Mexican Archives - Page 14 of 16 - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

Bernalillo Burgers Closed in 2009 Gone But Not Forgotten Mexican

Charlie’s Burgers & Mexican Food – Bernalillo, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoFebruary 17, 2009July 22, 20189:48 PM

Ashley’s Convenience Store on the ill-fated corner of Camino del Pueblo and Avenida Bernalillo achieved the type of notoriety which will be forever associated with a tragedy visited all too often upon New Mexico’s streets. In November, 2006, a driver already inebriated during a U.S. Airways flight, purchased alcohol at the convenience store before resuming his journey home and causing a tragic head-on collision that killed five members of a Las Vegas, New Mexico family. The state of New Mexico banned the airline from serving alcohol while flying to and from the state. The state also took the convenience store’s liquor license, forcing it to close. At the time the convenience store was leased by Albuquerque gasoline distributor Ever-Ready Oil which, in turn,…

Closed in 2010 Mariscos Mexican New Mexico Rio Rancho

Dahlia’s Central Mexican Cuisine – Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoFebruary 14, 2009July 22, 20188:34 PM

Because Mexico spans several climatic zones and a diverse topography, its cuisine varies from region to region. As such, it’s grossly unfair to stereotype Mexican food. It’s true that until recent years, most of the Mexican restaurants in the Albuquerque’s area featured the cuisine of the border state of Chihuahua, Mexico, typified by menus offering refried beans, enchiladas, chiles rellenos and the like. The past decade or so, however, has seen the influx of Mexican restaurants serving mariscos, the surprisingly fresh cuisine of the Mexican states bordering its coastal waters. The 2008 introduction of Dahlia’s Central Mexican Cuisine in Rio Rancho was therefore intriguing. My hopes were that Central Mexican cuisine might mean the cuisine of Oaxaca and Puebla, two…

Closed in 2011 Gone But Not Forgotten Mexican Santa Fe

Los Mayas – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil GardunoAugust 30, 2008July 22, 20188:35 PM

Diego de Landa Calderón, the former Bishop of Yucatán, is a dichotomous figure in the history of the new world. On one hand, he is recognized as an invaluable source of information on pre-Columbian Mayan civilizations, but on the other, he was directly responsible for destroying much of that civilization’s history, literature and traditions. Given the responsibility of converting the indigenous Maya to Roman Catholicism, he instituted an Inquisition that ultimately ended with the notorious auto de fé, a ritual of public penance for condemned heretics. Mayas who continued to practice “idol worship” after having been “converted” to Catholicism were the recipients of this torturous rite. During one ceremony, he also burned more than 5,000 Maya cult images and a significant number of Maya codices which would have filled…

Closed in 2008 Gone But Not Forgotten Mariscos Mexican New Mexico Rio Rancho

California Baja Grill – Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJuly 28, 2008July 22, 20182:54 AM

Several years ago, I introduced my good friend John Bennett to the exhilaration of verbal sparring with the shopkeepers at the mercados of Juarez, Mexico, a vibrant border city in which aggressive bartering is considered not only an honorable sport, but the only way to ensure any semblance of a fair exchange. The shopkeepers expect it and will respect your attempts to purchase their baubles, bangles and trinkets at the price you believe is fair. When John decided to bring back some Mexican coins for his son, a novice numismatist, I advised him to get no more than a quarter’s worth of coinage. As usual he didn’t heed my advice and asked one of the shopkeepers to exchange a five…

Albuquerque Mariscos Mexican Rating: Good

Ruben’s Grill – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoApril 19, 2008April 6, 20263:40 AM

During the Mexican Revolution of 1910, many women joined the army both in response to the tremendous need for their service, but also to accompany their husbands, many of whom were conscripted into service. Traveling with the revolutionary armies, it was often the role of women to forage for food and cook meals. As much as possible, the women who followed the armies tried to provide a homey meal experience complete with tablecloth, decorative plates and vases for flowers. As soldaderas, their contributions to the Mexican Revolutionary were not limited to “traditional” roles of the time–serving as caregivers and as cooks. Many women distinguished themselves on the battlefield and are today remembered in such songs as La Adelita. It was…

Albuquerque Mexican New Mexico Culinary Treasures Trail Rating: Very Good

El Modelo – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil GardunoMarch 26, 2008April 3, 20263:25 PM

Growing up in the 60s in a bucolic village in Northern New Mexico, we had no idea about such things as political correctness and multi-culturalism. It would be decades before the ascendency of the “woke” movement. My friends included descendents of Montezuma, scions of the Spanish explorers, Native Americans from a nearby Pueblo and even a few “white” kids. None of us really thought about things like “inclusion” and “diversity.” We lived it! Being kids, there was naturally a lot of good-natured name-calling and teasing, but even when tempers flared, I can’t recall racial stereotype-based derogatory terms ever used in anger. We thought nothing of teasing the “rich” white kids about their “white as them” Rainbo bread sandwiches and they retorted…

Albuquerque Closed in 2009 Gone But Not Forgotten Mariscos Mexican

Villa del Mar – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoNovember 8, 2007July 22, 20184:46 AM

Who hasn’t dreamt of a luxurious Mexican Villa overlooking pristine sandy beaches and translucent blue waters–a distinguished gate, thriving gardens and a capacious floor plan with earth-toned terracotta and ochre floors and walls festooned in vibrant colors? Think of it–your own personal chef preparing the briny delicacies of the sea for your every meal, the soulful voice of a Mexican singer plumbing the depths of your emotions, a fresh Pacific breeze negating the balmy climate. It would be an idyllic life. The Villa del Mar restaurant on Albuquerque’s Central Avenue won’t make all these dreams a reality, but it will serve you a meal that–maybe just for a moment–will transport you to that villa of your dreams. Villa del Mar,…

Albuquerque Closed in 2008 Gone But Not Forgotten Mariscos Mexican

Mariscos Culiacan – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJuly 25, 2007July 22, 20182:42 PM

As a precocious product (some might say victim) of the American public school system, I learned more about the geography of old Mexico from one song than from twelve years of the best education our tax dollars can buy. Legendary Mexican crooner Jose Alfredo Jimenez immortalized the city of Culiacan in his hauntingly stirring ballad El Caballo Blanco which recounts a bareback rider’s journey from Guadalajara to Tijuana astride a noble white horse. In that journey, rider and horse traversed through Escuinapa, Culiacan, Los Mochis, Sonora, El Valle Del Yaqui, Hermosillo, Caborca, Mexicali and Rumorosa. How lyrically poetic and cool are those names? The name Culiacan, I found out, has been translated by some sources as “place of snakes,” as…

Breakfast Closed in 2022 Gone But Not Forgotten Mexican New Mexico Santa Fe

Felipe’s Tacos – Santa Fe, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoJuly 16, 2007December 17, 20228:23 PM

The rich folklore of the Hispanic culture of New Mexico and southern Colorado is preserved largely through cuentos (stories, legends and myths) passed down from one generation to the next. Among my favorites is a short story of how God named His people. According to this cuento, God passed out so many names–Ortega, Lopez, Gonzalez, Sanchez–that He ran out of last names and said, “the rest of you will be called Martinez.” This cuento is meant to illustrate why there are so many people with the last name of Martinez in New Mexico and southern Colorado. Told in English, God would have given everyone else the last name of Smith or Jones. Common though the name Martinez may be, it…

Albuquerque Closed in 2008 Gone But Not Forgotten Mariscos Mexican

Adelita’s Mexican Restaurant – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil GardunoMarch 25, 2007July 22, 20184:26 PM

No matter where you travel in Latin America, you’ll find grilled meat (carne asada) on the menu. Restaurants called parrillas which specialize in grilled foods also grill seafood (mariscos) and poultry. Particularly popular in Argentina and Colombia, the mixed grill called Parrillada Mixta (or just parrillada) can be any combination of grilled meats, poultry and seafood. My inaugural experience with parrillada in San Antonio, Texas left such a huge impression on my taste buds that I behave like Pavlov’s dogs upon seeing it on a menu. More often than not, I’m left disappointed because my very first parrillada set a nonpareil standard for excellence. At Adelita’s, a Mexican restaurant launched in 2004, parrillada is on the menu in three incarnations–parrillada…

Mariscos Mexican New Mexico Rating: N/R (Not Rated)Santa Fe

Puerto Peñasco – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Gil GardunoJanuary 26, 2007April 5, 20262:51 PM

Mexico’s Sea of Cortez has been likened to an enormous net for its capacity to support more marine life than any other body of water on Earth. Over 3,000 marine species, including more than 900 species of fish, call its azure waters home. The bounties of the Sea of Cortez sustained the indigenous tribes of pre-Colombian times and today delight aficionados of mariscos with delicious oysters, clams, scallops and shrimp. It’s no wonder the Mexican Coast is a favorite destination of seafood lovers throughout the world. Situated on the edge of a rocky promontory in the Sea of Cortez is the aptly named Puerto Peñasco which translates in English to Rocky Point. In recent years, the humble fishing village of…