Category: Rating: N/R (Not Rated)

ArizonaDog FriendlyMexicanRating: N/R (Not Rated)TacosUnited States

Cocina Madrigal – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno7:32 PM

Number one in the entire country.  Highest rated from about 90-million restaurant reviews. Topping Yelp’s 9th annual list of the top 100 restaurants in the United States for 2022 is “Cocina Madrigal, a “father-and-son-owned eatery serving Oaxaca fundido and beef birria enchiladas to lucky residents of Phoenix, Arizona (who’ve responded with more 5-star reviews than we can count).”  Cocina Madrigal wasn’t on the list of restaurants we planned on visit during our annual visit to the Valley of the Sun, but how often is the opportunity presented to dine at THE top restaurant in the entire country.  Besides, the menu promised Hatch green chile on several entrees and appetizers. Yelp noted “Attracting a diverse crowd to downtown Phoenix, Chef Leo Madrigal’s restaurant is comfortable and warm but not overly fancy. His menu is full of flavors from Oaxaca and his Mexico City birthplace, with favorites that include a grilled-romaine salad and fall-apart beef birria enchiladas. Make sure you leave room for dessert, and order the warm Churros with Crème Anglaise and caramel sauce.”  Yelp also indicated Cocina Madrigal is known for: “Making everything from scratch, from tacos and enchiladas to the fresh-as-can-be salsa.”  A lot of restaurants make everything from scratch.  We were…

ArizonaBakeryJewishRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Lior The Baker – Scottsdale, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

My friend Bruce “Sr. Plata” Silver is understandably very proud of his Sephardic Jewish heritage.  Sephardic, of course, is a term for Spanish Jews who were forced to Catholicism or face expulsion from Spain.  Estimates indicate this diaspora was responsible for the movement of up to 300,000 Spanish Jews who settled in different parts of Europe and the Middle East.  I’ve shared with him that my maternal grandmother practiced traditions consistent with a Crypto Jewish adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith.  When a blood test revealed that my mom carried genetic traits also consistent with Judaism, I felt more justified in referring to Sr. Plata as my Jewish Brother. During our visit to the Phoenix area in 2021, the Hermanos Plata, Bruce and Loren introduced us to Lior the Baker, a kosher baker in Scottsdale.  Lior the Baker has been enthralling diners in the Phoenix area for nearly a decade.  The eponymous bakery is named for Lior Ben-Shushan, who runs the bakery with his wife Lily.  Lior is an ubiquitous presence at his bakery where he probably has to answer the question “Are you out of babka already?” at least a hundred times a day.  Get…

ArizonaDiners Drive-Ins and DivesMexicanRating: N/R (Not Rated)TacosUnited States

La Santisima – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Gustavo Arellano, the brilliant writer behind the Ask A Mexican column (and even better book by that title) was remarkably quick with a disarming retort that diffused controversy with humor.  One example is when a reader–perhaps hoping to ingratiate himself to Arellano–wrote Ask A Mexican: “I don’t go to many Mexican restaurants—not because of the stereotypes but because the food is usually watered down to fit the taste buds of gabachos. In a future column, Arellano provided a response appropriate to the point.”Your sad story is one experienced by many Mexicans who travel through the parts of this country that wabs have just begun to colonize, but it’s not unique to us: New Yorkers always bemoan the quality of bagels everywhere outside of Brooklyn, and San Franciscans simply won’t eat burritos not folded in their famed Mission District. I will argue, however, that Mexican cuisine is more whitewashed than others.” Boy could we relate!  During our travels over my Air Force career, we encountered a phalanx of inauthentic “Mexican restaurants” comparable to Taco Bell, an eatery we wouldn’t frequent if you put a gun to our heads.  That was to be expected in such states as Mississippi, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Connecticut  but certainly…

2023 James Beard Foundation - "Best Baker" SemifinalistAlbuquerqueBakeryDog FriendlyJames Beard Foundation (JBF) Award Nominees & WinnersNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Ihatov Bread and Coffee – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight.” ~ M.F.K. Fischer A colleague who was recently struck with a second bout of the Cabrona virus confided that while he could tolerate the malaise, coughing and body aches, what bothered him most was temporarily losing his sense of smell and taste.  He shared that he couldn’t live with not being able to imbibe the aroma of freshly baked bread right out of the oven.  That aroma is almost universally loved.  For many of us, it promotes a Pavlovian response and catapults us back to very specific points in our formative years.  These “odor-cued” memories may take place at a subconscious level, but they’re extremely powerful. A survey of 1,000 people which accompanied a Institute of Food and Health at the University College of Dublin revealed that 89-percent of their respondents indicated that the smell of bread made them happy with 63-percent saying it evoked happy memories.  Respondents were asked for a word they associate with those memories.  29-percent listed the word “mom” or “mother” while 20-percent associated aroma-triggered memories of bread to the word “childhood.”  The Institute was able…

AlbuquerqueMediterraneanNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Central Bodega – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

As if living just outside of Boston for two years just out of high school wasn’t thrilling (and filling) enough for this rustic clodhopper, New York City was only four hours (with good traffic) away.  There were more languages (800) spoken in New York City than there were people (500) in my hometown of Peñasco, not to mention a population of some 16-million.  All those languages meant a vast diversity of dining opportunities and I wanted to try them all.  Best of all, so many of them were available all day and all night long.  Large, hand-tossed slices of thin-crusted pizza were available from street vendors.  You could even find warm food at some of the Puerto Rican bodegas (owner-operated convenience stores) in the Bronx, home for my friends Carmen and Vladimir “Speedy” Gonzalez who graciously showed me around Metropolis.   At a neighborhood bodega, they introduced me to one of my favorite beverages, the legendary egg cream. Untapped New York describes a New York City bodega as “where the city’s character, diversity, and history are embodied in a physical space.”  Sadly, however, instead of being treated with reverence for being “lifelines for New York City’s food deserts” bodegas seem…

AlbuquerqueMexicanNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)Sandwich

Don Tortas – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

A survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by French’s Mustard in celebration of National Sandwich Day (November 3, 2021) revealed that 66-percent of Americans put between three and six condiments on their sandwiches, 44-percent of respondents believe condiments belong on both buns while 57-percent believe the most important part of a sandwich is the meat.  French’s poll revealed the cheesesteak is the most popular sandwich in America followed by the hamburger (which many people would argue is not a sandwich), barbecue pulled-pork sandwich, Italian and Reuben.  Had the survey polled Americans as to what sandwiches were on the ascent–those growing quickest in popularity–two sandwiches would have risen to the top. Both of those sandwiches owe their genesis to French colonial rule.  First is the banh mi, a culinary fusion of two cultures: France and Vietnam.  A banh mi is an airy, crunchy French-styled baguette stuffed with a combination of meats, vegetables and other condiments. A melange of different textures and temperatures, bánh mì has an off-the-chart flavor profile: salty, sour, savory, sweet, and aromatic all simultaneously! As it has grown to become a staple in Vietnamese cuisine, so has its versatility.  Banh mi can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as…

AmericanDog FriendlyNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)Taos County

Medley – El Prado, New Mexico

Gil Garduno11:01 PM

You’re probably expecting my review of an El Prado restaurant named “Medley” to start with a musical theme, maybe likening the menu to “a musical composition made up of a series of songs or short pieces.”  That would be an easy way to do it, but it would also be slightly disingenuous.  Medley isn’t named for anything having to do with music and though the menu is akin to a composition, the restaurant and wine shop are named for Chefs-Owners Colleen and Wilks Medley.  Medley is also, according to the restaurant’s website is a philosophy–“something good, for everyone.” That something good absolutely starts with its incomparable setting.  Almost equidistant between Taos Plaza and the Taos Ski Valley, Medley is situated in what maps will tell you is El Prado (the meadow).  Your eyes will tell you you’re in an idyll of vast open plains and depthless skies.  Whether attired in their traditional cerulean blue or nature has chosen to paint those skies in a sunset panacea of colors that awaken the soul, those skies will evoke joy, contemplation and maybe even melancholy (at the thought you may have to return home to a less spectacular setting).  Even when storm clouds…

ContinentalDog FriendlyNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Europa Food. Farm. Festival – Los Lunas, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“I realized very early the power of food to evoke memory, to bring people together, to transport you to other places, and I wanted to be a part of that.” ~Chef-Humanitarian Jose Andres During the dark days of the Cabrona virus, trying our hands at preparing recipes (most culled from edge-worn and tattered cookbooks) of the world  became one of the few ways to escape mandated restrictions.  Food became one of the few remaining ways to connect us to other cultures and travel to destinations we couldn’t otherwise enjoy.  Whether in bad times or in good, food–enticing aromas, delicious flavors and the experience of sharing them with loved ones–has that unique power to transport us back to many of our fondest memories.  For my Kim and I, building shared memories literally began in England where we moved two weeks after marrying. Contrary to popular opinion and ill-informed stereotypes, English food can be quite delicious…and of course, there is fabulous food across the European continent, too.  For years we’ve sought (with mixed success) to recreate some of the dishes with which we fell in love. For brief interludes in time, Albuquerque has had restaurants (such as the much missed Baciu’s Bread…

AlbuquerqueBreakfastDog FriendlyNew MexicanNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

ABQ Burrito – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Perhaps the only good thing that came from the Cabrona Virus was that many of us get to work from home.  Otherwise, the cost of commuting to work in this “build back better” economy would probably approach our meager wages.  Though not commuting to work spares us from cashing in our 4.1Ks in order to purchase fuel for our gas guzzlers, there are still times when we have to drive somewhere.  Like when we have to visit Albertson’s or Smith’s to scour the half-empty shelves for luxury items such as baby formula.   With “Putin’s inflation” making gas virtually unaffordable, budget-conscious consumers are desperate for alternatives to the land yachts we drive.  We’re walking to the mailbox instead of backing the car out of the garage to drive to the mailbox a quarter-mile away.  We don’t visit our in-laws quite as often (some of us might see this as a bonus unless it results in extended visits from the mother-in-law).  We’ve curtailed driving four miles through a parking lot in search of a spot ten feet closer to the store.  It’s been rough! So rough, in fact, that even the most dedicated sofa spuds among us have started to explore…

AlbuquerqueDog FriendlyItalianNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Taste of Love – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

NOTE: Taste of Love is no longer at the 505 Central Food Hall.  Follow them on their Facebook page. Ask virtually every chef and home cook what the secret ingredient to good cooking is and invariably their answer will be “love.”  Or in the case of Jersey Shore actor Michael Sorrentino, “The secret ingredient to every meal is love. And also garlic.”  Be forewarned, however, divulging “love” as the secret ingredient to good cooking might just get you in hot water with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).   In 2017 the FDA reprimanded a bakery in Concord, Massachusetts for including the term “love” in its ingredient list for granola.  The over-reaching, humorless federal agency’s warning letter admonished: “Your Nashoba Granola label lists ingredient ‘Love.’ Ingredients required to be declared on the label or labeling of food must be listed by their common or usual name. ‘Love’ is not a common or usual name of an ingredient, and is considered to be intervening material because it is not part of the common or usual name of the ingredient.” It’s a good thing the FDA isn’t responsible for determining if movies contain profane, indecent or obscene content.  Otherwise, a 2017 movie titled…

ArizonaDog FriendlyMediterraneanRating: N/R (Not Rated)SandwichUnited States

Pa’La – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Is there anything more relaxing than a wood fire: its mesmerizing orange and blue flames as they lick the air, the warmth and comfort of heat as it overcomes weather’s chilling bite, the meditative timbre of wood crackling  over the flames, the spitting and hissing of red-orange embers and especially aromas which trigger heart-rending reminiscences of childhood days sitting around a fire with family and friends.  Just the thought of a wood fire is therapeutic, imparting benefits that are both salubrious and soothing. My attempts  at transporting you to a time and place in which wood fire helped transcend life’s vicissitudes are likely feeble, but let me add another element that might do the trick.  Now imagine the yeasty bouquet of baked bread wafting toward you from a wood-burning oven. It’s been well established that there is no more effective medium for rekindling pleasant memories than the aroma of bread baking, but studies have proven that the aroma of baking bread actually triggers more positive, helpful, kinder, and more altruistic behavior in people. Those studies–published in the Journal of Social Psychology–concluded that there is something about the effect of the smell of bread baking that is not just pleasant on…