La Vie Est Un Bistro – Silver City, New Mexico
In 2013, the New York Times published an article titled “Looking for Big Flavors in a Small Town.” The article extolled the dining scene in “Silver City, an old mining town in the southwestern corner of the state, which has “seen its creative spirit extend to the local food scene.” Leave it to your roving gastronome to arrive in Silver City ten eleven years too late. When the New York Times visited, Silver City was home to the Curious Komquat, where Chef Rob Connoley earned James Beard semi-finalist honors for Best Chef – Southwest. Chef Connoley, by the way, moved to St. Louis where he garnered another semifinalist nomination in 2022, this time for Best Chef: Midwest. He repeated that honor in 2023 then in 2024 was the only St. Louis chef to be named finalist. It goes without saying that the closure of Curious Kumquat put a serious dent on the Silver City culinary world. That loss was compounded by the 2015 shutting down of Shevek & Co, another Silver City institution. Then, the aftermath of the Cabrona virus brought about the 2022 closure of Revel, another highly regarded downtown eatery. Diane’s Restaurant & Bakery, THE place to visit…