Category: Fine Dining

FarmingtonFine DiningJames Beard Award (JBF) "Best Chef" Award Nominees: 2023JBF Best Chef-Southwest Finalist 2023Native AmericanNew Mexico

Pioche Food Group – Fruitland, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

Having devoured all the Tony and Ann Hillerman books centered in and around the Navajo Nation, I thought I knew quite a bit about the Diné.  That was until Brian Schwartz, an extraordinary food writer from Oklahoma, offered me his ticket to an event showcasing the talents of James Beard Best Chef – Southwest nominee Justin Pioche.  I immediately took…

Fine DiningJames Beard Award (JBF) "Best Chef" Award Nominees: 2023JBF Best Chef-Southwest SemiFinalist 2021New MexicoRated 26Taos County

THE LOVE APPLE – Taos, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

If the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century had had its way, the tomato might not be a ubiquitous ingredient in the cooking of many cultures today. So, just what is it about the seemingly innocuous tomato that once earned it a scurrilous reputation in the Church, the type of reputation which made it the Paris Hilton of the…

AlbuquerqueBar & GrillClosed in 2023Fine DiningGone But Not ForgottenGreekNew Mexican

Nick & Jimmy’s Bar & Grill – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno

Legendary American chef, author and television personality Julia Child was often exasperated with what she perceived as American’s propensity for culinary laziness, once commenting that “the trend in the U.S.A. was toward speed and the elimination of work.” “Americans,” she noted, equated as “gourmet” such “horrible glop” as “TV dinners, frozen vegetables, canned mushrooms, fish sticks, Jell-O salads, marshmallows and…

AlbuquerqueBetter Call SaulBrunchDog FriendlyFine Dining

Vintage 423 – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

My friend Bill Resnik, a professional stand-up comedian for more than two decades, performs a bit in which he “translates” Spanish terms for linguistically challenged audiences.  “Paseo del Norte,” for example, translates to “Paseo of the Norte.” For Duke City residents, the “Northern Route” is no joke.  It’s the corridor from the Northeast Heights to Albuquerque’s burgeoning West side, ferrying…

Dog FriendlyFine DiningItalianNew MexicoSanta Fe

Sassella – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

In Cold Tuscan Stone, the first in a series of spellbinding mysteries set in Italy, author David P. Wagner did such a magnificent job in developing relatable characters and creating a sense of place that I felt myself transported to the world of Rick Montoya, the affable protagonist in David’s series.  Through David’s vivid imagery, I could almost taste, smell…

CaliforniaDog FriendlyFine DiningUnited States

AC3 – Palm Desert, California

Gil Garduno

Hollywood’s movie studio system of the 1920s and 30s contractually required its greatest glitterati  to remain within 100 miles of Tinseltown’s studio during production. Because of this “two-hour rule,” such stars as Cary Grant, Debbie Reynolds, Frank Sinatra and his “Rat Pack” buddies traded Hollywood’s frenetic, paparazzi-plagued lifestyle for the more secluded and sedate pace of Palm Springs, exactly 100 miles…

AlbuquerqueBreakfastFine DiningNew MexicoRated 24

Campo at Los Poblanos – Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

A simple day laborer at a wealthy estate, Ysidro began his days by rising early and attending Mass. His fellow laborers complained that they had to do some of his share of the work because he lingered in church. After hearing the complaints of his farmhands, the land owner visited his fields while Ysidro was at Mass. To his astonishment,…