2016 Began with an Albuquerque Journal Article on the Friends of Gil.
Tis the season…for year-end retrospectives in which the good, the bad and the ugly; the triumphs and tragedies; the highs and lows and the ups and downs are revisited ad-infinitum by seemingly every print and cyberspace medium in existence. It’s the time of year in which the “in-your-face” media practically forces a reminiscence–either fondly or with disgust–about the year that was. It’s a time for introspection, resolutions and for looking forward with hope to the year to come. The New Mexico culinary landscape had more highs than it did lows in 2015. Here’s my thrilling (and filling) recap.
Hardly a week passed during 2016 in which the world didn’t lose one or more of the biggest names in music, acting, literature and politics. We celebrate their lives and mourn their passing. While perhaps not as tragic, 2016 also saw the closure of several beloved restaurants. Some flashed early potential only to fade quickly. Others stood the test of time. Still others closed only to reinvent themselves with new concepts and menus. One saving grace was the launch of several new independent restaurants which are quickly becoming favorites.
Your host for three Friends of Gil dinners in 2016
2015 was another banner year for Gil’s Thrilling (and Filling) Blog. There are now more than 8,200 reader comments on 955 reviews, an increase of more than 800 comments and 54 new reviews. I value your comments immensely and appreciate that you thought enough of my blog this year to have voted me, for the fifth time in six years, as one of the city’s five best bloggers in Albuquerque The Magazine’s annual “best of the city” issue. Contrary to my friend Schuyler’s contention, the Russians didn’t rig the balloting nor did I ever promise to leave the country if I didn’t win.
From among the 955 reviews published on Gil’s Thrilling…here are the most popular during 2016: (1) Laguna Burger in Albuquerque; (2) The Owl Cafe & Bar in San Antonio; (3) Mary and Tito’s Cafe in Albuquerque; (4) Eli’s Place (Formerly Sophia’s Place) in Albuquerque; (5) Philly’s N Fries in Albuquerque; (6) Red Rock Deli in Albuquerque; (7) K&I Diner in Albuquerque; (8) The Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque; (9) Bocadillo’s in Albuquerque; and (10) Eclectic Urban Pizzeria and Tap House. Thank you, New Mexico and beyond, for your contributions to Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog. I’ve always bragged about having the most discerning, intelligent and passionate readers of any online presence in the blogosphere.
Caldo de Rez from La Nueva Casita in Las Cruces. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
December, 2016
Whatever your idealogical bent may be, many of us agreed with conservative talking-head Glenn Beck when he said “whoever thought a tiny candy bar should be called fun size was a moron.” There are, of course, exceptions to this. Chocolatiers throughout the fruited plain have proven time after time that even bite-size chocolates can be absolutely delicious. Take, for example, the delicious creations crafted by the Chocolate Lady in historic Old Mesilla’s plaza who creates premier chocolates in the tradition of European candy makers. Her chocolates are so good they’ve captured the notice of MSN Lifestyle which singled the Chocolate Lady in its “Candy Store That Everyone Is Talking About in Your State” feature.
While many of us look to traditional tried-and-true family recipes to sate hungry guests who dine with us over the holidays, others scour online resources for something new and different. So what recipes do New Mexicans search for? According to the Thrillist feature, the most searched for holiday recipes in all fifty states, we Google fudge more than any other holiday recipe. Perhaps if we were in closer proximity to the San Antonio General Store, we wouldn’t need to search online for fudge recipes.
Vanilla Custard with toppings from Caliche’s in Las Cruces. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
According to Travel & Leisure, “Albuquerque has always played second fiddle to Santa Fe when it comes to tourism. But now, the vibrant New Mexican city is experiencing a renaissance, thanks to its restaurateurs’ dedication to using healthy, locally sourced food in creative ways.” The Five Restaurants Leading Albuquerque’s Local Food Renaissance are El Pinto whose vegetable garden “gives a new meaning to “local food;” the Golden Crown Panaderia whose “hand-mixed, chemical-free, complex-carbohydrate flours have earned the bakery a serious cult following;” La Merienda at Los Poblanos which claims to have “the most pure field-to-fork menu;” Standard Diner whose menu showcases some local produce, natural meats, and some creative vegetarian alternatives; and the Pueblo Harvest Cafe which uses ingredients from its on-site garden (that uses traditional farming techniques against the backdrop of the Sandia Mountains) and an horno (a traditional beehive-shaped outdoor mud oven) to bake fresh breads daily.
In listing the “Sports Bar in Your State Everyone is Talking About,” Delish spilled “on where sports fans flock for great atmosphere, cold beer and some seriously good grub.” It stands to reason that the Del Charro Saloon, a sports bar affectionately called “Santa Fe’s watering hole” would be tagged as New Mexico’s most talked about sports bar. Adjacent to the Inn of the Governors, one of the city’s most reasonably priced lodgings, Del Charro is so friendly even murmurations of starlings frequent it or at least they frequent the fireside patio which is covered and heated during cold weather. The inviting fragrance of woodsmoke permeates the warm, amiable milieu.
Assorted Pastries From Le Rendezvous Cafe & French Pastry in Las Cruces. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
“Stretching some 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 — which John Steinbeck nicknamed the “Mother Road” in his novel “The Grapes of Wrath” — was one of America’s first highways.” You can get your kicks on remnants of Route 66 as it traverses across California, Arizona, New Mexico, Missouri and Illinois. The Travel Channel’s “Route 66 Weekend Guide” has some helpful recommendations on where you can stay and eat along Route 66. New Mexico eateries on the list were Del’s Restaurant in Tucumcari, the Golden Crown Panaderia in Albuquerque and Earl’s Restaurant in Gallup.
The next time you complain about the hundred dollar bill of fare at a local restaurant, consider yourself lucky. You could be dining at one of the World’s Most Expensive Restaurants where a per person meal could cost you as much as the monthly mortgage many of us pay.
Green Chile Cheeseburger from Sparky’s in Hatch. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
November, 2016
In each episode of the Food Network’s reality show Chopped, four chefs from throughout the fruited plain compete in a three-round contest, attempting to incorporate unusual combinations of ingredients into appetizer, entree and dessert dishes that are evaluated by a panel of three judges. When Santa Fe chef Fernando Ruiz competed, chefs were asked to incorporate cobia, Crenshaw melon, mezcal and tasso ham into a delicious entree. Chef Ruiz knocked it out of the park as he did with the appetizer and dessert dishes. In doing so, the chef at Santacafe earned the top prize, a whopping $10,000. The episode aired on November 1st. In the show’s 2016 premier which aired on October 13th, Chef Marc Quiñones of El Pinto was eliminated in the entree round.
The Daily Meal posited that “the burrito may be the world’s most perfect food.” Because, the Daily Meal argued, the burrito is “customizable to the extreme,” “all the food groups are covered and best of all, the burrito is handheld.” For the fourth consecutive year, the Daily Meal compiled its list of the 50 Best Burritos in America and the Land of Enchantment was very well represented. Coming in at #47 was Burritos Victoria out of Las Cruces whose “chicharrón and green chile burrito stands out from the crowd.” At #39 is the Duke City’s aptly named Burrito Lady whose burritos “have a habit of not staying exactly closed, and can be beasts to eat.” At Sadie’s Dining Room which placed 14th, the “house specialty is carne adovada, a stew made with cubes of lean pork and plenty of red chile, and the best way to experience it is wrapped up in a fresh flour tortilla.” Breaking into the top ten at #7 is Albuquerque’s Frontier Restaurant whose “red pork stew, the regional specialty known as carne adovada, is perhaps the best item on the entire menu.” Just ahead of Frontier at #6 is Albuquerque’s El Modelo where stand-outs “include the chile relleno burrito and ones filled with carne desebrada (brisket stew) and carne adovada (pork stew), but opt for the chicharrones, deep-fried chunks of pork.” The highest rated among New Mexico’s beautiful, bounteous burritos is the green chile burrito at The Shed in Santa Fe, a “must-visit Santa Fe institution” which “has been spreading the green and red chile gospel since it opened in 1953.”
Kale, Spinach and Blueberry Salad from Rosat’s Cafe in Silver City. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
New Mexico tends to rank with Mississippi and Arkansas in virtually every quality of life category tracked by governmental and public entities, but now it seems we can’t even make a decent sandwich. In compiling its list of Where to Get the Best Sandwich in Every State in America, Town & Country decided New Mexico’s best sandwich is the green chile cheeseburger from Rockin BZ’ Burgers in Alamagordo. My trusted colleague Melody K describes this green chile cheeseburger as a “A slammin’ great CUSTOM BURGER, whether with cheese or without,” the operative word being “burger,” not sandwich. If it’s any consolation, Connecticut and Iowa apparently can’t make a decent sandwich either. Perhaps Governor Susana Martinez should send a delegation of New Mexico’s best chefs on a nationwide tour of kitchens where they can learn how to prepare a sandwich worthy of inclusion on the next “best sandwich” list.
With so many restaurants throughout the Land of Enchantment showcasing red and green chile, restaurants featuring a genre outside New Mexican cuisine don’t always receive the acclaim they deserve. That may be especially true of the best French restaurants across the fruited plain which cognoscenti tend to believe are available solely in the country’s megalopolises. Kudos to Travel & Leisure for figuring out that French culinary greatness can be found outside New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and the like. In its Best French Restaurants in the U.S. compilation, Travel & Leisure listed Santa Fe’s Bouche Bistro as the nation’s sixteenth best French restaurant. Here’s what Travel & Leisure’s write-up had to say: “When your local restaurant scene is crowded with fiery chili sauces, steak frites can sound tantalizingly exotic. Enter this cozy bistro, opened in February 2013 by chef Charles Dale, whose résumé includes some James Beard nominations and elbow rubbing with Spain’s Ferran Adrià. While menu items ebb and flow with the seasons, mainstays include charcuterie, roasted chicken, escargots, and black mussels in white wine and red chili lemon mousseline.”
Gordita from Saenz Gorditas in Las Cruces. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
The Daily Meal describes donuts as “extremely versatile” and “essentially a blank canvas.” As to prove the versatility of the donut, the online site compiled a list of America’s Most Outrageous Doughnuts and Where to Find Them. You probably didn’t have to give it a second thought to know Albuquerque’s Rebel Donut would make the list. Breaking Bad fans recall Rebel Donut’s “Blue Sky” doughnut which was topped with something resembling blue meth. That’s not even their most outrageous donut. That honor, according to The Daily Meal, would be reserved for the Dough Boy doughnut which “is studded with chocolate chips, drizzled with ample chocolate sauce, and topped with a hefty scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough.”
If someone asked you what New Mexico’s signature food might be, you’d certainly wrangle several choices in your mind, all featuring the Land of Enchantment’s sacrosanct red and green chile. When the Cooking Channel Cooking Channel asked viewers to vote on each state’s favorite/signature food, New Mexicans decided the Signature Food of New Mexico is the green chile cheeseburger (which Town & Country tells us is also our best sandwich). The Cooking Channel didn’t indicate whether our voting constituency included farm animals and deceased residents.
October, 2016
1/4 Rack Ribs Plate from Hitch-N-Post BBQ in Alamagordo. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
Courtesy of Melodie K: At the end of another sweetly aromatic chile harvest, Saveur magazine’s appreciation of all things Hatch chile is an opportunity for green chile lovers everywhere to revisit the season. Hatch chile from seed time to harvest, from market to table, it’s all here. Amazing how this single crop from a small village in the southwest corner of New Mexico continues to impact the daily way of life throughout the state and gain new converts around the world. Saveur wraps up with a nod to the farmers and other entrepreneurs who bring New Mexico’s favorite food to market, such as Hatch chile farmer, Preston Mitchell, great-great grandson of Hatch’s very first chile farmer, Joseph Franzoy. And Nate Cotanch, owner of Zia Green Chile Company, who is making sure our friends in Brooklyn can get their fill of New Mexico’s green gold.
My friend Sandy Driscoll reports that Los Angeles Times also spent time in Hatch and elsewhere in the Land of Enchantment eating burgers on New Mexico’s Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail. Wondering “what makes these cheeseburgers worth hoofing it to New Mexico,” it wasn’t long before the Times surmised the difference is the preternatural influence of green chile: “Done right, the chiles are not just cooked but are roasted, resulting in a complex yet mellow heartiness. They pair well with slices of American, the often-disdained cheese that redeems itself with a viscosity that helps mate the chiles with the burger patty.” On the Trail, the Times listed several purveyors of our sacrosanct burger that are not to be missed: Sparky’s in Hatch, the Santa Fe Bite in Santa Fe and two legendary San Antonio burger outposts: The Owl Cafe and the Buckhorn Tavern.
Green Chile Cheeseburger from Rockin’ BZ Burger in Alamagordo. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
Every election cycle, America is divided among labels–blue and red states, conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, left and right. The one platform in which Americans remain united is in our love of burgers. We consume some fifty-billion of them every year. That’s enough burgers to circle the planet more than thirty-two times. Americans love all types of burgers, in part because they’re right-prize for all socioeconomic strata. It’s still possible to find an outstanding value-priced burger across the fruited plain as MSN chronicled in its list of deliciously cheap burgers in all 50 states. Albuquerque’s Papaburgers is one such example. As MSN described: “Known for friendly service as much as “good, old-fashioned burgers,” this Albuquerque spot slings patties for $4.29. The goal here isn’t wild creativity so much as a consistent and nostalgic product based on quality ingredients.”
History is replete with failed marriages, couplings that didn’t work. Perhaps history’s most successful marriage has been between hamburgers and fries. It’s a marriage whose genesis began with the return of American servicemen from Europe at the end of the first war to end all wars. Having been introduced to fries during the American campaign, servicemen had a hankering for the salty deliciousness of fries. Their return coincided with the birth of the modern-day American fast food restaurants. We haven’t stopped talking about fries since then as Delish chronicled in its compilation of the French fries everyone is taking about in every state. In New Mexico, the fries most often discussed come from Holy Cow in Albuquerque.
Half Pepperoni, Half Sausage Pizza from NYP Slice House Pizza in Las Cruces. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
Perhaps the most eloquent and certainly the most aptly descriptive quote ever uttered about donuts came from everyman philosopher Homer Simpson who once said “Mmmmmm…doughnuts.” What more needs to be said? Maybe “better than cupcakes, as classic as apple pie.” That’s what BuzzFeed said when introducing a feature listing the best donut shop in every state according to Yelp. Using an algorithm that looked at the number of reviews plus the star rating for every doughnut business listed on Yelp, the best donut in New Mexico was determined to come from Rebel Donut in Albuquerque. That comes as no surprise to Duke City donut aficionados who have been flocking to the premier artisan donut and pastry shop in the Land of Enchantment.
Despite being the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor recognizes that not every traveler has the budget to splurge on five-star hotels, indulgent resorts and the finest food. Some of us are more cost-conscious and value oriented. Using an algorithm on its website that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for the restaurants considered over a 12-month period, TripAdvisor compiled a list of the top restaurants for budget dining across the United States. Making the list is Santa Fe’s own Pantry Restaurant which has garnered a 4.5 out of 5-star rating in more than 1,300 TripAdvisor reviews. The Pantry has served the City Different since 1948 with no surcease to its popularity in sight.
Biscochitos from Mi Abuelita’s Biscochitos in Las Cruces. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
“Everyone knows the big cities like New York, San Francisco and Seattle have a plethora of amazing restaurant options for the gourmand, but there are a slew of smaller cities with world-class chefs producing some very creative cuisine.” That’s how Travelocity began its feature on America’s best small cities for foodies. To no surprise, the list includes Santa Fe where “the dining options are as plentiful as they are impressive, rivaling that of larger cities with its innovative creations and overall selection.” Travelocity listed two places not to miss: The Coyote Cafe and The Compound.
While Travelocity may not have listed Geronimo as a restaurant not to be missed, TripAdvisor certainly didn’t, naming the Santa Fe gem one of America’s best fine dining restaurants in the United States. Geronimo ranked seventeenth among the pantheon of hallowed restaurants. With more than 1400 reviews on TripAdvisor with an overwhelming number of them according “excellent” or “very good” ratings, Geronimo has garnered more recognition in recent years than probably every restaurant in New Mexico. The transformative elk tenderloin remains one of the most delicious items you’ll ever have.
Posole from Andele Restaurant in Las Cruces. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
Redbook, the online version of the US print magazine “for the woman juggling family, career and her own needs” recognizes that sometimes women need to book a bachelorette or just need a weekend sans husbands/kids, a weekend with her best gal pals. For them, Redbook compiled a list of the 50 best vacation destinations with your BFFs in every state. Best friends of both genders will love the Land of Enchantment’s representative on the list, Taos, which Redbook described as “part whimsical artists’ sanctuary, part ski haven, Taos is all about engaging all of your senses in a city that’s as rich in its cultural heritage as it is in jaw-dropping landscapes. Redbook recommends indulging your sense of taste with the best cream of mushroom soup you’ve ever sipped from Martyr’s Steakhouse in the heart of downtown Taos.
Condé Nast Traveler readers cast more than 100,000 votes for their favorite cities across the fruited plain in the 2016 Readers’ Choice Awards survey. Santa Fe was named one of the best small cities in the United States recognizing cities with populations below 150,000 souls. Traveler readers have long loved Santa Fe, most recently naming it one of the best cities for food lovers. The magazine recommends visitors “dig into African comfort fare at Jambo Café or green chili enchiladas at The Shed.” For a publication so frequently featuring Santa Fe, Conde Naste has yet to learn how to spell “chile.”
Green Chile Enchiladas from the Pepper Pot in Hatch. Photo Courtesy of Melodie K.
What’s the best restaurant in New Mexico? By what criteria could an answer to that question possibly be gleaned? Yelp used an algorithm combining users’ ratings and reviews (and excluding chains) to compile a list naming “50 States: 50 Best Restaurants.” If you’re thinking the best restaurant in New Mexico, by Yelp standards, would be a New Mexican restaurant, you’d be wrong. Nor is Yelp’s highest restaurant a fine-dining establishment. No, dear readers. The best restaurant in the Land of Enchantment according to Yelp is the Asian Pear in Albuquerque. Serving downtown diners since January, 2015, this little Korean gem has earned the gushing word-of-mouth praise from its guests.
You’ve probably noticed the improved photographic quality in this month’s edition of Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Year in Food. Rather than subject you to my usual parade of distorted, out-of-focus photos, October’s professional quality compositions are courtesy of Melodie K., a travel and food writer living in Las Cruces. I’m a huge fan of her writing and photography skills and invite you to visit her delightful site. Melodie does a wonderful job covering Southern New Mexico’s culinary scene.
September, 2016
Hot Dog and Fries from Spinn’s Burger & Beer in Albuquerque
With a panoply of colors, warm days that transition to crisp evenings and the irresistible aroma of roasting chile, autumn is the favorite season for many New Mexicans and visitors to the Land of Enchantment. Naming the Duke City “one of the best Fall escapes in the United States,” National Geographic invites travelers to “take to the skies in Albuquerque” and enjoy the spectacle of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. National Geographic also praised our “delicious New Mexican cuisine,” recommending the red chile pork ribs at El Pinto and the chile relleno at Mary & Tito’s.
Not even the beloved taco has been excluded from the divisiveness of 2016’s contentious presidential campaign. Latinos for Trump leader Marco Guttierez warned “that without tighter immigration policies…you’re going to have taco trucks on every corner.” While taco trucks may not be parked on every corner, tacos have become a ubiquitous American favorite. No longer are denizens of the fruited plain subjected solely to Taco Bell’s rather piteous version of the taco. You can find outstanding tacos across the country. Just ask BuzzFeed which compiled a list of the most popular taco spot in every state. Popularity was measured using an algorithm considering the number of reviews plus the star rating for every business on Yelp. New Mexico’s most popular taco comes from El Paisa in Albuquerque. One astute devotee commented on Yelp, “The only comparison is the street tacos in downtown Puerto Vallarta, because this is as authentic as it gets.”
The Apple Tree Cafe in Corrales may have a small menu, but it’s a great one
Bustle, an online presence “for and by women who are moving forward as fast as you are” invites its readers to try seven authentic New Mexican eateries to try because “green chile is king.” The writer, who’s actually lived in New Mexico for four years, attests that “New Mexican cuisine is a flavorful, fiery treat for the taste buds.” She recommends the Frontier Restaurant, “one of the most iconic Albuquerque dining destinations;” Casa Azul “in queso emergency” or for “a meal that takes advantage of the freshest ingredients New Mexico has to offer; El Patio, “a cozy, intimate dining destination that has been family owned and operated for three generations;” Sadie’s of New Mexico where it “doesn’t get much more New Mexican;” Mary & Tito’s which offers “James Beard Award-winning New Mexican food in a relaxed, understated setting;” El Pinto, “a New Mexican restaurant that offers anything your heart desires;” and the 66 Diner whose “whimsical retro decor and friendly, uniformed wait staff might make you feel like you’ve stepped into another era.”
On September 12th, 2016, Laguna Burger earned bragging rights at the New Mexico State Fair’s Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge, ending a two year reign by national chain Fuddrucker‘s. Finishing second in the blind taste test adjudged event was Starr Brothers while judges determined Pasion Latin Fusion‘s green chile cheeseburger was third best. The competition featured ten of the Land of Enchantment’s most prolific purveyors of New Mexico’s sacrosanct burger. As is often the case, the public’s perception of which burger is best differed from the opinion of the judges. Earning the coveted “people’s choice” award was Sparky’s, a Hatch institution.
Homemade Bread from the Loyal Hound Pub in Santa Fe
In the pages of September’s New Mexico Magazine, you’ll find recipes that will help you ‘”cook like a local with harvest-ready dishes” showcasing green chile from the Hatch valley. Descendants of Hatch chile pioneer Joseph Franzoy and other Hatch pepper buffs offer their favorite home-cooking recipes for such standards as green chile stew. You’ll also learn how to prepare such non-traditional dishes as Crepe Olé, green chile pasta, stuffed eggplant with green chile and even Sparky’s Green Chile Milkshake.
When Santa Fe’s scintillating four-time James Beard award-winning author Cheryl Alters Jamison launches a new brand, it doesn’t solely warrant local attention. The culinary community across the fruited plain takes notice. Food & Beverage Magazine sure did, lauding her launch of Excited About Food, a multimedia Web presence where she shares recipes, cookbooks, exotic ingredients, tips, classes, videos and special events all about the excitement of cooking! The indefatigable culinary evangelist also launched Heating It Up!, a riveting program in which she interviews a wide array of experts from chefs and authors to food critics and farmers from across the country. Fittingly, Cheryl’s radio program comes to us courtesy of KVSF 101.5, the Voice of Santa Fe.
Chocolate Nirvana from ChocoGlitz & Cream in Albuquerque
“Foodies. Gourmands. Epicureans. These are the people seeking adventure on a plate.” These are the people who cast their votes for Open Table’s 2016 list of the Best Restaurants for Foodies. The list of honorees was compiled “after analyzing more than five million reviews of more than 20,000 restaurants across the country — all submitted by verified diners.” Alas, only one restaurant in the Land of Enchantment made the list. Widely regarded as the best fine-dining restaurant in New Mexico, Santa Fe’s Geronimo is perpetually the state’s most consistently honored dining establishment.
Is it any wonder September is probably the favorite month for most New Mexicans? With trees adorned in spectacular colors and the aroma of freshly harvested chile perfuming the air, there’s just something magical about September. Magic certainly pervades every September at Santa Fe’s annual green chile cheeseburger smackdown. Chefs from throughout the Land of Enchantment vie for bragging rights every year, the one constant being the starring ingredient: New Mexico’s sacrosanct green chile. Anthony Smith, executive chef at the Inn and Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe laid the smack down on six other competitors, earning the coveted judges’ choice award with The Santa Fe Autumn Roast which celebrates New Mexican ingredients with grass-fed beef, Angel’s Bakery bun, house-made pancetta, Tucumcari Cheddar Cheese, New Mexico Autumn Roast Green Chile and creamy avocado spread. Chef Milton Villarrubia‘s “Plate Lickin’ Cheese Burger” earned “people’s choice honors.
The Stack House, Bodacious Barbecue in the City of Vision Once Again
The Texas Hill Country. Memphis. The Carolinas. Kansas City. These are America’s paragons of low-and-slow supremacy, each asserting credible claims to smoking the best stuff under spacious skies. New Mexico has never been known for its bodacious barbecue, but that may be changing. NFL powerhouse, the Seattle Seahawks are now showcasing Mr. Powdrell‘s house sauce on brisket sandwiches sold at CenturyLink Field. Paul Allen, the billionaire team owner and former denizen of the Duke City apparently acquired quite a fondness for Powdrell’s when he and fellow Microsoft founder Bill Gates lived in Albuquerque.
Contrary to so many coming of age movies about the college experience, the collegiate lifestyle isn’t only fraternities and sororities, binge drinking, toga parties and starving students subsisting solely on ramen. College is also about discovery–the growth experience that comes from uncovering new experiences. Thrillist believes college “students carrying overpriced textbooks while wearing sweatpants” have discovered the 21 best college burgers in America, a likely major contributor to the fabled freshman fifteen. Making the list is the Frontier Restaurant’s signature “Fiesta Burger with green chiles, cheddar, and lettuce, just as the New Mexican forefathers intended.”
Three Sauces Every Chinese Restaurant Should Have Chili, Hoisin and Hot Mustard: from the Dragon House in Albuquerque
Thrillist also refreshed its annual list of the best barbecue restaurants in the United States. For the second consecutive year, the Land of Enchantment’s best purveyor of smoked deliciousness is Danny’s Place in Carlsbad “thanks to the glory that is consistently great barbecue cooked over sweet hardwood for over 40 years. Oh, and don’t worry, because this is New Mexico after all, you can still get a green chile-smothered burrito and the “flip plate” — a flour tortilla buttered and fried on the grill and filled with a hamburger patty, two cheese slices, green chile, onions, and salsa.” By the way, the “local expert” mentioned in the feature is a blogger of some repute whose thrilling and filling reviews you can trust.
Thanks to the Food Network, restaurants have become a water cooler topic (though water coolers themselves have largely gone out of fashion). The point is, restaurants are a popular topic of conversation. Gastronomes no longer have to skulk in dark corners and speak in hushed tones when we discuss our favorite eateries. We can now shout from the rooftops about our favorite foods, including pizza. The pizzeria everyone is obsessed with in New Mexico, according to Delish comes from Farina Pizzeria in Albuquerque. Farina has made char a flavor in New Mexico and for that we’re obsessed.
Glandjila from Frost Gelato in Albuquerque
The Land of Enchantment’s culinary community was feted during the New Mexico Restaurant Association’s 2016 Hospitality Industry Awards banquet. Restaurateur of the Year honors went to Laura Leal of Leal’s Mexican Food Restaurant in Clovis. Pizza 9 earned the Restaurant Neighbor Award for its community involvement. Chef of the Year went to Tatsu Mizayaki of The Restaurant at Sierra Grande in Truth or Consequences while Wayne Moore of St. Clair Winery & Bistro earned Manager of the Year honors. Several other restaurants were recognized for feeding New Mexico’s families for more than forty years.
Saveur Magazine writer Matt Taylor-Gross undertook a hunt for Hatch chiles, a trek that began at the Hatch Chile Festival which he compared to “walking around an O’Keeffe painting.” Though Georgia O’Keefe may not have spent much time in Hatch, she was known to cook with and enjoy chile. On his weekend assignment to the chile capital of the world, Taylor-Gross enjoyed chile in several New Mexican staples as well as in a milkshake from Sparky’s. He also discovered sopaipillas from Church Street Cafe in Albuquerque.
August, 2016
Pepper Lamb from Budai Gourmet (Photo Courtesy of Haley Hamilton)
In August, 2016, Spoon University, the self-proclaimed “everyday food resource for our generation, on a mission to make food make sense” set off on a course to identify the 50 best ice cream desserts in every state,” one from each state in the fruited plain. The Land of Enchantment’s representative was the ice cream taco from Pop Fizz. Spoon University waxed poetic about this ice cream: “We all scream for this ice cream. You can find this bad boy in Albuquerque, NM, and you can choose from several flavors such as cinnamon churro, cookies and cream, and strawberry.”
Is there anything worse than concession nachos, those depressing, over-salted, stale round chips blanketed in gloppy cheese “stuff” pumped from a large jar? If you’ve ever had them, likely at a ball park or movie theater, you’ve probably tried to repress the memories. Thankfully inspired chefs have done a lot to improve nachos, to the point that it’s grossly unfair and inaccurate that the gloppy concession travesties share the name “nachos.” TABELog, a restaurant review blog undertook the enviable task of naming the ten best places to eat nacos in America. It stands to reason that a restaurant whose very name includes the term “Nachos” would make the list, never mind that Albuquerque’s very own Papa Nacho’s was named for the proprietor’s nickname. In naming Papa Nacho’s the seventh best place to eat nachos, TABELog advised “Do not be fooled by this exterior of this spot—it is better than it looks. They serve Mexican dishes rice & beans, tacos, quesadilla, enchiladas and of course nachos. Their signature papa nachos is packed with enough spices and cost only $7.”
Lunch-Size Stromboli from Saggio’s in Albuquerque
In 1982, Bruce Feirstein wrote “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche, a “bestselling tongue-in-cheek book satirizing stereotypes of masculinity.” Had he written about truck drivers instead, the book’s title would likely have been “Truck Drivers Don’t Eat Salad.” According to the Center for Disease Control, truck drivers top the occupation obesity list, largely due to a diet of fast food and long periods of inactivity. Truck drivers don’t always eat fast food. Truckers know about the hidden gems most of us would discount, little holes-in-the-wall lacking the pristine veneer off the chains. Thrillist enlisted a trio of professional tractor-trailer drivers to deliver a convoy of those hidden gems. In a feature entitled “Truckers Name America’s Greatest Restaurants You’ve Never Heard Of,” that trucking triumvirate listed among the tantalizing ten, a Route 66 gem in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. The Silver Moon Cafe was described as ” “It’s a pretty popular place. They have it all: beef tacos, cheese dip, salsa, fajitas. But the big thing is that it’s all seasoned so well, especially if you like hot stuff.”
Have you ever wondered why so many guides and books employ fatalistic titles imploring readers to see or do something “before you die?” The likely culprit was the 2007 movie “The Bucket List,” whose premise was indeed to “complete a list of things they want to see and do before they die.” The movie inspired many people to compile their own lists and it engendered a number of publications employing “before you die” in their titles. Spoon University published a predictably and unimaginatively named feature titled “The 50 Best Things to Eat in Albuquerque Before You Die.” From burritos at Twister’s to green chile bread from Golden Crown Panaderia, the comprehensive compendium offered no surprises for residents of the Duke City, many of whom have probably sampled everything on the list many times in their lifetimes.
Reina Margherita Pizza from Eclectic Urban Pizzeria and Tap Room in Albuquerque (Photo Courtesy of Kimber Scott)
“Bugs Bunny and Breaking Bad don’t really capture the essence of this largest city in New Mexico. Albuquerque offers art, culture, history, and places of great surprise, if you know where to look beyond the usual tourist haunts.” Offbeat Travel’s feature “10 Favorites Only Locals Know in Albuquerque” listed only one food-related item. In a snippet about the Green Jeans Farmery, Offbeat Travel waxed poetic about Chill’N handcrafted organic ice cream, explaining the ice cream is created by “created by churning the ingredients in blasts of liquid nitrogen. Remember how some of the trendy cooking shows experiment with this new technique? Well, it makes amazing ice cream. The superfast freezing results in richly creamy frozen confection. The nitrogen bubbles away during the process.”
PureWow, an online women’s lifestyle site “dedicated to finding ways to make your life more interesting, beautiful and manageable” compiled a list of “The Most Iconic Restaurant in Every Single U.S. State.” The list of “restaurants (and, OK, fast-food joints) that make America so tasty” did include some of the most iconic eateries in the fruited plain, many of them introduced to America by the Food Channel. New Mexico was well-represented on the list by Santa Fe’s Cafe Pasqual’s. PureWow explained “Since 1979, visitors have lined up outside Café Pasqual’s turquoise door for New Mexican classics with an inventive twist. (Think: green chili burgers and huevos barbacoa.) The colorful restaurant also houses an art gallery on the second floor.” While it’s difficult to dispute the selection of Cafe Pasqual as the Land of Enchantment’s most iconic restaurant, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a “green chili burger” anywhere on the restaurant’s <a href="http://pasquals.com/The_Menus/Lu