Review of the Bavarian Lodge and Restaurant in the Taos Ski Valley of New Mexico

The Bavarian is about two miles past the Taos Ski Valley. A four-wheel-drive is necessary in winter, or you can ski in from the base of Lift No. 4 for lunch (the lifts stop at 3:30 p.m.).

A shuttle is available from the Taos Ski Valley base parking lot for dinner only. On sunny days, The Bavarian's large south-facing front porch fills up with skiers eager to bask in the sun and take in the mountain views. A line of cushioned chaises invites deep relaxation, a sure digestive aid.

Designed and built by owner Thomas Schulze and constructed solely of huge polished timbers, the lodge is modeled after a Shi-Aim, or Alpine guesthouse. Filled with hand threshers, crossbow saws, old bridle hardware, antler chandeliers, and the like, The Bavarian also sports a bit of the bizarre: a stuffed ram's head over the door looked me in the eye, and a Wolpertinger, a kind of Bavarian jackalope - talk about crossing cultures - made the experience truly evocative of a Habsburg lodge, walls covered with animals, large or small, shot by the lords of the manor.

Chef Keith Harlan, trained in Austria and Germany, features the food of those two countries, focusing the menu on Bavarian dishes. The servers, dressed in lederhosen or dirndls and blousy cotton shirts, fit right into the scene. This over-the-top theme-park costuming and furnishings might be hard to pull off elsewhere, but it feels at home here amid the jutting peaks. The Taos Ski Valley - established by Europeans like Jean Mayer, who came here to run the ski school and open inns - is known for its Tyrolean feel.

Although the sun was warm, the temperature still lingered below freezing, and we wanted to eat our food hot, so we sat inside for lunch. The lodge specializes in Bavarian beers - mainly Spaten, a Munich brand established in 1397 - and the choices range from light lager to spicy Oktoberfest and dark Optimator. Beers are served in three sizes, the one-liter stein big enough for the baby's bath. The cloudy, unfiltered wheat beer Hefeweizen gives another unusual choice for beer-lovers. Glithwein, a spiced hot red wine, comes in mugs, and there is a choice of wines by the glass and the bottle. Several kinds of Spatzle - plump, tender, free-form pasta - are served sizzling in the skillet, which is cranked down onto a wooden board with a clever armed mounting.

With a number of toppings from vegetables to cheese and sausage, it proved to be a delicious, rich, Alpine version of mac and cheese. A beautifully prepared plate of trout fillets coated with a light butter sauce, crisply cooked mixed vegetables, and potato salad is a good choice for healthy eaters. A daily special, thick barley soup, sounded like just the thing to take the chill off a cold day. Fish and chips, fresh Alaskan ling cod dipped in German beer batter and fried, was a good test of the kitchen. The moist, pure-white fish chunks, wrapped in the thinnest possible dark, crunchy coating, were sided by crisp, addictively seasoned fries. The sausage plate - bratwurst (pork and veal), Nurnberger (beef and pork), and Debriezener (pork and paprika) - showed off traditional wursts from three cities. The juicy sausages made a hearty marriage with garlic mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, and a rich gravy made with dark Optimator beer.

The menu lists other German specialties, including pork loin chop and Wienerschnitzel, a thin, breaded, and fried veal cutlet, as well as a Tuesday special featuring a three-cheese fondue and a beef-bourguignon fondue. A towering slab of seven-layer chocolate cake, ganache frosting being the driving force, proved too much for four of us to finish, though it was very good. A strudel with a gummy pastry and tart apples didn't appeal. Excellent Lavazza cappuccinos came warm rather than hot. Unfortunately, it is a challenge to keep liquid really hot at high altitude. Service at The Bavarian was good, and our server, raised in France, was very knowledgeable about food.

As part of the Taos Winter Wine Festival, we attended a wine dinner at The Bavarian featuring Rosenblum Cellars wines. A winery that controls designated growing lots and purchases grapes from all over California, it produces some of the best zinfandels in the country. Its 2003 Rockpile Road Zin was named No. 3 out of the top 100 new releases in the world by Wine Spectator this year. Kent Rosenblum, the founder, chairman of the board, and director of winemaking, sat at our long community table and made chitchat about skiing and winemaking while we all bonded over his delicious wines.

The first course, a house-made Spatzle with buffalo ragu, was a universal favorite. The rich buffalo sauce was enhanced by the matchup with one of Rosenblums zins, 2003 Eagle Point Vineyard. The fish, a seared sea bass served over wilted greens with citrus beurre blanc, paired beautifully with a stunning Roussanne, deep topaz with bright fruit flavors. The fish was slightly overcooked, so it was dry and chewy, but the other components of the dish were excellent. A 2003 Abba Vineyard Syrah, big, brash, and peppery on the finish, came with the German sauerbraten, which also came out dry and chewy but well-sauced.

Red cabbage, redolent of cloves, provided lively backup. While lean meat may be the norm for this marinated and braised recipe, a fattier roast or perhaps longer cooking would have given a better result. Because it was heavily over seasoned with salt and coarsely ground black pepper, several diners couldn't eat an organic gourmet greens salad featuring thin triangles of manchego, Gruyere, and raclette cheeses; I soldiered on in silence, needing the greens. Although the choices of cheeses were unusual, they went well with the wine. The servers poured the wine originally designated for the first course, the San Francisco Bay Red Zin, a little less refined than the Eagle Point, but with the massive salt-and-pepper assault, no one noticed. A roundly applauded dessert, fresh blackberry cobbler, hot from the oven, redeemed all errors. A delightful 2004 Gallagher Reserve Black Muscat was pure concentrated berry essence.

It is a remarkable tribute to The Bavarian that less than two hours from Santa Fe, we found ourselves almost believing we were on vacation on another continent. It was just the kind of break we needed to restore our hope for snow before winter is over. The Bavarian Lodge and Restaurant is located two miles past Taos Ski Valley at 100 Kachina Road; 505-776-8020. During the winter they are opened for lunch from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., bar menu only from 4-5:30 p.m., and dinner from 5:30-7:30 p.m. (sometimes until 9:30 p.m.)