Gone But Not Forgotten Archives - Page 46 of 58 - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

Closed in 2008 Gone But Not Forgotten Mariscos Mexican New Mexico Rio Rancho

California Baja Grill – Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJuly 28, 2008July 22, 20182:54 AM

Several years ago, I introduced my good friend John Bennett to the exhilaration of verbal sparring with the shopkeepers at the mercados of Juarez, Mexico, a vibrant border city in which aggressive bartering is considered not only an honorable sport, but the only way to ensure any semblance of a fair exchange. The shopkeepers expect it and will respect your attempts to purchase their baubles, bangles and trinkets at the price you believe is fair. When John decided to bring back some Mexican coins for his son, a novice numismatist, I advised him to get no more than a quarter’s worth of coinage. As usual he didn’t heed my advice and asked one of the shopkeepers to exchange a five…

Albuquerque Closed in 2012 Gone But Not Forgotten New Mexican

Juan’s Broken Taco – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJuly 21, 2008July 22, 20184:50 AM

Fusion–the inventive combination of diverse, sometimes disparate culinary traditions, elements and ingredients to form an entirely new genre–has yet to become commonplace in the Land of Enchantment Some restaurants in New Mexico have dabbled in their conception of fusion, primarily by offering dishes from several southeast Asian countries alongside one another as well as dishes that are “inspired” combinations of those countries’ cuisines. In large metropolitan areas, particularly in California, restaurants featuring the melding of French and Chinese cuisine are especially popular. Here’s one fusion I’ll bet you’ve never heard of, much less tried–New Mexican and Romanian. Albuquerque has one restaurant in which that rarest of fusion can be found. To be honest, it’s not the wholly disparate cuisines of…

Albuquerque Asian Closed in 2017 Gone But Not Forgotten

Chow’s Asian Bistro – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJuly 6, 2008July 22, 20181:27 PM

With but few exceptions, the Duke City’s Chinese restaurants have a boring sameness (perpetuating the stereotype that all Chinese food tastes the same) with an increasing emphasis on super-sized portions of Americanized Chinese food (fried, breaded and candied meats of poor quality). One of the few Chinese restaurants which does not perpetuate that stereotype is Chow’s Chinese Bistro in Albuquerque’s Cottonwood Mall which launched in Albuquerque’s Cottonwood Mall in November, 2005. Chow’s motto is “gourmet, not buffet.” The Web site promises slight variations in the menu among its restaurants, claiming those variations are suited to the taste buds of the community. That must mean Chow’s patrons like it either very sweet or extremely salty (more on that below). Chow’s has…

Albuquerque American Breakfast Closed in 2009

Sunshine Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJune 27, 2008July 22, 201812:36 AM

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry Sunshine on the waters looks so lovely Sunshine almost always makes me high -John Denver A gloomy, gray winter day in Minnesota was the inspiration for John Denver’s number one song “Sunshine on My Shoulders.” During a visit to the Gopher State in 1974, he experienced the type of “cabin fever” with which many New Mexicans are familiar after one gloomy winter day after another (ask anyone from Chama). Minnesota, as we know, is a far cry from New Mexico when it comes to winter warmth and sunshine. Still, after the winter of 2007-2008, many New Mexicans are able to empathize with Denver’s being ready…

Arizona Closed in 2022 Fusion Gone But Not Forgotten United States

Chino Bandido – Chandler, Arizona (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJune 25, 2008July 24, 20246:51 PM

Gustavo Arellano has the right idea. The brilliant and hilarious author of Ask A Mexican, a widely syndicated alternative newspaper column, confronts the “bogeymen of racism, xenophobia, and ignorance” with humor. In his weekly column, he defeats stereotypes and those who wield them by using deprecatory wit to exaggerate those stereotypes to the point of the ridiculous. In the Language chapter of his uproarious book, he provides a list of commonly used Mexican terms and phrases so that “you, too, can become a Mexican.” The book defines a “Chino” as “literally “Chinese,” but the catchall phrase Mexicans use for all Asians regardless of nationality.” This is clarified with the example: “Vietnamese food is my favorite Chino cuisine.” I found it…

Albuquerque American Breakfast Closed in 2012 Gone But Not Forgotten Rating: Excellent

Milton’s Family Restaurant – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJune 22, 2008March 31, 20263:03 AM

In a 2002 column Jason Sheehan, one of the best in a succession of outstanding Alibi restaurant critics assembled a dream menu of the best foods he had ever eaten, a “desert-island top ten” from which he’d choose if ever asked the question, “If you could eat only one thing every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?” His top ten list included the phenomenal red chile breakfast burritos from Milton’s Family Restaurant in Albuquerque. As a restaurant critic I’d flatter myself disingenuously if I compared myself to Sheehan, but at least in terms of our mutually high opinion of Milton’s breakfast burritos, we’re completely simpatico. I first discovered those tortilla encased treasures when stationed at…

Closed in 2012 Food Network Eats New Mexico Gone But Not Forgotten New Mexican New Mexico

Leona’s Restaurante de Chimayo – Chimayo, New Mexico

Gil GardunoJune 15, 2008May 6, 202012:32 AM

In his book Authentic Happiness, Dr. Martin Seligman posited that there are two kinds of smiles. The first is called the Duchenne smile, named for its discoverer, French neurologist Guillame Duchenne. This is considered a genuine smile in which the corners of the mouth turn up and the skin around the corners of the eyes crinkle (ala crow’s feet). This type of smile may sometimes begin with laughter that generates a wide smile which causes the skin around the eyes to crease. The Duchenne smile is very hard to fake and is therefore often used to detect sincerity. The other type of smile, called the Pan American smile, is named after the smile airline stewardesses (or at least those on…

Closed in 2008 Corrales English Gone But Not Forgotten New Mexico

The Old House Gastropub – Corrales, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJune 8, 2008July 22, 201811:50 PM

There’s a European joke that uses stereotypes to deride British cooking, one of the most maligned cuisines in the world culinary stage. As the joke goes, in the European conception of heaven, the French are the chefs, the British are the police and the Germans are the engineers while in the European conception of hell, the Germans are the police, the French are the engineers and the British are the chefs. When it comes to the culinary arts, England is the Rodney Dangerfield of Europe; its cuisine receives absolutely no respect. English food is regarded as bland and unimaginative, especially when compared with the haute (and haughty) cuisine of France. Having spent three years in England and having partaken of…

Albuquerque Closed in 2007 Gone But Not Forgotten Sandwich

Chicago Beef – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJune 2, 2008July 22, 201812:36 PM

Ask any Chicago transplant in Albuquerque or anywhere else to list the five things they miss most about the Windy City and it’s a good bet the list will include Italian beef sandwiches, a staple in Chicago. Citizens of the Toddlin’ Town are almost as passionate about this sloppy sandwich as they are Da Bears. Chicagoans grow up worshipping at high counters on which they prop their elbows as they consume Italian beef sandwiches–sometimes because the restaurant has no tables, but more often than not, because no matter how careful they are, they’re bound to spill shards of beef, bits of giardiniera and drippings of spice-laden beef gravy onto their clothing. The authentic Italian beef sandwich is, according to Pasquale…

Chinese Closed in 2024 Gone But Not Forgotten Nevada United States

Amlee Gourmet Restaurant – Las Vegas, Nevada (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoMay 31, 2008October 1, 20255:00 AM

There’s a Cantonese saying that translates to “anything that walks, swims, crawls, or flies with its back to heaven is edible.” The Chinese diet counts as delicacies some things which would repulse the more sensitive American palate. It’s not just the Chinese who will imbibe, ingest and intake what we might consider sundry strangeness. Each culture, including American, has foodstuffs other cultures find shocking. One culture’s strange and inedible is another’s traditional favorite. Take cheese, for example. Until rather recently, few Chinese would eat cheese, considering it the fetid spoils of milk. As it grows smaller, the world has become increasingly fascinated by watching the consumption of the bizarre–bizarre in this case being a voyeuristic term that doesn’t apply to…

American Closed in 2011 Gone But Not Forgotten Nevada Rating: Outstanding United States

Rosemary’s Restaurant – Las Vegas, Nevada (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoMay 30, 2008March 31, 20263:58 AM

You might think that a chef and proprietor whose restaurant has garnered almost every conceivable accolade might be almost unapproachable, perhaps even haughty and aloof…that being among the gastronomic glitterati, he wouldn’t make time for admirers of his culinary craft. We learned during a June, 2006 visit that THE Michael Jordan (the other one was a pretty fair basketball player) is one of the nicest, most unassuming and genuinely endearing celebrity chefs we’ve ever met. We had the great fortune of running into Jordan at his restaurant and he wasn’t solely concerned with what we thought of our meal (we loved it, of course). He engaged us in conversation about New Mexico, Chicago, restaurant critics and Chowhound, a Web site…