Martín Rios’ earliest experiences working with food were as a child in Guadalajara, helping his mother and grandmother with their food stands in the area’s markets. He was sent to pick the ingredients for pozole, menudo, flautas, and much more, from other vendors, learning on the fly about selecting produce, butchering meat, and wasting nothing. Those experiences have stayed with him and are reflected in his dishes still today. This time of year, before a hard freeze or snow sets in, any remaining produce and herbs from his own extensive gardens and orchard will be dehydrated, turned into flavored vinegar, or otherwise preserved to use through the winter.

Loving Flavors From A Young Age

Martín came to Santa Fe in junior high, when his parents relocated here. He dropped out of high school to help support the family as a dishwasher. His innate talent and serious work ethic were quickly recognized. He catapulted from dishwasher to executive chef of the respected Eldorado Hotel without a high school diploma or any formal culinary education. When his wife and business partner Jennifer came into the picture, he confided to her his wish to up his professional game. She helped him put together a plan to study for his GED while saving the money necessary to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.

The CIA schooling opened doors for him to work in the kitchens of uber chefs like David Burke in New York and George Blanc in France. After those externships, Martín and Jennifer returned to Santa Fe. He was invited to join the Eldorado staff again, this time as the first executive chef of the hotel’s then-new signature restaurant, The Old House. He later gained experience at Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi and Geronimo, prior to creating Restaurant Martín with Jennifer. The Rioses threw open the doors in September 2009, just hours before the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta was booked for a grand dinner there.

The Culinary Style of Martín Rios

Martín’s signature style takes inspiration from his classic training. His thoughtful creativity goes off in all directions from that base. His dishes might start with a memory from his Mexican heritage, or of the Asian or Middle Eastern tastes that he’s enjoyed over time. It also might be a riff on a classic American combo, from the flavors in coastal clam chowder perhaps, or a smoky and salty dish of Southern ham, beans, and greens. His favorite proteins to work with are lamb and duck, and almost any type of seafood. Like many other chefs around town, he praises Jeff Koscomb’s Above Sea Level, the premier seafood supplier in this area, for providing pristine fish and shellfish. Martín loves to pair these ingredients with earthy root vegetables like turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, and carrots, and then adds in other flourishes to create multiple textures and colors.

A meal at Martin’s table, supplemented by Jennifer’s front-of-the-house hospitality, always feels special. Yes, we do eat with our eyes, so enjoy these beautiful images from the latest seasonal menu. Then head to the Restaurant Martín for the full experience.

Yellowfin Tuna Crudo with Charred Avocado, Citrus Salad, Shaved Baby Turnips, Kombu Powder & Fennel Emulsion

So enthusiastic is Martín about raw fish preparations that his cookbook has a whole chapter devoted to crudo and ceviche. He finds the combination of uncooked fish with citrus and avocado a classically refreshing mixture, perfect as the base for many appetizers. Here he adds Cara Cara oranges, available in fall, for their pops of vibrancy in both color and flavor. Their taste is more like a mandarin, stronger and sweeter than a run-of-the-mill orange. Turnips with their hint of spice, and fennel, with its anise notes, round out the mix with bits of briny seaweed.

Roasted New Zealand Lamb Rack with Rutabaga & Butternut Squash Purée, Crispy Potato & Bacon Pavé, Hon Shimeji Mushrooms, Black Garlic Reduction

Martín’s preferred red meat is lamb, which he feels challenges the chef’s talent to balance its flavor with sauces and accompaniments. He likes imported lamb for its mild but rich taste. The rack of lamb here plays quarterback, but it wouldn’t be a winning dish without the team of root vegetables, fermented garlic, and nut-like nuances of this particular mushroom. Roasting the rutabagas and squash deepens their sweetness and adds a pleasing bit of smoke, as does the bacon mixed into the potato cake.

Roasted Honey-Glazed Duck Breast with Crispy Duck Confit Fondant with Charred Radicchio, Baby Carrots, Celery Root Purée, Black Currant Duck Reduction

If Martín had to choose a single protein to fuel his imagination, it would be duck.

He finds this Maple Leaf Farms duck breast more akin to red meat than to chicken or turkey. Part of what he loves is being able to get a crisp skin on the breast, amplified by basting it with honey. He cures the legs for 24 hours in salt and aromatic herbs and vegetables, then cooks them down slowly in their own fat, the process known as confit. He shreds the silky meat, then pats it into cakes. To crust the surface, he sautés the cakes in rendered duck fat. He pairs the two duck preparations with radicchio, tempered in flavor and texture by brief grilling. Its bitterness balances the sweet duck glaze and classic currant sauce. The mild but distinct character of celery root also has a suggestion of citrus, echoing another natural pairing with duck.

Roasted Baby Beets & Pickled Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese Mousse, Fennel Oil, Fennel Fronds, Belgium Endive, Red Leaf Lettuce with Cider & Mustard Seed Vinaigrette

Patrons can find a beet salad on Martín’s menu for much of the year, in homage to his mother. She has always made a brightly splendid version of the ensalada de Nochebuena, the traditional Mexican Christmas Eve salad with citrus, jicama, pomegranate seeds, and more. The flourishes on Martín’s version come and go, depending on the season. The season’s final strawberries are pickled to add tang, balanced by the creaminess of the cheese. The last of the fennel, from the restaurant’s garden, adds notes of anise in two forms. Apples are the New Mexican fruit that most emphatically says fall.

Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Kabocha Squash & Carrot Purée, Pickled Carrot Salad, Sautéed Fennel Hearts

Not much compares, in both sweetness and meatiness, to the finest sea scallops, which Martín gets from Santa Fe wholesaler Above Sea Level. The seafood blends seamlessly with the earthy sweetness of the creamy squash and carrot mixture. Adding a few other carrots, pickled in this case, creates tiny pops of tang. More of that late-season fennel makes it into the dish too. This time, it’s lightly sautéed, which mellows its licorice-like quality, while still keeping a toothsome texture.

Two-Chocolate Crémeux with Pumpkin Seed Brown Butter Financier, Buttermilk Custard, Blackberry & Papaya Gels

This dessert perfectly exemplifies Martín’s desire to excite the diner’s palate. A crémeux is one part mousse, one part ganache, and all fabulousness. And in this case, one isn’t enough. Here, Martín pairs both bittersweet and milk chocolate versions. He comments that milk chocolate is sometimes not taken as seriously as the darker varieties, but its greater subtlety plays especially well with others. He adds tiny touches of coffee and cinnamon. Further silkiness on the plate comes from a custard made of buttermilk. Martín prefers it to cream because of its lighter consistency and slight tang, which brightens the whole dish. Often incorporated into his desserts are the little golden French cakes, financiers. Enriched with brown butter, they’re a perfect base for the toasted pumpkin seeds. Martín adds a pair of intensely colored fruity gels, a final flourish to the dish as well as the meal.

Story by Cheryl Alters Jamison / Photography by Kate Russell

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