Joseph’s Table

WHAT HAPPENED??? How could my FAVORITE restaurant in Taos close??? So upset!

Sadly, sadly, very sadly.
Josephs’s Table closed for business May 1 2010. Another victim of the recession.

This restaurant closed in May 2010. Seems it should be removed from this site.

Closed

Closed.

joseph and pappy from byzantium are 2 of the best chefs ever.

Treat yourself to dinner at this joint. Pick anything on the menu, it’s all delicious. Thank me later.

Incredible dinner, fresh slow food prepared with imagination.
Heard from friends that the lead time for a reservation can be ridiculous, but out-​of-​season it was no problem.
Took 2 wall booths– cozy little niches that seat 2, one for the kids and one for Renee and me. A nice little date!
My steak with a relleno, enchilada, and quail eggs was to die for. Renee’s mustard-​seed crusted halibut was yummy, Chloe went old school with a filet. The surprise star was Bailey’s cheesesteak sandwich, with delicious little steak tenders and red chile and guacamole. Wow!
Joseph’s lived up to the hype… beautiful location, great service, killer food.

2^nd visit. The food is really good here. The frequently changing menu provides an incentive to return. It’s a wonderful place for a nice dinner in Taos. Often with a live guitarist too.
But what I really love at Joseph’s Table is the bar. World-​class beer and wine lists and always excellent service. And you can dine at said bar…
Meanwhile, the entire restaurant has extremely cool décor, highlighted by the booths. The food is pricey, but worth it, but that’s why the bar is an important option. Unfortunately the duck fat fries aren’t as great as they sound. Luckily, everything else is better than it sounds. Unfortunately, they were out of Ommegang when I was there last. Luckily, anything you eat or drink here will be a treat and walking through the lobby of the Inn adds an historic grace note if you’re in from out of town.

My wife and I spent the last 3 days of 2009 near Taos, and planned one night for an upscale dining experience after a day of skiiing. We’d tried a number of the other likely choices in previous visits, so we finally tried Joseph’s Table. What a disappointment.
The décor is verging on tacky — there’s just a bit too much of everything, in too many styles. Satin curtains for the little nook booths? Edgar Poe stared up at us from our dining table. Murals covered walls, dried flowers and books in every nook and cranny. It was all just trying way too hard for for some kind of premeditated «atmosphere.»
The staff were friendly, but not very on top of things. Missing cutlery we had to get up to ask for more than once, dishes served missing elements… We went early since we’d been on the slopes, and were one of the first tables there, watching the place fill up over our meal. And still it was hard to get the waiter’s attention.
The food was only passable at best; bland, cold, and unappetizing in more than a few instances. The menu was completely uninspired and pedestrian — beet salad with goat cheese? Seriously? Party like it’s 1999, indeed.
I was frankly sort of shocked. Even more shocked when our bill arrived and we hadn’t been comped for anything — this, after the empanada that didn’t make it onto my entrée plate came THIRTY MINUTES AFTER we’d finished, toward the end of our dessert!!! A simple glass of comp wine would have made that waiter his $ 30 tip (yes, the bill for two was over $ 100, no bottle of wine either), though I dare say he wouldn’t have deserved it even then. Instead he got a note cordially explaining why not.
This place wouldn’t last five minutes in a major city. Most of these rave reviews must be by yokels and tourists who are hypnotized by the hype, moderately high prices and low lighting.
Just go to Doc Martins, or elsewhere…

One of the best steaks i’ve ever had in my life! This place was awesome! The food here is impeccable. I wish they were in California, or someplace closer to Albuquerque because the food was delicious, but the drive from civilization takes a while. I would definitely drive out there for their food.
Our server was awesome, friendly, and knew his wines. He paired our wine perfectly with the steak. The dinner was pricey, but SO WORTH IT! Even though I’m in Cailfornia, I dream of Joseph’s table at night. It’s a must when you’re in Taos.

Five stars? I had high hopes of this place based on all the rave Unilocal reviews, but Joseph’s was truly hit or miss.
Dinner started out strong, with a great wine recommendation and some yummy shrimp spring rolls. It was downhill from there. The grilled romaine salad with roasted poblano Caesar dressing sounded amazing, but it had no flavor. No pepper flavor at all, and barely a hint of even a standard Caesar dressing. I would have killed for a single anchovy to ration over the romaine for a little flavor. There was another salad on the table with fresh fruit, and it was light, refreshing and good.
The entrees came out and we were hoping that they would make up for the miss on the salad course. I had a New York Strip over wilted spinach, and it was perfect. It had some kind of spicy veggies mixed in, and the steak was thinly sliced in a pinwheel presentation which showed a perfect temperature and probably helped me forget that the strip is a less tender cut than the filets two of my companions had.
Woe to those poor suckers. The petit filet was to be served with a horseradish and corn crema sauce. The description had me salivating as I read it, and if we didn’t already have ordered two filets on our four-​top before the waiter got to me I would have ordered the filet. Thank goodness I didn’t. The horseradish sauce honestly tasted like cream. I told the waiter that the flavor of my fiancé’s sauce was a little «understated» and asked for some horseradish for my friends. More cream came out. The pace of service was a little slow, so rather than complain further, they settled for a disappointing entrée to chase the disappointing salads. The salmon ordered by our fourth was quite good. Again, it was hit and miss.
Needless to say, we skipped drinks and dessert, and opted instead to walk around the plaza and commiserate.
If this had happened in a vacuum, I might have still rated Joseph’s 3 stars. However, we overheard at least two other tables complaining about the lack of flavor in their meals. The table directly next to us was actually complaining to the waiter as we were leaving, and they were being told that the chef is from Hawaii, and that is how food is done there.
Be that as it may, Josephs did not deliver on the expectations we had going in, and as one of the highest ranked and most expensive restaurants in Taos, we had higher standards in mind. It was a disappointment, and I won’t be back until they have some turnover in the kitchen.

beautiful food expertly prepared; original concepts in his food. however, the place needs to be redone as you feel you are sitting in a crypt. The tuna tartar was a wonderful blend of top end tuna and mango and avocado that brought all flavors together. My wife had the vegeterian plate that was outstanding with a New Mexican orientation that apparently changes every night. Keep up the good cooking Joseph, but make the place more lively

This place is beautiful inside and quiet so it makes for a nice romantic dinner. The staff were very nice and knowledgeable about wine selections and food pairings. I want to give it 5 stars, but my husband’s dish (salmon) did not get ⁵⁄₅ so I can’t, but otherwise I would say this is one of the best restaurants in Taos. The grilled lobster appetizer was amazing!!!
Well worth the extra money if you wan to try some original and artistic food.

Joseph’s Table is one of the finest places to eat in Taos. The staff borders on the line of being douche bags, but the food makes up for the staffs’ attitudes. A great old and well-​worn bar.
I recommend checking this place out (located in the Hotel La Fonda in old historic Taos, NM).

If you can get around the purposely slow paced and pretentious service you’ll have a truly great meal here. They even have a banner over the kitchen with a quote something to the effect of «Patience adds flavor to your food.»
But once things settled in, our group of seven had a really nice meal. The Risoto cake with Porto Bella Mushroom was really intense and delicious. The Steak Au Poivre was one of the best cooked rare steaks I’ve ever had (In Seattle it’s really hard to get cooks to believe that you really want rare and steaks almost always come out medium).
It’s nice to have a really fine meal in a town like Taos, but I think they could ratchett down the pompousness a bit.

The other reviewers have pretty much summed it up… Joseph’s Table has fantastic atmosphere, superior service (which is surprisingly rare these days), and high-​quality food. Highly recommended for those who are looking to spend a little $$$ for dinner…

During our day trip to Taos, my husband and I dined at Joseph’s Table for dinner in the La Honda Hotel. Conveniently located in the Plaza de Taos, Joseph’s Table offers a new age Taos hippie vibe, as well as contemporary southwest. Mustard yellow walls adorned with pastel colored flowers, dim, white table cloths, and votive candles set the mood for a romantic night out. The food is a fusion of wonderful cuisines: Mediterranean, southwest, and American.
For starters, we had the Lobster Tamale. It sounds a little more enticing than the actual flavors. Growing up so close to San Francisco, I forget how far most places are from the sea and fresh seafood. The tamale was good, very flavorful with good texture. The lobster tasted a little old but not terrible. Just a very obvious ‘refrigerated’ taste. But no one expects fresh lobster in a tamale. I think I was more fascinated with the idea of an upscale tamale than with the actual execution.
I had the New York Steak Medallions (medium rare) with mashed potatoes, potato shoe strings, and sauteed green beans and baby carrots with a bordelaise sauce. It just felt like my plate sat at the window a little too long. The plate was piping hot, more than I could say for the food. My «medium rare» medallions had cooked to medium — but that’s OK, since I usually like my meat medium (except for filet’s). Overall, the flavors were definitely there. The steak had good texture, just enough seasoning but not too much. The mashers weren’t gummy or stiff, and the sauce complimented the meal beautifully.
My husband had the trout with a wild rice medley, sauteed summer squash and green beans, and a pinot noir reduction sauce. The trout had good flavor and texture, obviously not over cooked. The wild rice was a little overwhelming because it had the natural crunch of wild rice, with pine nuts and squash, and a handful of other unidentifiable things. It was just too much to accompany the delicate meat of the trout. The pinot noir reduction sauce was OK at best. I tasted mostly shallots and brown sugar. I think reductions should taste like whatever they are, not overpowering flavors of the things in it. But overall, entrée number 2 was a hit as well.
No dessert for us this evening, my 7 month old was running low on patience. That’s another thing to add, the staff was very accommodating for our baby who joined us for dinner. With an outstanding dinner menu that changes daily, this charming restaurant is one not to miss.