Sazón, Sassella restaurants land AAA Four Diamond rating

Teya Vitu, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·1 min read

Aug. 15—Santa Fe goes through the summer tourism season with four restaurants bearing the AAA Four Diamond designation, possibly the most ever.

Santa Fe has all of New Mexico's AAA Four Diamond restaurants, with Geronimo and Terra at Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe being the longtime stalwarts, making the list each year since 2004 and 2009, respectively.

Sazón regained Four Diamonds after dropping off in 2020 and 2021 following the April 2019 fire that shut down the restaurant until December 2019. Sazón previously had Four Diamonds in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Sassella was accorded Four Diamonds for the first time after opening in 2019. Both Sassella and Sazón are co-owned by Lawrence Becerra.

"The important message is AAA added only seven restaurants [to the AAA Four Diamond list across the country], and we got two," Becerra said. "We obviously are very delighted for our chefs, very, very delighted for Santa Fe. This is another stamp of approval that Santa Fe is a food destination."

AAA defines Four Diamonds as "distinctive" and "a culinary experience to savor and enjoy."

New Mexico has no AAA Five Diamond — the top rating — hotels or restaurants. AAA does not have records that New Mexico ever has had a Five Diamond hotel or restaurant.

Santa Fe has nine AAA Four Diamond hotels, a list that has remained unchanged since 2017: Eldorado Hotel & Spa (since 1997); Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe (2012); Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder (2011); Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza (2017); La Fonda on the Plaza (2013); La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa, Tribute Portfolio (2007); Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi (1997); Inn & Spa at Loretto (2010); and Inn of the Five Graces (2012).