Category: Albuquerque

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2019Gone But Not ForgottenSushiThai

Jasmine Thai & Sushi – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno4:27 AM

Sometimes the most delicate and beautiful things in nature are spawned in conditions that are wholly antithetical to their survival. The delightfully fragrant jasmine flower, for example, is thought to have originated in the Himalayas, a mountainous region prone to extremely harsh weather.  The jasmine’s delicate star-shaped flowers yield a light and sweet fragrance tinged with a hint of the tropics and strongly evocative of the exotic locations in which the flower is most popular. The jasmine is as beloved among emperors, kings and sultans as it is among people of the common clay. Jasmine flowers are worn on the…

AlbuquerqueAmericanClosed in 2012Gone But Not Forgotten

Billet’s Grill – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno2:54 AM

Americana has spawned many unique cultures, counter-cultures and fringe groups. Some of those cultures operate equally well in any spectrum. Take for example the biker culture in which Fortune 500 executives as well as bandits, desperados and those in between are fervent in their pursuit of two-wheeled motorized activity. This is evidenced by the throngs of bikers on both sides of the law making annual pilgrimages to Sturgis, South Dakota with the same zeal as pilgrims headed to Mecca. Local bikers have made the Billet Grill (formerly known as the Easy Riders Grill) a favorite dining destination. When it first…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2008Gone But Not ForgottenMariscosMexican

Mariscos Culiacan – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno2:42 PM

As a precocious product (some might say victim) of the American public school system, I learned more about the geography of old Mexico from one song than from twelve years of the best education our tax dollars can buy. Legendary Mexican crooner Jose Alfredo Jimenez immortalized the city of Culiacan in his hauntingly stirring ballad El Caballo Blanco which recounts a bareback rider’s journey from Guadalajara to Tijuana astride a noble white horse. In that journey, rider and horse traversed through Escuinapa, Culiacan, Los Mochis, Sonora, El Valle Del Yaqui, Hermosillo, Caborca, Mexicali and Rumorosa. How lyrically poetic and cool…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2010Gone But Not ForgottenJapaneseSushi

Japengo Sushi – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno4:19 AM

The Chinese philosophy of yin and yang posits a dualistic universe in which both sides of opposite forces are each part of a whole and work together. Examples include good and bad, male and female, light and dark and positive and negative. These opposing forces are equal and necessary for harmony. A dualistic nature is what we uncovered at Japengo Sushi–in this case the opposites being truly sensational, saucy salads and sushi sadly at the level of mediocrity. Launched in August, 2004, Japengo is one of the very best restaurants on what has become restaurant row just off I-25–despite the…

AlbuquerqueAmericanClosed in 2008Gone But Not ForgottenNew Mexico

The Cup – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno10:05 AM

Back in the mid 70s, anyone in Albuquerque’s southeast quadrant who wanted privacy knew they could find it at the Burger Chef restaurant in the Gibson and San Mateo area. It was the place in which employees from nearby Sandia and Kirtland conducted one-on-one meetings when they didn’t want to be disturbed. Once a burgeoning franchise second only to McDonald’s in the fast food arena, Burger Chef was in a state of rapid decline and even during lunch hours, few diners patronized it. Our inaugural dining experience at The Cup awakened memories of Burger Chef and the sheer feeling of…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2008Gone But Not ForgottenHot Dogs

Hot Diggity – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno2:59 AM

Oh, hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me How my future will shine Hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me From the moment you’re mine HOT DOG!! In an age of auditory bombardment, we all occasionally experience a phenomenon known as an “earworm.” Earworm is a literal translation of a German term for a song (particularly an annoying one) stuck in someone’s head. For some it’s the Gilligan’s Island theme song. For others, it might be “It’s a Small World” or the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine.” You can guess what earworm infested me the first…

AlbuquerqueBrazilianBuffetClosed in 2008Gone But Not Forgotten

Asado Brazilian Grill – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno3:33 AM

When it comes to diplomatic coups, one of the least known for which President George Herbert Walker Bush is credited is the introduction to the United States of the popular Brazilian Churrascaria (steakhouse) Fogo de Chão (literally Fire of the Ground). During a visit to São Paulo, Brazil, the 41st President of the United States was so impressed by the unique dining concept that he told the owners a restaurant like theirs would go over big in his home state of Texas where as in Brazil, beef is king.  As one of the first Churrascarias to open in the United…

AlbuquerqueChickenNational ChainRating: Good

Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno2:49 AM

Shortly after Louisiana and Mississippi were ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, one of the local television stations in South Louisiana actually aired an interview with a woman from New Orleans. The interviewer was a woman from a Boston affiliate, so she asked the interviewee how such total and complete devastation of the churches in the area had affected their lives.  The woman replied,” I don’t know about all those other people but we get our chicken from Popeye’s.” The look on the interviewer’s face was priceless.  That anecdote rings with truism Contrary to the images the name might conjure, Popeye’s is…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2008CubanGone But Not Forgotten

Don Yasmany Cuban Restaurant & Bakery – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno4:26 PM

Cuando salí de Cuba, dejé mi vida dejé mi amor. Cuando salí de Cuba, dejé enterrado mi corazón. When I left Cuba I left my life, I left my love When I left Cuba I buried my heart. In a powerful expression of hope, frustration, nostalgia and introspection, the song Cuando Sali De Cuba reflects the heartfelt anguish and pain felt by every Cuban I’ve ever met who left their beloved Cuban homeland to escape persecution and oppression. It’s the spirit of Jose Marti, often referred to as the “Apostle of Cuban independence” and renown in literary circles as perhaps…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2011Gone But Not ForgottenSouthwestern

Casa Chaco – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno7:52 PM

In A.D. 850, the ancient Anasazi began building the pueblos archaeologists posit were the hub of an ancient culture inhabited in its heyday by more than 5,000 people. By A.D. 1000, Chaco Canyon was the flourishing heart of religious and governmental life for an advanced culture that has since been assimilated by Native American pueblos dotting the Rio Grande valley. Using remote sensing technology, archaeologists discovered roads radiating from Chaco Canyon like the spokes of the wheel, connecting the canyon with almost 100 Chacoan outliers. In modern-day Albuquerque, the rambling Hilton hotel has also become a hub of activity (more…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2008Gone But Not ForgottenMariscosMexican

Adelita’s Mexican Restaurant – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno4:26 PM

No matter where you travel in Latin America, you’ll find grilled meat (carne asada) on the menu. Restaurants called parrillas which specialize in grilled foods also grill seafood (mariscos) and poultry. Particularly popular in Argentina and Colombia, the mixed grill called Parrillada Mixta (or just parrillada) can be any combination of grilled meats, poultry and seafood. My inaugural experience with parrillada in San Antonio, Texas left such a huge impression on my taste buds that I behave like Pavlov’s dogs upon seeing it on a menu. More often than not, I’m left disappointed because my very first parrillada set a…