Although we pride
ourselves on keeping a pulse on the local dining scene, it took a
nationally syndicated cable program called Food Finds to introduce us in
2003 to the Golden
Crown Panaderia, an Albuquerque fixture for nearly three
decades.
In an episode entitled Viewer's Choice, host Sandra
Pinckney visited several small-town shops, mom-and-pop stores and local
vendors that pride themselves in creating specialty foods the
old-fashioned way.
Old-fashioned is an appropriate term for the
Golden Crown Panaderia which crafts its magnum opuses on equipment that
is ancient by modern automation standards. Situated in a
ramshackle old building just outside Old Town, it's far enough off the
beaten path as to be relatively inconspicuous.
Proprietor Pratt
Morales and his son Chris also have an old-fashioned father and son
relationship in the tradition of Andy and Opie. On Food Finds,
Pratt recounted having helped deliver his son, calling it the beginning
of a life-long love affair.
Pratt also demonstrated his unique
craft--bread sculpting. He can literally prepare bread in any
shape and form as chronicled in a photo album replete with pictures of
the artistic bread creations. Although the Food Network made
larger than life celebrities out of father and son, they are both as
friendly and accommodating as possible.
I probably wouldn't be writing
about Golden Crown, however, if the end product wasn't good. Make
that outstanding! Make that "the best bakery in Albuquerque"
outstanding!
The panaderia's crown jewel (no pun intended) is
the green chile bread on which is sculpted a Santa Fe style coyote
baying at the moon. Aside from green chile, this staff of life is
fashioned with onions, fresh tomatoes, parmesan cheese and cilantro.
Toast it with butter and you've got a mouth-watering breakfast.
Also beyond reproach
are the biscochitos, New Mexico's official state cookie which is mildly
sweet with a light taste of anise and a hint of cinnamon. These
orb-shaped treats are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
You might think it
heretical, but the Moraleses also feature a chocolate biscochito made
from a strong, slightly bitter dark chocolate and sprinkled liberally
with anise. If you like your chocolate dark, you certainly won't
care that New Mexico's official state cookie has been altered such.
How good are the Golden
Crown's biscochitos? The October, 2005 edition of Gourmet magazine
indicated the Golden Crown's handmade version of biscochitos "make
a delightful holiday accompaniment to red or white wine."
With or without wine, biscochitos are an absolute treat in which New Mexicans
delight.
At least as good
(possibly better) than the biscochitos are the Golden Crown's tres leches (three
milks) cakes which are as moist as Hostess cakes, but oh so much
better. They're moist and spongy without the cloying taste of
Hostess products.
Another pastry favorite
are the flautas (flutes). No, not the corn tortillas rolled around
a filling of shredded chicken or beef then fried until crisp.
These flautas are filled with glorious lemon or apricot filling and
dusted with white powdered sugar. Not too sweet and not too tart,
they are absolutely delicious.
The Morales family goal
is to serve products which are delicious, nutritious and beautiful.
In keeping with that lofty aspiration, Pratt has figured out how to bake breads that
are free of trans-fats, oils and fat without losing absolutely nothing taste-wise.
By popular demand, the
Golden Crown Panaderia also serves bakery-style pizza that starts with
your choice of crusts: peasant dough or the famous New Mexico green
chile dough (with a green chile crust possible, too.) This
hand-tossed, thin-crust pizza features a housemade pizza sauce,
mozzarella and your choice of ingredients in sizes ranging from personal
to extra large (30% larger than the regular large). Gourmet
toppings include anchovies, oven roasted chicken,
artichoke
and more.
One
word of caution, order your pizza well in advance. It takes about
45 minutes for each pizza to bake and not all crust options are
available every day. You don't want to miss out!
A sandwich board
features six sandwiches built on the panaderia's fresh-baked bread and
uses only high quality meats, cheeses and fresh vegetables. Your
sandwich can be built on sliced bread (including the fabled green chile
bread) or sub sandwich bread.
It's no surprise
this humble bakery was featured in the Unique Boutique section of the
November, 2005 edition of New Mexico magazine. In May,
2007, the magazine published a lengthier article profiling Pratt and his
passion for baking. It's no longer
a surprise when the Golden Crown Panaderia receives national accolades....
Such as a designation
as the "best place for a book stop" from Southwest Airlines' Spirit
magazine. The magazine extolled the green chile bread and urged
readers to "buy a loaf and snack away during an extended session."
During a visit in
January, 2007, Pratt indicated the panaderia has received strong
interest from network luminary Rachel Ray and that he may be invited on
her show in the near future. Both Ray and Morales have
effervescent personalities and boundless energy. It should be a
fun and interesting show to watch.
