Adventure

For Skiers in Taos, Bratwurst and Green-Chile Burritos Make Perfect Sense Together

The distinctly European and New Mexican options bring a new twist to the après-ski scene. 
Taos Ski
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The après-ski scene at North American resorts has vastly improved since the days of goopy nachos and canned light beer. Still, it's easy for cookie-cutter sameness to creep in, especially if you've skied extensively. Not so at Taos Ski Valley, the proudly independent New Mexico hill where the happy coexistence of bratwursts and burritos can be traced to an idiosyncratic origin story.

Native Americans have lived in the Taos Pueblo for 1,000 continuous years, says Taos Ski Valley CEO David Norden of the local UNESCO World Heritage site that has shaped the state’s rich history. “The Spanish came here in the mid-1500s, and then about 60 or 70 years ago, Europeans brought the sport of skiing,” he adds. More specifically, it was Ernst Hermann Bloch—who left his native Germany in 1938, worked for American intelligence during World War II, and ended up permanently adopting his code name of Ernie Blake—that brought skiing to the valley’s slopes. He and his wife, Rhoda, founded the resort in 1955, having located an ideal spot about 20 miles from the town of Taos, in the southern Rockies.

Blake’s influence remains pervasive to this day in Taos, where European Alpine culture was successfully grafted onto New Mexico’s own traditions: “Here you can get a green chile stew or a bowl of goulash,” Norden says.

The Bavarian Restaurant, which dates back to 1994

Courtesy Bavarian Restaurant 

The most visible example of Old World influence is aptly named Bavarian Restaurant, which the German-born Thomas Schulze opened in 1994. “I grew up skiing in the Alps and thought I’d do a ski alm,” says Schulze, referring to the mid-mountain eateries in German-speaking regions. “They’re usually built with rocks or logs, and I reproduced that style.”

Located at the foot of Lift 4, the Bavarian serves American dishes but it’s the German side that shines brightest, with wienerschnitzel and rindsroulade (stuffed beef) on the menu alongside beer from the Andechs and Weltenburg monastery–based breweries. Tuesdays are for fondue, of either the Swiss or Bourguignonne persuasion—and a visit wouldn’t be complete without a restoring Jägertee, or tea with a shot of schnapps.

The flair is more French at the Hotel St. Bernard, a family-run establishment founded in 1960 by expat Jean Mayer, originally from Nice and famous for its “skier’s lunch,” available to hotel guests and day-trippers alike. (Restaurant reservations are a must if you’re not staying on the premises.) The popular deck also sports a view of Lift 1 and the bottom of the fearsome, mogul-laden Al’s Run.

For a modern New Mexican approach, head over to 192 at the Blake. It’s attached to Taos’ newest hotel, which boasts “museum-quality artwork inside, including pen-and-ink lithographs by Georgia O'Keeffe and originals from the Taos Society of Artists,” says Norden. “You can come for a drink and we have art tours through the building.” When it’s time to eat, this stylish newcomer serves boar rib chop with green-chile polenta and apricot-poblano chutney, and poutine made with green chile and pork belly.

On a more casual note, Tim’s Stray Dog Cantina’s popular burritos are served alongside local specialties like fry bread topped with beans and beef. Can’t decide between the green or the red flame-roasted chile? Request your dish “Christmas style”—with both.