Vanessie of Santa Fe

Service was excellent and food well prepared and presented.

Best meal we had in Santa Fe. We split yummy pork taco appetizer. I had tender braised rib with garlic and horse radish mashed potatoes. Delicious! Asparagus was fresh. My partner had chicken risotto which he thoroughly enjoyed. Sourdough bread was nice as well. Service which was accommodating had a genuine friendliness delivered in a professional manner. Warm décor with live «lounguey» type piano singer heard in the background (he plays in bar area) topped it all off for a wonderful evening. For what They offer I found it to be reasonably priced, if not inexpensive. Loved it!

I like the food, drink, music and atmosphere. I have gone off and on for years. The last two times I went on a weekday at about 7:30 pm they closed within 15 minutes of my arrival. We had to hurry and leave. Not sure I will keep going.

Spent a wonderful three hours with a group of five in the lounge listening to the Branden James duo — well, trio, given cello AND piano and voice — and well, sometimes quartet, given that both fellows sing and play piano. The room is spacious, warm and beautifully appointed. A bistro style menu up to the restaurant’s top-​flight menu are available there. As the room filled, the performers kindly mentioned that two of the waiting staff had called in sick, but the expertly managing survivor, who would never had mentioned it, handled the room with perfect grace. The ambience amongst the audience was spirited, warm and friendly.

Beautiful hotel… I didn’t want to leave! We literally extended our stay a night. What a romantic and cozy place to call home. I wish I could take this place home with me.
I will be back!

The food is amazing, the drinks are strong and the Music is phenomenal. Branden James from Americas Got Talent is here until May of 2016. He performs with his talented sidekick James. The piano, vocal, cello combination makes for an enjoyable night of music. They will play a wide variety of well known songs and you can make requests as well. They play every week Wednesday through Sunday. Every once in a while they will have a concert violinist named Elizabeth join them. Folks, this is the best free, live music you will ever have the privilege of listening to!

We went to Vanessi on Thanksgiving eve and had a wonderful time. Our server, David M., was professional and warm and very helpful with suggestion about what to do and places to go in Santa Fe. The food was excellent and the music entertainment (Branden James) in the lounge was exceptional.

Wow. What an incredible surprise. After living in Santa Fe for almost a year, and craving a delicious fine dining meal (we are transplants from Las Vegas, NV) we always came up short. We tried Vanessie after seeing good reviews on Unilocal and we were not disappointed. We started with the lobster mac and cheese, and even after eating at almost every restaurant in Las Vegas, I can say this is my very favorite mac and cheese dish. There were several cheeses and the lobster was generous. The entrees were also reasonably priced (my almond crusted halibut around $ 32 and my husband’s NY strip around the same) considering they both came with two sides and we didn’t have to pay more. We also split a bottle of wine, they had one of our favorites, cotes du rhones, also a fair price at $ 48. We finished the meal with the absolutely incredible pots de crème that went perfectly with my last ½ glass of wine. Overall incredible experience.

We saw that this restaurant had a Piano Bar and looked like a good menu so decided to give it a try. So happy we did. The food was very good and the dining room is set off from the bar just enough to have a conversation but be able to enjoy the music. Lamb was perfect, Sea Bass good to the last taste, steaks done just the way ordered.
The Piano Bar is fun with everyone joining in for the singalongs. Will definitely go back.

My friends and I were booted for laughing.

I had a wonderful time listening to Doug play the piano. He graciously accepts requests and can play almost any arrangement. Many of the restaurants were taking reservations only, but I easily found a table at the Vanessie. This restaurant is a must when visiting Santa Fe!

My wife, son and I have always heard good things about Vanessa and decided to give it a try while in Santa Fe. I must say the service and food was excellent. Elizabeth waited on us and was an attentive waitress. We were seated at a large table and I asked her if we could be seated at a smaller table and she didn’t hesitate to accommodate us.
We were there on a Monday and the restaurant was quiet except for Doug Montgomery on the piano in the bar which attracted an older crowd but the noise is filtered in the restaurant to where you can enjoy a good conservation.
My wife and I had seafood dishes and our son had a filet. Everything was delicious and worth the price.

The review must be taken in context. So that it can be understood in context. My partner and I (yes we are a gay couple), visited this establishment less then an hour ago. We both have Mohawks, and beards, these are nicely trimmed and or gelled. We are not professional in the traditional sense but are well cultured, intelligent, well spoken, and courteous.
While visiting we felt completely out of place. Service was a bit slow but they may have been understaffed. With the live music and open bar a slow service, wouldn’t usually bother me. However, there was also only very limited and superficial interest in my partner and myself, this I don’t believe applied to the other tables. While visiting and eating there seemed little concern in keeping my water glass well filled, by the time we ordered desert I got my first refill. Further there was no inquiry if I would be interested in another drink after completing the first one. Our table was also poorly designed for communication. It was too big to talk across quietly and we had to effectively sit on opposing sides given the layout. When we were ready to pay, I mentioned I left a coupon that came with our hotel reservation (the same establishment) in our room and was made aware I had to present it to get the benefit. This bugs me a bit, given that I’m paying close to $ 100 for dinner, and am sleeping in their hotel… I would have expected this to be just fine. But no… It had to be retrieved from my room… It’s acceptable but I don’t think typical given that it’s a simply business card and nothing fancy requiring scanning or such. After already feeling unwelcome and as though we were the topic of conversation amongst hushed voices this just didn’t help.
Aside from this the food was good, perhaps a little overpriced given what it was but it tasted good, thumbs up to the kitchen staff.
So, if you are young, have kids, or are an openly gay couple, maybe don’t have a traditional hair cut or stand out for other reasons… I don’t think you will enjoy the environment. If you are over 40, fit in with the crowd, and are looking for a stress free dinner, this may be your place.

Excellent food. Meat perfectly cooked to order and flavorful. A little pricey but worth it. Elizabeth was a terrific server. Ambiance was lovely.
Would have been a perfect dinner except for the horrible lounge singer playing in the bar in the next room. People were there listening to this guy, but honestly, it was hard to enjoy my delicious meal. He couldn’t sing, and on top of that, sang in a key too high for his voice so half the songs were screeched. He did an annoying medley of every single song in his set, so very few songs ever finished. And his choice of music was easy listening from the Beatles and other bands up through the 70’s.
Now I’m a 70’s girl and I also love the Beatles, but this guy sang so sloppily and poorly that I didn’t even enjoy the songs I normally like! If I closed my eyes, I could have been listening to Nick, the Lounge Singer, Bill Murray’s character from Saturday Night Live. It was very painful and not as funny.
I couldn’t bear to give the restaurant less than 5 stars because the food and service was so fantastic, but I may reconsider if this dude is still working here the next time I visit Santa Fe.

My mom and I came Sunday night for dinner, and we had a wonderful dinner with exemplary service. Our server Elizabeth was so nice and professional. It wasn’t busy in the dining room, but the front bar area was packed watching the pianist who was terrific. I had the half-​rack of New Zealand lamb, which was great, though I could have easily eaten more. It came with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach, and the always perfect Firestone Cabernet from Santa Ynez Valley, which is always a rare treat. I really enjoyed her service and she was very attentive. I will definitely return here on my next trip.

The flank steak was cook perfectly, med rare and full of flavor. Paired it with sautéed spinach and mushrooms. Would recommend. Brandon James was on the piano the night I went and he is nothing short of being amazing. Love his voice, completed the lovely ambiance they have going on.

We drove from Houston to Santa Fe on vacation, arriving late on Sunday afternoon, by the time we were settled and ready to eat it was 9:00 pm. We stumbled upon Vanessie by accident. They have a piano man at the bar who is REALLY good and entertaining and all though their kitchen was closing for the day, they welcomed us warmly and fed us a great meal !
Our waitress was warm, attentive, caring and friendly going over the menu with us and helping us make our selections
The calamari with a sweet chili sauce is delicious, the fish and chips was also very very good, fish has a very light crunchy batter. I had the burger with the arugula salad and both were delicious
So glad we found this place

I dined at the Vanessie several years prior and for some convoluted reason remembered the New Zealand Rack of Lamb being out of the world! So fast-​forward several years later and I made it a priority to revisit The Vanessie during our first night back in beautiful Santa Fe. And yes I had to get the New Zealand Rack of Lamb once again, and certainly my taste buds thanked me for the favor.
The atmosphere in the evening is romantic especially with Doug Montgomery (who I think has been there since the days of the Pueblo Revolt) playing the piano in the background. The lounge area is a wonderful way to spend a mellow Saturday evening listening to music, sipping a cocktail, and lounging by the fireplace. Now if Vanessie would just open a sister property in Maryland, all would be well with the world.
Indeed the restaurant may be a bit hard to tract down for those not familiar with Santa Fe as it sits maybe an odd 5 or 6 blocks west of the plaza. Although maybe not so great for business, the secluded/​residential location certainly helps to enhance the relaxing mood of the restaurant and lounge.
If you are staying anywhere in Santa Fe, a visit to the Vanessie in the evening will certainly enhance your overall experience and mood. And if you are a Santa Fe native, all I can say is that I am secretly jealous of the pleura of culinary delights available to you in your own backyard.

Ok, I would probably have given this 1 stars, but our server was really nice. My friend and I stopped into the piano bar section, and not into the restaurant section. The piano was Loud, like really LOUD. My friend and I couldn’t hear each other… and I am not that old yet. We were going to order food, but the piano guy was singing his heart out, loudly. When she told the bartender that it was really loud, he was like, «That’s just how it is, get over it.» I understand the concept of a piano bar, but this was a Thursday night, the bar was basically empty, and it wasn’t like this was a sing along kind of place… We ended up leaving after our 1 drink, because it wasn’t fun to be there.

Vanessie’s in Santa Fe has a piano bar that is unbelievable. The food is pretty good (try the filet), the drinks are great, but here lies a hidden gem! Here lies a great piano bar. The man making it all happen behind the scene is Doug Montgomery, the pianist. He can play a wide variety of songs and show tunes to classical pieces.
He knows the local singers that might come in for a bite or a drink, and gets them to join in with the music. He makes them look great! That is a true talent.
(Make sure you call ahead to find out if he is playing!)
To go to Santa Fe and miss hearing Doug Montgomery play at the piano at Vanessie’s in Santa Fe is something not to pass up.
See you soon Doug!