Der Garten — Restaurant in Taos Ski Valley

So I have a toddler. And I dined in this nice place with a toddler that skipped a nap. I know, it was terrible of me but we didn't have a sitter and it was my husbands best friends birthday. Let me tell you how the staff treated us. First, I ordered milk for my little one. Our server returned to our table and presented a carton of organic whole milk like it was a bottle of their finest wine. "Is this okay?" SIR. He them steamed the milk for the monster I brought it, much to my little ones delight! Then, my toddler escaped, only to be returned to the table with a toy racecar that kept him entertained. For the adults, my husband had an amber beer was delicious and cold. We ordered a beautiful hummus plate that my child absolutely loved. We had a charcuterie that blew me away with the pairings. We ordered the kid a spaetzle, which was a hefty enough size to have for lunch the next day - which he devoured a second time. If he eats your food, thats how you know its good. I had a delicious and gorgeous burrata salad. After filling his tummy, my husabnd rocked him to sleep by the fireplace and my little one rested his head on the soft bench with pillows, fluffy wool seat covering, underneath these twinkle lights. Now before you come for me, if his grandparents had been in town we would not have brought him to dinner. And I'm not ringing the bell for all toddlers to come here, but the staff and chef had nothing short of kindness for us. The atmosphere feels like you're eating in someone's home. The effort they put in the presentation of the food makes you feel the love. The chef visited us at the end and thanked us for eating there. Homey. Warm. Comfortable. This is the last of the good ones. 10/10 100% recommend. I can't believe it took me so long to come here. As local, best believe...

Der Garten deserves a minimum of Michelin Bib Gourmand.

The innovation that Chef Asia uses in seemingly traditional cultural dishes or a simple burrata salad is second to few starred restaurants I've been to. We went two nights in a row and got to sample most of the carefully crafted menu and specials. Fittingly, the menu offerings primarily belong to Europe and Bavaria, but also included things like a masterful Dahl showing prowess in all types of cooking.

The ambiance is also incredibly unique, the restaurant being in a converted residential house. Our second meal there we ate on suede armchairs and coffee table in front of a huge, roaring fireplace. And thats what it feels like, eating at home.

But what I loved most about the place was Chef Asia personally bringing all of her food out to us, describing the details of each dish. As an aspiring chef myself, she even sat down with us and we talked about the technique and theory behind all of her dishes - super meaningful and a memory I’ll never forget. She is truly talented and proud of what she brings to every table - and should be!

This is the best restaurant in northern New Mexico, and you'd have to work to find a place this good in Santa Fe or ABQ.

They also serve draft German beer by the liter… a reason to...

Had a very disappointing experience here. We came here with a larger group for dinner: 8 people. Firstly, the food was okay. My partner had the the Dahl stew ($20), which didn’t have much flavor. I had the lobster pasta ($30), which tasted fine. One of the kids in our group got the kids butter pasta, which was a very tiny portion ($10), so be warned. Our kid had to ask for a second serving.

The most disappointing part was they told us as we were getting the bill that for a bigger group, there’s a mandatory tip of 25%. We told them they should give people a warning if that’s the case ahead of time, to which they said that the host should have told us. I’ve never had a mandatory tip be more than 18%. Paying a quarter of the bill as a surcharge is ridiculous. We would have gone elsewhere had we known....