In 2013, the New York Times published an article titled “Looking for Big Flavors in a Small Town.” The article extolled the dining scene in “Silver City, an old mining town in the southwestern corner of the state, which has “seen its creative spirit extend to the local food scene.” Leave it to your roving gastronome to arrive in Silver City ten eleven years too late. When the New York Times visited, Silver City was home to the Curious Komquat, where Chef Rob Connoley earned James Beard semi-finalist honors for Best Chef – Southwest. Chef Connoley, by the way, moved to St. Louis where he garnered another semifinalist nomination in 2022, this time for Best Chef: Midwest. He repeated that honor in 2023 then in 2024 was the only St. Louis chef to be named finalist.
It goes without saying that the closure of Curious Kumquat put a serious dent on the Silver City culinary world. That loss was compounded by the 2015 shutting down of Shevek & Co, another Silver City institution. Then, the aftermath of the Cabrona virus brought about the 2022 closure of Revel, another highly regarded downtown eatery. Diane’s Restaurant & Bakery, THE place to visit in Grant County for baked goods and breakfast made it a quadrumvirate–the four best restaurants in Silver City closed within a few years of one another.
While strolling with The Dude (our debonair dachshund) shortly our arrival in Silver City, I asked several of The Dude’s peeps and admirers about Silver City’s best restaurants. The most telling answer was “the same food and restaurant supply trucks pull up at most of the city’s current restaurants.” The one exception, we were told was La Vie Est Un Bistro, a Southwestern French restaurant which opened its doors in 2021. Great fortune smiled upon us. La Vie Est Un Bistro (Life is a Bistro) was just a block away. Normally that would be easy walking distance, but sidewalks on Yankie Street are about two feet high in some places, making finding ramps essential.
Only three other couples were dining at La Vie, a Liliputian 28-seat eatery helmed by Chef Jason C. Pierre, an amiable gentleman who can really cook. On this particular night, the chef was all alone, his server having experienced car troubles. Fortunately he was able to call on Karen, a good friend and health care professional who operates a health center on Yankie. You would never have known this was her inaugural experiencing serving guests. Not only did she have a great tableside manner, she was familiar enough with the menu to help us decide what to order.
Chef Pierre received his certification in classic cuisine from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), the number one rated culinary education program in America. He also trained under French masters in Paris. The Haitian born chef’s curriculum vitae includes successful stints in corporate, university and private restaurants from New York to Tennessee to Connecticut and Florida. La Vie’s website touts “meals which come from my heart.” After one bite (French onion soup) we were believers. You can expect a wonderful meal delivered at a deliberate pace. The chef prepares to order, paying meticulous attention to every element of the dining experience.
La Vie is open for lunch, brunch and dinner. The menu is truly reflective of the New York Times label “Big Flavors in a Small Town.” Make that “gigantic” flavors. Make your first experience with those gigantic flavors French onion soup. At first bite we declared it the best French onion soup we’ve ever had as we pondered its uniquely wonderful flavor. Though the soup was made with the “usual” ingredients–beef stock, white onions, Gruyere, crusty French bread–Chef Pierre told us other ingredients included rosemary, thyme, sherry, red wine, Balsamic vinegar and sugar. The beef broth, Gruyere and onions imparted a wonderful umami while just the right amount of sugar gave the soup a balanced flavor profile with sweet and savory notes. The bread disintegrated within the warm broth (as it should). We scraped as much of the Gruyere as we could from the rim of the bowl. Every bite was luxurious, an adventure in enjoyment. We compared Chef Pierre’s French onion soup with its counterpart at Scottsdale’s highly acclaimed Zinc. There was no comparison. Chef Pierre’s is better…much better!
Most diners are familiar with (and maybe besotted by) lamb chops and lamb shank, both of which are delicious. Not nearly as common as they should be are lamb steaks, thick-cut boneless lamb steaks as juicy and moist as possible. Lamb has a unique and distinct flavor that non-fans often described as gamey or earthy. In truth, it’s a bit milder than beef and has a slightly sweet undertone. If you love lamb, you should love lamb steaks…especially as they’re prepared by Chef Pierre. At a rare degree of doneness with plenty of pink showing, the lamb steak is remarkably juicy and tender. Chef Pierre tops it with a port wine demiglaze punctuated with gooseberries, both of which counterbalance the ascerbic rosemary-thyme combination. My lamb steak was served with an outstanding sweet potato puree tinged with cinnamon.
My Kim’s entree was an interesting penne pasta salad (one of the day’s specials) with broccoli, spinach, olive oil, garlic and Balsamic vinegar served with two slices of focaccia and a single strawberry. Though it may sound like a rather simple salad, Chef Pierre creates a light sauce that seems to enliven the relatively few ingredients from which this salad is constructed. Who knew penne pasta didn’t need a tomato-based sauce to taste good. Who knew my Kim would actually (and without a gun to her head) could eat broccoli? She usually treats it with the same disdain with which President George H. W. Bush regarded it.
Because my Kim and The Dude had problems navigating those tall sidewalks, Chef Pierre walked most of the way back to our rental. A superb chef, a true gentleman and a great guy, he’s one of the best reasons to return to Silver City. If life is indeed a bistro, I would want it to be La Vie Est Un Bistro, the restaurant which just might bring Silver City back to the pinnacle of dining it once enjoyed.
La Vie Est Un Bistro
112 W Yankie
Silver City, New Mexico
575-740-9303
Website |
LATEST VISIT: 4 April 2024
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$$
BEST BET: Penne Pasta Salad, Lamb Steak, French Onion Soup
REVIEW #1385
I grew up in Silver City with dachshunds, but we never walked Brunhilda or Liebchen downtown! So excited to read this review; so sad to hear Revel and Diane’s have closed. I am a fan of other downtown stalwarts Little Toad Creek Brewery and the Jalisco Cafe. Also, for any readers planning a trip, try the Serenity House B&B downtown – the host and the breakfasts are amazing (and back when it was a private home, my brother helped de-skunk the resident family collie in the lovely claw-foot tub in the upstairs guest suite).
Hi Merritt
It’s always so nice to hear from you. I imagine Silver City has changed a lot since you grew up there in the early 2000s and your sainted mom Dianne Hamilton was a state representative and radio show host (no one should wonder where your radio talents come from). I don’t blame you for trying to walk your delightful dachshunds on those six story high sidewalks. I had to lift the Dude up onto those sidewalks. Once on the sidewalks, he reveled in all the wonderful aromas. Fortunately we didn’t have to de-skunk him.
We didn’t visit Jalisco Cafe because I’m such a hater of cumin, but we heard some locals did rave about Little Toad. On each day of our stay, we did visit the most unique and amazing coffee shop I’ve ever been to. It’ll be my next review. I’ll also be writing about the latest instantiation of Diane’s, now a shadow of its former self.
Silver City is one of the friendliest cities we’ve visited during our staycations in New Mexico. In that respect comparisons to Santa Fe are wholly inaccurate.
Best,
Gil
Great anecdotes. Thanks for sharing! Gil has convinced me that I need to visit Silver City sooner than later.