Pink Adobe

The Pink Adobe was established in 1944 by Rosalea Murphy. Known affectionately by locals as “The Pink,” the restaurant has grown into a local and national landmark since its humble beginnings serving Dobe Burgers, French onion soup, and hot apple pie.

The Pink is located in the center of the historic Barrio de Analco across the street from the San Miguel Mission, which is considered the oldest church in the United States. The restaurant was given its name by Rosalea because of the rose color of the historic, 300 year-old house that is home to the Pink. It was originally a soldiers barracks.

We visited Pink Adobe with my son and his (now) wife shortly after they became engaged and were visiting from Ft. Lauderdale. This seemed like a lovely place in which to celebrate the pending event.

Steak Dunigan

Three of us ordered Steak Dunigan — a grilled high-quality 12-oz new york strip with sautéed mushrooms and green chile. It is a specialty of the house, and is the most expensive entrée on the menu. It is worth every cent. It was perfectly grilled to my specification (medium rare), almost fork tender, and it sat atop a layer of some of the most delicious green chile (medium picante, didn’t overpower the meat or the mushrooms, but complemented them) I have had in this town. We all agreed.

Excellent desserts. Rosalea’s Legendary French Apple Pie — house-made french-style apple pie with an apple cider reduction, rum hard sauce, and vanilla ice cream — has been a tradition since 1944. Tres Leches Cake — sweet, very moist, very dense, very delicious with whipped cream and toasted coconut is a true classic. Neither should be missed. What the heck, eat ’em both and take a long walk to ward off the inevitable sugar rush.

Nice wine list. Exemplary service. A beautiful and comfortable fine-dining place in which to celebrate. But don’t wait for an excuse — go there now.

The Hoback family is back in charge of the venerable Pink Adobe restaurant, and this is good news for those of us who like steak Dunigan, onion soup and apple pie. Good riddance to the previous owners (David Garrett of Garrett Hotel Group and Wayland Hicks, former CEO of Nextel and United Rentals) who all but destroyed the reputation of this Santa Fe legend by mucking about with the recipes and cutting corners in the management and service.

Priscilla Hoback is the daughter of Rosalea Murphy, founder of the Pink Adobe. Priscilla, her son Joe Hoback and Jennifer Hoback, Joe’s former wife, have all been involved in reviving the decades-old business on Old Santa Fe Trail, a half-block from the Capitol.

Welcome back, Pink. I am looking forward to many more memorable meals. And I’m ecstatic that the hard sauce is back on the world-class apple pie.