JOE’S PASTA HOUSE – Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Once a year, despite my protestations and whining, I agree to take my Kim to the Olive Garden. It’s a deal we have, albeit one that makes me feel like Faust in the Christopher Marlowe …
Read MoreRated 25
VARA WINERY & DISTILLERY – Albuquerque, New Mexico
In 1620, King Philip III of Spain issued a royal decree mandating that each of the 19 recognized New Mexican Pueblos elect by popular vote, a governor, lieutenant governor and other officers as might be …
Read More
CAFE DALAT – Albuquerque, New Mexico
While the term “Vietnamese cuisine” is broad and overarching, any attempt to pigeonhole this very diverse and eclectic culinary culture is a failure to consider its complexities and nuances. Even when culinary taxonomists compartmentalize Vietnamese …
Read More
LULU CALIFORNIA BISTRO – Palm Springs, California
How many times have you heard a transplant to the Land of Enchantment say it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without snow? Some of you expats dream of a white Christmas, just like the ones …
Read More
JAKE’S – Palm Springs, California
“Now i lay me down to sleep And pray the Lord my soul to keep If i die before i wake, feed Jake He’s been a good dog My best friend right through it all …
Read More
Albuquerque / Closed in 2019 / Dog Friendly / Gone But Not Forgotten / Italian / New Mexico / Rated 25
M’TUCCI’S MARKET & PIZZERIA – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)
NOTE: Because of the heightened demand for M’tucci’s meats, cheeses, breads and shrubs, on 30 November 2019, M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market will close its retail operation and begin its conversion to a wholesale operation. …
Read More
Via 313 – Austin, Texas
It’s oft been said that among males (we’re such children), insults are a form of intimacy. Perhaps because of societal expectations, many men aren’t comfortable expressing affection toward other males in physically demonstrative ways (even in …
Read More
Albuquerque / Asian / Brunch / Closed in 2019 / Dog Friendly / Gone But Not Forgotten / Hawaiian / Latin American / New Mexico / Rated 25
POKI POBLANO FUSION LOUNGE – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)
Starting with a raucous concert in 1954, the idiom “Elvis has left the building” was uttered at the conclusion of many of Elvis Presley’s concerts to encourage rabid fans to accept that no further encores …
Read More
ECLECTIC URBAN PIZZERIA AND TAP HOUSE – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)
Looking around our table, my friend Ryan “Break the Chain” Scott astutely pointed out the relative scarcity of pizza at our table. Considering the Eclectic Urban Pizzeria and Tap Room may have been the most …
Read More
Albuquerque / American / Breakfast / Brunch / Closed in 2017 / Dog Friendly / Food Network Eats New Mexico / Gone But Not Forgotten / Rated 25
Eli’s Place (formerly Sophia’s Place) – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)
NOTE: In March, 2018, Sophia’s Place reopened. Please click here for the updated review. Picture yourself as a first-year marketing student assigned by your professor to perform a marketing analysis of Eli’s Place and its …
Read More
BLADES’ BISTRO – Placitas, New Mexico
“Ask three Placitans what they like best about living in Placitas and… one will say it is being so far from everything, another, being so close to everything–and both will be right.” – The Placitas …
Read More
Budai Gourmet Chinese – Albuquerque, New Mexico
“The true gourmet, like the true artist, is one of the unhappiest creatures existent. His trouble comes from so seldom finding what he constantly seeks: perfection.” –Ludwig Bemelmans By definition, gourmets are connoisseurs, taking food …
Read More
Jambo Cafe – Santa Fe, New Mexico
Growing up in the 60s–the dark ages before the Internet was even a glimmer in Al Gore’s eyes and google, then spelled “googol” represented an very large number (currently being approached by America’s budget deficit)–even …
Read More
Los Potrillos – Santa Fe, New Mexico
Faced with a situation that renders us incredulous, many of us might yammer incoherently, complain vociferously or maybe even utter colorful epithets. Such moments, it seems, are best expressed with succinct precision, a rare skill …
Read More
Albuquerque / Closed in 2017 / Food Network Eats New Mexico / Gone But Not Forgotten / Italian / Rated 25
Torinos @ Home – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)
On Monday, October 21st, 2013 in a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episode entitled “Aces of Authenticity,” the Food Network introduced Torinos @ Home to the world. Just four years earlier–on 22 December 2009–i was one …
Read More
Omira Bar & Grill – Santa Fe, New Mexico (CLOSED)
HOLLY: I can’t believe you’ve never taken anybody here before. JERRY: Well, I’m not really that much of a meat eater. HOLLY: . . . You don’t eat meat? Are you one of those. . …
Read More
Breakfast / Brunch / Closed in 2019 / Gone But Not Forgotten / Rated 25 / South Carolina / Southern / United States
Hominy Grill – Charleston, South Carolina (CLOSED)
In May, 2011, Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine invited some of the most prolific culinary bloggers across the country (including yours truly) to a culinary “throw-down” of sorts. We were asked to provide a fun and …
Read More
Santa Fe Bite – Santa Fe, New Mexico
“This burger is a wonder. It’s thick, it’s perfectly cooked, juicy and covered in cheese… If eating a burger is a sin, this burger is like going to Vegas with a hooker who you kill, …
Read More
Cafe Chloe – San Diego, California (CLOSED)
From your seat on the sidewalk patio of Café Chloe, you can see Petco Park, the open-air home of the San Diego Padres. You’ll have a front row view of a veritable cavalcade of motorized …
Read More
Phil’s BBQ Restaurant – San Diego, California
A few decades ago, the culinary cognoscenti anointed the best bastions of bodacious barbecue–Kansas City, Memphis, Texas and the Carolinas…and there was much rejoicing. Since then, it’s been widely accepted that this exclusive quadrumvirate is …
Read More
El Agave Restaurante and Tequileria – San Diego, California
Tequila has long endured a legacy of scorn, derision and misinformation. It’s been a proving ground for manhood among frat boys downing shooters to show their mettle. Urban myths and legends have long been believed …
Read More
Stroud’s Restaurant & Bar – Fairway, Kansas
Kansas City is often referred to as the “world’s barbecue capital.” With more than 100 barbecue restaurants, its reputation for outstanding barbecue is known far and wide. It’s not as commonly known that Kansas City …
Read More
Garrett Popcorn Shop – Chicago, Illinois
The favorite weather conditions for many Chicago natives correlates directly to their personal climatic ideals for standing in long lines. Chicagoans are a patient lot. They’re used to standing in long lines, sometimes for as …
Read More
Casanova Restaurant – Carmel, California
For they could not love you But still your love was true And when no hope was left inside On that starry, starry night You took your life as lovers often do But I could …
Read More
Luminaria – Santa Fe, New Mexico
Her sunrise could bring light into a blind man. Her sunset could put tears there in his eyes. Her colors are laying there in brush strokes. Underneath those peote skies. –The Bellamy Brothers Santa Fe’s …
Read More
China Poblano – Las Vegas Nevada
Mexican history and folklore recount the story of a remarkable woman who would come to be venerated as a holy woman and prophetess. Born to nobility in India and possessing remarkable beauty, she was kidnapped …
Read More
Ezra’s Place – Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)
When it comes to food, most bowling alleys strike out. Ardent keglers are subjected to such catastrophic “cuisine” as perpetually rotating hot dogs seared to a leathery sheen under a heat lamp inferno, soppy messes …
Read More
Johnnie’s Beef – Arlington Heights, Illinois
If you think Chicagoland politics are a contentious topic, try debating which restaurant serves up the best Italian Beef Sandwich in the “City of Big Shoulders.” Opinions don’t necessarily vary that widely as there are …
Read More
La Boca – Santa Fe, New Mexico
In a 1997 episode of Seinfeld, the “show about nothing,” George Costanza declared food and sex to be his two passions, reasoning that “it’s only natural to combine them.” Jerry’s retort, “Natural? Sex is about …
Read More
The Clam Shack – Kennebunkport, Maine
The late George Plimpton was a pioneering journalist who garnered much of his acclaim from competing in professional sporting events then recording the experience from an amateur’s standpoint. From pitching against the National League prior …
Read More
Maine Diner – Wells, Maine
How do you know when a restaurant has really made it? Is it when that restaurant is recognized by national publications as one of the very best diners in the country? Or when celebrities go …
Read More
Woodman’s of Essex – Essex, Massachusetts
If you can imagine what New Mexico would be like without green chile or the South without barbecue, you can understand what New England would be without fried clams. Like our beloved green chile, fried …
Read More
Sportello – Boston, Massachusetts
In its April, 2009 edition Saveur magazine feted “12 restaurants that matter,” profiling a dozen restaurants that “represent the best of dining in America today.” Although that title may at first browse sound a bit …
Read More
Orange Table – Scottsdale, Arizona (CLOSED)
There are several scenes in the delightfully heartwarming animated Disney movie Ratatouille that resonate with all gastronomes who delight in the sensual pleasures of the dining experience–those for whom food is an enchanting adventure in …
Read More
Closed in 2012 / Fine Dining / Food Network Eats New Mexico / Gone But Not Forgotten / New Mexico / Rated 25 / Santa Fe
Aqua Santa – Santa Fe, New Mexico (CLOSED)
“But the moment I saw the brilliant, proud morning shine high up over the deserts of Santa Fe, something stood still in my soul, and I started to attend. There was a certain magnificence in …
Read More
Destino Nuevo Latino Bistro – San Francisco, California
In 2004, The Economist (a British weekly news publication) proclaimed that “Peru can lay claim to one of the world’s dozen or so great cuisines.” In 2005, Bon Appetit declared Peruvian “the next hot cuisine,” …
Read More