Category: Albuquerque

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

AlbuquerqueBakeryNew MexicoRating: Very Good

Great Harvest Bread Co – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

The sense of smell, more than any of our other senses, influences our ability to recall past events and experience. Fragrance is considered one of the most potent mediums for conjuring up a memory. True enough, one of the most enduring sensory memories of my youth is associated with the amazing aromas that greeted me each time my mom baked bread in her oven.  How I wish I could relive those experiences now.  Stupid kids that we were, my siblings and I preferred our sandwiches made on Rainbo or Wonder Bread (available for the staggering price of 25-cents per loaf…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2025Dog FriendlyGone But Not ForgottenMexicanNew MexicoTacos

Taco Santo – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

NOTE:  In July, 2025, Taco Santo ceased operating as a taqueria, reverting back to Holy Burger, long one of the city’s most popular burger joints. Jay Rayner, one of my very favorite restaurant critics and authors, has an inimitable gift for luring readers with reviews that go far beyond describing food.  His review of Santo Remedio, a Mexican restaurant in London, is one such example, starting with his astute   observation about the debate between authenticity and verisimilitude in culinary culture: “All too often in the food world, the war of expertise becomes a lumbering battle between the Real Thing and the…

AlbuquerqueBreakfast BurritosNew MexicanNew MexicoRating: Very Good

Papa Felipe’s Mexican Restaurant – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:24 PM

In 2009, James Beard Award-winning food journalists Jane and Michael Stern published a terrific tome entitled 500 Things to Eat Before It’s Too Late. Despite the ominous (some might say fatalistic) name, the book is actually a celebration of the best dishes that are unique to this country. The Sterns, who have been focusing on quirky All-American food haunts since 1977, describe in delicious detail, the best dishes proffered at roadside stands, cafes, street carts throughout the fruited plain. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Michael Stern was asked if the inclusion of the words “too late” in…

AlbuquerqueGreekMediterraneanNew MexicoRating: Very Good

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

As a precocious stripling growing up long before Star Wars, Back to the Future and the Marvel Universe, my heroes were the gods of Mount Olympus.  In Greek mythology, the gods were incredibly powerful beings who controlled the forces of nature and human beings.  Their whims–often childish and unpredictable–dictated whether or not empires and human beings thrived or led lives replete with strife and woe.   These puerile gods possessed supernatural powers such as the ability to control the weather (Zeus), make others pregnant or get pregnant herself (Hera) and manipulate travel, paths, and sports (Hermes).  While Spiderman may have understood…

AlbuquerqueAmericanNew MexicoRating: Very GoodSandwich

The Sandwich Company – Albuquerque, NE

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In 1967, John Poppy introduced the term “generation gap” in Look magazine.  Still used widely, the term refers to the “the chasm that separates the beliefs and behaviors belonging to members of different generations. This gap often manifests in varying thoughts, actions, and preferences between younger and older generations.”  According to Investopedia, “Differences may exist in politics, values, pop culture, and other areas.”  Among the ways in which a generation gap exists is in culinary exploration. TouchBistro, “an all-in-one point of sale and restaurant management system that makes running a restaurant easier” conducted a survey of more than 2,600 diners…

AlbuquerqueBar & GrillCajunDiners Drive-Ins and DivesDog FriendlyFood Network Eats New MexicoRating: Very GoodSouthern

Nexus Brewery – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno2:47 AM

Set in Albuquerque, Breaking Bad, AMC’s critically acclaimed television series may have left viewers with the impression that the Duke City is a haven for meth cookery and fried chicken joints.  Had the fair city been more accurately typecast, it would have have been portrayed as a mecca for microbreweries.  The Albuquerque Beer Scene blog says it best: “It’s like Portland, but with sun,”  a comparison which shows just how much the city’s microbrewery and brewpub scene has grown–and not just in terms of sheer numbers.  Duke City breweries have accorded themselves so well at the Great American Beer Festival…