Seasons Rotisserie & Grill

One of the best eateries in Old Town. Or anyplace in the Duke City, for that matter.

Latest visit: November 4, 2012
First visit:August 10, 2009

After going to Opera Southwest’s sunning production of Gioachino Rossini’s masterpiece Otello, we (LLPC, RRPC, Dr Jane, and I) needed something more civilized than our usual post-show pizza and beer. Of many fine choices, Seasons won out. Good move.

Indeed, Seasons is a civilized place.   It is the kind of place that we all should reserve for those special occasions. Seasons Rotisserie & Grill has established a straightforward, American-style of cooking highlighted by the best and freshest ingredients, paired with great wine and great service. Combined with a casually elegant dining room that buzzes with the excitement of an open exhibition kitchen, Seasons has created a truly memorable dining experience.

The life of a restaurant centers on its kitchen. With Seasons’ open kitchen, diners are invited into the high-energy world of a restaurant kitchen in action. The centerpiece is a wood-burning grill and rotisserie. Counter seating provides a theatrical view of the culinary drama and the atmosphere created radiates a contagious energy throughout the restaurant. The dining room itself is bathed in warm tones of terracotta and ocher with natural wood finishes and hand wrought light fixtures.

The Seasons’ menu focuses on simple dishes prepared with exceptionally fresh ingredients. The warm, smoky flavors imparted by the wood-burning grill are featured in such classics as rotisserie chicken, 14oz boneless ribeye and sea scallops. The menu changes seasonally but these standards remain constant. With close ties to the Sonoma wine country, wine is an integral part of the Seasons’ menu. Wines are chosen to complement the bold flavors of the menu and the selection provides a wide range of choices. Food is served on simple white, oversized china and the tables are set with crisp white linens and large-scale flatware.

A consistently high standard of great food in a relaxed environment is the successful concept behind Seasons Rotisserie & Grill. The  philosophy is: take the best ingredients and let them speak for themselves. With a culinary style firmly rooted in the American classics, the food at Seasons is more about taste and less about changing restaurant trends.

The Food

Pan-Seared Crabcakes

Wilted arugula & grilled corn, cilantro-lime aioli.

If you have read much of my stuff, you may have noticed that I am somewhat of a crabmeat snob : If it ain’t blue crab, it ain’t worth eating. These crabcakes are a mixture of king crab lump and stone crab.  With great trepidation, I took a bite and three-quarters of a century’s prejudice instantly disappeared. These beauties were incredibly tasty and perfectly cooked. Who woulda thunk that something so good could be found right here in the desert.

Broccoli Soup

This is one of the tastiest ways to eat your broccoli. Even if you don’t like broccoli, you will love this. Creamy and nicely herbed, this potion is superior stuff. A nice surprise.

Don’t forget to wipe the bowl clean with a slice or two of the Seasons delightful bread.

Btaised Lamb Shank

Served with a smooth polenta and delicious braised greens (kale tonight).

I first had these lamb shanks on my first visit in 2009. I regret having waited so long to return to this tender beauty. I picked the shank up by the bone, held it vertically, and the meat slowly slid off the bone onto my plate. The meat was fork-tender and moist — perfect. Make sure to sop up all the sauce — it is rich and complex. This version of lamb shanks is among the very best that I have had anywhere.

Orange-Glazed Atlantic Salmon

Baked Parmesan polenta, roasted corn & summer squash salad, citrus beurre blanc, and greens.

LLPC had this beautiful salmon entrée, and declared it to be one of the best that she has ever had.

Blue Cheese Crusted Beef Filet

Bacon-scallion smashed potatoes, sauteed summer squash, garlic-port glaze .

Bob is a meat guy, and this really hit his satisfy bone. Cooked exactly as he requested. Very tender and juicy. The port reduction was as good as it gets. He carefully guarded his plate so I could not steal anything.

None of us had any room for dessert. Pith, because there was a pumpkin bread pudding with ice cream on the menu. Next time, I will refrain from sopping up the sauces and save some room. Linda offered to drive ma back from Corrales to try the bread pudding at lunch some time soon (are you listening LP?).

What a lovely day. Great opera, great meal, great company, and great weather.

Life is good here.

 

What Others Are Saying

Gil Garduño — New Mexico’s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.

“Despite America’s woeful economic situation, new restaurants continue to sprout faster than New Mexico’s unofficial state flower (no, not the ubiquitous orange traffic cone; the almost as omnipresent tumbleweed).  Rarely does a week go by without some sparkly and shiny new restaurant opening up somewhere in the Duke City.  Though most start off with much promise and potential, many restaurants are destined to suffer a fate similar to the dreaded and accursed tumbleweed.  The average lifespan of most independent restaurant concepts is less than five years.

“In 1995, Seasons Rotisserie & Grill was one of the shiny new restaurants with lots of promise and potential. Nearly two decades later, it continues to thrive against the onslaught of rigorous competition from newer, shinier and prettier new restaurants, outlasting many restaurants anointed the “next best thing” by the cognoscenti.  Year after year, Seasons continues to be mentioned as one of the city’s very best restaurants and not in the condescendingly reverential tone reserved for the restaurants recognized for their greatness largely because they’re old.  Seasons is still recognized as a player!  In the April edition of New Mexico Magazine, Seasons was listed as one of the 50 reasons to love Albuquerque.”

Ari Levaux — Weekly Alibi

Fine dining is always in season

“The highlight from the exhibition table was a foie gras special served with mustard greens, cherries, aged balsamic and coarse salt. The component flavors could not have been more different, and the harmonic dissonance of their fatty, fruity, spicy and acidic juxtaposition was moving and new. Also memorable, if rich for my taste, was the three-cheese pecan-crusted relleno. I’m always interested in dishes that creatively use New Mexican ingredients, and restaurant kitchens would benefit from more New Mexico-grown pecans. Another highlight was the pile of mushrooms that came alongside Shorty’s juicy sea scallops. Daringly large chunks of several varieties—including oyster, shiitake and chanterelles—were arranged into a pile of artful dishevelment.”

Seasons Rotisserie & Grill