Review of the Railyard Restaurant and Saloon in Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Railyard Restaurant & Saloon - opened in November 2005 by Santa Fe chef/restaurateur Louis Moskow - is ensconced in a refurbished railyard building nestled beside the tracks that once ferried the legendary cars of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. Images of steam engines and baying whistles danced in my head as I approached the restaurant's front door.

Once inside, however, the maitre d's warm greeting and the distant din of diners brought me back to the present and the lovely anticipation of a delicious evening. It was 7 p.m. on a Saturday and the restaurant was packed. The dining room is enclosed by three half-walls hiding the kitchen, the bar, and a small private dining space from view. A fourth wall touts cozy banquettes with a ribbon of mirrors just above. The ceiling arcs to 30-plus feet and is laced with steel beams and industrial hanging lights. The room, however, feels cozy, and tables topped with white cloth and crisp, white squares of butcher paper scream bistro - and fun. A quick look around the room confirmed that impression.

People were talking and laughing and smiling, and the decibel level approached the supersonic. But, surprisingly, I could hear my dinner partner perfectly, and the background noise just added to the evening's delight. Chilled water and menus arrived within moments after we took our seats. But, with only one tiny candle at each table, it was difficult to read the menu, and the play of shadows from the ceiling lamps didn't help. A clever little lamp on each table would do the trick. Once deciphered, however, the menu read like a Who's Who of American classics.

There are old favorites like freshly boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce, Caesar salad, steamed mussels, a BLT, and warm spinach salad. There are also burgers, roasted half-chicken, steaks, chops, and ribs, as well as side dishes straight from Grandma's kitchen - creamy spinach, potatoes au gratin, steamed broccoli, and macaroni and cheese, to name a few. But all these classics, according to the menu, have been "revisited" - which means they are whipped up or served with a culinary twist that lends them a bit more pizzazz. Surprises await on this menu.

Drinks are no exception. The classic margarita and Bloody Mary are offered alongside the Shirley Temple and Roy Rogers - nonalcoholic children's cocktails 1 thought had faded away with those stars' popularity - and grown-up cocktails with monikers like Conductor's Cucumber Martini, Super Chief Silver Coin (tequila, Cointreau, and fresh lemon and lime juice), Bloody Train Wreck, and Moscow Mule (Russian vodka mixed with ginger beer). There's also a nice selection of wines and beer. We happily sipped a Bloody Train Wreck - a traditional Bloody Mary laced with chipotle pepper and a smoked-salt rim that pulled it all together - and a yummy pomegranate margarita, made from a specialty Mexican tequila (La Pinta) infused with pomegranate seeds. Order it on the rocks with salt.

Our waiter arrived with a basket of breads - sourdough (warm, crusty - a keeper) and cornbread (crumbly and tasteless - needs to be re-revisited), and took our orders. At the Railyard, the BLT is a salad that arrives, intriguingly, stacked on a plate. Perfectly crisped strips of thick bacon sat atop butter lettuce and a meaty tomato slice - all topped with a creamy blue-cheese dressing. The warm spinach salad arrived as a thing of beauty - diminutive spinach leaves studded with pine nuts and smoky, grilled button mushrooms, glistening in a wonderful, warm red-wine vinaigrette sprinkled with chunks of blue cheese.

The wait staff was a beehive of activity, swirling in and around tables, stopping briefly to deliver a bouquet of fresh wine goblets to one table, a paper cone of French fries to another, answering a question about the menu elsewhere. Their pace was fast, crisp, and professional but never hurried. Steak knives were delivered to our table moments before our entrees - succulent barbecued baby back ribs and a perfectly grilled rib eye steak with garlic and a fresh herb-and-chardonnay butter. I would suggest asking for the compound butter on the side rather than slathered over the steak. It's deliciously rich, and too much can overpower. The sides - macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes - were simply delicious. The former arrived in a diminutive cast-iron skillet and was crusty and creamy, with hints of blue cheese and béchamel sauce. The potatoes weren't whipped to death - like mom used to do - but were gently mashed and coaxed into a delicious state. If the Railyard did takeout, I'd order a quart a week. Just reading the dessert menu can add pounds to your waistline.

We opted for the coconut cream pie and the lemon meringue pie. On a second visit, we shared the molten chocolate cake with caramelized bananas and a decadent chocolate sundae. The coconut cream pie and sundae were winners, and the molten chocolate - topped with vanilla ice cream and heavenly whipped cream - was sublime. But I'm a stickler when it comes to my lemon meringue pies, and this stunning-looking version had an off taste. The kitchen needs to punch up the sweet/tart balance, too. A dessert wine - Stonyhill Late Harvest Semillon 1997 - finished the evening. If my dinner partner hadn't restrained me, 1 would have licked the inside of the glass. Oh, my.

The service at the Railyard is exceptional. We visited twice - for dinner and lunch - and both times the wait staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and extremely professional. The restaurant was packed, and it was just plain fun to be there. The food arrived nicely plated and on time, and, with the exception of the warm spinach salad - which delighted at dinner but bombed at lunch, when the spinach appeared to have been cooked rather than gently warmed - the food was consistently good. The lunch menu repeats many of the dinner items (although some prices are lower in the afternoon) with the addition of modestly priced catfish po' boy, Panini, burgers, and cheesesteak sandwiches. The Railyard offers good food, good service, good prices, and a good time. Louis Moskow - chef and owner of the highly regarded 315 Restaurant and Wine Bar - has done it again. The Railyard Restaurant & Saloon is located at 530 S. Guadalupe St., 989-3300