In
the summer of 2000, prominent artists throughout the Southwest
resoundingly answered the call to submit their design ideas for painting
on an unconventional medium--a horse cast in a durable resin blend.
This particular canvas was chosen to commemorate the introduction to
North America of the horse. More than five centuries ago, Spanish
Conquistadores explored New Mexico astride the noble beast.
The painted ponies were
intended to promote artistic excellence and for about a year, the "trail
of painted ponies" led art aficionados to various galleries throughout
the state where the equine masterpieces were on display. In the
fall of 2001, the ponies were sold and garnered over half a million
dollars for altruistic causes.
Fast forward to March,
2006 when culinary pioneers Debbie and Jud Lewis-Mahon, blazed their own
trail on painted ponies of their own, albeit gleaming metal steeds with
considerably more horsepower than the Conquistadores' horses.
That's when they launched the Painted Horse Coffeehouse in the Paseo del
Norte Shopping Center on Albuquerque's far Northwest corner. Like
the Spanish explorers, the Lewis-Mahons have had to surmount vast
expanses of wasteland--in this case, a plethora of chain restaurant
mediocrity. The Painted Horse Coffeehouse is a rarity in this part
of the Duke City, a true mom and pop restaurant.
The
Painted Horse occupies the space once held by the Gourmet Bagel and
Coffee Co. and has actually captured many of its predecessor's loyal
patrons...and not solely because they sell fourteen varieties of bagels.
Initially the bagels were acquired from
Wolfe's Bagels, a locally owned, family operated favorite,
but now they are made in-house and are just as good, if not better.
Despite its shopping
center storefront facade, the Painted Horse isn't your conventional
humdrum coffeehouse. It has a distinct upscale avant garde feel to
it, a sort of neighborly Santa Fe type place in which you can kick back
in comfort, bask in the morning sunlight and imbibe the aromas of
steaming coffee and delectable pastries. Bistro tables and comfy
chairs beckon.
Operating hours are
also somewhat unconventional for a coffee house. Dinner hours vary
by day, but most nine-to-fivers on the West side should be able to make
it to the Painted Horse for dinner Monday through Saturday. Don't
miss out on the monthly slam (a form of
performance poetry that occurs within a competitive poetry event)
and open mike event held the third Friday of every month at 6PM.
Eclectic art--whether
it's watercolor paintings of age-worn Northern New Mexico casitas or
smiling gargoyles--will catch your attention, but what will hold it are
the pastries under a glass case. This is dessert art at its most
appetizing, a bevy of calorie laden confections crafted in-house by Jud
himself, the visionary instrumental in developing many of the
restaurant's offerings in addition to baking all breads, pastries and
desserts.
The menu, scrawled in
different colors on a chalkboard high above the ordering counter, is a
veritable treasure trove of chic panini sandwiches, wondrous pastries,
exotic coffees, Italian sodas, a salubrious and savory soup of the day
and much more. The breakfast menu features the aforementioned
bagels and New Mexico's ubiquitous breakfast burritos.
Gourmet panini
sandwiches begin with substantial slices of artisan breads which are
engorged with fresh vegetables, meats and condiments. You'll be
challenged to make a selection from among the inventive toasted and
non-toasted sandwich choices on the menu.
You can't go wrong with
the Chipotle Chicken sandwich served cold. It features a
thinly sliced, unbreaded chicken breast festooned with a sweet chipotle
mayo, a sweet and buttery havarti cheese, lettuce and tomato on soft
focaccia bread. The melding of ingredients is both creative and
delicious.
The menu also includes
New Orleans' favorite sandwich, the muffaletta. In reality,
it's more akin to a fancy ham sandwich in that it features thinly sliced
ham, provolone cheese and a Balsamic pesto spread. If you're a
stickler for authenticity, this sandwich won't provide it, but if a
great tasting sandwich is what you're after, this one will fit the bill.
A
steaming bowl of the soup of the day will warm the cockles of your heart
and make you ready to face the most daunting of New Mexico winter days.
The Painted Horse's flavorful Sherry Onion Soup may be the most
subtle French onion soup I've ever sampled in that it isn't dominated by
saltiness. You can really discern the individual tastes of savory
beef broth, sweet caramelized onions and melted cheese.
If you manage to bypass
the Meryl apple pie, the dessert case is bound to have your favorite
pastry dessert, whatever it might be. A popular favorite is the
bumbleberry pie.
Since there's no such thing as a
bumbleberry, pastry chefs typically use in-season berries. The
Painted Horse's version, during a December visit was made with
blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. It showcased the
delicious tanginess of three distinct berries in a flaky crust.
New Mexicans might opt
for the piņon brownie which features one of the state's best
natural treasures--piņon. This is a rich dark chocolate brownie
drizzled with white chocolate glaze and replete with delicious
crunchiness. It's so good you might not want to share it.
Nor will you want to give up any of the bourbon pecan pie, as
good as any you'll find in the deep South.
Maxwell House had it
all wrong. The best part of getting up isn't a steamy cup of
coffee, it's an outstanding breakfast
burrito served Christmas style (both red and green chile), especially if
the person taking your order is co-owner Debbie (she of the luminous smile
and effervescent personality).
The Painted Horse's
version of the quintessential New Mexico breakfast entree is wonderful.
Moreover, it's a testament to the talent of the owners who certainly
didn't grow up eating chile in Vancouver. They're now as addicted
to chile as any native and prepare it as well, too.
That breakfast burrito
can be had smothered in either red or green (or both) or as a hand-held
burrito. It is engorged with home fries, bacon and eggs.
The
"Big Breakfast" is aptly named--home fries, two eggs, two pieces of
bacon, a bagel or your choice of toasted bread and tomato slices.
The home fries are crispy on the outside and tender inside, the
antithesis of similar offerings at other restaurants.
If you start out your
mornings craving something sweet, the answer to your yen is the Painted
Horse's French toast crafted from homemade Challah bread lightly dusted
with cinnamon and sugar. This is tree thick slices of utter
deliciousness, some of the best French toast in the city.
For smaller breakfast
fare, you can't go wrong with the Painted Horse bagels--fourteen
varieties in all, ranging from chocolate to garlic to green chile and so
much more. These bagels are chewy and dense with a doughy interior
and perfectly browned exterior. You can have them toasted or
untoasted and with butter, peanut butter or cream cheese (four housemade
varieties, including green chile).
In 2006 the McDonald's
Corporation honored Herb Peterson with a Lifetime Achievement Award for
his creation of the Egg McMuffin, McDonald's popular breakfast sandwich.
The Egg McMuffin consists of a slice of Canadian bacon, a grill-cooked
egg and a slice of cheese on a buttered, toasted English muffin. A
sausage patty may also be selected in place of the Canadian bacon.
The Painted Horse
Coffeehouse has its own breakfast sandwich that rivals (and may even
exceed) the heralded Egg McMuffin in terms of flavor. This
rendition consists of any bagel (try the green chile bagel) with a
savory scrambled egg, Cheddar cheese and crispy bacon. It is a
delicious waker-upper. Even better, try this sandwich on a buttery
croissant.
The Painted Horse is a
horse of a different color from
all the tired, mangy corporate chain nags on the Northwest side.
It's streamlined and built for comfort and deliciousness! It's the
type of restaurant Albuquerque patrons should muster all their
horsepower to get to soon and often.
