Ay Caramba – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)
Ay Caramba! That tired old Spanish expression was part of American pop culture long before Bart Simpson popularized its usage on episodes of The Simpsons animated television series. The expression translates to “confound it!” or maybe “Holy Cow” and is generally used to register surprise. You can almost imagine the Mexican equivalent of Robin, the Boy Wonder of Batman fame exclaiming “Ay Caramba” as he and his crime-fighting partner stumble onto yet another perilous plight. My hopes were that I’d be exclaiming “Ay Caramba” at how great the food is at this mom-and-pop restaurant which launched in 2005. After all, my friend and colleague Steve Coleman has a relatively high opinion of the restaurant’s “sister” restaurant in Canutillo, Texas, a restaurant owned by the brother of Albuquerque’s Ay Caramba. It appears good cooking runs in the family. Ay Caramba’s menu is replete with many traditional favorites of northern Mexico as well as the wonderful mariscos found along Mexico’s coastal seaways…but Ay Caramba!…the menu doesn’t include Ceviche, one of the items that defines Mexican seafood. Complementary salsa arrives at your table shortly after you do. The jalapeno and roasted tomato salsa makes sparse use of cilantro and cumin, two overused spices which…