Category: New Mexico

Closed in 2025Dog FriendlyGone But Not ForgottenMexicanNew MexicoRio Rancho

Cazuela’s Mexican Grill – Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno1:23 AM

Here’s an interesting bit of Jeopardy level trivia which you might contemplate the next time you dine at this Rio Rancho spot: In the Spanish golden age, a “cazuela” was the gallery located above the tavern in the back wall of a theater–the area in which women were segregated. Today “cazuela” is a Mexican word for casserole meal. Cazuela’s restaurant is a friendly, family-owned operation, which in 2007 saw significant change, precipitated in part by a motorist crashing through the diminutive dwelling which had been the restaurant’s home for several years. That original site was a tiny, time-worn building imbued with charm and warmth that belied its Lilliputian size. Cazuela’s new location is an expansive edifice which once housed Rio Rancho’s Sports Corral. The Corral’s batting cages are still part of the property, but gone are other facets of the long-time sports complex. Owner Francisco Saenz practically gutted the building, investing significant capital in completely transforming it into a classy restaurant.  The new location allows the Saenz family to expand their menu, extend hours of business and even cater large events. It’s got a banqueting facility that will accommodate large crowds.  It’s got one of the most capacious and tranquil…

DonutsRating: ExcellentSanta Fe

Whoo’s Donuts – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil Garduno11:01 PM

When my corporate group had its employees, a high-performing contingent of information technology professionals, take a strengths assessment, the results were contrary to the stereotypes often painted about techno-geeks. None of us, for example, were profiled as Megadeath tee-shirt-wearing introverts who live in our mother’s basement and play World of Warcraft online against disembodied “friends.” Most of us were correctly pegged as being high achievers with healthy interpersonal skills and altruistic inclinations. The employee who defied the IT stereotype most was my friend and fellow Peñasquero Antonette whom the assessment categorized as a “Woo” for her naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling or behavior. Even though Antonette was a cheerleader in high school, Woo in this case, is not a cheer or an onomatopoeia of excitement. Woo is an acronym for “winning others over.” In the world of a Woo, there are no strangers, only friends you haven’t met–lots of them. Woos relish the challenge of meeting new people and derive satisfaction from making personal connections. Woo fits Antonette to a tee, but it’s admittedly not a characterization one would ascribe to me, a pretty plebeian guy. To me, woo (or woot as my friend Andrea Lin has been known…

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URBAN COCINA – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:28 PM

if you believe the idea for delivery food started with Domino’s Pizza and its promise of 30-minute delivery or free, you’d be sadly mistaken.  Nor did take-out originate with Chinese restaurants in California and their wire-handled white paper buckets. Both delivery and take-out food predate the fruited plain by several centuries. Take-out had its genesis back in ancient Rome with the creation of the thermopolium, essentially a street kitchen.  The thermopolium provided the only opportunity to purchase ready-to-eat food for citizens who couldn’t afford a kitchen of their own.  Hot food was stored in big clay pots inserted in a counter and likely served in a manner similar to modern fast foods. On the other side of the globe and closer to the Land of Enchantment, another ancient civilization, the Aztecs of Mexico, had gigantic open air markets. Within these markets vendors sold “to go” food, mostly tamales.  These markets were the progenitors of the street food markets still so plentiful throughout the Land of Montezuma.  Neighborhood and citywide markets–both covered and open-air–offer wide-ranging and delicious regional food, selling everything from tacos to chapulines (grasshoppers) to huitlacoche (corn smut) and so much more. Though not quite as ancient a practice…

AlbuquerqueFood TruckMexicanNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)Tacos

Changos – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno3:13 PM

Darn that Google! Even though I used very specific Boolean operands to target my search for “Changos” in “Albuquerque,” Google returned results for Changos in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. It wasn’t until studying the photos for Changos that it dawned on me “this can’t possibly be South Broadway in Albuquerque.” The Changos in Puerto Peñasco has a thatched roof, a swimming pool bar you can swim up to and features a menu replete with fresh mariscos plucked out of the Sea of Cortez.  South Broadway is a heavily industrial area replete with as many salvage yards and junked cars as you might see in an episode of Breaking Bad. When we turned south off Rio Bravo and began wending our way southward toward Isleta Puebo, my Kim remarked “it had better be worth it.”  I had asked her to be on the look-out for “Changos Food Plaza”  (from its Messenger handle), picturing a small shopping center with a restaurant at its cynosure.  Instead, we passed one gated compound after another, most of them fenced and industrial in nature.  After overshooting the “Plaza” twice,  Kim espied another gated compound, this one with a food truck parked up front  We had arrived. Changos…

Food TruckNew MexicanNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Stuffed Lust Sopaipilla Company – Bernalillo, New Mexico

Gil Garduno10:07 AM

“Of the seven deadly sins, lust is definitely the pick of the litter.” ~Tom Robbins, Skinny Legs and All “Why,” my Kim wondered aloud “would a food truck call itself Sopaipilla Lust.” Obviously reflecting on one of Father Simeon’s fiery sermons on the seven deadly sins, my naive bride was serious.  It got me thinking…also out loud.  “Sopaipilla Gluttony would conjure images of buffet-goers gorging themselves from a trough.  Sopaipilla Greed calls to mind diners hoarding more sopaipillas than they could possibly eat.  You can’t call it Sopaipilla Anger because, well, who could possibly be angry when eating sopaipillas.  Sopaipilla Sloth?  Nah, no one would be too lazy to work for their daily bread…er, sopaipilla.“ “Sopaipilla Envy?  Well, maybe that would work.  Many a time have I envied diners at another table for whom a stuffed sopaipilla plate was being delivered.  Sopaipilla Pride?  That might work, too.  A food truck or restaurant excelling in the preparation of outstanding sopaipillas would have reason to be proud of their culinary fare.  Lust, of course, is the carnal craving for the pleasures of the flesh and few things are as pleasurable as eating stuffed sopaipillas.  As you can see, “Sopaipilla Lust” makes the…

AmericanBernalilloBrewery-PubBurgersClosed in 2025Dog FriendlyGone But Not ForgottenNew Mexico

Bosque North Brewery & Taproom – Bernalillo, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno10:32 AM

“Are you going to explain how to pronounce “bosque?,” my Kim asked when she espied me working on this review.  Though her Spanish vocabulary is rather limited, she pronounces the five or six hundred Spanish words she knows like a native speaker. For that she credits legendary Associated Press sportswriter Pete Herrera with whom she worked for years.  Explaining that correct pronunciation is part of being respectful of other languages, Pete patiently taught her the nuances and fine points of Spanish.   Today it rankles her ire to hear television talking heads on the local news–especially those with Spanish surnames–mispronouncing rudimentary Spanish words such as bosque.  “Why is it not one single television reporter can pronounce bosque?” my Kim often laments.  Sure enough, every time Albuquerque’s expansive bosque is mentioned on the air, the anchor or reporter will invariably pronounce it as “boss-key.”  “Aaargh!  It is not “boss-key!,” she rants.  Nor is it pronounced like “mosque” with a “b” as this online dictionary teaches.  For the appropriate Spanish pronunciation, you can ask my Kim or consult this Spanish to English dictionary.  And if you ever want to discuss all things Lobo basketball with Pete Herrera (there’s no one more knowledgeable) over…

Bar & GrillNew MexicoRating: Very GoodRio Rancho

O’Hare’s Grille & Pub – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno1:36 PM

Céad míle fáilte, an Irish greeting meaning “a hundred thousand welcomes” preempts any menu listings at O’Hare’s Grille & Pub. At times, especially during happy hour and before Covid, it seemed a hundred thousand patrons crammed into this popular Irish themed pub.  Frequented as much (if not more) for its quality cuisine as for its libations, this pleasant pub is renowned among foodies for its desserts, Irish entrees and a chef staff’s willingness to depart from conventional pub foods into the realm of gourmet cuisine of various ethnicities. Serving the City of Vision since 1996, O’Hare’s has survived an onslaught of interlopers in a very competitive  market.  One of the reasons for its success is continuity.  Founders Michael and Diana Hughes and owner-chef Steve Gallegos wanted to open a neighborhood grille that offered amazing food at reasonable prices, a “Cheers” like atmosphere where locals could come to get the beverage of their choice among friends.  There haven’t been a significant number of changes to the menu over the years.  “Why mess with a good thing” seems to be the operating philosophy here.  For many Rio Rancho residents, there’s a comfort level in knowing that you can visit your favorite dining…

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Cocoa Flora – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno5:42 PM

In a 1995 episode of Seinfeld fittingly titled “The Switch” Jerry asked his devious friend George Costanza how he could switch from dating Sandy, a dour woman who didn’t laugh to dating her roommate Laura, a comely woman who laughed at all of Jerry’s jokes. George’s contrived a plan: Jerry would suggest a ménage à trois.  This would disgust Sandy so much she’d break up with Jerry.  Sandy would then tell Laura who will feel flattered, thus paving the way for Jerry to ask her out. However, when both Sandy and Laura agreed enthusiastically to the ménage à trois, Jerry promptly backed out of the suggestion. His response to George was hilarious: “Don’t you know what it means to become an orgy guy? It changes everything. I’d have to dress different. I’d have to act different. I’d have to grow a mustache and get all kinds of robes and lotions and I’d need a new bedspread and new curtains I’d have to get thick carpeting and weirdo lighting. I’d have to get new friends. I’d have to get orgy friends. … Naw, I’m not ready for it.”  Like Jerry, I once faced a conundrum, but it wasn’t whether or not…

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T & T Gas N Mart – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno4:50 PM

“Eat here and get gas.”  Even in more naive and innocent times, the connotation of that double-entendre wasn’t lost on adults or children, all of whom giggled when they espied the classic sign on the marquee of many a combination eatery and filling station.  In his brilliant website The Big Apple, the “restless genius of American etymology” Barry Popik points out the sign was noticed as early as 1930.  On roadways and byways–primarily across rural America–you might still espy that clever, funny and yes, inviting sign.  It undoubtedly still inspires guffaws and groans in equal measure. Consumer historian Jan Whitaker explains in her magnificent blog Restaurant-ing Through History that not long “after thousands of Americans acquired cars and took to the roads in the 1920s that all kinds of roadside businesses popped up to serve them.”  Among the most popular was the combination gas station-restaurant “often further combined with a gift shop or rooms for overnight guests.”   She described the logic as “same one-stop-shopping idea used by department stores: get customers to stop in for essentials and they may buy other things they didn’t even know they wanted.” Today, these “eat-and-get-gas highway oases” still exist across the fruited plain,…

AlbuquerqueHawaiianNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Kimo’s Hawaiian BBQ – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno6:05 PM

For over a quarter century, the most popular section in New Mexico Magazine (the nation’s oldest state magazine, by the way) has been a humorous column entitled “One of Our Fifty is Missing.” The column features anecdotes submitted by readers worldwide recounting their experiences with fellow American citizens and ill-informed bureaucrats who don’t realize that New Mexico is part of the United States. Some travelers from other states actually believe they’re leaving their nation’s borders when they cross into New Mexico. Others think they need a passport to visit (not that they’d visit considering they’re wary of drinking our water.) Merchants and banks throughout America have been known to reject as “foreign credit cards” American Express and Visa cards issued by New Mexico banking institutions. As the 47th state to join the Union, New Mexico has nothing on Hawaii, the 50th state.  Denizens of the mainland blithely cling to stereotypes about The Aloha State.  That is, if they even recognize that Hawaii is actually a state.  Among the most ludicrous of the fallacious stereotypes (and maybe this one is based on wishful thinking) is that women wear leis, grass skirts and coconut bras.  Men, of course, wear Hawaiian shirts and…

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Guaca Guaca Tacos & Beer – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno7:30 PM

What culinary voluptuaries consider exotic and delicious, timorous eaters might find distasteful and even nauseating. With M.F.K Fisher as their muse, culinary voluptuaries–the truly adventurous diners among us–don’t let themselves be drawn into a vortex of memories recalling foods they’ve already experienced. Instead, they live with carpe diem engraved on their hearts, ever in pursuit of their next culinary epiphany, the next “aha” moment when their taste buds awaken to never before experienced symphonies of incredible flavors. Sometimes to achieve the discoveries they crave, they have to reach into the distant past, their culture’s culinary roots. That’s certainly the case in contemporary Mexico where, for the past quarter-century or so, the scions of Montezuma have been frequenting restaurants and markets which prepare and serve Aztec foods.  “Wait,” you ask, “didn’t the Aztecs eat dogs, grasshoppers, iguanas and worms?  Is that what you mean by “Aztec Foods?”  While it’s true that the aforementioned proteins were staples of the Aztec diet and modern Mexican restaurants do offer several of them, the Mesoamerican culture also gave the world such everyday indulgences as avocado and chocolate. In Montezuma’s great city of Tenochtitlan (which the Spaniards later renamed Mexico City), chocolate was considered a luxury…