Albuquerque Archives - Page 4 of 82 - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

Albuquerque Mediterranean New Mexico Rating: Outstanding

Anatolia Mediterranean – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoFebruary 22, 2026March 31, 202612:01 AM

As a bumpkinly but book-smart twenty-year-old away from home for the first time, I practically ached for adventure, something different… the antithesis of my agrarian upbringing. The Air Force accommodated me, sending me first to the cultural, culinary and cosmpolitan region around Boston, Massachusetts. It was an illuminating experience which I thoroughly loved, but after two years my wandering soul wanted to experience even further away lands. Though very open-minded, the only places not on my “dream sheet” of assignment preferences were Thule, Greenland; Shemya, Alaska; and the country of Turkey. The latter was based on having seen Midnight Express (on a date, no less). Though centered in a Turkish prison, the movie gave me a wholly inaccurate portrait of…

Albuquerque Rating: Very Good Sandwich

The Yeller Sub – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoFebruary 3, 2026May 17, 202610:20 AM

In the town where I was born… Lived a man who sailed to sea… And he told us of his life… In the land of submarines… – The Beatles: Yellow Submarine The phantasmagorical 1966 Beatles song Yellow Submarine may or may not have been the inspiration for Albuquerque’s venerable Yeller Sub, but one thing’s for certain. Since it launched in 1979, the Yeller Sub has been the Duke City’s land of oversized sub and torpedo sandwiches. Long-time residents will remember that the Yeller Sub was first located on Juan Tabo not too far from Manzano High School. Today it resides in the Louisiana Plaza Shopping Center off Montgomery. Its current corner storefront has remained a popular dining destination for more…

Albuquerque Barbecue Dog Friendly New Mexico Rating: Excellent Rating: Very Good

Rudy’s Country Store & Barbecue – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoFebruary 2, 2026April 5, 20263:49 AM

In 1983, country crooner Ed Bruce released a song titled “My First Taste of Texas,” the first line of which was “My first taste of Texas was her blue eyes and golden hair.” Some ten years later, I experienced my first taste of great Texas barbecue when visiting Rudy’s Country Store & Barbecue in Leon Springs, Texas, a San Antonio suburb on the fringes of the magnificent Texas Hill Country. At the time Rudy’s was just beginning to make inroads toward becoming a significant barbecue presence in Texas where beef and brisket are king. Back then Leon Springs appeared to be a test ground for new restaurant concepts–and in fact, it is the site of the first Romano’s Macaroni Grill…

Albuquerque Italian Rating: Good

Mario’s Pizza & Ristorante – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoJanuary 24, 2026March 31, 20262:25 PM

In the 1978 movie Same Time Next Year, Ellen Burstyn’s character lamented that her husband considered his years in the Army the best years of his life. When Alan Alda’s character, her partner in a 26-year adulterous affair, commiserated that many men felt that way about their time in the military, Burstyn retorted, “but he spent two years as a prisoner of war.” Only a husband who wants to sleep on the couch would admit to any source of happiness outside of marriage… and only an honest answer to the loaded question “does this dress make me look fat“ is more deleterious to any amorous prospects. When I speak fondly to my lovely bride about how much I cherished my…

Albuquerque Buffet Indian New Mexico Rating: Outstanding

Taste of India – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoJanuary 21, 2026April 3, 20269:16 AM

“Don’t go and cook Indian food if you never cooked Indian food, you know?” ~Wolfgang Puck Those who can’t do, write. The pan is mightier than the pen. Pick your aphorism. When it comes to cooking Indian food, both certainly apply in my case. Every effort to prepare even the most basic of Indian dishes is a painful reminiscence of the Chemistry courses which confounded, confused and frustrated me in equal measure. Sure, covalent bonds made sense (because they were easy), but the math-based system of writing complex chemical equations may as well have been Klingonese. So, too, are most recipes for Indian dishes. Yes, a passable phalanx of premixed “instant” Indian food exists, but what’s the fun in preparing…

Albuquerque New Mexico Tea

St. James Tearoom – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoJanuary 20, 2026January 27, 202612:01 AM

Broccoli? I love it! Anchovies? Bring me more! Oysters? Enamored of them! Limburger Cheese? The stinkier the better! Durian? Andrew Zimmern may find it disgusting, but I love it. I’m often asked if there’s anything I don’t like. My response surprises most people. The one food item I don’t like at all is tea. Whether hot or cold, tea is absolutely nauseating to me. That may or may not stem from a week-long Boy Scout Swim Camp at Conchas Lake where tea was served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Drinking the murky water from Conchas Lake might have been preferable. My two “overseas” assignments in the Air Force were at Royal Air Force bases in England, the country which tried…

Albuquerque New Mexico Pizza Rating: Very Good Sandwich

Richie B’s – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoDecember 17, 2025April 3, 20268:14 PM

If you’ve ever wondered why New Yorkers fold their pizza slices in half lengthwise (aka the “fold hold”) and if you’ve ever attributed that practice to Big Apple quirkiness, you owe it to yourself to visit Richie B’s, a New York-style pizzeria on Montgomery and Louisiana. Now, the Albuquerque metropolitan area has plenty of claimants to New York-style pizza, but can you name a single one in which you’ve actually HAD to utilize the fold hold to eat a slice? New Yorkers have mastered the fold hold because true New York-style pizza is thin-crusted and cut into wide slices (usually wider than your face) which taper down to a perfectly pointed (and invariably “floppy”) bottom. I’ve seen friends and colleagues…

Albuquerque Asian Japanese New Mexico Ramen Rating: N/R (Not Rated)Sushi

Aji Ramen – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoDecember 17, 2025April 6, 202612:01 AM

If a television show was to be created about ramen (some pronounce it ray-men), it would probably be called “Everybody loves ramen.” According to the World Noodles Association (yes, there is such an entity), Americans consume 5.15 billion servings of instant ramen every year. If you think that’s a lot, the United States ranks as only the sixth-largest consumer globally, significantly far behind such Asian nations as China and Indonesia. Still, the land of spacious skies and fruited plains ranks as the top ramen consumer outside of Asia. The per person consumption rate among Americans is 15 servings of ramen per year. Would you believe South Korea is ranked the world’s number one per capita in instant noodle consumption (72.8…

Albuquerque Breakfast Breakfast Burritos New Mexican New Mexico Rating: Excellent

Mick’s Chile Fix – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoDecember 2, 2025May 1, 20262:55 AM

Addicts are all too familiar with the symptoms, especially the insatiable cravings that can only be quelled by a fix. There’s nothing like the high you get from the addictive mistress that is New Mexican chile. That’s why we willingly singe our tongues and scald our taste buds to get that fix. What gives chile its intense fire and creates the need for a fix is a chemical called capsaicin, a natural ingredient that stimulates the mouth’s nerve endings, causing a burning sensation. In response to this burning sensation, the brain releases endorphins, natural painkillers that may produce a temporary “high.” So, the more of a fiery chile you eat, the stronger the soothing effect. Even though chile isn’t medically…

Albuquerque American Burgers New Mexico Rating: Very Good Sandwich Steak

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

Gil GardunoDecember 1, 2025April 5, 202610:22 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…

Albuquerque Asian New Mexico Rating: Excellent Vietnamese

Pho Nho – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoNovember 30, 2025April 4, 202612:01 AM

Foodies are a passionate–some would say even snobbish–lot. The most passionate among them are sticklers for authenticity and provenance of ingredients and preparation methods. The plebeian among us who don’t know quite as much had better not represent inaccuracies as truths (much as politicians do) or even use culinary terms incorrectly lest we be excoriated. Tieghan Gerard, a well-intentioned blogger, learned just how passionate savvy foodies can be. Tieghan, the creator of the popular food blog Half Baked Harvest found herself in hot water when she had the audacity to misrepresent a quick noodle soup recipe. More specifically, she dubbed her recipe “chicken pho,” a faux pas on may levels and for many reasons. Readers were quick to point out…