480 NM 150, Arroyo Seco I 575-776-0900 I aceqrestaurant.com

Although ACEQ has been around for 10 years, new owner Elijah Safford has revamped and reinvigorated the menu with his inventive celebration of local ingredients. Safford knows the business well: in two years he went from being the restaurant’s line cook to being its proprietor. He says he offers modern American elevated cuisine, which has two meanings given ACEQ’s 7,634foot elevation. Safford offers an eclectic list of comfort food to fill you up, including bison rib red chile fries, hefty chucks of roasted bone and marrow served with brie and a baguette, and burgers and steaks made from a new breed of cattle (75 percent Black Angus and 25 percent celebrated Wagyu for a tasty, tender cut). He sources beef from Lazy Six Ranch in Clayton. This winter, watch for his fried chicken sopaipillas and don’t miss one of his bracing cocktails from the newly opened bar, which sits conveniently on the route from Taos to the ski valley. The delicious-sounding elderflower gin fizz and whiskey infused with basil ought to warm restaurant visitors this season.