Hosea Rosenberg’s Second Boulder Restaurant to Open This Fall

Exciting news for fans of Blackbelly Market and Butcher, New Mexico-style green chile, and tequila: Taos native Hosea Rosenberg, Blackbelly’s chef-owner, is going to open his second restaurant concept, Santo, this fall. It will be located in the space that once housed Radda Trattoria, then Ella, and most recently Scott’s on Alpine. “I had originally looked at that space for Blackbelly,” Rosenberg says, “and when I saw it was back on the market, it just felt right.”

Located in Boulder’s North Broadway Shopping Center at the corner of Alpine Avenue and Broadway Street, Santo will be a very personal ode to the cuisine and culture of Rosenberg’s home state of New Mexico. “I was born and raised in Taos,” he says, “and have a lot of passion and love for the food and culture there.” For years, he’s dreamed of opening a restaurant in the Centennial State centered around New Mexican flavors and techniques. “Many Coloradans have not experienced true New Mexico cooking,” Rosenberg says. “This is my soul food and I intend to share it with pride.”

Diners can expect the Blackbelly farm-to-table ethos at Santo, including locally sourced produce and proteins. But the menu will be pure northern New Mexico, featuring green and red chile, stacked blue corn enchiladas, stewed meats, and house-made tortillas and bizcochitos (traditional anise-flavored cookies). A central bar area will offer New Mexican and Coloradan brews and wines, as well as an extensive selection of mezcals and tequilas.

Designed in collaboration with Boulder local (and Santa Fe native) Alan Ortiz, the space will combine a contemporary vibe (polished concrete floors, modern tiles, black and white elements) with style inspiration from New Mexico (pops of turquoise and deep red, shelves or “nichos” carved into the walls). Of course, on those nichos Rosenberg will display wooden santos (“saint” in Spanish, referring here to the carved or painted images of saints commonly found in New Mexican homes, churches, and restaurants), including one of San Pasqual, the patron saint of cooks and shepherds.

Santo is set to open soon—Rosenberg is planning for the end of September—because it already has a fully built-out kitchen that’s ready to go. “We’re doing a little bit of work to make it feel like new,” Rosenberg notes, “but we can do this in a couple of months because the framework is all there.” It will be open for weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and happy hour and dinner seven days a week.