Category: Albuquerque

AlbuquerqueBrunchBuffetClosed in 2026Gone But Not ForgottenMexicanNew Mexico

Los Felix – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

As we strode into Los Felix on a windy Saturday in May, we espied a very attractive young lady pointing an extendable selfie stick at her face as she spoke a thousand words a minute.  “Great,” we figured “another self-absorbed Gen Xer sharing the mundane details of her day on social media.”  Boy were we wrong.  That young lady turned out to be Gaby Camez, a social media influencer who posts restaurant reviews on Facebook.  Gaby’s site, Comiendo Rico en Albuquerque, is a celebration of the Duke City’s Mexican restaurants. Even if you’re not fortunate enough to speak and understand…

AlbuquerqueAmericanNew Mexico

Hollow Point Cuisine – Albuquerque, New Mexico (REDESIGNATED)

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

NOTE:  This review is no longer accurate.   According to The Bite: In other distillery news, >Hollow Spirits is moving into the building vacated by Bosque Brewing’s Heights Public House. The third-largest distillery in the state, Hollow Spirits has switched gears more than once with their original downtown Albuquerque location, which now operates strictly as a production facility and events space. Their new spot in the Heights will be open to the public, with a 5,000-foot patio in addition to indoor space, but no reports yet on what will be coming out of the kitchen. In every profession–from teachers to NFL players–some people…

AlbuquerqueItalianNew Mexico

Trombino’s Bistro Italiano – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:15 AM

One commonality among conservatives and liberals is an unwaivering belief that “their side” is right and the other side is pretty stupid.  Idealogues on both sides wonder how the other side can be so wrong in their thinking. They both wonder why people on the other side refuse to listen to reason and to truths that are so obvious.  On a bilateral basis, both sides stubbornly hold to their beliefs, refusing to concede any merit to any matter contrary to their own.  Partisan affiliations get tied up in personal identities.  Any attack on our strongly held beliefs is a personal…

AlbuquerqueAmericanDog FriendlyIndianNew MexicoRating: Very Good

Marigold Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

It’s not all parents who can give birth to two children in a six week period, but that’s precisely what Harrison and Violet did.  In early October, 2019, they welcomed into the world a beautiful bundle of love they christened Jasmine.  Just before Thanksgiving six weeks later, they greeted their second “baby” when Marigold Cafe opened its doors in the Journal Center area retail space which also houses Restoration Pizza and Cabela’s.  Along with Torinos @ Home, these two bookend restaurants just may make the Journal Center area a dinnertime dining destination instead of just two other restaurants serving the…

AlbuquerqueBreakfastNew MexicanRating: Very Good

Monroe’s New Mexican Food – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno2:38 AM

If I’ve learned anything from dining at Monroe’s, it’s that I shouldn’t leave the restaurant with any regrets.  Invariably what I end up regretting most often is that I didn’t have the green chile cheeseburger, one of the very best in town, if not the Land of Enchantment.  It’s a green chile cheeseburger so good that I’ll order it during three consecutive visits before ordering anything else on the menu–and when I don’t order it, I lament not having had my ardor quelled by its utter deliciousness. Some may question how a restaurant with such an “Anglicized” appellation as Monroe’s…

AlbuquerqueBakeryBreakfastJewishNew MexicoRating: Excellent

Horizon Bagels & Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno10:39 AM

The furthest thing you can see when you stare out into the sky––the line where the sky meets the earth––is called the horizon.  Now, contemplate the faraway rainbow when it appears on the horizon.  The rainbow is one of the most inspiring displays in nature–the spectacular, high-arching display of colors that stretches across the horizon at the tail end of a rainstorm. This prototypical display of  the colors of the ultraviolet spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, violet) is brought on by sunlight refracting, reflecting, and dispersing as it passes through raindrops.  It’s magical!  No wonder fortune –a pot of…

AlbuquerqueBurgersClosed in 2025Gone But Not ForgottenNew Mexico

Revel Burger – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

NOTE: In 2025, the Golf Course location of Revel Burger shuttered its doors.  The original Revel Burger on 4720 Alexander Blvd., N.E. remains open. At my advanced age (39), I would rather shop like it’s 1999 than party like the 1999 of Prince’s hit tune.  For those of you less seasoned than I am, there’s a venue in Albuquerque where you can party hearty then enjoy burgers to replenish the calories you burn while partying.  It’s a 55,000 square-foot entertaining concept called Revel that includes a food hall, bar and entertainment venue–nine concepts under one roof.   Located at 4720…

AlbuquerqueItalianNew MexicoRating: Outstanding

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno10:36 AM

“The best ingredient I discovered in America was ‘freedom.’ The freedom to experiment in the kitchen and the freedom to be open to those experiments in the dining room.” ~Massimo Bottura, Osteria Francescana Chef and Owner Adesso basta!  I’ve had it with the haughty pedantry of my Air Force comrades-in-arms who were blessed to have been stationed in La Bele Paese and to have dined on its incomparable dishes. They’re oh-so-quick to vilify Italian-American cuisine, calling it an inauthentic parody of the madrepatria‘s sacrosanct and sublime cuisine.  They’re even quicker to criticize my devotion to such Italian-American restaurants as Joe’s…

AlbuquerqueBurgersNational ChainRating: Good

Fuddruckers – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:08 PM

The audacious proclamation on Fuddruckers door, logo and Web site, “The world’s greatest hamburgers available” may not be quite complete. Add the words “somewhere else” and most will agree, you probably have a more accurate description of this tremendously popular restaurant chain which actually trademarked the “world’s greatest hamburgers” logo.  Trademarks, much like speeches made by politicians, television commercials and magazine ads aren’t always completely truthful.  Only the internet can be believed. Founded in 1980 by restaurant impressario Phil Romano (of Romano’s Macaroni Grill fame), Fuddruckers has expanded to more than 250 locations across the world including such purveyors of…

AlbuquerqueAmericanBrewery-PubDog FriendlyNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

377 Brewery – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Could have.  Would have.  Should have.  These are perhaps the three saddest statements a coach can utter about the team he or she leads.   Essentially, that coach is saying “we’re not good enough,” “having potential is not enough” and “moral victories don’t count.”  In 1987, Jim Mora, coach of the perpetually woeful New Orleans Saints addressed the media after a close loss to the San Franciso 49ers.  “Could’ve, should’ve, would’ve,” he declared, “I’m tired of saying “could’ve..”  His fiery diatribe lit a fire under his Saints which proceeded to go on a nine game winning streak. Could have.  Would…

AlbuquerqueBuffetIndianNew MexicoRating: Excellent

Kabab & Curry – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

A recent study by The Picky Eater analyzed the world’s most popular cuisines and dishes.  Picky Eater’s survey determined that Italian cuisine (highlighted by pizza, pasta, and risotto) is the most popular cuisine in the world, followed by Japanese and Indian food. The study also revealed that Chinese restaurants are the most common worldwide, representing an average of 9.5% of all restaurants in “top-visited cities,” followed by Italian cuisine concepts (roughly 8.5%) and Indian establishments (8%).  Indian restaurants have not propogated as widely in the United States. A 2023 study by the Pew Research Center closely indicates that Indian restaurants…