Category: Announcements

Having spent nearly two decades away from my beloved Land of Enchantment, what I cherished most were letters from home (in the years before e-mail) and my monthly copy of New Mexico Magazine.  Every issue transcended  time and distance and transported me back home.  Every vivid photograph was like a series of brushstrokes from God, awash in ethereal, other-worldly colors on a breath-taking topographical canvas. Every word stirred a longing to return home and swelled my chest with pride. Every issue was dogeared from my reading it over and over again. Fifteen years later, New Mexico Magazine still moves me.  I marvel at the fact that the venerable elder statesmen among America’s official state magazines still showcases the Land of Enchantment in a fresh, dynamic and respectful manner. Launched in 1923, just nine years after New Mexico attained statehood, the magazine is an ambassador in print.  To expatriated New Mexicans, it is a  refuge and a reminder of what they are missing every day they are away from the Land of Enchantment. New Mexico Magazine‘s pages have been graced by almost all of the state’s best-known authors and journalists–literary icons such as Tony Hillerman, Rudolfo Anaya and John Nichols and…

In January, 2010, the Travel Channel traveled from coast to coast to uncover the 101 tastiest places to chow down–“joints serving some of the biggest and best dishes of deliciousness around.” Calling it the “most definitive and appetizing countdown food fanatics have ever seen,” the show featured five one-hour specials that transported viewers “on a non-stop, coast-to-coast, mouthwatering tour of the 101 absolute best places to get your grub on in the country.” The list was “certified by the people who know best — the locals!” Only one New Mexico restaurant made the list, but it’s a great one worthy of recognition. At number 45 on the chow down countdown was Cecilia’s Cafe, a downtown Duke City institution. The program described Cecilia’s as “where they serve up New Mexican food so messy not even a stack of napkins won’t help.” The description aptly describes the Fireman’s Burrito, “a burrito bursting with so many mouthwatering and mind-blowing fillings, they serve it with a side of…apron.” The Travel Channel gave it a “four-napkin” rating. This behemoth burrito was created by Cecilia Baca at the behest of two local firemen Cecilia describes as “characters” who came into the restaurant famished and asked for…

Very well,” replied the editor-in-chief. “Dine somewhere else to-day and somewhere else to-morrow. I wish you to dine everywhere, — from the Astor House Restaurant to the smallest description of dining saloon in the City, in order that you may furnish an account of all these places. The cashier will pay your expenses.” With that mandate, the editor-in-chief of the New York Times dispatched an uncredited gentleman on what might well be the very first restaurant review published not only in America’s largest metropolitan newspaper, but perhaps throughout the country.  The date was January 1, 1859. Today, nearly every major American newspaper employs a restaurant critic to critique the area’s restaurants and present their objective assessments in an eloquent and creative manner.  Though they work very hard to conceal their identities, the very best restaurant critics become part of the fabric of the community and are able to influence dining decisions based solely on their words. The advent of the Internet has made it possible for anyone to become a restaurant critic when compelled to share their opinions.  Sites such as Urbanspoon and Yelp allow the general public to share their impressions of their dining experiences and while there certainly is strength in…

If you got to this page expecting Gil’s Thrilling Web, you’re in the right place. Don’t let the new look and feel scare or fool you. This is the new home for the restaurant reviews on which you’ve counted for years–different format, same place. The transition from static Web to blog was inevitable and years in coming. There are several reasons why this transition makes sense. The main reason for me to move to a blog is that blogs are much more interactive than conventional Web sites. You, my dear readers, can leave comments about my reviews and let me know if you agree with my recommendations or if you believe I’ve totally missed the mark. In our increasingly connected and shrinking world, blogs are community while Web sites are islands. Please note that while Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog is more interactive, I hope not to publish any personal attacks (the type of which are replete in the blogosphere) on me or the restaurants I review. From among the hundreds of e-mails I’ve received over the past ten years, 99 percent of them have been positive and constructive. That’s the type of dialogue missing nowadays in our increasingly uncivil…

Please visit www.walmart.com/fighthunger through October 5th, 2014 and help Roadrunner Food Bank earn a $60,000 grant. The Roadrunner Food Bank is competing with about 130 food banks across the U.S. for the grant. Your DAILY vote during Hunger Action Month could help the Food Bank and several of their food pantry partners. The key is to vote every 24 hours and keep them at the top of the leaderboard. The top 50 food banks with the most votes on October 5th will receive the grant.