Historic Embudo Station’s Rebirth

July 27, 2010

Summertime in New Mexico means the roads fill with the vibrating hum of motorcycles, long caravans of RVs and campers heading toward cool mountain escapes and the promise of weekend road trips to places yet discovered. Between Santa Fe and Taos, the Rio Grande Gorge opens up, offering visitors opportunities to visit farmed valleys and some of New Mexico’s finest wineries, raft and fish the beautiful Rio Grande, see thousand-year old petroglyphs, and even take stonecarving workshops. Forty miles north of Santa Fe and 25 miles south of Taos, there is a bridge over the Rio Grande that leads to an oasis—a retreat tucked into the trees along the river and beneath sandstone cliffs—where food, community and music merge into a unified experience unlike any other in New Mexico.

Since 1881, when it became a stop on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad’s Chile Line, Embudo Station and its former parent town of Embudo (now Dixon), have been important parts of commerce and tourism in the Rio Grande Valley. In the early days, travelers disembarked the train here to points in all directions, and the train provided a means of getting goods into and out of the valley. The Embudo Station was sold by the railroad in 1940 to private interests, and it remained in private hands until it was discovered to be the last remaining intact 1880s narrow gauge railroad station and was purchased in 1983 by new owners who wanted to transform the historic district into a tourist destination of sorts, opening a restaurant and smokehouse beside the river.

In 2009, Alana Banner, who had been coming to the Station with her family for most of her life, saw an opportunity to live out a dream. A former restaurant manager in Santa Fe who then spent several years event-planning at one of the great resorts in Hawaii, Banner knew she wanted to come back to New Mexico and use her skills to empower her community. The previous owners put Embudo Station up for sale and the door was opened. With the help of her business partner, John Cox, and her parents Busy McCarroll and Baird Banner, Alana put into motion a vision to create a place of sanctuary, creating a place of respite for locals, city folk and travelers. Her vision includes providing the freshest and finest ‘comfort’ food, served by helpful staff who can educate guests about local and organic farming, supporting excellent local musical and artistic talent, and providing all of this in a scenic and historic location. Cox knows just how to support that dream—he is a recipient of the James Beard Award, former executive chef of Hotel Hana Maui, as well as El Monte Sagrado, and the current executive chef of Casanova Restaurant in Carmel, Calif.

What Banner didn’t know then was that extensive renovation would be required to make the facility come into alignment with her values. With a dated and ill-repaired septic system threatening the safety of the river, at the end of last summer’s very successful first season, Banner hunkered down for what would become a massive year-long project, implementing long-overdue modifications that would allow the building systems to function without threatening the river, which she describes as “a lifeline for New Mexico, whose health is vital.� With guidance from the county and state, Banner began the painstaking process of having a stand-alone septic system installed, which functions like a water treatment project in a small town. Her team has also brought the facility up to modern building and health codes.

With days left before the start of the 2010 summer season—as they were already turning guests away—it became clear that the restaurant opening was going to be delayed. So, in the interim, Banner came up with a plan: use the barbeque cart they had up at TSV during the ski season to fill the void on these first summer weekends, offering burgers, brats and even salmon burgers. Meanwhile, the coffee shop and gallery are open and the gardens are bursting into bloom.

Once renovations are complete and the restaurant opens (hopefully in July), Embudo Station will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., with a menu co-designed with Cox to reflect the season, using pickings from the farm-fresh deliveries dropped off at the kitchen door that morning. Old favorites, like the luscious smoked Idaho trout (the only non-NM item on the menu!) and the succulent lamb tacos will remain staples, while fried chicken and waffles, house-made sodas, tomato pie, and other vegetarian options will round out the new menu. The bar will be open later in the season, with vintages from Embudo Station’s own brewery and winery as well as other fine New Mexico-crafted brews and wines. After the grand opening, the BBQ cart will be available for event and party rental.

Though the days of the train are long gone, Embudo Station has enjoyed a renaissance as travelers have discovered there’s a reason simply to go for a drive—to find a mini vacation just down the road where the cottonwoods provide ample shade, the music will bring you to your feet and the food will cause you to close your eyes and give thanks, knowing that it is possible to discover a treasure hidden in plain sight.

For more information, visit embudostation.com.