Alas, the inaugural New Mexico Restaurant Week (http://newmexicorestaurantweek.com) has come to a close in Santa Fe; but not to worry: The event continues in Albuquerque through March 13. If the number of filled seats in Santa Fe's participating dining establishments is to be considered a measuring stick for the event's success, NMRW exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. I popped my head into a lot of restaurants during the week, and was excited to see plenty of packed dining rooms. Every special event tied to Santa Fe's leg of the event was sold out. But beyond an increase in warm bodies and willing wallets, New Mexico Restaurant Week, for me at least, revealed something of deeper importance.

I took in a 2-hour "Foods of the Americas" talk and luncheon hosted by the always-affable Chef Fernando Olea at Epazote (Bert's La Taqueria), who was joined by equally gracious guest chefs Lois Ellen Frank and Walter Whitewater. I found it unfortunate that the chefs were so busy in the kitchen that their face-time with diners was minimal, and I was initially bothered that the demographic at my table consisted mainly of older, wealthy, well-traveled folks. But I realized later that many younger food enthusiasts — especially those with children — were probably unable to get away from their jobs for 2 hours on a Friday. To read more about my experiences during that luncheon, visit etastesantafe.com.

It was a Thursday-evening meal at The Old House restaurant inside Eldorado Hotel & Spa that truly revealed to me the lasting value of this event. Slipping into the dining room with my partner, I was immediately struck by the large number of multigenerational diners enjoying the $25 three-course Restaurant Week menu. I was also told that The Old House executive chef, Eugene Staples, had recently left the fold.

Anthony A. Smith, who currently serves as executive chef for all of the hotel's food-service operations, is in charge of The Old House menu. And that's very good news. During courses that included an iceberg wedge salad with lardons of pancetta, creamy gorgonzola, and grape tomatoes; a perfectly medium-rare bistro-cut steak (dry-aged in-house for 30 days) with crisp-tender fries cooked in duck fat; and a fantastic crème brûlée, Chef Anthony and I got acquainted. A graduate of The City & Guilds of London school with degrees in Culinary & Patisserie Arts and Hotel and Restaurant Management, Smith spent many years working under the banner of Westin hotels and resorts.

From the row flats of South London's Balham neighborhood, where he grew into his culinary career, to the Stonebriar Resort in North Dallas where he served as executive chef before coming to Santa Fe, Smith's passion for food hasn't diminished an ounce (or 30 milliliters, in this case). His deft application of French technique and love of regionally sourced ingredients (when available) is enough to make Santa Fe diners swoon. The icing on the gâteau, however, is Chef Smith's retooling of the Old House's regular menu. Signature dishes like crispy kataffi (like filo dough)-encased scallops with saffron veloute and prickly pear coulis are given more attention, while the lump crab cake and lobster bisque are untouchable by the local competition. A salmon tartare with orange essence, a caper-kissed beef tartare, green-chile mac and cheese, and seared tuna two-ways showcase Smith's ability to innovate and improvise.

A week ago, in the middle of New Mexico Restaurant Week, Chef Smith introduced his new regular menu to diners.

"I wanted to present quality food and provide something for every palate," he told the Fork, "but I wanted to make it more accessible. We've adjusted our pricing to attract customers who appreciate a good value but won't settle for standard fare, and the response so far has been great."

When you talk to Chef Smith, who makes himself available to diners whenever he's in the house, you learn three things rather quickly: He's a lover of microbrewed beers but he knows his way around a wine list when it comes to his food; he's an English football fanatic; and he's never happy unless his customers are, too.

You see, New Mexico Restaurant Week isn't just about diners responding to a good, value-added meal. It's also about chefs responding to the wants and needs of their customers. Chef Smith understood that better than many, and didn't wait for the dust to settle after his allotted Restaurant Week time to make it happen. In short: he made The Old House new and exciting again.

In the off chance that Chef Smith finds some free time, he's tentatively agreed to get into the kitchen with me and play with a beer-pairing menu. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, you should rediscover The Old House (309 W. San Francisco St., 988-4455).

Send tips on what's happening in the local food and restaurant scenes to Rob DeWalt at rdewalt@sfnewmexican.com. You can also follow Rob and TASTE on Twitter at twitter.com/sfnmTASTE and read more food- and wine-related content by visiting etastesantafe.com.