Anthony’s Grill – Santa Fe, New Mexico
Some restaurants–especially those with extremely diverse menus–defy categorization. Food writers usually lump them into the category of “American” restaurants in that American cuisine is a veritable hodgepodge of cuisines from throughout the world. We weren’t sure what to expect during our first visit to Anthony’s Grill in Santa Fe. We read that Anthony’s specializes in “Asian fusion” with stir-fry dishes that could be Japanese or Chinese depending on the sauce. We also learned that Anthony’s offers some of the very best fried chicken and fried catfish in the Land of Enchantment. So, is Anthony’s an Asian fusion restaurant or is it a Southern restaurant? Is it both? Does it reallly matter? What does matter about Anthony’s is that this relatively small restaurant serves some of the most delicious food we’ve enjoyed in the City Different. Specifically (and for me, this is significant) I delighted in the very best catfish and hush puppies I’ve had since leaving Mississippi in 1995. Yes, catfish, that bottom-feeding, mud-dwelling fish that very few (if any) restaurants in New Mexico seem incapable of preparing well. I’ve often analogized that the catfish at New Mexico’s restaurants as “coated in sawdust” and as “desiccated as a mummy’s dandruff.” …
