Category: New Mexico

AlbuquerqueFrenchNew MexicoRating: Very Good

Chez Axel – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno7:59 AM

At an Italian restaurant in which he once worked,  one of Chef Daniel Little’s primary tasks was to construct charcuterie boards, a recognition of his artistic nature and deftness.  He would much preferred to be doing the cooking.  The Central New Mexico (CNM) Community College trained chef is doing all the cooking he wants to do now.  After more than twelve years of working for some of Albuquerque’s premier chefs at such enchanting eateries as M’Tucci’s Bar Roma, Savoy and Level 5, Chef Little is now calling the shots as the chef-owner of Chez Axel, one of Albuquerque’s most venerable French restaurants. During our 2025 visit to Chez Axel after an absence of fourteen years, Chef Daniel was both host and server while a fellow CNM alum did the cooking.  Chef Daniel is a genial guy with a great sense of humor and guest orientation that makes everyone feel welcome.  Moreover, he’s absolutely committed to his craft and not just the cooking part of owning a restaurant.  He’s also pursuing a degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing so that he can take advantage of social media’s broad reach.  One of the challenges he faces is that Chez Axel…

AlbuquerqueMexicanNew MexicoRating: Excellent

Fiesta Azul Tequila House Mexican Kitchen – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

TIM WALZ: “I have white guy tacos.” VP KAMALA HARRIS: “What does that mean? Like, mayonnaise and tuna? What are you doing?” TIM WALZ: “Pretty much-ground meat and cheese.” VP KAMALA HARRIS:  “Do you put any flavor in it?” TIM WALZ:  “Uh, no.  Black pepper is the top of the spice level in Minnesota, ya know” A promotional  video featuring the Democratic Presidential nominee sharing a funny exchange with her Vice Presidential pick revealed the latter’s “Midwestern tastes” which include a “white guy taco.”   Analysis of America’s voting preferences has been done for virtually every demographic category save perhaps the “taco vote.”   Sadly, in the world of politics even a video elicits rancor and outrage when it depicts candidates behaving like normal people a having  normal conversation.  I hope you don’t take umbrage at this introduction to my post. If there’s one thing American idealogues–conservatives and liberals–should not be divided about, it’s our mutual love of tacos.  As a Hispanic white guy pretty much incapable of being offended, I myself used the term “white guy Mexican food” for years.   In fact, I used terms that were much more disparaging.  Imagine having been weaned on New Mexican food and being sent…

AmericanBreakfastNew MexicanNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Del’s Restaurant – Tucumcari, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

The 1950s was the era of American Graffiti and Happy Days.  Motorists were getting their kicks on Route 66 and listening to Wolfman Jack howl as he spun Rock Around The Clock at 45rpm.  Vestiges of that era are still teeming in Tucumcari, the easternmost major town in the Land of Enchantment along Interstate 40.  Known by locals as “the town that’s two blocks wide and two miles long,” Tucumcari’s main thoroughfare traces the route blazed through town by old Route 66.  That route is festooned with vibrant neon signage that cuts a luminous swath through the town. The nocturnal spectacle of glowing neon might be the siren’s call that has drawn generations of “cruisers” to Tucumcari Boulevard. Not quite equidistant between Amarillo and Albuquerque, Tucumcari has long provided much-needed respite for weary travelers headed west.  In its halcyon days, hundreds of signs along the highways trumpeted “Tucumcari Tonite—2,000 Motel Rooms.”  There aren’t nearly as many motel rooms in Tucumcari today.  Among the survivors are the famous  Blue Swallow Motel which Smithsonian Magazine once called “the last, best, and friendliest of the old-time motels.”  Across Route 66 from the Blue Swallow stands another survivor, the landmark tepee fronting the historic Tee…

AmericanBreakfastNew MexicoRating: Very GoodSanta Fe

The Original Realburger – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil Garduno3:10 PM

Her sunrise could bring light into a blind man. Her sunset could put tears there in his eyes. Her colors are laying there in brush strokes. Underneath those peote skies. The lay of the land stirs all of my emotions. She heals me with a laid back energy. She holds onto my broken lifeless spirit. And molds me just like pottery. And nowhere that I’ve ever been can make me feel this way. That’s why I’m going there to stay. – The Bellamy Brothers Santa Fe’s preternatural beauty is so captivating that even the plethora of writers, artists and musicians who pilgrimage to this jewel of the Southwest are at a loss for adjectives to adequately describe it.  Perhaps because of their scarcity of synonyms, some of them refer to it as “Fanta Se” as in fantasy, a city so singularly soul-stirring that its mystical qualities seems to transcend reality. Even Santa Fe’s cuisine is lavished with laudation.  Critics and patrons alike  lionize Fanta Se’s restaurants and the world class chefs which preside over  traditional earthen ovens, ultra-modern steely stoves  and Spanish style tapas grills to prepare the mouth-watering marriage of traditional and contemporary cuisine that has made Santa Fe one…

AlbuquerqueNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)Sandwich

Los Toasties – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

To paraphrase John 15:13, “No greater love a man has than this, that a man give up his life for a….sandwich.” In an uproariously funny episode of the television show Friends, Joey, Chandler and Ross go on a ride-along with Phoebe’s policeman boyfriend. Believing a back-firing muffler was actually a gunshot, Joey (sitting in between his two friends) dives, seemingly to protect Ross from harm.  Naturally Chandler was upset that Joey would choose to protect Ross instead of him…until he learns that Joey was actually trying to protect his sandwich.  In the finest tradition of Dagwood Bumstead, Joey Tribbiani loved sandwiches; they were his favorite food.  I don’t know how many Americans would “take a bullet” for their sandwich, but America is most definitely a nation of sandwich lovers. According to  the National Institutes of Health, “on any given day, 47% of adults ate a sandwich. A larger percentage of men (52%) than women (43%) ate sandwiches.  Most sandwiches eaten by adults contained meat, poultry, or fish (79%). The most commonly consumed types of sandwich were cold cut sandwiches (27%), burgers (17%), and poultry sandwiches (12%).  Among adults, nearly one-half of all sandwiches were eaten at lunch (48%), followed by dinner…

Rating: ExcellentSandwichSanta Fe

Mucho Gourmet Sandwich Shoppe – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil Garduno7:14 AM

The New Mexico State Legislature has long recognized the important of our state’s culinary traditions, enacting measures to officially recognize those foods that have historical, cultural and emotional significance to citizens of the Land of Enchantment. In 1965, the delicious duo of frijoles (pinto beans) and chile were designated New Mexico’s official state vegetables (never mind that chile is technically a fruit). Frijoles and chile are virtually inseparable in New Mexican cuisine and are considered staples. In 1989, House Bill 406 designated the bizcochito as New Mexico’s official state cookie. Lawmakers on the range floor couldn’t initially agree on its spelling, some pressing for the “s” and others for “z.” Ultimately the Senate returned the bill as “bizcochito.” On On April 8, 1999, Governor Gary Johnson signed the bill making the resolution a law which declared “red or green” the official state question. Less known is the fact that the New Mexico state legislature also passed a resolution approving an official state answer. It’s no surprise that “red and green” or “Christmas” has been adopted as the official answer of the great state of New Mexico. On March 28, 2023, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed Senate Bill 188 making the…

AlbuquerqueBreakfast BurritosBrunchNew Mexico

Smothered – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Until she retired in November, 2024, I referred to my friend Linda Johansen as the “doyenne of UNM IT.”  Linda is such an absolutely brilliant technologist that you might believe her doctorate is in information systems but it’s actually in Psychology.  It didn’t dawn on me until after our meal what Linda must have thought about my sinister answer to her word association question regarding the term “Smothered.”  My association hearkened back to our previous shared meal when a high-pitched child’s ear-piercing screams made other diners cringe.  I joked “Smothered” is what one elderly woman looked like she wanted to do to that child.  Hmm, I must have been chaneling my inner Ted Bundy when coming up with that gem. Linda’s association with the term Smothered was Waffle House’s “scathered, smothered and covered” hash browns.  That’s hash browns “Smothered” in Grilled Onions and “Covered” with a Slice of Melted American Cheese.”  That’s a Gil type answer if ever there was one.  It’s certainly far more innocuous and humane than my answer.  It was also much closer to what Smothered is all about.  Smothered is a new concept from the good folks who brought us Bosque Brewing.  The concept is aptly described…

AlbuquerqueAsianChineseFusionNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

El Palacio Imperial – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“Tradition is everything.  It’s very important. But we need to remember that the traditions of today Were the modernity of the past. And that the things we think are very science fiction type of things Will be the traditions of tomorrow.” ~Chef Jose Andres Chef Jose Andres was the founder of the World Central Kitchen which provides large-scale relief to communities affected by natural disasters and conflicts around the world.  He’s one of Time Magazine’s  world’s 100 most influential people.  He earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom for his altruism as well as for being the Spanish-American culinary innovator who popularized tapas in the United States.  His list of accomplishments and the reach of his philanthropic efforts mark him as one of those rare human beings whose influence and impact extend far beyond the kitchen. Several years ago, my Kim and I visited China Poblano, a spectacular restaurant launched by Chef Andres in Las Vegas, Nevada.  This eatery pays tribute to the concept of East meets West, serving both Mexican and Chinese foods.  Las Vegas Weekly called China Poblano “quite simply the perfect restaurant for today’s hipster foodie.”  China Poblano is not a fusion restaurant per se in that it doesn’t…

ItalianNew MexicoRating: OutstandingRio Rancho

Joe’s Pasta House – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:02 AM

Much as they might wish for it to happen, no restaurateur can make their restaurant THE hometown favorite.  It happens organically and it happens only by the unanimous will and consent of the people.  Similarly, it takes the acclamation of the dining public for a restaurant to become THE heartbeat of a community–where residents go to interact with one another in a convivial spirit of sharing a great meal. A restaurant has to prove itself every single time with every single guest.  It must offer a combination of memorable food, a homey look and feel and mostly, personable, attentive service.  There can be no such thing as a “bad day.”  To find the template for how a restaurant becomes the heartbeat of a community and the undisputed favorite restaurant in a hometown you need look no further than Joe’s Pasta House, a paragon of service excellence and culinary deliciousness where all guests are treated like family. While dining out has always been an essential part of Rio Rancho’s cosmology, in its nascent days residents had to drive down the hill or across the river to enjoy restaurants that weren’t national chains. Then in 1999, Joe and Kassie Guzzardi assumed ownership…

Los Ranchos de AlbuquerqueNew MexicoRating: Very GoodSalvadoran

El Papaturro Restaurant – Los Ranchos De Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:30 PM

Driving north on Fourth one Sunday afternoon, my sharp-eyed Kim espied a new eatery with the curious name El Papaturro. Our first inclination was that the Pappas Restaurants group had made another incursion into the Land of Enchantment. It seemed to make sense considering the Pappas Restaurant Group, a family-owned and operated restaurant company based out of Houston, is the parent restaurant of Pappadeaux which has had a presence in Albuquerque since 2004. Pappadeux, a seafood restaurant with Cajun leanings, has several sibling eateries across the fruited plain, all sporting “Pappas” on their appellation. Seemingly covering all palates, the Pappas restaurant family includes Pappasito’s Cantina for the Mexican food lover in you, Pappas Seafood House, Pappas Brothers Steakhouse, Pappas Bar-B-Q, Pappas Burger and Pappas Grill and Steakhouse. Upon finally remembering that the trademark spelling for the Pappas family of restaurants calls for “Pappa” to be spelled with two p’s, we dismissed the notion that this was yet another restaurant in the burgeoning Pappas family. So what the heck, we wondered, is a Papaturro? Most likely, we reasoned, the term was probably Greek and not Spanish. With our combined vocabulary of Spanish and Spanglish words (including dozens of invectives), we would…

AsianNew MexicoRating: ExcellentRio RanchoThai

Thai Cuisine – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

New Mexican men can be so haughty.  (I don’t include New Mexican women in this categorization because they’re generally smarter.)  We laugh at what Californians, Arizonans and especially Texans call “chili.”  We pride ourselves on machismo, some of which is on display even when we eat out.  We never ask if the chile is hot.  We assume (and hope) it is so we can prove how tough we are.  We question the manhood of any New Mexican who prefers his chile “mild.”  Mild chile is for children and law enforcement officials in Uvalde, Texas.  Give us chile with the piquancy of napalm or volcanic lava.  Give us chile even Satan can’t eat. Yeah, right!  I’ve seen New Mexican men wheeze and sputter, their eyes watering with tears as they beg for sweet, merciful death as they try to eat Thai food…and that’s not even at the “Thai hot” level of heat.  Thai peppers provide another level of heat, one that makes New Mexican chile seem like bell peppers in comparison.  Consider that sacrilege if you will, but Thai peppers have kicked even my tail and I’m pretty heat tolerant.  I still order the “Thai heat” level at most restaurants.  Over…