Razor Clams with Basil from Budai Gourmet Chinese
The Los Angeles Times found Albuquerque’s Latino heart and soul in the venerable Barelas neighborhood, a former Spanish colony that dates to 1662 and can boast of homes built decades before California’s first mission was established in 1769 in San Diego. And if the Barelas neighborhood is the heart and soul of Albuquerque, the “heart and soul of Barelas is found at the National Hispanic Cultural Center,” which celebrates its quinceañera this fall. Writer Jay Jones noted that locals “often stand a dozen deep waiting to order lunch at El Modelo,” a Duke City treasure in operation since 1929.
Perhaps only in the Land of Enchantment is the distinction between New Mexican cuisine and Mexican food is important. Chances are New Mexicans are the only ones cognizant of those distinctions. Thrillist, an online site “obsessed with everything that’s worth caring about in food, drink, and travel,” doesn’t seem to care. For the seemingly upteenth time, Thrillist named El Pinto among the very best Mexican restaurants in the United States, rating it 14th in the pantheon of Mexican food greatness. Thrillist described El Pinto as “decked out in colorful kitsch, and set in a beautiful valley away from the city proper, El Pinto is the perfect place to kick back, relax, eat some chile-rubbed ribs, and let the margaritas flow.”
Oyster Po’ Boy from Crab and Draft in Albuquerque’s International District
“When we think of food and Albuquerque, we tend to think of chile — red or green — and not much else, especially when it comes to exporting the culinary offerings of New Mexico beyond the state’s dusty borders.” That’s the assessment of Denver-based Westword when announcing the impending relocation of Tim’s Place, “a darling of New Mexico television” from Albuquerque to Denver. “The world’s friendliest restaurant” will close in Albuquerque on December 20th and will reopen in Denver sometime in 2016. Another Albuquerque staple, Dion’s Pizza opened its second Colorado location in November.
Albuquerque is one of the four original cities to syndicate the Jim Rome Show, a sports talk mainstay on 610 AM for nearly two decades. With a unique lexicon and format, the show now boasts of some 200 radio stations across the United States and Canada. Listeners are fiercely loyal to the show, reveling in a format which encourages them to be critical of other cities on the syndicate as well as other listeners, including “laying the smack down” on “Albucracky” and its tumbleweed motif. During Rome’s most recent visit, he and his road crew discovered the “blue meth” donuts from Albuquerque’s Rebel Donut. The donuts were much more than a punchline to the jocular crew, all of whom enjoyed every morsel.
Lasagna Bolognese from Il Vicino in Albuquerque
I’ve called him “the professor with the perspicacious palate,” “my brother in blogging” and most recently, the “omniscient octogenarian,” but am most proud to call Larry McGoldrick my friend. On Friday, November 27th, more than seventy of Larry’s friends and family members got together at Torinos @ Home to celebrate his 80th birthday. Larry occasionally sports a tee-shirt which reads “I’ve got a PhD. To save time, let’s assume I’m always right.” As absolutely true as that slogan may be, to know Larry is to recognize the humility, modesty and sense of humor of the man who wears that tee-shirt. While being feted by his friends, he spoke optimistically about living another fifty or sixty years. Though that means many of us who celebrated his 80th birthday might not be around, there’s no doubt Larry will always be surrounded by loyal friends and family who love this tremendous man.
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” That’s how I described the situation to Schuyler, my friend and fellow Air Force alum, after having being named one of Albuquerque’s five best bloggers four out of the past five years in Albuquerque The Magazine‘s annual readers’ poll. Ever the half-full-glass type of guy, “Sky” admonished me to look at the bright side, reminding me that I’d look like Sergeant Schultz in a bridal gown. The ironic thing is that year-after-year, the remaining runners-up are different; the only constant–the perpetual bridesmaid” is Gil’s Thrilling… Thank you for your continued support.
Larry McGoldrick’s Birthday Cake was created by Sabine Basco of Albuquerque’s La Quiche Parisienne Bistro
For many of us, Thanksgiving has come to mean a plump, glistening turkey with all the trimmings. For others, the Thanksgiving meal is so much more. Leave it to chefs across the fruited plain to create dishes which celebrate local specialties along with family traditions. The Food Network‘s Sarah Karnasiewicz (a former Duke City resident) asked chefs across the fruited plain to share some of their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. Chef Martin Rios of Santa Fe’s Restaurant Martin declared his favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal are bourbon-vanilla sweet potatoes on which he uses dried New Mexico red chiles.
October, 2015
New Mexico’s Favorite Color: Autumn
New Mexico may not be blessed with a profusion of Colombian restaurants, but the one we do have is one of the ten best Colombian restaurants in America according to Tabelog, a “dynamic, interactive environment where users can come together over a shared passion for fine dining.” In fact, Albuquerque’ very own Ajiaco Colombian Bistro was ranked eighth. Tabelog captured the essence of Ajiaco: “Ajaico offers contemporary dishes presented gourmet style, stacked high with creative garnishes and some amazing deserts. Their dining room is minimalist with light wood and exposed light bulbs. Ajaico is set among the boutiques and quaint shops in Nob Hill.” Ajiaco has come a long way from the days in which it was best known for its charbroiled chicken.
It’s not exactly the Hatfields and McCoys waging war over land boundaries, but restaurant rivalries do abound across the fruited plain. That’s especially true when there’s a local specialty and two “dueling purveyors claim to make the best in town.” New Mexico’s best example of a food rivalry has persisted for decades in San Antonio where The Owl Cafe and the Buckhorn Tavern vie for green chile cheeseburger supremacy. Zagat compiled a list of seven regional food rivalries across the United States, noting that “In San Antonio, there are two contenders for the best: Buckhorn Tavern and Owl Bar. Buckhorn gained national attention in 2009 when Bobby Flay featured it on Throwdown!, but Owl Bar is said to have fed cheeseburgers to the Manhattan Project scientists building the atomic bomb during World War II.” So who do New Mexicans favor in this war of deliciousness? Call it a cop-out if you will, but we love them both.
Torta Al Pastor from Antojitos Lupe in Bernalillo
While “some of the first recorded iterations of the burrito we all know and love date back to before the Spanish colonization of the Mesoamerican region in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,” it’s also well-established that some of the best burritos across the fruited plain are found in the Land of Enchantment. The Daily Meal Web site ranked two of New Mexico’s best purveyors of bounteous burritos among America’s 35 best burritos. For the second year in a row, Santa Fe’s beloved Shed restaurant made the list with its fabled green chile burrito being ranked fourth best burrito in the country. What makes it so great? According to The Daily Meal, “Its simplicity is what makes it so great: it’s just pinto beans, white Cheddar, and onion rolled in a flour tortilla and topped with their famous green chile sauce.” The other New Mexican burrito on this pantheon of greatness is the Chicharron and Green Chile Burrito at Burritos Victoria in Las Cruces. The Daily Mean unpacked this burrito: “green chiles harvested locally in an area of the country in which premium peppers are grown are paired with crispy fried pig skin and wrapped in a soft blanket of tortilla.”
Foursquare, an online presence which purports to help readers “find the best places to eat, drink, shop, or visit in any city in the world,” took on the enviable challenge of determining the best bakery in each state. Because man and woman cannot live on bread alone, the list included a number of more specialized bakeries such as Albuquerque’s Rebel Donut. Foursquare noted: “From maple bacon to cherry lemonade to chicken and waffle donuts, Albuquerque’s Rebel Donut certainly breaks the mold when it comes to breakfast confections. The shop also gained fame for its signature Breaking Bad-themed “Blue Sky” variety, which was endorsed by the show’s stars themselves.”
Chips and Salsa from California Pastrami
You’ve undoubtedly experienced sticker shock at the cost of dining (and not just at restaurants) in the Duke City. WalletHub certainly has noticed, publishing a list of the country’s most and least affordable foodie cities. Using such criteria as affordability and diversity, and accessibility and quality, WalletHub compared 150 of the most populated cities, taking into consideration such factors as cost of groceries, average beer and wine price, number of food festivals per 100,000 residents and number of craft breweries and wineries. Albuquerque ranked 93rd overall, faring poorly in the diversity (106th) category, but rating higher (28th) in affordability. In helping readers “discover America’s best events, festivals, things to do, restaurants, music, entertainment and nightlife,”
TimeOut United States undertook a delicious quest in ranking the seventeen best pizzas in the country. Number seventeen honors went to Albuquerque’s very own Farina Pizzeria, a Nob Hill staple launched in 2008. TimeOut United States captured the essence of the Farina experience: “their thin-crust pies get their signature char from a two-minute stint in an 800-degree oven,” and “Any Albuquerque restaurant worth a line out the door has to offer green chilies, and Farina is no exception—the spicy local obsession is available as an optional add-on to any of the restaurant’s pizzas.
Tamale Plate from Kap’s in Albuquerque
Not to be outdone, Thrillist came up with its definitive list of the best pizzerias in every corner of this great nation. This optimistic undertaking sought to prove that “somewhere, in each state, there’s a truly sublime pie.” In New Mexico, that sublime pie resides in Albuquerque at Giovanni’s, the venerable San Pedro institution. Thrillist noted “In New Mexico, almost everything is topped with green chile — even the pizza, as is the case at Giovanni’s, which was started by Italian transplants by way of Queens. You can find it studding the tops of their exceptionally good bready, crunchy-crusted pizzas, and you should especially be aware of how well it pairs with pepperoni.
For some restaurants, having a presence in the community means little more than having a brick-and-mortar storefront with an address. For restaurants which become beloved institutions within their communities, having a presence in the community means being part and parcel of the fabric of the community–being involved on a day-to-day basis in promoting all that is great about a community. It means not only providing outstanding food and excellent service to guests, but getting to know them and treating them like family. It means listening to their guests, taking their feedback–good and bad–and using it to continue improving. It means being a neighbor and friend. That’s what Joe’s Pasta House in Rio Rancho has done. Joe’s isn’t just one of the three or four best Italian restaurants in New Mexico, it’s an exemplar of what it means to be part of a community. Because of her involvement with the community, Kassie Guzzardi, the pulchritudinous co-owner of Joe’s Pasta House, was selected by Yelp as one of 100 owners of top-rated businesses from the U.S. and Canada. With that well-deserved honor, she has been invited to Yelp’s “Coast-to-Coast: Coming Together Because We Mean Business,” a networking opportunity in which Yelp professionals will share marketing techniques. There’s no doubt Kassie can also teach even Yelp’s marketing experts a thing or two about what it means to be part of the community.
Curry Corn on the Cob from Albuquerque’s Safari Grill
Whoo’s on first! No, this isn’t the famous Abbott and Costello comedy bit redone badly. Whoo’s is first…or at least Santa Fe’s Whoo’s Donuts is first in the hearts, minds and appetites of New Mexicans who love donuts. Understanding that “everyone is outright obsessed with donuts,” Thrillist compiled a list of the best donuts in all fifty states. The Land of Enchantment’s best donut was deemed to be Whoo’s Donuts just west of Santa Fe’s famous plaza. Thrillist noted that “finding a dark chocolate-glazed donut is a non-issue. Maple bacon? Also a cinch. But Whoo’s has both those things on the same donut plus chili brown sugar. There’s no way you’ll find anything like that outside of Santa Fe.”
September, 2015
Fabulous Flan from Canvas Artistry in Albuquerque
“Forget Hatch chiles. It’s time to celebrate the Pueblo chile.” That’s how Westword, a Denver-based free alternative newspaper began a feature on the Colorado State Fair’s celebration of Pueblo chiles. Colorado governor John W. Hickenlooper jumped on the bandwagon, proclaiming forever after, September 5, 2015, as Pueblo Chile Day. Perhaps there will come a day in which an article will be written about Pueblo chile (or chile from anywhere in Colorado) in which Hatch chile isn’t mentioned. That’s not likely any time soon.
What’s the very best thing to eat in New Mexico? According to Thrillist, our definitive best thing to eat is chicken enchiladas, Christmas-style from Santa Fe’s Tune-Up Cafe. Thrillist declared “All due respect to the fantastic and widely praised green chile burger at Santa Fe Bite, but we think the greatest chile-based dish in this state happens to involve chicken enchiladas at Tune-Up Cafe. Also, isn’t the term “Christmas-style” just kind of the greatest of all shorthands? And isn’t it even better that it involves mixing red and green chile?
Stuffed Sopaipilla from El Sabor De Juarez
For the third consecutive year, Santa Fe celebrated another of the Land of Enchantment’s best things to eat. Eight local chefs competed for top honors at the Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown with judges declaring Chef Enrique Guerrero’s #2 (on the menu of the Bang Bite food truck) number one. The winning burger was constructed from five kinds of chile, bacon, pepper jack cheese, avocado and roasted green chile mayonnaise. The People’s Choice Award went to Chef Anthony Smith of the Eldorado Hotel’s Agave Lounge.
Ten restaurants from throughout the Land of Enchantment convened at the New Mexico State Fair to compete at the annual Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge. For the second year in a row, a panel of celebrity judges accorded “best” honors to Fuddrucker’s, a decision which surprised those of us who believe it takes a New Mexican to create a great green chile cheeseburger. Bravo!, yet another chain restaurant (and Italian to boot) took second place honors. As is often the case, the people disagreed with the judges, according the “People’s Choice” award to Sparky’s.
Giandula from Frost Gelato in Albuquerque
The Food Republic “where food, drink and culture unite” acknowledged that other than surrounding states, “much of the rest of the country has no idea what” green chile season in New Mexico “is all about. “For many people, the green chile means a jalapeño, poblano or — even worse in the minds of purists — the impostor chilies sold by companies trying to capitalize on the fame of their beloved New Mexican staple.” For others such as William Stafford, co-owner of Sadie’s of New Mexico, who was quoted in the article, “green chile is life.” Sadie’s uses “around 1,000 pounds per week in its four locations” and has “always used chile from the Hatch region. To use anything else is unimaginable.”
Add “Restaurateur of the Year” to the many accolades Robert Vick has earned during a stellar culinary career. The popularity of Vick’s Vittles, his family-style restaurant, can be attributed not only to hearty, delicious food, but to Vick’s commitment to reasonable prices, personal customer service and large portions. The peripatetic restaurateur meets and greets all his guests to make sure they’re enjoying their dining experience. With a planned expansion that will double Vick’s Vittles, twice as many people will find out why this restaurant is one of the city’s best.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – chile roasting time, that is.
Did you know that “the trick to getting a proper taste of Santa Fe is learning to balance the tried-and-true chiles and smothered enchiladas with the newer, more adventurous options.” That’s according to Coloradoan, a Fort Collins-based online site which published a “guide to the best food and drink spots for your next weekend getaway in Santa Fe, New Mexico.” Among the restaurants the Coloradoan loved were The Shed, Cafe Pascual’s, La Choza, Tune-Up Cafe and Harry’s Roadhouse.
Instead of the classroom, many of us matriculated at our favorite hamburger hang-outs near the University. It’s part of the American college experience. Recognizing this, Thrillist put together its list of the 21 best college burgers in the fruited plain. It shouldn’t surprise any Lobo (and everyone’s a Lobo, woof, woof, woof) that the Frontier Restaurant‘s Fiesta burger with green chiles, cheddar, and lettuce, made the list. The Frontier which sits “right across from campus, is most newbies’ first experience in the art of New Mexican cooking.” The Fiesta burger will leave a lasting experience.
Deluxe Prime Rib from Slate Street Cafe in Albuquerque
You may have noticed an orange shield on the navigation menu of Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog. It’s in recognition of the Surveybee having singled me out as one of 30 interesting and active bloggers who review everything from restaurants to beauty products. Surveybee, by the way, invites you to “make the most out of your free time and make money by taking online surveys.
Doesn’t it just make sense that an FYI Network program calling itself “Big Kitchens” would visit El Pinto, New Mexico’s most commodious restaurant. In an episode entitled “Massive New Mexican,” the program noted that “El Pinto’s massive kitchen can feed up to three thousand people a night.” The program followed twin brothers John and Jim Thomas as they lead their kitchen team as they prepare three tons of food every night.
Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog Named One of the Best Review Blogs for 2015
Andrea Lin Retires
For just shy of ten years, Duke City diners have faithfully turned to Andrea Lin for advice on where to eat. Andrea, the Albuquerque Journal’s luminous restaurant critic, posted her final review for the Journal on September 18th and hopes to take her best reviews from the Journal and publish them so they’ll be at the fingertips of anyone without a newspaper subscription. There’s a lot of material for a “best of” Andrea Lin compilation. Before writing for the Journal, she wrote some 50 to 75 reviews for the Duke City Fix. In 9.6 years with the Journal, she wrote about 499 reviews without missing a single week.
Characteristic of Andrea’s incomparable wit and wisdom are her answers to a few questions I posed after she told me of her impending retirement:
Q: How has the Duke City restaurant scene evolved since you started? A: A lot. And, not very much. When I began, Jennifer James was trying to convince people to Graze on her perfectly balanced food. These days I think she’s well-established, but I also know folks who consider her high-falutin’ and would rather go have a burger. Although, her burger is phenomenal… Our New Mexican is still quite good, though a few of my favorites have moved around or reconfigured. You still can’t beat a Frontier breakfast burrito, or a bowl of red from Sadie’s (ask for it with a fried egg on top), or carne adovada from Mary & Tito’s. Farm to table is both an overused buzzy phrase and a real, important thing. Could you imagine paying $14 for a locally-grown meal-sized salad 10 years ago? But now there’s Vinaigrette, and The Grove, and The Shop, all taking from the foundations set by places like Flying Star and building in both creativity and reach. All of these places are to be lauded.
Q: What you’ll miss most about writing about the Albuquerque culinary culture? A: I love the weirdness of Albuquerque’s mashup of cuisine. We have pretty good Chinese but only a few outstanding places. Our Italian and French are pretty lacking (in quantity), but our Thai and Vietnamese are everywhere. We have a fair amount of good Mexican, but of course that must compete with New Mexican and that’s a hard contest, so most of them just serve both. My favorites are the hard-core sticklers like Mary & Tito’s on the New Mexican side, or Antojitos Lupe on the Mexican side. I also have found that very few places in the United States love HEAT as much as we do. Texans might be in the same ballpark, but no one comes close. Not Arizona, or California, or Colorado, or the south from what I can tell. We just love to have our taste buds enflamed and our endorphins racing.
Q: Any last words you’d like to say to your readers? A: Thank you, to everyone. I’ve made many good friends in the food world here in town and in the state. Without readers I wouldn’t have been going for 10 years, of course. My editor at the Journal was wonderful and it has been a good experience.
August, 2015
Orange Peel Chicken with Brown Rice from Fan Tang in Albuquerque
Vacation Idea, the online dream vacation magazine believes “foodies traveling to Santa Fe are in for a treat” because the city’s diverse restaurant offerings “showcase dishes from around the world.” Whether you’re vacationing in Santa Fe or you’re traveling there from within the Land of Enchantment, Vacation Idea has several ideas you might want to heed. Its 21 Must-Try Santa Fe Restaurants list includes some of the city’s best including: Osteria D’Assisi, Izanami, The Ranch House, Atrisco Cafe & Bar and several other highly regarded eateries this blogger will be visiting soon.
Not that long ago, a compilation of the best burritos across the fruited plain would probably have been shortlisted to only a few states, those with significant Hispanic populations: Texas, California, Arizona and of course, New Mexico. Thrillist’s compilation of the 33 best burritos in America includes burritos from such once unlikely states as Georgia, Massachusetts, West Virginia, North Carolina and even Colorado. The only New Mexican restaurant to make the list is Santa Fe’s La Choza. Thrillist recommends you “first order a cup of the green chile stew as an appetizer and then go red, to cover all your taste buds’ bases.”
Orange Beef from Chen’s in Albuquerque
Although it’s been four years (2011) since the New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail was last updated, the Tourism Department initiative continues to garner nationwide recognition. USA Today asked its readers to vote for their favorite from among ten culinary trails across the fruited plain. You can joke that New Mexicans know a thing or two about stuffing the ballot boxes, but it’s unlikely the New Mexico green chile cheeseburger would have earned enough votes without the support of so many visitors who have fallen in love with our sacrosanct sandwich. USA Today acknowledged that “the dish has been served here for decades, and several venerable roadside joints claim to be the original, including the Owl Café in San Antonio and the original Blake’s Lotaburger in Albuquerque, but it hardly matters: you can find delicious examples all across the state.”
Inc., a monthly American publication focused on growing companies doesn’t focus solely on Fortune 500 companies. It’s got a soft spot for the backbone of American business, the traditional mom-and-pop operation. Inc. discovered that “family-owned Pop Fizz is cooling off scorching-hot Albuquerque with its frozen treats — while trying to revitalize the image of its neighborhood.” Pop Fizz, “a popsicle shop, or paleteria, is a beloved part of the South Valley” created by the entrepreneurial Alvarez family in 2013. In a scant two years, its operations have expanded to the Hispanic Heritage Center.
Fried Chicken from Gravy
“Hatch chile is such a commodity.” That’s the misguided opinion of the Whole Foods Market regional produce manager who decided to drop Hatch green chile in favor of Pueblo chiles. That means infecting most of the Rocky Mountain region (including Colorado, Utah and Idaho) with more than 125,000 pounds of the brown…er, green stuff. It’s a good thing Whole Foods Market doesn’t bring Pueblo grown chile to the Land of Enchantment or another war between the states might ensue.
While Pueblo chile has gained a foothold in the Rocky Mountain region, the LA Creamery in Los Angeles has come up with “another chile way to cool down.” “For the second year, the ice cream company is making a Hatch green chile ice cream, to be sold exclusively through Bristol Farms stores.” Alas, only 800 pints will be made so they’re sure to go quickly. Creamland, are you reading this?
The Pauley with a side of fruit from the Oak Tree Cafe In Albuquerque
For years Bob of the Village of Los Ranchos has been shouting from the rooftop about how great the red chile ribs at Albuquerque’s El Pinto are. aroundme.com, a popular mobile application that allows users to quickly find nearby points of interest such as restaurants, agrees, declaring that “not only is El Pinto”New Mexico’s most iconic restaurant, it is also one of the best Mexican restaurants in the country.” In an article entitled “21 states and their most iconic restaurants,” aroundme indicated El Pinto is “known for their red chile ribs” and “sure is steps above the rest of the many Mexican restaurants in the state.” Bob, when did you get a job writing for aboutme.com?
July, 2015
Turtle Cheesecake from Sara’s Pastries & Deli
USA Today invited readers to feast on ten great summer cookbooks, “arriving just in time for outdoor grilling, family picnics and making the most of your garden’s goodies.” It wouldn’t be summer without barbecue and for many of us, it’s not barbecue without barbecue sauce. For the sauce lovers among us, The Barbecue Lover’s Big Book of BBQ Sauces by Santa Fe’s own Cheryl and Bill Jamison will surely help us earn our “Kiss the Cook” aprons. July also saw the release of The Restaurant Martin Cookbook, the last collaboration by the Jamisons before Bill’s passing in March.
Zagat, the “go-to guide for those obsessed with exceptional experiences” claims New Mexicans are obsessed with a specific food. Care to guess what it might be? Could it possibly be something red, hot and green? It’s really a no-brainer. New Mexicans are absolutely obsessed with red and green chile, our official state vegetable.
Lemon cheesecake (left) and Turtle cheesecake (right) from New Yorken in Albuquerque
If it’s July, grilling and barbecuing activities are at their peak throughout the Land of Enchantment, but nowhere more than in Rio Rancho which hosted its 12th annual Pork & Brew at the Santa Ana Star Center. Some of the very best competition barbecue teams in the fruited plain competed in the event, including seven of the top 25 teams in America. Though New Mexico was well represented in the competition, none were among the top five finishers. Rio Rancho’s own Rub-N-Wood did earn the Mayor’s Award.
It seems every time a national publication compiles a “best” of any food, the “usual suspects” always seem to represent the Land of Enchantment…and they almost always seem to be from either Santa Fe or Albuquerque. It’s as if new restaurants, especially those outside Santa Fe and Albuquerque, can’t possibly compete with the venerated restaurants which have always made the “best of” lists. Kudos to Pixte.com, a lifestyle and travel site, for uncovering a hidden gem worthy of acclaim, if not adulation. In naming Davido’s of Rio Rancho the “best pizza in New Mexico,” Pixte wrote “great value for money with its monstrous portion sizes, you’ll never leave here hungry. Perfect balance of quality and quantity.”
Veal Saltimbocca from Joe’s Pasta House in Rio Rancho
Travel + Leisure showcased the world’s best cities as voted by readers. Santa Fe was voted the fourth best city in the United States and Canada. “Beyond the turquoise clichés and New Age philosophizing,” Travel + Leisure discovered “the key to Santa Fe” is “in the characters we meet along the way.” Some of those characters were uncovered in Santa Fe’s restaurants, among them Cafe Pasqual‘s, Restaurant Martin and El Parasol.
“With its fresh mountain air, farmer’s-market cuisine and mellow ambiance,” Albuquerque was rated number five for peace and quiet, number ten for wine and number one for picnics in a Travel + Leisure readers’ poll. Locals and visitors are urged to “fill your basket with fresh fruit and plenty of local flavors, like burritos from Java Joe’s or green-chile bacon quiches from New Mexico Pie Company.”
Adana Shish Kabob Combo from Anatolia in Albuquerque
Twenty-one of New Mexico’s finest restaurants were recognized by Wine Spectator magazine for inclusion in the publication’s 2015 Restaurant Awards, which highlight restaurants around the world that offer the best wine selections. Among the Duke City honorees were the Artichoke Cafe and the Ranchers Club. Santa Fe selections included Il Piatta and Luminaria. Blades Bistro from Placitas and Arroyo Seco’s Sabroso were among the seven restaurants to make the list from outside Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Bakers Royale, Naomi Robinson’s cozy online corner “where baking meets random thoughts and musings,” spent some time in Santa Fe where the writer got “hands-on experience with how to make the red and green chile sauce New Mexico cuisine is known for.” In addition to visiting the Santa Fe School of Cooking, Robinson visited a number of Santa Fe’s most widely acclaimed eateries: The Pantry Restaurant, Tomasita’s, Eloisa and others. She urges visitors to dispense with calorie-counting while visiting Santa Fe and above all not to “be that visitor and ask for skinny, made-to-order portions.” Great advice!
Inside-Out Burger from Central Grill in Albuquerque
Chef John Rivera Sedlar might have read Thomas Wolfe’s book “You Can’t Go Home Again,” but he didn’t follow that advice. After four decades of plying his craft in California, the Santa Fe native returned home to launch Eloisa, a restaurant which both reinterprets and honors New Mexico’s culinary traditions. Located within the Drury Plaza Hotel, Eloisa was named one of Eater Magazine’s 21 best new restaurants in America” for 2015. Calling Eloisa a “command performance,” Eater Magazine proceeded to heap praise on Chef Sedlar’s celebration of “local culture with more modern nuance than any other menu in town.”
The Las Cruces Convention and Visitor’s Bureau launched the Las Cruces “Walk of Flame” Green Chile Trail which invites locals and visitors to “experience a traditional green chile Mexican dish, or go off the beaten path and try one of the specialty plates, such as pecan encrusted green chile strips, green chile-meat lasagna, green chile chicken wontons, green chile hummus, green chile posole, green chile stew, cream of green chile, green chile mashed potatoes, green chile sausage soup and other exclusive dishes.”
Butterup Knife
I’ve longed contended (and this isn’t pandering) that readers of Gil’s Thrilling…are the most discerning and intelligent gastronomes in New Mexico. Case in point. I recently received an email from my friend Bruce Schor pointing out that Bob of the Village People shilled for the Butterup knife well before it was featured on August edition of Bon Appetit. Despite driving a mid-century Pontiac Firebird and a daily spritz (or five) of Old Spice, Bob keeps up with all the pop culture trends. Compared to Bob, Bruce and I are dinosaurs.
June, 2015
Los Equipales, a magnificent Mexican restaurant, shuttered its doors on June 26th
While trying to get to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1945, Bugs Bunny accidentally wound up in Germany where for the first time he utters the recurring line “I should have made that left turn at Albuquerque.” Realtors across the fruited plain have come to the realization that many people aren’t making any turns when they arrive in the Duke City. They’re here to stay. For them, the Movoto.com blog, the lighter side of real estate, provides “29 things you need to know about Albuquerque before you move there” Among the sagacious tips: Green Chile: Love it or Leave Town; Great Community Food at the Grove Cafe; You may not Know the Mufin Man, but Everyone Knows the Candy Lady; The Perfect Ron Swansonable Steak (from Farm & Table at “rustic Old Town”); All Other Bread Will Pale in Comparison (from the Golden Crown Panaderia); These Donuts, Oh Man, These Donuts (from Rebel Donut); and Your BBQ Search is Over at Mr. Powdrell’s BBQ House.
Every state in the U.S. has a unique flavor. Foursquare’s data science team identified the singular tastes of all 50 states and Washington, D.C., using a mix of data sets (menus, tips, ratings, and more) and normalizing for size against other states. The editorial team then reviewed the data and selected the winning taste that is most special and unique to each state. Dispensing with the statistical jibber-jabber, it’s no surprise that what New Mexicans crave more than any other state–255 percent more, in fact–is sopaipillas. Among the restaurants Foursquare recommends you get them are La Choza. It’s entirely likely that some of our neighbors cross into the Land of Enchantment for the tastes they crave: chile verde in Utah and chili (SIC) rellenos in Colorado.
Judy’s Catsup from Santacafe in Santa Fe
When Westword, the self-professed “first and the last stop of the day for anyone who wants to know what’s going on in Denver” published its “ten best green chiles in Denver for 2015” edition, New Mexican transplants saw red and green. Westword described it as ““fast and furious—mostly furious.” Almost a thousand Facebook posts, mostly from New Mexicans, described in no uncertain terms just what they think of chile in Denver–and it’s not much. Westword conceded that their neighbor to the south has a ” long history of growing chiles and enticing tourists with its pure and flaming version that doesn’t sport even the barest tint of orange.” Obviously the writer has never been to the Land of Enchantment at the tail end of harvest season.
A list of the “25 Best Things to Do in Albuquerque” is sure to evoke at least a little controversy, especially if it doesn’t list a few restaurants in between all those museums, the tramway, Old Town and the like. Vacation Idea, the “dream vacation magazine” tells perspective vacationers they should include Farm & Table, Vinaigrette, Budai Gourmet Chinese, The Grove Cafe & Market, Jennifer James 101 and the Artichoke Cafe among those 25 things all vacationers should do in the Duke City.
Banana Pudding from Vick’s Vittles in Albuquerque
When it comes to most quality of life categories, New Mexico seems to rank perpetually near the very bottom where we compete with such states as Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana for lowliness. You might think that the Land of Enchantment wouldn’t fare very well on Thrillist’s “Definitive and Final Ranking of All 50 States,” but that wasn’t the case. New Mexico actually ranked 23rd. The reasons given (no surprise here): “GREEN. CHILE. Also sand. And, like, pretty good skiing.”
Drive Happy. It Comes With the Territory! That’s what Alamo Car Rental has been telling us for years. So with all the driving their clients do, how well does Alamo know a territory near and dear to our heart? In its estimation, Alamo knows the Duke City territory well enough to compile a list of Albuquerque’s best attractions? Those attractions include two restaurants whose “homemade chili sauces are quite popular even outside Albuquerque, which is why they can be found in grocery stores throughout the country.” Chili? Apparently Alamo thinks Albuquerque is in Texas. In the Land of Enchantment, we spell it “chile.”
Drive to Teofilo’s in Los Lunas and you may just find the food is so good you’ll want to stay there.
Guilty Pleasures. We all have them. So do Food Network glitterati who reveal their “best-kept, most-intimate, guilty-pleasure secrets for the first time ever.” The Food Network’s “Guilty Pleasures” program visits the locations to hobnob with the chefs who “make these crazy ooey-gooey, “I can’t believe I’m eating this” food masterpieces. Top Chef America star Alex Guarnaschelli lusts after the Frito Pie (and Ribs) plate at Santa Fe’s Cowgirl BBQ, an indulgence she says offers something different in every bite.
May, 2015
Brussels Sprouts Salad from The Shop Breakfast and Lunch in Albuquerque (Photo Courtesy of Hannah Walraven)
One of the most mirthful events during the merry, merry month of May is Cinco De Mayo, a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, but one which has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage throughout the fruited plain. Every May, it seems, brings with it a compilation of the “top Mexican restaurants” in America by virtually every online list compiling site. Gayot, “the guide to the good life,” named Mary & Tito’s to it’s top ten Mexican restaurant list, citing it for “exemplary red chile” which “smothers just about everything here from eggs to tamales to the fresh-tasting chile rellenos.”
At least Yahoo Food is honest enough to reveal that Cinco de Mayo has come to be embraced as a celebration of Mexican food, beer, tequila, culture, and more food…even if, like Gayot, it doesn’t know the difference between Mexican food and New Mexican cuisine. Its own compilation of the “best Mexican restaurants” in America included only one restaurant from the Land of Enchantment. Yahoo Food urges visitors to “do what the locals have been doing for the last 65 years: head over to The Pantry and make sure to order the famous huevos rancheros.”
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