Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog
Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,332 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 13,450 Visitor Comments…And Counting!
*NOTE: Only the brick and mortar version of Tikka Spice has closed. Tikka Spice still operates out of a food truck. In baseball it’s called the “Triple Crown,”an incredibly rare achievement in which a player leads the league in average, home runs, and runs batted in. To win the triple crown, a player must tremendous power to hit for distance as…
When the New York Times described biryani as “the Indian equivalent of arroz con pollo or paella,” legions of Southwest Asians and culinary cognoscenti cried “Fake News!” The media megalith with the masthead that boasts of “all the news that’s fit to print” may as well have declared the Taj Majal as the architectural equivalent of Randy’s Donuts in Los…
There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” ~Mark Twain Ever since Eve succumbed to the wiles of a serpent who moonlighted as a used car salesman, humankind has been easily led into temptation. As playwright Oscar Wilde once jokingly remarked, “I can resist anything except temptation.” We can all relate. We all face temptations of…
“I’ll give you three guesses to tell me what tabula rasa means,” I challenged my friend and Wordle phenom Carlos. “That’s easy,” my erudite amigo proclaimed, “Tabula Rasa was a silent screen actress in the 1920s.” “Close,” I replied, “but you’re thinking about Tallulah Bankhead.” “I was just kidding,” he demurred, “Everyone knows tabula rasa is a Mediterranean salad.” “You’re…
Several years ago while leading my organization’s e-business marketing and communication effort at Intel, I had the great fortune of hiring a phenomenal Web developer recently arrived from India. In the process of filling out one of our complicated employment forms he transposed his name, writing his last name then his middle initial and first name instead of the way…
The cynosure of Tikka Hut, an Indian Fusion restaurant on First Street, is a colorful mural that pays tribute to the extraordinary and constantly evolving history of Mexican cuisine. The mural depicts the mesmerizing countenance of a beautiful indigenous maiden, maybe even the infamous Malinche herself. Immediately below the maiden is a Muslim Dhow sailing the azure waters of…
During our last full year at Intel, my friend Bill Resnik and I had the distinct honor and privilege of working on a project with a team from Microsoft comprised mostly of information technology professionals with roots in the exotic subcontinent of India. We had expected impeccable technical expertise, but their dedication and focus was far beyond what any of…
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…
“Fly once more like you did before, Sing a new song chicken tikka!” ~Chiquitita Misheard Lyrics You might think by virtue of my name and then gangling gait, school mates at St. Anthony’s in Penasco would have tagged me with the nickname “Gilligan.” Instead, because I was considered a bit of a brainiac prone to sesquipedalian lexicon, my nickname was…
Leonard: Is it racist that I took you to an Indian restaurant? Priya: It’s okay, I like Indian food. Leonard: Or as you probably call it back home, food. ~Big Bang Theory (Season Four, Episode 18) Queen Rania of Jordan cautioned against judging “through the prism of our own stereotypes.” Ill-founded stereotypes were very much in evidence after my team…
“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…
