Category: New Mexico

AlbuquerqueAmericanClosed in 2012Gone But Not Forgotten

Billet’s Grill – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno2:54 AM

Americana has spawned many unique cultures, counter-cultures and fringe groups. Some of those cultures operate equally well in any spectrum. Take for example the biker culture in which Fortune 500 executives as well as bandits, desperados and those in between are fervent in their pursuit of two-wheeled motorized activity. This is evidenced by the throngs of bikers on both sides of the law making annual pilgrimages to Sturgis, South Dakota with the same zeal as pilgrims headed to Mecca. Local bikers have made the Billet Grill (formerly known as the Easy Riders Grill) a favorite dining destination. When it first…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2008Gone But Not ForgottenMariscosMexican

Mariscos Culiacan – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno2:42 PM

As a precocious product (some might say victim) of the American public school system, I learned more about the geography of old Mexico from one song than from twelve years of the best education our tax dollars can buy. Legendary Mexican crooner Jose Alfredo Jimenez immortalized the city of Culiacan in his hauntingly stirring ballad El Caballo Blanco which recounts a bareback rider’s journey from Guadalajara to Tijuana astride a noble white horse. In that journey, rider and horse traversed through Escuinapa, Culiacan, Los Mochis, Sonora, El Valle Del Yaqui, Hermosillo, Caborca, Mexicali and Rumorosa. How lyrically poetic and cool…

BurgersEspañolaNew MexicoNew Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail: 2009Rating: Very Good

Stop And Eat Drive In – Española, New Mexico

Gil Garduno3:46 AM

Stop And Eat–Although it seems this 50s style drive-in has always been at its Paseo De Oñate location, it hadn’t yet opened in 1598 when don Juan de Oñate led his expedition of Spanish colonists to the east bank of the Rio Grande near its confluence with the Chama River. That’s where they founded San Gabriel, New Mexico’s first capital at a site close to present day Española, home of the Stop And Eat restaurant. While Stop And Eat might sound like a mandate, it’s really more of a strong suggestion that will visit your brain every time you drive…

BreakfastClosed in 2022Gone But Not ForgottenMexicanNew MexicoSanta Fe

Felipe’s Tacos – Santa Fe, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno8:23 PM

The rich folklore of the Hispanic culture of New Mexico and southern Colorado is preserved largely through cuentos (stories, legends and myths) passed down from one generation to the next. Among my favorites is a short story of how God named His people. According to this cuento, God passed out so many names–Ortega, Lopez, Gonzalez, Sanchez–that He ran out of last names and said, “the rest of you will be called Martinez.”  This cuento is meant to illustrate why there are so many people with the last name of Martinez in New Mexico and southern Colorado. Told in English, God…

Closed in 2026Gone But Not ForgottenNew MexicoPizzaRating: ExcellentSanta Fe

Pizzeria Espiritu – Santa Fe, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno1:59 PM

The name Pizzeria Espiritu reflects the deep-seeded faith of its founder and owner Tom Berkes, the liturgy and music director at St. Joseph’s Church in Cerrillos since 1990. A liturgical music composer, Berkes plays guitar, piano and harmonica for the small Catholic parish on the Turquoise Trail. Berkes is probably more well known for the fun and festive pizzeria he and songstress Jewel Sato founded in 1997, a restaurant which has garnered recognition as one of America’s Hot 100 Independents by Pizza Today Magazine, a respected trade publication. A self-professed Renaissance Man, it is Berkes’ goal to create a fun…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2010Gone But Not ForgottenJapaneseSushi

Japengo Sushi – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno4:19 AM

The Chinese philosophy of yin and yang posits a dualistic universe in which both sides of opposite forces are each part of a whole and work together. Examples include good and bad, male and female, light and dark and positive and negative. These opposing forces are equal and necessary for harmony. A dualistic nature is what we uncovered at Japengo Sushi–in this case the opposites being truly sensational, saucy salads and sushi sadly at the level of mediocrity. Launched in August, 2004, Japengo is one of the very best restaurants on what has become restaurant row just off I-25–despite the…

AlbuquerqueAmericanClosed in 2008Gone But Not ForgottenNew Mexico

The Cup – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno10:05 AM

Back in the mid 70s, anyone in Albuquerque’s southeast quadrant who wanted privacy knew they could find it at the Burger Chef restaurant in the Gibson and San Mateo area. It was the place in which employees from nearby Sandia and Kirtland conducted one-on-one meetings when they didn’t want to be disturbed. Once a burgeoning franchise second only to McDonald’s in the fast food arena, Burger Chef was in a state of rapid decline and even during lunch hours, few diners patronized it. Our inaugural dining experience at The Cup awakened memories of Burger Chef and the sheer feeling of…

AsianClosed in 2018Gone But Not ForgottenNew MexicoRio Rancho

Banana Leaf – Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno4:54 AM

Banana leaves, although completely inedible, are used for slow, moist cooking of tough meats as well as for quicker steaming, baking or grilling of delicate ingredients such as chicken and fish. Used while still fresh and green, they lend a very moist quality to any food prepared in them and also imbue foods with a delicious herbal flavor. While Southeast Asian nations have used banana leaves in food preparation for generations, only recently have innovative American chefs begun to explore their infinite possibilities. It’s no wonder there are so many Asian restaurants named for this utilitarian, albeit inedible food ameliorant.…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2008Gone But Not ForgottenHot Dogs

Hot Diggity – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno2:59 AM

Oh, hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me How my future will shine Hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me From the moment you’re mine HOT DOG!! In an age of auditory bombardment, we all occasionally experience a phenomenon known as an “earworm.” Earworm is a literal translation of a German term for a song (particularly an annoying one) stuck in someone’s head. For some it’s the Gilligan’s Island theme song. For others, it might be “It’s a Small World” or the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine.” You can guess what earworm infested me the first…

Closed in 2024Fine DiningGone But Not ForgottenNew MexicoNew Mexico Culinary Treasures TrailTaos County

Sabroso – Arroyo Seco, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno3:01 AM

We’ve all heard the expressions from a jack to a king, from a moth to a butterfly, from a lump of coal to a diamond, but who’s ever heard…from a chicken coup to an elegant gourmet restaurant?  That sounds like more than a bit of a stretch, yet that’s the metamorphosis that transpired decades ago at what is currently the site of Sabroso, one of Taos county’s swankiest dining establishments. Local lore posits that in 1960, entrepreneurs started a restaurant not just on the site in which a chicken coup stood, but from its very walls.  That restaurant was christened…

AlbuquerqueBrazilianBuffetClosed in 2008Gone But Not Forgotten

Asado Brazilian Grill – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno3:33 AM

When it comes to diplomatic coups, one of the least known for which President George Herbert Walker Bush is credited is the introduction to the United States of the popular Brazilian Churrascaria (steakhouse) Fogo de Chão (literally Fire of the Ground). During a visit to São Paulo, Brazil, the 41st President of the United States was so impressed by the unique dining concept that he told the owners a restaurant like theirs would go over big in his home state of Texas where as in Brazil, beef is king.  As one of the first Churrascarias to open in the United…