A Restaurant Review

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

I haven’t done a restaurant review on this site; I haven’t had a meal well enough prepared upon which to comment.

On my way back from a business trip to Roswell late last week, I stopped in Capitan. It is a small town, best known for being the home of Smokey Bear.

On the corner of Smokey Bear Boulevard, which is Highway 48 at South Lincoln, I had dinner at the Greenhouse Café. The outside is a rustic looking building that gives no indication of the atmosphere inside.

It is a narrow dining room that seats about 30. It has warm low lighting and walls adorned with locally produced jewelry, pottery and leatherworks.

The meal started with a fresh salad, grown hydroponically in the chef’s own “Greenhouse Gardens.” It was a collection of mixed greens with numerous choices of dressings. I had a blue cheese in oil dressing. For the entrée, the special of the night was scallops in a white chocolate with Chardonnay and dill. It was complimented with mashed potato and a side of vegetables.

So what’s wrong with this picture?

You’ve probably heard the phrase running around the kitchen; this is Chef Tom Histen, literally running around his kitchen.

The clientele was clearly the Texan ski crowd that had come down from Sierra Blanca. The Texas accents were thick. The overheard conversation from our eastern neighbors was that the snow was manmade, yet the lift lines were non-existent.

The Greenhouse Café serves dinner Wed. through Sat. from 5 pm to 9 pm and Sun. brunch, from 10am to 2 pm. Lunch is served only during the summer. The Café is closed Mon. and Tue.

If traveling between Roswell and Interstate 25, this restaurant and its sauces are worth the trip.