Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/617358
173 Above, El Santuario de Chimayó is a National Historic Landmark. It receives more than 300,000 visitors per year, and is considered one of the most imporant Catholic pilgrimage sites in the United States; Below, Kakáwa Chocolate House offers chocolate treats with a chili pepper kick. NATIVE AMERICAN PRINCESS STICKER PAPER DOLL BOOK I promised my six-year-old daugh- ter a present from Santa Fe, and an adorable little paper doll book fea- turing a Native American princess who wears beautiful dresses from a variety of tribes was the perfect thing. I found the book in the gift shop of La Fonda on the Plaza, a stunning and historic luxury hotel located right on Santa Fe Plaza (there's been an inn on the site of the hotel since 1607!), which houses a variety of shops, galleries, and restaurants. I likewise couldn't resist a chunk of sparkling purple amethyst and a dinosaur tooth fos- sil from the shop Mama's Minerals, also located at the hotel. La Fonda on the Plaza, lafondasantafe.com, 505-982-5511. Mama's Minerals, ma- masminerals.com, 505-988-1651 BOX OF KAKÁWA CHOCOLATES Mesoamerican-inspired and other drinking chocolate elixirs are the hallmarks of Kakáwa Chocolate House, which knocks the socks off of run-of-the-mill chocolatiers with its inventive and historically mind- ed creations. Drinking chocolates like the unsweetened Aztec Warrior Elixir, with its blend of chocolate, herbs, nuts, and chili pepper, will give your morning espresso shot a run for its money. Equally exciting and delicious are Kakáwa's truffles. I chose a box of four to take home: cherry-chili pepper, goat cheese and sage, mescal, and raspberry mint. Kakáwa Chocolate House, kakawa- chocolates.com, 505-982-0388 GEORGIA O'KEEFFE POSTCARD PRINTS No artist captures the luminous, mystical beauty of New Mexico quite like Georgia O'Keeffe, and in downtown Santa Fe, an entire museum is dedicated to her life and art. The Georgia O'Keeffe Mu- seum not only houses the artist's stunning works but also exhibits photographs of her, taken by her husband, Alfred Stieglitz, and some of her personal belongings, like her pastels and paints. The gift shop is an O'Keeffe lover's dream, and there I stocked up on five postcard prints, including the surrealistic Mule's Skull with Pink Poinsettia. Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, okeeffe- museum.org, 505-946-1000 SOME SANTA FE FLAVOR The flavor of Santa Fe is that of the high desert—from the Coyote Cac- tus cocktail (made with prickly pear and Santa Fe Spirits' Silver Coyote Whiskey) at the Low 'n Slow Low- rider Bar to Casa Chimayo's posole, an impossibly tender and sublimely flavorful stew of red chile, pork, and hominy. I took home with me a small taste of this with a packet of New Mexico red chile powder, a creation from the restaurant Rancho de Chimayó, located in Chimayó, about 30 miles north of Santa Fe. It's great mixed into salad dressing or dips, or used as a rub. Santa Fe Spirits, santafespirits.com, 505-780-5906. Low 'n Slow Lowrider Bar, hotelchimayo.com/dining-night- life, 505-988-4900. Casa Chimayo, casachimayosantafe.com, 505-428- 0391. Rancho de Chimayó, rancho- dechimayo.com, 505-351-4444 photograph by Charles Sargent (top), by Alexandra Pecci (bottom)