New Mexican Archives - Page 13 of 18 - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

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El Parasol – Española, New Mexico

Gil GardunoOctober 21, 2012April 5, 20264:10 AM

If you were in a hurry, driving through Española on a hot summer day in the early 1980s might have raised the diastolic level (the lower number) of your blood pressure to the level of the temperature gauge. That’s because on Sunday afternoons, Española’s main thoroughfares were the domain of the lowriders, elaborately painted late-model cars (many with intricate religious murals on the hood) whose suspension is replaced with hydraulic cylinders to allow the car to be drastically lowered when parked and raised back up for travel. Española etiquette dictated that no one, not even the law, interfered with the low-and-slow (sounds like barbecue) pace these sparkling cars set as they hugged the pavement on both lanes for the entire…

Albuquerque Closed in 2014 Gone But Not Forgotten New Mexican

ZS&T’s Great Grub – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoSeptember 29, 2012July 30, 20207:45 PM

“Here’s an idea: Quit playing on the Internet and get over to 5017 Menaul, N.E. for lunch. And dinner.” That’s not Gil Garduño admonishing you to take a break from the invaluable research you’re conducting on the Internet. That’s ZS&T’s Web site inviting you to what could very well be one of the best Duke City restaurants you’ve never heard of, a restaurant so confident in its cooking that its Web site boasts, “If you don’t think it’s the best food in Albuquerque, we’ll refer you to a good Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to get your taste buds adjusted.” Audacity, braggadocio or confidence? As Muhammad Ali used to say, “it’s not bragging if you can back it up.” ZS&T’s…

New Mexican New Mexico Rating: N/R (Not Rated)Travel Channel Eats New Mexico

Pepper Pot – Hatch, New Mexico

Gil GardunoSeptember 13, 2012April 5, 202612:55 PM

You might expect that a village renowned as the “chile capital of the world” could also boast of restaurants which showcase chile of such high quality that they would be veritable Meccas to which diners from throughout the state would pilgrimage. With a population of 1,648 (as of the 2010 census), Hatch has fewer than ten restaurants, many of which do indeed seem to draw nearly as many visitors from outside of Hatch as they do local residents and most of which do indeed showcase red and green chile. For New Mexican food, the one restaurant which most locals name as their very favorite is the Pepper Pot. Located in a converted residence, the Pepper Pot still resembles a family…

Food Network Eats New Mexico New Mexican New Mexico Rating: Excellent Taos County

Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe – Taos, New Mexico

Gil GardunoAugust 15, 2012March 31, 202612:07 AM

During his 2005 visit to Taos for the taping of the Food Network’s Food Nation program, über-celebrity chef Bobby Flay, likely the best known grill chef in the world, probably didn’t do as much to put Orlando’s New Mexican restaurant on the culinary map as you might think. Ditto for all the many first place awards hanging on the restaurant’s walls–“Best Mexican Food in Taos County” every year since 2005, best red chile, best green chile, and more than 25 other awards. Flay’s visit and the accolades on the wall are merely validation of what locals and visitors in the know have long known: Orlando’s is a “must visit” dining destination in Taos. Located in El Prado, a “suburb” of…

Albuquerque Closed in 2014 Gone But Not Forgotten New Mexican

Serafin’s Chile Hut – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJuly 8, 2012July 17, 20189:15 AM

Albuquerque’s Nob Hill district is arguably the Duke City’s cultural and culinary hub with a widely eclectic mix of restaurants. Despite its culinary diversity, one dining demographic that hasn’t been well represented has been New Mexican cuisine. It’s not through lack of effort, however, as several New Mexican restaurants have opened and closed in the area, most being very short-lived. In late December, 2010, Dennis Serafin made a concerted effort to change the fortunes of New Mexican restaurants in the Nob Hill region by launching his eponymous “chile hut.” Since then the highly regarded Cecilia’s Cafe has also entered the food fray. Situated on the southwest corner of Central and Solano just east of Carlisle, Serafin’s Chile Hut occupies the…

Food Network Eats New Mexico James Beard Foundation (JBF) Award Nominees & Winners James Beard Foundation Americas Classic Award Winner New Mexican New Mexico New Mexico Culinary Treasures Trail Rating: Excellent The Secret Life Of

Restaurante Rancho De Chimayo – Chimayo, New Mexico

Gil GardunoJune 11, 2012March 31, 20262:26 AM

The humble Northern New Mexico village of Chimayo has a reputation far and wide as a place in which miracles occur. Because of the healing and restorative nature of those miracles, it has even been called the “Lourdes of America.” During Holy Week of 1813, a devout Penitente named Bernardo Abeyta was performing his penances on a hillside when he looked up and saw a bright light emanating from the ground near the river. Abeyta ran to the spot, knelt and began digging with his bare hands toward the light’s source. Within minutes he uncovered a large and wondrous crucifix bearing the image of Nuestro Senor de Esquipulas. The crucifix was processed to the church in Santa Cruz where it…

Breakfast New Mexican New Mexico Rating: Excellent Santa Fe

Cafe Castro – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil GardunoMay 6, 2012April 5, 20267:13 PM

The rich folklore of the Hispanic culture of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado is preserved largely through cuentos and dichos passed down from one generation to the next. Cuentos are stories, legends and myths, the type for which Aesop is renown. Dichos are pithy folk sayings or proverbs much in the style of Confucius. Both cuentos and dichos are replete with the wisdom of the ages expressed in simplistic terms even a child can easily comprehend. They offer words to live by. One of my favorite dichos goes, “A la primera cocinera se le va un chile entero,” which means “To the best cook goes the whole chile.” This dicho recognizes that the best cooks know how to maximize…

American Closed in 2016 Gone But Not Forgotten New Mexican New Mexico

La Risa Cafe – Ribera, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoMarch 31, 2012August 5, 202010:01 PM

“La Risa es el mejor remedio.” (Laughter is the best medicine.) Laughter is a mystery. Scientists don’t know why among all creatures throughout the Earth, only humans are hard-wired to be able to laugh. Not even the hyena has this capability. What scientists do know is that laughter has a variety of benefits to the human mind and body. Laughter: boosts the immune system, oxygenates blood and reduces stress. Laughter may also reduce pain and it certainly elevates mood. When Ashley Wegele, a regular reader of this blog, told me about the La Risa Cafe in rural Ribera, New Mexico, I was intrigued…to say the least. Why would a restaurant call itself the Laughter (the English translation of “risa”)…

Albuquerque Closed in 2012 Gone But Not Forgotten New Mexican

Silvano’s New Mexican Restaurant – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoMarch 21, 2012July 18, 201810:17 AM

My friend Carrie Seidman, the elegant and erstwhile restaurant critic for the Albuquerque Tribune prefaced one restaurant review by saying “sometimes pleasure comes with a price tag.” That pithy aphorism should probably be appended by paraphrasing Luke 12:48: “from those who charge a lot, much will be expected.” Expensive meals come with expectations of intoxicating aromas and tastes, impeccable service and a classy, relaxed milieu in which to bask in the glory of a decadent, memorable meal. Such meals are worth it only if afterwards you consider every dollar well spent. Any regrets and the experience will leave you (and your wallet or purse) empty. Fortunately for the most penurious and parsimonious among us, there is no absolute correlation of…

Albuquerque Closed in 2019 Gone But Not Forgotten New Mexican

Quesadilla Grille – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoDecember 8, 2011February 27, 20205:58 PM

Grandma: “Tonight, me and your aunt are gonna go visit some friends and we’re not gonna be back till tomorrow. We’re gettin’ a little low on steak, so I got Lyle comin’ over tomorrow to take care of it.” Napoleon: “Well, what’s there to eat?” Grandma: “Knock it off, Napoleon. Make yourself a dang quesadilla!” Napoleon: “Fine!” “Gosh!” It took a cult movie about a high school misfit lacking all the skills girls like–such as nunchaku skills, bow hunting skills and computer hacking skills–for the humble quesadilla to became a pop culture meme. Described by movie critic Roger Ebert as “the kind of nerd other nerds avoid,” Napoleon Dynamite was the quintessential dorky loser, a carrot-topped dweeb who lived with…

Albuquerque American Italian New Mexican

Johnny’s Homemade – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoOctober 8, 2011July 18, 20186:14 PM

In the 1930s, Harland Sanders, the owner of a small service station in Corbin, Kentucky began an improbable journey that eventually led to the forging of a worldwide culinary empire. In the living quarters of that service station, Sanders fed hungry travelers on his own six-seat dining table. Word of his culinary prowess spread and to accommodate throngs of hungry travelers stopping by solely for his food, he had to move his kitchen operation across the street to a motel and restaurant with a seating capacity of 142. The most popular item on his menu was fried chicken, made from a closely guarded secret recipe combining eleven herbs and spices and prepared in a pressure cooker. The fried chicken was so…