Once a frumpy old dude ranch, the Encantado resort is the height of Southwestern chic without the antlers and wagon wheels. Here's a sneak peak at the luxurious getaway.
Design rules here courtesy of two of the world’s most sought-after firms: AvroKo for the public spaces and Wilson Associates for the private. AvroKo created Public and other cool New York restaurants. (Not every restaurant, let alone restroom, wins a James Beard Award, but Public won both.) Inspired by Native American spirituality, Mission-style architecture, and sacred ceremonies, AvroKO dressed the elegant restaurant, Terra, in dark walnut with dividing walls of rammed earth, then lit it with 16 revolutionary fixtures of blackened steel and glass that seem to preside over the room. “Lighting is so important to us,” says Greg Bradshaw, principal. “The bulbs in these fixtures light the restaurant like church candles.” Indeed. That they create an exotic ambiance suggests something magical and unexpected each night. AvroKo’s whiz- kids also designed the hip lounge and bar which they outfitted with dreamy, sculptural lights – a long line of inexpensive incandescent bulbs, dropped from a cord, that somehow looked like a million dollars while the hand-blown shades reminded me of Venetian glass. I enjoyed one of the best dinners of my life at Terre, where Chef Charles Dale features his “Modern Rustic” cuisine, a blend of Spanish, European and indigenous influences. I arrived the day Esquire magazine listed Terra (its doors barely open), among its Best New Restaurants for 2008. Naturally, we celebrated. Chef Dale poured Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2004 and whipped up wild-mushroom risotto, tuna bordelaise, and a dessert of banana beignets and macadamia brittle ice cream. Already, TERRE is a word-of-mouth restaurant, shared by initiates like a secret handshake. Local residents come for imaginative food that compliments the cinematic big sky views, and the New World wines that deserve a standing ovation.
