – Southwest” award.  Often equated to the “Academy Awards for Food,” James Beard awards are the highest American honor a chef and restaurant can receive.  This exclusive honor is awarded solely to those  “who are creating exceptional food, food media content and better food systems, while demonstrating a commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability and a culture in which all can thrive.”  Santa Fe’s fine dining restaurants have long and often been acknowledged by the James Beard Foundation,  but in recent years more affordable options such as Dolina and El Chile Toreado have also made the semifinals.

If you’re wondering what Slovak food is like, think “comfort food.”   Think about your belly, heart and soul being warmed by absolutely delicious and nourishing foods.  There’s a beautiful simplicity in Slovak dishes.   You’ll be surprised at how familiar its flavors are–even if you’ve never had specific Slavic dishes.  Some of that is because, as Dolina’s website explains “We serve modern American brunch with Eastern European influences.”   Every item on the menu is available all day long (or at least until it runs out).  It’s the closest you’ll find anywhere to “all brunch all the time”…and who doesn’t love a great brunch.

You’ll be transfixed at first glance by the pastry case that beckons you at the front door.  That pastry case displays familiar baked goods and breads and others which are not quite as familiar or which might remind you of another pastry you’ve had.  Freshly baked pies are sold by the slice or whole.  Other baked goods–both in and on top of the pastry case–are exemplars of tantalizing temptation.  As much as is polite to do so, take a gander at what other diners are enjoying as you’re being escorted to your table.  It’s akin to seeing the sights in Santa Fe.

Only the parking lot–where cars are packed as tight as sardines in a can–is less than James Beard worthy.  There’s not much Dolina can do about that, but it can serve you a comforting bowl of soup to take the stress out of parking.  There are five exemplary soups on the menu, everything from borscht and Hungarian goulash to morning soup (organic NM lamb bone broth, wild rice, caramelized sweet onions, poached egg, chives) and cream of mushroom (shitake and crimini mushrooms cooked in vegetable stock with rosemary and sage, touch of butter and cream).  It’s infinitely much better than the canned abomination I had to eat during my youth every time my braces were tightened.  Decorative emerald pesto and mushroom bits festoon the murky brown soup.  Each spoonful is like a warm embrace.

There’s one scene in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally that everyone seems to remember.  It involves Sally (Meg Ryan) feigning a foodgasm.  Another food-related scene in that movie of note also involves Sally and paprikash:  “Waiter, there’s too much pepper in my paprikash.”   As the name implies, this dish centers around paprika, not pepper.  Dolina’s chicken paprikash (organic chicken cooked in browned butter, white onions, Hungarian paprika finished with sour cream and dumplings) is the very best I’ve ever had, so much so that I hope to return soon to enjoy it again.  Chicken paprikash is a paragon of comfort food.  It’s rich, superbly seasoned, balanced and absolutely delicious.  Hungarian paprika imparts a pungent flavor and delicate sweetness.  The chicken is tender, moist and juicy.  The dumplings, very similar to German spatzle, are terrific with a light texture that’s delightful to eat.

Not surprisingly, my Kim ordered the waffles and organic fried chicken (buttermilk fried chicken, light cornmeal waffle with green apple and fennel slaw, maple syrup).  What was somewhat of a surprise was that she thought the chicken had a “weird flavor.”  I joked that it was organic chicken, not the chemical-laden commercial broiler chickens she’s used to.  I enjoyed all three chicken tenders very much.  A lightly spiced organic blend of seasonings balances fragrant ingredients with a tangy buttermilk dredge to give this chicken its uniquely delicious flavor.  My Kim did love the light cornmeal waffle and the real maple syrup with which it’s served.  She compared them to the waffles at Zacatlan, another  2024 James Beard “Best Chef – Southwest” semifinalist.

We took home a six pack of gingerbread and four croissants to be enjoyed later.  My Swedish-born bride who’s somewhat of an expert said the gingerbread cookies were the best she’s ever had.  That’s quite an endorsement considering all the time she spent in the Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago.  I couldn’t wait until getting home to enjoy my post-prandial sweet.   My choice was orechovnik, a Slovak sweet bread laced with crushed walnuts and cinnamon.  It’s a favorite in many Eastern European countries.  The combination of crushed walnuts and cinnamon works very well, imparting sweet-savory-nutty notes to a moist and delicate sweet bread.  Dolina’s menu also includes orechovnik French toast (housemade walnut cinnamon swirl bread, warm fruit and maple syrup).  It’s a temptress for another visit.

Dolina is an absolutely delightful, deliciously eclectic bit of Eastern Europe meats Santa Fe.  Its a high-energy haven for those of us who love brunch.  It’s one of Santa Fe’s very best eateries as well as one of its biggest surprises.

Dolina
402 N Guadalupe Street
Santa Fe, New Mexico
(505 982-9394
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 31 January 2024
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET:  Orechovnik, Paprikash, Waffles and Organic Chicken, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Gingerbread, Croissants
REVIEW #1379