One of the most
exciting times in America's history was during its Westward expansion
when young, unattached men of the time followed the advice of newspaper
magnate Horace Greeley and went West in search of opportunity and
adventure.
Able-bodied young men forged a path through the
wilderness to conquer the untamed West and build another pillar in the
manifest destiny inspired foundation upon which America now stands.
We felt that sense of
adventure when we trekked Westward in search of
Amadeo's
Pizza And Subs, a pizzeria heretofore unbeknown to us until
we read the comments of "a voice crying out of the wilderness"
on The Albuquerque Tribune's Food
City blog.
Responding to a call to all pizza hounds,
that voice respectfully dissented from popularly preferred pizzerias and
cast his lot behind Amadeo's, a restaurant almost as far West as you can
go in Albuquerque and not at all easy to find.
Nestled within the
confines of a nondescript shopping center, Amadeo's is named for its
founder Amadeo Garcia (a fellow Air Force retiree) and is run by his
affable son Carl and vivacious daughter Cathy Vall (I really should have
photographed her, too). It's been around since 1987, but many of us residents north of I-40 who rarely
venture south of that interstate divide have never heard of it--our
loss.
Note: A
second Amadeo's restaurant is located at 3109 South Coors, S.W. and is
managed by Amadeo's other scions Mark and Annette. Carl confided
that a third restaurant--in the Taylor Ranch area--is a possibility in
the future.
Amadeo's Pizza and Subs
absolutely blew us away during our inaugural visit, reminding me in some
ways of the wonderful pizzas of my transitional period between youth and
adultery (a malapropism my comedian friends use; I know it's adulthood)
in Massachusetts. A second and soon to be subsequent
visits proved our first impression was spot on. Amadeo's serves
some of the very best pizza in New Mexico!
Amadeo's isn't much for
esthetics and on the day of our inaugural visit, it certainly wasn't the
unmistakable aroma of great pizza that ensnared us because sewage
back-up problems relegated the restaurant to an odoriferous state.
During our subsequent visit, we were treated to the intoxicating aroma
of garlic and the olfactory-memory triggering bouquet of baking dough.
A green (maybe even Boston Celtic green) and white checkerboard tiled
floor and green booths seemed so contrary to the stereotypical green and
red of many self-proclaimed New York style pizzerias (which Amadeo's is
not). A noisy gaming arcade with shoot-em-up sounds emanating from
tinny speakers compe
ted with music piped in overhead from equally tinny
sounding speakers.
Framed posters of works by Van Gogh and Monet
didn't upscale the ambience, but it's obvious from the plaques and
trophies on the wall that Amadeo's is an altruistic enterprise which
supports the city's youth.
Amadeo's menu includes pizzas,
submarines, strombolis, salads and spaghetti. Several specialty
pizzas (veggie, fire-eater, Hawaii and meaty) are also available in
sizes that extend to "The Stomper," a 20-inch monster cut into
16 slices and the "Mega Stomper," even bigger at 26-inches.
The usual assortment of toppings is also available.
The designer pizza of our inaugural
visit was a circular masterpiece comprised of Canadian bacon, green
chile, garlic and black olives on a crusty canvas slathered by a lively
and tangy tomato sauce.
The thin, buttery crust is perfect for
folding ala New York style. The ingredients are top-notch,
especially the roasted garlic cloves and slightly caramelized red onions
which gave the pizza a memorable taste (and aftertaste).
Rarely
have we ranted as much about the garlic on any pizza. The green
chile isn't particularly piquant, but it, too, lends a nice,
complementary flavor to
an outstanding pie. It's a neon green color and is spread
generously on each slice. By the way, if you judge pizza crust by
the char around its edges, this one has the right amount to appease any
pizza afficionado.
Amadeo's makes its dough fresh from
scratch daily and prepares each pizza by hand, a painstaking process
that results in a better product. They use only 100% mozzarella
cheese and make their sauce from scratch in the store. Quality
shows!
The true test of an outstanding pizza
is whether or not it retains its great tastes after sitting in the
refrigerator for a few hours. Amadeo's pizza does! It's as
great cold as it is just out of the oven.
Amadeo's submarines are good enough
for you to stray from the pizza on occasion. The tuna sub, in
particular, packs fresh tuna, red onions, lettuce, dill pickle chunks
and surprise, surprise...a bit of egg salad, too. It is a fresh
and moist sub and the egg salad complement is a real treat.
Like the young men of Greeley's time,
we'll gladly brave the unknown in search of our fortune--in this case
being a memorable pizza from an otherwise forgettable pizzeria.
