Category: Fine Dining

ArizonaFine DiningUnited States

Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn – Paradise Valley, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

When making reservations for our Christmas Day meal, it dawned on me that the restaurant we chose (Lons at The Hermosa) was located in Paradise Valley, a wealthy enclave nestled  between Phoenix and Scottsdale. Paradise Valley is backdropped by the Camelback and McDowell Mountains. It’s known as a luxurious desert oasis with high-end resorts, golf courses, fine dining, and affluent residences. For some reason it made me ponder just what children would consider paradise. I wondered if Art Linkletter ever asked kids on his program Kids Say The Darnest Things what they consider paradise to be.  Alas, that question was apparently not asked during the lengthy television run of that beloved program. During a 2005 interview on CNN’s Larry King…

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PIOCHE FOOD GROUP – Fruitland, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

As my friend and retired restaurateur Tom Hamilton and I watched the Pioche family prepare a meal for some twelve guests, we both marveled at the quiet efficiency of the kitchen.  A veteran of decades leading highly-regarded kitchens, Tom related that most kitchens are a loud and frenetic hive of activity amped up to high volume.  Communication among kitchen staff is an absolute must to ensure synchronicity, especially when multiple courses are being prepared.  Instead of the characteristic chaotic din of most restaurant kitchens, the Pioche family worked in harmony, focusing on the quiet, efficient, and harmonious execution of the multitudinous tasks involved in the preparation of  a nine-course meal. It probably shouldn’t have surprised us so much that the…

AlbuquerqueFine DiningGreekMediterraneanNew Mexico

Dorothea – Fine Greek: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“What you are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.” ~Hans Urs von Balthasar, Prayer The appellation Dorothea literally means “gift of God.”   It’s a name derived from the words dōron (gift) and theos (god). While the name itself is ancient Greek, there is surprisingly  (especially considering the easily titillated denizens of Mount Olympus) no figure in pagan Greek mythology with the name Dorothea.  Instead, Dorothea is the name of a prominent Christian saint, one christened the patron saint of florists, gardeners, and brides.  She is often depicted with a basket of roses and fruit.   The name Dorothea has variants in many different languages, including Dorothée, Dorotea, Dorota, Dorrit, Doretta and more. It has also inspired…

AlbuquerqueFine DiningNew MexicanNew Mexico

Ex Novo Brewing Co. – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

After years of design and construction, Ex Novo new taproom and restaurant opened its doors in July, 2024.  The 11,500-square-foot edifice is broken into two levels.  On the first level, you’ll find  the restaurant, kitchen, taproom, indoor seating and a large patio.  A full-service bar with food service can be found upstairs in the spectacular mezzanine.  A large outdoor patio accommodates one-hundred guests and will eventually provide live music.   An adjacent  cafe and deli called Sammy’s Cafe & Deli.opened in October, 2024. Sammie’s offers an all-day breakfast menu as well as some of the most sought-after sandwiches imaginable (a pastrami reuben, banh mi, Italian, etc.) Brought in to lead Ex Novo during its founding was Marc Quiñones, one of the…

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Hush Public House – Scottsdale, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

During a February, 2024 episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, host Guy Fieri asked Chef Dom Ruggiero what type of cuisine her served at his North Scottsdale restaurant Hush Public House.  Chef Ruggiero explained Hush features “New American,”  a term which basically “let’s me do whatever I want.”  Chef Ruggiero could have said “Martian” and it’s unlikely he would have received any argument from the periphrastic  host.  In part that’s because Chef Ruggiero is a former United States Marine.  With tatooed guns nearly the size of Hulk Hogan’s, he still looks like he could take on a regiment of terrorists single-handedly.  Despite the chef’s enviable musculature, Fieri observed a culinary technique he described as “such a big hand doing it so…

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Level 5 Rooftop Restaurant at Hotel Chaco – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

The Hotel For a nearly four-hundred year period, the Anasazi civilization which preceded New Mexico’s Pueblo cultures achieved the pinnacle of its technological and cultural advancement at a magnificent,  deep gorge called Chaco Canyon. Within the walls of Chaco Canyon, construction of multi-level buildings sprung up, some structures accommodating as many as  800 rooms. Not surprisingly, lower walls had to be made massive in order to support heavy stone walls up to five floors high.  It took remarkable planning to locate doors, passageways, kivas and other architectural features.  At five stories high,  Pueblo Bonito was the largest structure and the inspiration for Hotel Chaco’s spectacular venue in Albuquerque’s Sawmill District. In 2017, local developer Heritage Hotels launched Hotel Chaco on…

2024 James Beard Foundation (JBF) Outstanding Restaurant FinalistFine DiningNew MexicoSanta Fe

The Compound – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:37 AM

“It’s good…New Mexico good.”  As a proud New Mexican, it galls me to hear apologists demean, denigrate and otherwise concede (quite erroneously) that restaurants  in the Land of Enchantment are good, but not as good as restaurants elsewhere.  It’s as if New Mexico’s restaurants can’t possibly be as good because…well, we’re New Mexico and we’re just not supposed to be very good.  Look at where we rank in so many quality of life categories.  It’s akin to University of New Mexico (UNM) Lobo basketball fans being content to make it to the “Sweet 16,” a goal no Lobos team has ever achieved. My counterargument is why the #$%*&! can’t a restaurant in New Mexico be considered one of, if not…

2024 James Beard Foundation "Best Chef - Southwest" SemifinalistAlbuquerqueFine DiningNew MexicanNew Mexico

Level 5 Rooftop Restaurant – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

For a nearly four-hundred year period, the Anasazi civilization which preceded New Mexico’s Pueblo cultures achieved the pinnacle of its technological and cultural advancement at a magnificent,  deep gorge called Chaco Canyon. Within the walls of Chaco Canyon, construction of multi-level buildings sprung up, some structures accommodating as many as  800 rooms. Not surprisingly, lower walls had to be made massive in order to support heavy stone walls up to five floors high.  It took remarkable planning to locate doors, passageways, kivas and other architectural features.  At five stories high,  Pueblo Bonito was the largest structure and the inspiration for Hotel Chaco’s spectacular restaurant Level 5  in Albuquerque’s Sawmill District. In 2017, local developer Heritage Hotels launched Hotel Chaco on…

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Mesa Provisions – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

When I started Gil’s Thrilling…way back in 1996, my goals were to celebrate New Mexico’s restaurant scene and to provide an escape from the mean-spirited dialogue so prevalent among petulant politicians who have long forgotten they work for us.  I’ve tried not to lash out against politics through this medium I’m privileged to steward, but sometimes my frustration leaks out.  For those occasions I apologize.  I promise to try harder to focus on the joy I experience every time I dine with good friends.   When I’m upset with the latest shenanigans in Washington, D.C. and Santa Fe, those friends buoy my spirits with convivial discourse over a great meal. Such was the case when I met Linda Johansen (my…

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Zinc BIstro – Scottsdale, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“Are you sure we belong here,” my Kim asked as we strolled along Kierland Commons, an upscale Main Street lifestyle center.  “Of course, we belong here,” I replied just as a shiny, brand new Bentley parked in the spot we were walking past.  We certainly don’t have that kind of money (not even close), but we have a great equalizer.  Just by batting his brown eyes, our debonair dachshund The Dude had the couple on the Bentley clamoring to pet and stroke him, all the while uttering oohs and aahs at the softness of his fur and the sweetness of his smile.  Whether you own a Bentley or a Hyundai, our Dude will own your heart.   Based on the…

2023 James Beard Foundation "Best Chef - Southwest" SemifinalistFine DiningJames Beard Foundation (JBF) Award Nominees & WinnersNew MexicoRated 26Taos County

THE LOVE APPLE – Taos, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

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 nightshade family? Brought to Europe by the Spanish conquistadors, it was initially viewed with apprehension, thought not to be edible but purely decorative–and poisonous. Leave it to the French to change that perception by ascribing aphrodisiac properties to what they called pomme d’amour or love apple. This prompted the Roman Catholic Church of the time to declare the tomato the…