Category: American

AlbuquerqueAmericanBurgersNew MexicoRating: Very GoodSandwichSteak

Dave’s Valley Grill – Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno10:22 AM

Several years ago, Major Larry Abraham (God rest his soul) of the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque called me out, reminding me that such restaurants as Sadie’s of New Mexico, Casa de Benavidez and Vernon’s Speakeasy were located not in Albuquerque as credited on Gil’s Thrilling…, but in the village he capably served for four terms. He politely asked me to correct my oversight. Ever since Mayor Abraham’s gentle prodding, your humble blogger has been much more diligent about ensuring the correct location of every restaurant reviewed–especially when at issue is whether the restaurant is in Albuquerque or in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. In my defense, the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque is much like what New Mexico’s…

AlbuquerqueAmericanNew MexicoPizzaRating: Very Good

Tula’s Kitchen (Pan American) – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“Pizza makes you a hero in the eyes of your kids. “Daddy got pizza!” You are higher status walking in the door with a pizza than if you were returning from a war with a Purple Heart.” ― Jim Gaffigan, Dad Is Fat Virtually since its inception, Dion’s Pizza has been a beloved Albuquerque staple–as much a Duke City institition as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the Sandia Peak Tramway and the Albuquerque Isotopes.   Denizens of the Duke City love Dion’s, a prolific purveyor of pulchritudinous pies since 1978.  With thirteen locations in Albuquerque alone as well as several others throughout the state, Dion’s pizza has become a mainstay not only at the family home, but at business functions.  It’s not only…

AlbuquerqueBurgersNew MexicoRating: Very GoodRio Rancho

Stackers Burger Co. – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In baseball it’s called the “Triple Crown,”an incredibly rare achievement in which a player leads the league in average, home runs, and runs batted in.  To win the triple crown, a player must tremendous power to hit for distance as well as a very keen eye to hit baseballs thrown at nearly 100 miles per hour and place them on the field in positions that result in driving in runs.  In horse racing, the term Triple Crown represents a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.  To win all three of these races is even more rare. There’s another Triple Crown competition that’s even more challenging and difficult to win.  That’s Edible’s Green…

AlbuquerqueAmericanBreakfastBreakfast BurritosBrunchDog FriendlyNew MexicoRating: Very Good

Cinnamon Sugar and Spice Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno3:20 PM

Back in the dark ages when I grew up–long before America became the kinder, gentler Utopia it is today (seething with cynicism)–it would have been inconceivable that boys and girls would receive trophies just for “participating.” Back then, we were expected to be competitive about everything. The battle of the genders was waged at home every night with my brothers and I pitting our brawn and bulk against the brains and gumption of our sisters, two of whom would go on to graduate as valedictorians and all of them much smarter than the recalcitrant Garduño boys. It rankled us to no end when our sisters reminded us constantly that “boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails‘”…

AmericanNative AmericanNew MexicanNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Earl’s Family Restaurant – Gallup, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Two years after the end of the “second war to end all wars,”  a hamburger joint in Gallup first opened its doors.  What started out as a small burger place with scant seating (four stools and a couple of booths) has grown over the years to accommodate legions of loyal guests, some of whom have been frequenting Earl’s Family Restaurant practically since its inception.  Today, the seating capacity at Earl’s approximates 300.   That’s just barely enough to accommodate crowds during peak hours  Earl’s is open seven days a week fror breakfast, lunch and dinner. At nearly eighty years of serving Gallup residents and travelers along historic Route 66, Earl’s shows no signs of surcease. As you amble through the canopied…

AmericanNevadaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SouthernUnited States

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Momofuki in New York City, Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn,  Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, Bourbon Steak in San Francisco, Border Grill in Los Angeles, Bouchon in Yountville, Emeril’s in New Orleans, Jaleo in Washington, D.C..  These are among the many restaurants on every true gastronome’s bucket list.  In addition to being helmed by some of the culinary world’s most celebrated luminaries, these pantheons of deliciousness share another commonality.  They all have a presence in Las Vegas casinos where well-heeled guests with plenty of disposable income come to gamble and to eat well. Whether celebrity chef restaurants in Las Vegas are as good as their originals is a matter of debate.  Award-winning restaurants throughout the fruited plain are similarly…

AlbuquerqueAmericanBreakfastBreakfast BurritosDog FriendlyNew MexicanNew MexicoRating: Excellent

Hello Deli – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

HELLO DELI (to the tune of Hello Dolly) “Hello Deli, this is Joe, Deli would you please send up a nice corned beef on rye. A box of RITZ, Deli and some Schlitz, Deli Some chopped liver and a sliver of your, apple pie. Turkey Legs, Deli hard boiled eggs, Deli and a plate of those potatoes you french fry, oh Don’t be late, Deli I just can’t wait Deli, Deli without breakfast, I’d just die.” ~ Frank Jacobs (Writer for MAD Magazine) In 2016, BBC Travel lamented the imminent demise of the New York City deli.  “Not the corner markets or bodegas that appear on nearly every New York block,” but “the true New York City delicatessen: the brick and…

AmericanBreakfastBreakfast BurritosDog FriendlyNew MexicoPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Trail Rider – Cedar Crest, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

During the prehistoric and dark ages when I went to school, we were taught a song called “The Bear Went Over The Mountain.”  When that wandering ursus got to the other side of the mountain, all he could see was the other side of the mountain.  Ostensibly, this song recalls a bear’s fruitless journey to see what lies beyond.  It symbolizes the endless nature of life’s constant undertakings, the continuous, sometimes futile, effort in life to find something beyond the current experience.  Now, that’s the allegorical meaning of the song.  In literal terms, a bear (or anyone of us) going over the Sandia Mountains won’t see the same sights or have the same experiences we have in the Albuquerque side…

AlbuquerqueAmericanDog FriendlyNew MexicoRating: Very Good

Sixty Six Acres – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno6:36 PM

My high school football coach Jesus Bautista used to call his team “chiquitos pero picosos,” a Spanish term meaning “small but piquant” (like New  Mexico’s chiles). At 6’1” and a svelte 175 pounds in full uniform, I was the biggest guy on the team.  That made me an enforcer of sorts when players on the other teams tried to bully my smaller teammates. For the most part, I was able to handle the biggest, meanest, roughest players we lined up against. The one exception was when we played Albuquerque Indian School. To keep us from touching their quarterback, the Braves positioned a steel wall in the backfield, an impenetrable barrier President Trump would envy. Disguised as a fullback, that human…

AlbuquerqueBreakfastBreakfast BurritosBurgersNew Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail: 2009New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail: 2011Rating: Very Good

Blake’s Lotaburger – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Blake’s Lotaburger is a premier New Mexico institution founded in 1952 by long-time proprietor Blake Chanslor who owned it for half a century before selling it in 2003. While the marquee may still carry Blake’s name, the 76 store franchise with a presence in most of New Mexico’s larger cities and towns (23 in all) is now owned by Brian Rule, an Albuquerque resident.  On April 10, 2009, Chanslor passed away, having left a legacy based not only on having founded a New Mexico institution, but for his philanthropic endeavors. Thankfully, Lotaburger has, for the most part, retained the high quality that has allowed it to thrive despite the onslaught from deep-pocketed, worldwide corporate megaliths.  At least that’s the case…

AmericanBreakfastBreakfast BurritosBurgersCoffeeNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Aly’s @ Sugar’s – Embudo, New Mexico

Gil Garduno11:22 PM

The winding highway meandering along the murky Rio Grande through Embudo is among the most scenic in the Land of Enchantment, particularly in mid-autumn when leaves turn a vibrant shade of gold. For  nearly two decades, motorists drove slowly not only to take in the foliage, but to imbibe the hazy applewood smoke plumes emanating from Sugar’s BBQ & Burgers .  Enchanting aromas wafted into motorized conveyances like a sweet Texas smoke signal beckoning passers-by to try a combo platter or a brisket burrito.  In 2023, the drive alongside the Rio Grande became somewhat less captivating with the discernible absence of those fragrant aromas. From outward appearances, Sugar’s was a humble, ramshackle corrugated-tin shack.  Beyond that exterior facade, it was…