There
are just some restaurants at which the stereotypical Ralph Cramden
hungry man shouldn't dine. Hannah
& Nate's is one of them. It's not that the food
isn't good. That's certainly not the case.
It's just that
troglodytic men will whine and complain when they have to wait more than
two minutes for their meals and will become doubly obnoxious when the
portions aren't enough to feed a small bull elephant.
Hannah
& Nate's is a home decor and market cafe ideally suited for
gentrified ladies with a lot of time on their hands. It's not a
restaurant at which a boorish lout will sit patiently then be satisfied
with what he would consider "finger foods."
Take
for example the "beef & bleu" sandwich featuring
sliced roast beef, caramelized onion and sautéed mushrooms topped with
bleu cheese on grilled sourdough. It's not four inches thick the
way such men would want it and the bleu cheese isn't powerful enough to
give them the belch inducing halitosis powerful enough to clear a room.
Thankfully, my wife has been a great civilizing influence on me and I'm
able to enjoy restaurants such as Hannah & Nate's as much as she
does.
That
enjoyment might start with the carne adovada crisp, a quesadilla
in which crisp flour tortillas envelope lean pork marinated in red chile
and melted cheese. Why more quesadillas don't feature carne
adovada is beyond me, but even if they did, it's doubtful they can
duplicate this artfully crafted appetizer. Although the red chile
isn't especially hot, it's very flavorful with a garlicky taste which
complements the rich red chile.
Hannah & Nate's
offers four different palate pleasing, reason-to-get-up-for breakfast
burritos served from 8 to 10:30. A variety of creative garden
fresh salads is available for lunch. Among
the many hot-off-the-grill sandwiches we've enjoyed from the sandwich
board are:
-
Nate's
Melt (sliced beef roast, green chile, red peppers, caramelized
onions, avocado and cheddar on grilled sourdough bread) in which the
green chile has that pronounced roasted green chile aroma and taste
New Mexicans love as much as life itself. This is an
outstanding sandwich!
-
Tuscan
Meatloaf Sandwich (rustic Tuscan meatloaf topped with
caramelized onion, roasted red peppers and Jack cheese served on a
grilled baguette). This is meatloaf at its comfort food best,
the type your mother made for you as a child.
-
New Mexico BLT
(crispy bacon, fresh tomato, roasted green chile and lettuce on
grilled sourdough bread). This isn't the boring BLT you make
at home. The bacon has a smoky taste; the sourdough bread a
buttery, grilled texture; and neither the L or the T dominate as
they're apt to do.
All
sandwiches and grilled items are served with your choice of homemade
potato salad (a very boring celery and dill pickle based potato
salad that is the only thing we haven't liked at Hannah & Nate's),
fresh fruit or ridged potato chips.
Invariably, the fresh fruit
seems to be in season no matter the time of year. We've had
watermelon in November and it was just picked fresh. The chips are
always crisp and fresh and thankfully not the "bottom of the
bag" bits some restaurants serve.
For an additional two
bits, make sure you ask for one of the five (chipotle, cucumber dill,
cranberry, herb, olive) specialty mayonnaises offered.
Even though the sandwiches don't need any additional accoutrement
whatsoever, the mayonnaise can be used as a dip for your chips.
The chipotle mayo and the cucumber dill (similar to the Greek tzadziki
sauce but maybe even better) are our early favorites.
Corrales Addition:
In the spring of 2006, Hannah & Nate's Market Shop launched a second
Albuquerque area restaurant, this one in the former site of the very
popular Calico Cafe which burnt down in 2004. If anything, the
Corrales version of Hannah & Nate's is even better than the
Riverside Plaza restaurant.
For one thing, the
Corrales restaurant has a full breakfast menu--three pages of
traditional and New Mexican favorites. My early favorite would
have to be the steak and egg burrito served
Christmas style (red and green chile).
This burrito is engorged
with three eggs, sautéed onions, roasted red peppers, cubed potatoes and
steak--not a cheap cut of meat either. This is an excellent
breakfast burrito made with high-quality ingredients and served hot.
Both the red and green chile at Hannah &
Nate's are very good with a slight nod going to the red chile which is
almost burgundy in color and which possesses the rare earthiness I love
in red chile.
Hannah & Nate's also features a daily
special and if the market smoked porchetta is any indication, the
specials are indeed special. Porchetta generally refers to a
boneless, rolled roast of pork studded with garlic and herbs.
Hannah & Nate's takes the pork and stuffs it into a baguette then
tops it with a roasted garlic aioli, green onion marmalade, sage and
tomato. The flavor combinations are sensational!
Another plus in favor
of the Corrales restaurant is its patio which allows you to watch
expensive cars drive by while you dine under a sun-lit sky. During
the winter months, sitting indoors and enjoying the fireplace is nearly
as nice.
