Elijah Safford says his guiding principles in the Taos restaurant scene are being a good host and stewarding the land. Safford, chef and owner of ACEQ — Arroyo Seco’s upscale restaurant with ingredients sourced directly from the farm — recently expanded his offerings to include Saltos, Taos’ newest bistro in the space that housed Sabroso for two decades.
With a lavish venue, lively events, creative Northern New Mexico cuisine, and a passionate team of experienced chefs, Saltos is ripe to become a neighborhood staple.
The decision to open the restaurant was “very opportunity-driven,” Safford said. When Sabroso was up for sale, Safford jumped at the chance to buy the longtime Seco restaurant. “I woke up one morning and just had this crazy idea,” he said. The restaurant opened in late May.
Safford had reached a point at ACEQ that was both a high point in the restaurant world and a low point for an ambitious individual: The restaurant is popular, successful and running smoothly with a passionate team – a strong company, he said.
He describes ACEQ as “an ever-changing, modern American fusion restaurant.” Menu influences change with the seasons—currently from summery Asian cuisine to Hungarian comfort food for the colder months—but the restaurant’s focus on locally sourced, farm-to-table ingredients remains constant.
This year, Safford and the ACEQ team began managing a small farm nearby, bringing the farm even closer to the table.
Saltos enters the restaurant scene with the same focus on farm-to-table ingredients, Northern New Mexico fare, and blending tradition with culinary innovation. But while ACEQ focuses on fine dining with entrees, Saltos leans toward a more casual vibe with a relaxed venue, live music, indoor and outdoor cocktail bars, and smaller plates.
An extensive tapas menu includes creative dishes like bacon dates, honey garlic chicken lollipops and jalapeño relleno poppers. Main dishes include corn-fried chicken, Beck and Bulow bison short ribs and a green chile burger made with wangus, a premium cut of beef also served at ACEQ.
An herb garden will soon allow Saltos to garnish their plates with freshly picked herbs and edible flowers.
At the helm of both kitchens is longtime Taos chef Gabriel Farkash, who also worked at Sabroso before it became Saltos. Many days he commutes between ACEQ and Saltos, bouncing between menu development and line cooking. Fortunately, the 47-second walk through the Snow Mansion field isn’t too strenuous.
For Farkash, Saltos and ACEQ’s focus on regional and seasonal food, colorful and creative dishes, and the camaraderie among the employees characterize both restaurants.
“We’re a super community-based company,” he added. Both ACEQ and Saltos support local farmers and ranchers and donate time and labor to events like chili and paella cooking competitions at area high schools.
Saltos’ menu now reflects both the food and talent of Northern New Mexico. In the kitchen, a team of passionate, experienced chefs are trusted by Safford and Farkash to take creative liberties and develop dishes through experimentation and taste testing. With a skilled team, Saltos can operate efficiently and experiment in ways that are exciting for both chefs and guests.
“It’s the guests who make the experience of the evening, and it’s the people who make the company. And I believe in all of my employees,” Safford said.
As head chef, Farkash witnessed the Sabroso restaurant’s transition into the Saltos era. “It was cool to see the change,” he said. “It was like a fresh start.”
When Safford and his team took over the long-standing Seco restaurant, they refreshed the 150-year-old adobe house, mixing old with new: rows of paintings and murals were pared down, the adobe walls were lightened. Sabroso’s burgundy velvet chairs meet new natural wood tables, creating an earthy and upscale interior.
Jimmy Stadler still performs weekly, but now on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays – a small but significant change in the musician’s twenty-year tradition at this venue.
The new bistro pays great tribute to Sabroso’s live music tradition, for which the terrace has long been popular during the warmer months.
Now, in the terrace’s green grove, lined with plum trees, fallen apples and rose bushes, couples stand up to dance, children run around in the grass, and parents and neighbors relax and enjoy a glass of wine. In the next room, a wedding party might clink shot glasses next to the kiva fireplace.
“Saltos is your neighborhood New Mexico bistro,” Safford said. “You come by, you get your tapas, you get your wine, you hang out in the grove, you talk to your friends, you mingle, you dance a little. It’s a casual place to enjoy really good snacks and good drinks.”
In the winter, Safford envisions a thriving après-ski culture in Saltos, with drinks and live music late into the night. Farkash wants to host paella cook-offs the following summer and envisions a neighborhood barbecue party atmosphere.
Safford believes that by contributing to Seco’s thriving small business community, Saltos can enrich the northern Taos experience for both locals and tourists.
He envisioned an ideal day in Taos for a tourist: a hike in Taos Ski Valley, ice cream at Taos Cow, maybe a pop-up shop with block prints at Wilde.Ink, happy hour at Saltos, a pit stop at their Airbnb to change, a nice dinner at ACEQ, and a nightcap at Abe’s Cantina—all below El Salto and Taos mountains, amid shops and studios all around.
“The goal is to get people to Arroyo Seco and keep them there,” he said.
For the ambitious chef turned restauranteur, this broader vision around food and community characterizes his work today.
“When I think back now, I think, ‘Wow, it was so easy when all I had to worry about was how to make amazing food.'”
