The Corn Maiden

My wife and I had some items from The Corn Maiden at the Santa Fe Foodie Classic and decided that it would be a nice place for our anniversary dinner.
We were very impressed with the atmosphere and the service, but we felt the food just didn’t live up to expectations. My wife ordered the lobster pasta. While she usually loves this kind of thing (and it was the kind of pasta she prefers), it was just a bit bland. Sure, there was some nicely sized chunks of lobster, but the sauce was really no better than what we could have found at any other restaurant. And the pasta was cooked just a bit too long.
I splurged and went for the Brazilian Style rotisserie. At $ 55 I had pretty high expectations and they were only somewhat met. The chicken and the sausage were very good. The steak was perfectly cooked and very tender but, it was also cold (I did eat that last but this felt colder than it should have been). And, while the side of green chile potatoes were exceptional, the vegetables were a bit overcooked (though, I actually like asparagus [over]cooked like that)
We were offered complimentary dessert for our anniversary and the crème brûlée was a great choice. Interesting use of spices and flavors.
So overall, I was just a bit disappointed. For the amount it costs, I felt it didn’t live up to it.

We had a great dinner last night at the Corn Maiden! We had two wines, a Pino from Santa Barbara and the Conn Creek Cab Franc. Both were wonderful. The duck dish I had was amazing! I would order this again! We also ordered the Cowboy bone in Ribeye. The ribeye was delicious, the sides on the other hand, not so much. The green chile potatoes au gratin were really runny and the asparagus was a little bland. I found the desserts a little disappointing. We ordered three different desserts. The chocolate cake and green chile piñon apple pie were not impressive. The chocolate cake was dry and I did not taste any green chile in the apple pie. The seasonal cheesecake that we orders was so good. We should have just ordered two of those! The Service was impeccable and atmosphere was great!

Interesting, delicious food in a beautiful setting. Extensive wine selections. Perfect place to celebrate. Will happily return.

Spent three days in town and this was hands down the best food in town. Chef crafted a personalized dish for us. Will be revisiting if we return to ABq.

This is by far my favorite restaurant! I have eaten here almost a dozen times. The food is superb and very creative. Last night my husband I enjoyed the green Chile Mac n cheese, corn bisque, and filets with potatoes au-​gratin. Everything was exceptional and highly recommended! The chef is outstanding! The best steak I have ever had!

Though the service was decent, the food was uniformly bad.
Right out of the gate, the bread basket was stale. The appetizers – green chile strips and flat bread – were, respectively, too sweet and poorly executed. I could not even find the green chile in the strips. They were basically just fried strips of breading.
The signature salad had great greens, but otherwise was completely boring and overdressed. And the main dishes – at $ 50 each – were also disappointing. For example, the filet was totally cold. The ribeye on one of the mixed grills tasted of liver. And the side vegetables were totally undercooked and the gratin bland and greasy. On that note, we ordered a side of shoestring potatoes/​fries. They were cold and tasted of rotten oil. I suppose that should not have come as a surprise to me as I saw them under a heat lamp on my way into the restaurant. Unfortunately, I incorrectly assumed that those fries were headed to a table. The table turned out to be ours approximately ¾ hour later. We sent them back and asked that they not be replaced. Request denied — they brought two more servings to the table. These were warm but still tasted of bsd oil. And yes we were charged for the order.
When these issues were brought to the attention of the manager, he was much more interested in arguing than hearing our concerns. While a promising legal career may be in his future, another visit to the Corn Maiden is not in mine.

Superb all around. Service, drinks, food outstanding. Wish it were closer to town. It’s one of the best restaurants in Albuquerque and environs. If you’re visiting, try this place. A little pricey but a good value.

This was a great find in Albuquerque. Staff were extremely polite and helpful. Food was very good! Great view of the Sandia Mountains! We will definitely go back!

Ate dinner here after a day at the Hyatt Tamaya Mist Spa. I was starving after only chugging spa water all day and the food splurge was exactly what I needed. To start, the table shared the green chile chicken empanadas with a stone fruit salsa and red chile sauce. Not the highlight of the meal but not terrible. The plate comes with two empanadas, since there were three of us dining the waiter was kind enough to add on an extra empanada… For $ 4. Expensive, the empanadas are tiny, but expected for fine dining I guess. The bread basket was next and that was the bomb… All three of the different bread selections were heavenly and made better with the honey whipped butter and spicy strawberry jam. My fave was the blue corn biscuit. Slightly sweet super soft but slightly crunchy on top like a scone/​soft roll/​biscuit hybrid. I’m a sucker for blue corn anything. For the main course I ordered the green chile corn mac and cheese. It. Was. Amazing. Piping hot creamy cheese covered Campanelle pasta with green chile and corn and a nice side salad that looked pretty fancy and tasted fresh and light. Mac and cheese comes in a cute little pot as it should. My mom ordered the green chile corn chowder and corn maiden chop salad. The salad was made table side… Nice touch. Chowder was very tasty. The BF ordered the lobster pasta. It was yummy but too heavy for my taste. Lobster was a tad on the chewy side and I’m really not a fan of cream sauce but the mushrooms and peas in the mix were perfectly cooked. Service was good and the chef came out to chat which was cool. This was my third time dining at the corn maiden. I am a fan of the Tamaya, it’s one of my favorite hotels and I love the ambiance of the restaurant. It was slow and we were seated by the fire place, so pretty! The hostess nicely moved up our 7:30 reservation since the spa closed at 6. I definitely plan to dine here again in the future. Yum.

Another great meal at the chef’s counter. Definitely recommend sitting here over eating in the restaurant because you get to try things straight from the line. The chef’s will prepare additional items for you to sample and it is so fun. In fact it is some of the best food we’ve had at a Hyatt anywhere we have traveled. Definitely try the corn bisque, the lobster pasta and the filet mignon. Really really good!

Took my husband to Hyatt Tamaya for his 50^th Birthday. Had a fabulous dinner at The Corn Maiden. The food was so amazing we went back again the next night. Chef Stumpf is making the best food in New Mexico. Service was friendly and outstanding. The bar seats where you can watch all the chefs at work are the best in the house. We are foodies and will definitely return when we are wanting a top-​notch meal. Thank you Chef Stumpf… you made my husband’s birthday one of his best yet!

MIRACLES ARE HAPPENING IN THE DESERT!
Prestigious James Beard tasting menu in the middle of New Mexico?! Absolutely!!!
While staying at The Hyatt’s impeccable Tamaya Resort on The Santa Ana Pueblo, I figured I’d have to give Chef Eric Stumpf a whirl! Walk in the door and Eric was standing right there, was he aware it was my birthday and I’m the Queen Bee of Pittsburgh?! Let him know our reservation name & he said we were cancelled! –pause– «Eric!» –massive laughs!
Seems our fancy pants «Spirit of the Southwest» Chef de Cuisine has quite a sense of humor!
Well after some catchy one liners we sat down for what turned out to be a surprisingly tasty & creative southwest menu. I use to live in Albuquerque and have had a pretty low opinion of dinning options/​experiences so I had tempered my expectations for this trip. I was pleasantly surprised!
We ended up being so intrigued by the menu we completely glossed over the James Beard tasting menu in favor of other options. The Green Chilli empanadas with stone fruit salsa was perfectly fried and offered colorful notes of spicy and sweet without being over powering. Next up was the corn bisque — I could have ate that all night. Soft flavored, elegant, smooth and well balanced.
I should have stopped there but I went birthday glutton hog wild and tried their «jidori» chicken with local goat cheese risotto and asparagus. The portion was massive — I couldn’t stop myself. The chicken had a spicy yet sweet cherry reduction sauce… I could stop!
…was a mistake …
Like a nut I tried a mini dessert of apple pie with chile & piñon nuts — very unique.
By then I was crashing — the risotto was too large a portion, it could be half and achieve the same flavor spectrum intended by the chef
Eric checked back with my sassy mouth and I told him I was pleasantly surprised by this gem outside of Albuquerque.
Go here instead of «faux» fancy in Albuquerque!!!
Love you Eric! Ha!

We were very excited to have a dinner here. We chose the evening with the grill special. We live near and wanted to like the restaurant and the food. What can I say, it was a Big disappointment. About half of the food wad so bad we had to send it back, we could not eat it.
No one ask why or tried to make amends in some way. This was an expensive meal and it was Bad.
Poor service, bad food and no willingness to accept responsibility on any way.
We wanted to have a good neighborhood restaurant. And this is not it.
A disappointment on all fronts.
I gave it two stats rather than one because the setting is beautiful.
Go for drinks and the view. Skip the bad, expensive meal.

A great meal! The muscles were so good! The filet was perfect as was the table side salad. The $ 20 kids meals are the only reason why I give it 4 stars. The view is unbeatable! Expect to spend at least $ 50 per person not including drinks!

An outstanding restaurant. Chef Eric certainly knows his way around the kitchen, and he has come up with some interesting and tasty plates. I’ve been here on buffet occasions (Mother’s Day, etc.) and also just for dinner. Either way, the food is always outstanding.
The service has always been top notch. This place understands the concept of guest experience, and it seems that they take the time to train staff to the utmost level. When you eat here you get the feeling that they want you to be happy.
Lovely setting. There’s a patio you can sit and eat on if you like, beautiful view of the bosque. Inside offers a couple nice rooms, there’s even a few tables near the fire place.

We went to celebrate my birthday and it was perfect. This was our first visit there and I hope to go again. The prawn was amazing on top of the best risotto ever tasted. We had 4 different dinners at our table and all were wonderful. The staff was also excellent. So friendly and welcoming, yet very professional. I would recommend that for any special occasion.

First of all, it is in a beautiful location, just north of Albuquerque and south of Santa Fe on the sacred lands if the Santa Ana Pueblo. The Sandia Mountains are part of the back drop. The restaurant is in the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa. We arrived at night and drove down a long winding narrow road in the desert until we finally came upon the entrance.
The butternut squash bisque was excellent as was the grilled chicken quesadilla. We followed that with one of the signature rotisseries, The Range. Herb rubbed buffalo, orange marinated duck and the cinnamon peppercorn rubbed pork loin. All really good though I personally did not eat the duck, but my wife and our friend thought it was good.
For dessert I believe we had an amazing maple walnut pear tart.
I would recommend this place though it is a bit of a drive.

I enjoyed a birthday dinner here. Great meal, nice atmosphere, and good service. This diesnt always appear on Unilocal local restaurant search, which is too bad. As locals we will be back.

You will not stop here by accident. You will have a conference or wedding or golf outing at the Hyatt, or have read one of these 5-​star Unilocal reviews. You will be dining on an expense account or want a special meal with a special someone, and won’t be intimated by the very high price point (perhaps the only flaw for the place).
You will have realized that the Corn Maiden is a symbol of the Santa Ana Pueblo and not a description of some corn-​focused menu. And then, if my experience is any guide, you will have an amazing meal.
I sat at the counter at the edge of the open kitchen and had a chef’s table experience — highly recommended. Not only was the food great, but Chef Adam talked me and my dinner companion through the meal from start to finish, and it had the added benefit of watching dozens of meals prepared.
Unfortunately, I only had one night, so I couldn’t eat everything that I wanted. I went for the buffalo and the scallops — both were very good. I did not have one of their amazing-​looking beef steaks, but that is on my list for the next visit. I was impressed by how seriously the chef took the sourcing of ingredients and learned about how this kind of restaurant gets their ingredients as he talked us through.
The service from the waitstaff was incredible and a more intimate setting was available at the tables if one wanted it — the décor is what I would describe as New Mexico Elegant — think classy adobe with a sparkling modern show kitchen in the center.
Now that I have gone through this memory, I see why they charge so much — it’s actually worth it. Everyone that ate there from our event had only good things to say, and I am happy to place this restaurant in my 5-​star category. Now I just need a reason to get all of the way out there again.

I have had dinner at the Corn Maiden on a few occasions, and I have always felt like the experience was top notch. However, I never thought of mentioning the restaurant on Unilocal because it is a hotel based establishment, and to be candid, I have always thought that the quality was a fluke on the night I happened to dine at the establishment. I have to say, the restaurant has consistently outperformed my expectations and the experience is wonderful.
First, in contrast to other favorite restaurants, the ambiance here is quiet and peaceful, which contrasts with some of the loud establishments in Albuquerque. Next, the establishment never seems crowded. The layout provides an intimate setting even with other diners.
Last night, we sat next to a fireplace, and had a wonderful dinner. To begin with, we had empanadas and the seared tuna. Both were yummy and had unique flavors, including the kimchee slaw on the tuna, and the dipping sauce for the empanadas.
Next, Amon, our wonderful waiter, prepared a salad table side that had a tasty citrus flavored dressing pared with fresh greens.
Our main course meals were from the «spit». My wife had chicken, beef rib eye, and chorizo sausage. I had a bison tenderloin, duck breast, and tuna. All were prepared exactly as ordered, which is a testament to the chef as I ordered medium bison, medium rare duck, and rare tuna. The plates were ordained with a simple corn husk and vegetable medley. The side dish was potatoes au gratin served in individual iron ramekins. The sides were delicious! The potatoes were perfectly cooked, and the sauce was incredibly rich without turning into an oil or coagulating into a mealy cream. The proteins were wonderfully prepared simply, with a spice that accentuated what was the natural tastes of each portion. Which brings me to this point. Every time I have been to this restaurant, they have produced an excellent quality of cuisine with generous portions.
The dessert course was splendid. We were celebrating my birthday, and they provided me a choice of desserts on the house. I picked the chocolate cake and my wife chose the three way Cree brûlée. Both were wonderful. I’m very picky about calories as I participate in triathlons, so generally, I might try a spoon of a dessert to simply taste, but then turn away convinced the calories are not worth the next day’s bike ride or run. In this case, I had the entire piece of cake and a few spoons of the crime brûlée! So, I had a long ride today, it was well worth it.
Our waiter, Amon, was incredible. He would wait for a break in our discussion to ensure everything was perfect, and he did a wonderful job of providing suggestions. We wanted for nothing, and he was professional and excellent at his craft. Additionally, the manager came by to talk towards the end of our dinner. He wanted to ensure everything was «perfect.» All together, an excellent experience.
We will be back, one of our favorite things to do as a one night get away, is to stay at the hotel, have dinner, and then play a game in the living room such as scrabble. It is a great date, wonderfully peaceful, and delightfully delicious! You have to try it at least once!