Dinner For Two

My girlfriends and I were excited about trying Dinner for Two during Restaurant Week - one of four local places we made reservations at after drooling over all of the options published on the Restaurant Week web site. It was to be a 4 course $25/pp prix fix menu. The selections included one appetizer/soup or salad/main/desert. We all knew what we were going to order ahead of time. When we were seated we were surprised to read that contrary to what was published, we could not actually pick our own courses - the restaurant had pre-determined the choices - you could pick from one of three set 'meals'. Any changes represented a $3 up-charge per substitution. (if you substituted a different soup and desert it would be an additional $6). Our waitperson was understandably very harried - she told us we were one table of many to question these surprise menu rules and sent over the hostess who was very brusque with us...after some back and forth she condescended, allowing us to choose our own menu for an one time up-charge of $3 per person. Negotiating this bait and switch just wasn't worth the effort. Although the shrimp skewers and crab cakes were really good and my friend liked her onion soup, a really fishy funky Caesar salad dressing made the plate in-edible. The beef bourguignon was a very soupy un-inspired stew and the deserts were average at best. I have to say, our bus boy was the bright spot of the evening - charming, intelligent and light-hearted. Pros: Funny attentive bus staff Cons: bait and switch for restaurant week more

we had our own area of the restaurant , the place is designed to be able to have private dinning if you want or be a part of it all. there was a very good Spanish guitar player when we went. the food was spectacular! a cocoa coffee crusted fillet with balsamic pomegranate reduction yum,best steak ever! wife had a Chilean sea bass atop seaweed salad with a sweet and spicy sauce. and for dessert the ""piece De resistance"" a beautiful venezuelan chocolate souffle so tall and light with a rich chocolate flavor. incredible!!! \r if you don't go here and go some were else your crazy the value alone is insane it is compared to all of the $100 restaurants and is an average of $25 per person that is a great reason to go on its own.\r so GO THERE JUST GO THERE Pros: great food and personal service Cons: none! more

I agree with the other recent review ... the host and waitstaff were out to ""dinner"" . We received no attention at all. How can this place survive if they don't acknowledge their customers?? Too many other wonderful places in town that want to serve their patrons! Pros: Location Cons: Service more

After 20 minutes and asking for a menu twice with NO response, we left! The host demonstrated not one ounce of concern for our comfort. No water, no bread, nothing. Every time we asked for a menu, he said that everyone walked in at once and he didnt know what was going on. Well, there were only two other seated tables in the restaurant. He must have been stoaned or drunk. We are locals ... I can't imagine how they treat the poor tourists. No wonder this place was empty! Pros: Cant think of one Cons: Service, parking more

This is a totally lovely place! Excellent service, comfortable and with creative, affordable food. An especially good deal is Mon, Wed & Thur, when they run various food+wine specials. But even on weekends the prices are a lot more reasonable than the trendy tourist places where your main dish will cost you $35 or so. We're from out of town, but we ate dinner there twice in one week. Squash blossoms stuffed with shriim mousseline were gloriously memorable. The only suggestion for improvement would be to get rid of the inept violinists that they have on the weekends struggling to play in tune. I would also suggest that they might want to have more veggie dishes. The owners are also smart enough to close on Tue, and not on Mon, so that people could eat on Mon, when many other places are closed. Pros: Fabulous food and service Cons: Get rid of the inept musicians playing on the weekends more

I enjoyed everything: decent appetizer ($10 crab cake), great hot bread, tasty and hot soup (mushroom), good salad, excellent entre ($24 Alaskan sea bass), excellent service, live classical music. The price was reasonable too, especially compared to other Santa Fe restaurants. It's three blocks west of the plaza. Perhaps that explains the reasonable prices, but it was an easy walk. Casual dress OK, but they're going for the fine dining look: waiters wear tuxedos and they have black table cloths. Try it. I think you'll like it. Pros: food, service, value Cons: location more

After working half a day and driving 6 hours to Santa Fe, we were very pleased to find this gem in Santa Fe. Service was helpful and friendly, the dining room was relaxed (though pretty empty late on a Thursday night--which is probably typical.), and the menu varied and interesting (in a good way!). There were plenty of seafood choices for non-meat eaters and as a vegetarian option the Potage was outstanding. My grouper came with a Thai Mole sauce, and a perfectly balanced seaweed and spiced squid salad on the side. My husband's steak (fillet), ordered medium well came out cooked perfectly-- a feat not often accomplished at the best steakhouses. The organic Porter is also a standout. Ordering off the tasting menu enables you to sample up to 8 different dishes in a meal (though options for smaller appetites exist), and their full entrees come with soup and salad making the meal very affordable. And, they happily accommodated my request for a bowl of plain fresh strawberries for dessert, so my husband did not have to feel guilty about indulging in a more decadent choice-- the chocolate profiteroles-- which I'm told were also delicious. We enjoyed dinner so much that we returned for lunch the next day-- if you're lucky enough to be there when they serve burritos with fresh roasted green chilies-- and frites that could have been found on a Belgium sidewalk-- be sure to try them. We would both enthusiastically recommend Dinner for 2 to anyone. Pros: firendly service, good food, great value, lots of choices more

I have been there many times but it was the first for my daughter who knew Andy Barnes, Chef/Owner, from way back in the days of Summer Camp in the Pecos Mountains. We got there late on a Monday eve after Thanksgiving hoping Dinner for 2 would still be open. Not only did we get a table in minutes, but we were treated to a wonderfull tasting menu paired with a local Pink Champagne and Red Wines, topped by a tasting of 4 desserts which included Andy's home made Chocolate Ice Cream..... To die for!!! No kidding!!!! And 3 Dessert Wines for the final touch... We closed the place, no one rushed us out even though we were the last ones there as the kitchen was being cleaned... Kuddos to you Andy! Your food continues to surprise me... I will be back again and again... Great service, and definitley priced right!!!!! Pros: Walking distance from the Plaza... more

I have dined here so many times and I love it. The ambience is superb, the menu is interesting, varied and offers something to please everyone, the portions are just right, the prices are about half what you'd pay at the other ""fine"" restaurants in the Plaza area, and the staff and owners are delightful, friendly, professional and accommodating. This continues to be my favorite place and although parking is an issue, as a 'local' I know a million ways to get around that. Definitely include Dinner for Two in your dining agenda, whether you live here as I do, or are visiting Santa Fe. more

This was our first experience with small plates dining. It was a lot of fun to try a lot of different flavors and dishes in one meal. The quality of food was outstanding. Sometimes we feel a little uncomfortable in ""fancy"" restaraunts, but the staff didn't seem pompous; no one seemed to be checking to see if we knew what forks to use for what courses. Overall it was a lot of fun and romantic. Pros: Quality, unique Cons: expensive more

I stumbled onto this little, unobtrusive gem while strolling around Santa Fe. It was so good that I went back three times, and every time was as good as the first. The soups -- especially the roasted red bell pepper soup, a special -- and the sauces were superb. My fish was perfectly done, beautifully presented, and had a wonderfully unusual sauce. My favorite dish was an elegant little ""mushroom purse"" with a decadent white truffle cream sauce, finished with caviar. A superb Bananas Foster with an adept tableside presentation capped the meal. The wine list was well thought out. Service was friendly and professional. The hostess/owner was extremely friendly and you get the impression that she really cares. A minor but cute touch: each table is decorated with a different, unusual teakettle from her private collection. This is an overall excellent restaurant. Makes me want to move to Santa Fe! Pros: friendly staff, excellent cuisine, comfy upholstered bench seats in some areas, flexible menu options Cons: a bit hard to find more

I was in the city during Easter Sunday, and dropped in without a reservation that evening. The hostess was very gracious and seated me in half an hour. The meal was wonderfully good (french onion soup followed by grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and carmelized onions; raspberry cake), with adequate portions. The presentation was beautiful, and the ambience was lovely. They had an extensive wine selection.\r \r It was amazing to watch the wait staff in action. They were very attentive to every diner, and worked seamlessly as a team. In addition, they were very cheery and friendly. This is what every restaurant should be! Pros: Food, ambience, service Cons: Parking more

My husband and I ate at this restaurant for my 30th birthday and everything about the dinner was great. The wine was good. We had Chateaubriand and a fabulous Cherries Jubilee that was prepared at our table. This was our favorite restaurant during our trip to Santa Fe. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the area. more

Two years after visiting Dinner For Two (and Santa Fe), we still talk about our meal. The entrees were delicious and reasonably priced, the atmosphere nice, and the staff friendly and attentive. Still, it was the authentic caesar salad made from scratch table-side that makes the dinner worth remembering two years later. In fact, we finally recreated that caesar salad tonight! So if you're in Santa Fe, and want a memorable but casual dinner, please visit Dinner For Two, and be sure to order the caesar. more

This is one of our favorite places in Santa Fe. It's got a relaxed pace, so if you're in a rush, you might want to try it another time. The service is very personalized. The food is great, all freshly prepared by a talented chef. They've got a great wine selection, too. Pros: food, service, atmosphere more