Category: Steak

AlbuquerqueAmericanBurgersNew MexicoRating: Very GoodSandwichSteak

Dave’s Valley Grill – Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno10:22 AM

Several years ago, Major Larry Abraham (God rest his soul) of the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque called me out, reminding me that such restaurants as Sadie’s of New Mexico, Casa de Benavidez and Vernon’s Speakeasy were located not in Albuquerque as credited on Gil’s Thrilling…, but in the village he capably served for four terms. He politely asked me to correct my oversight. Ever since Mayor Abraham’s gentle prodding, your humble blogger has been much more diligent about ensuring the correct location of every restaurant reviewed–especially when at issue is whether the restaurant is in Albuquerque or in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. In my defense, the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque is much like what New Mexico’s legendary best-selling author Tony Hillerman termed “the checkerboard reservation.” Hillerman was, of course, speaking of the Navajo Nation, a hodgepodge of lands owned by tribes (mostly Navajo and Zuni), privately-owned lands and lands controlled by the government or trusts. Similar to the challenge of knowing where which lands in the Checkerboard Reservation are Navajo-owned, it’s not easy to tell where the village of Los Ranchos begins and ends and when you’ve crossed in and out of the village into the…

NevadaRating: OutstandingSteakUnited States

Lawry’s The Prime Rib – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno1:10 AM

“What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.” ~Michael Chiarello Many of my most cherished memories involve the act of eating and quite often those memories don’t involve the food itself.  The memories which sweeten most over time invariably involve the people with whom those meals were shared.  The act of degustation is infinitely more satisfying and the meals so much more pleasing when shared with loved ones.  In part because of the memories it evokes, one restaurant which will always hold a special place in my heart is Lawry’s The Prime Rib.  Every visit rekindles memories of my first visit and creates new memories to be revisited and cherished thereafter. My inaugural visit to Lawry’s occurred on August 31st, 1985 in Chicago, Illinois.  I was five hours removed from landing at O’Hare Airport after an exhausting flight from London.  Jet lag had set in and neither my thoughts or speech were as coherent as one would want for meeting future in-laws for the first time.  The jet lag apparently trumped any nervousness I may have had because my in-laws found me perfectly charming, a worthy catch for their daughter. …

NevadaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SteakUnited States

Peter Luger’s Steakhouse – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

As a 1995 episode of Seinfeld illustrated, steak is not just a guy thing anymore. When Jerry took a blind date to the Old Homestead Steakhouse in New York City, he admitted “I’m not really that much of a meat eater” to which his date replied “You don’t eat meat? Are you one of those…” Questions about his masculinity persisted when she ordered a porterhouse medium rare and Jerry had a salad.  Although I’ve never gone so far as to order a salad at a steakhouse, I’m “one of those“–men who don’t particularly like steak.  Give me a fully dressed baked potato any day. It’s not as though I’ve never had an outstanding steak (The Hamilton Chop House in Durango and David Burke’s Primehouse in Chicago come to mind).  Great steakhouses such as these are few and far in between…very far.  Sadly, most steak is severely overpriced and not nearly good enough to justify the cost.   My Kim isn’t nearly as persnickety as her fussbudget husband.  Steak is her favorite meal.  She wants a steak for every special occasion.  Though she grills a steak better than most restaurants, I remain steadfastly a steak and potatoes guy without the steak.  It works…

2025 James Beard Foundation "Best Chef - Southwest" SemifinalistAsianJames Beard Foundation (JBF) Award Nominees & WinnersKoreanOklahomaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SteakUnited States

Birdies by Chef Kevin Lee – Edmond, Oklahoma

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

My Kim and I regard ourselves as ambassadors for the great state of New Mexico, especially when we travel.  We’re often asked where we’re from.  Invariably we run into people whose perceptions about the Land of Enchantment are far from kind.  Some actually believe Breaking Bad is a documentary about the condition of life in New Mexico where wild west lawlessness is rampant.  If only perceptions of New Mexico were as gracious and kind as those of Oklahoma.  Throughout our week-long sojourn in the Sooner State, state pride was palpable.   You would expect that from locals, but some of the nicest things we heard about Oklahoma were from visitors like us.  Most visitors were genuinely touched by just how nice veryone was.  Some commented about not being cut off in traffic and not being greeted with a one-finger salute for some unforgiveable traffic transgressions (like not going 20 miles over the speed limit).  Others spoke about the personable service they received at hotels and restaurants. The niceness of Oklahomans didn’t really come as a surprise.  Two of my very favorite people–my Air Force colleague John Holmes Bennett and fellow culinary scribener Steve Coleman–were raised in Oklahoma.  You won’t find two…

Dog FriendlyRating: Very GoodSteakTexasUnited States

The Big Texan Steak Ranch – Amarillo, Texas

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

If you’ve ever wondered about the meaning of the line “I’ll be lookin’ for eight when they pull that gate” in George Strait’s classic hit Amarillo By Morning, here’s a theory you probably haven’t heard.  The country crooner was actually looking for eight brawny guys to help him finish the 72-ounce steak at Amarillo’s The Big Texan Steak Ranch.  Seriously it might just take a few of your most hungry friends to tackle that behemoth slab of beef–four and a half pounds of well-marbled meat with a deep, rich flavor and mahogany color. Since its launch in 1960, The Big Texan has thrown down the gauntlet to all comers with Texas-sized appetites: finish the 72-ounce Steak Dinner Challenge–shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad, roll with butter and of course, the 72-ounce steak–in an hour and you don’t have to pay for it.  Fail to complete the challenge and you’ll have to pay the entire $72 cost.  You might  be surprised at just how many hearty diners have bested the challenge. From 1960 through 2021, nearly 10,000 intrepid eaters have successfully completed the challenge from among some 68,000 who have attempted it.  The Big Texan records their names, weight, age and the…

AmericanDog FriendlyRating: N/R (Not Rated)SteakTexasUnited States

Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar – New Braunfels, Texas

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

My mom was born in 1929, the last year of the Great Depression.  She still recalls that during her childhood, her family would take grist ( grain) and separate it from its chaff (seed coverings and other debris) in preparation for being ground into flour.  They would then take the family’s horse and buggy over the precipitous mountain roads to Cleveland (the one in New Mexico).  In Cleveland, they would have the grain ground into flour in “el molino,” the Cleveland Roller Mill.   The Mill is a three story adobe edifice with a water-powered mill used for grinding.  Today, that mill has been turned into a local museum where its original machinery remains intact and has been restored significantly to the point that it can be operated for demonstration purposes. When I asked my dear friend and trusted guide Melinda Martinez to pick where our next culinary adventure would be, she selected The Gristmill River Restaurant,  located on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Gruene Historic District, in New Braunfels, Texas. Gruene is located in the Texas Hill Country, 30 minutes north of San Antonio, and 45 minutes south of Austin, on IH-35.   The setting was spectacular, my delightful…

BurgersDog FriendlyNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)Steak

Adobe Deli – Deming, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:03 AM

In 2009  I had the great privilege of helping compile the inaugural New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail along with the scintillating, four-time James Beard award-winning author Cheryl Alters Jamison; the brilliant Kate Manchester, founding publisher of Edible Santa Fe; and one of New Mexico’s finest ambassadors, Martin Leger, then advertising manager for the New Mexico Department of Tourism.  We discussed dozens of potential candidates for inclusion into the inaugural Trail.    Narrowing down those “most worthy” was like selecting the best and brightest stars on a clear, cold New Mexico winter night. Between the four of us, we had (over the years, not in one seating) voraciously consumed green chile cheeseburgers at an almost embarrassing number of restaurants, drive-ins, diners, dives, joints, cafes, roadside stands and even bowling alleys.  Ultimately we narrowed down the number of selections to what we believed were the very best green chile cheeseburgers from throughout the Land of Enchantment.  Our list was well vetted, our research meticulous (and delicious) and our bellies full.  There’s no way we could possibly have missed any of the Land of Enchantment’s best green chile cheeseburgers…or was there? During a long overdue visit to the Adobe Deli about eight miles…

AmericanNew MexicoNew Mexico Culinary Treasures TrailRating: Very GoodSteak

Buckhorn Saloon – Pinos Altos, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:28 AM

In 1859, 49ers returning home from California discovered gold among the tall pines (Pinos Altos) north of Silver City. Word spread like wildfire.  In short order, there were more than 700 men prospecting in the area. As with other boom towns, rampant lawlessness made prospectors lives exciting to say the least.  Miners faced an anything goes attitude in the pursuit of gold punctuated by frequent raids by marauding Apaches.  In the “Apache War” of 1861, Cochise joined his father-in-law Mangas Coloradas (an Apache war leader who towered at 6’7″) and some 400 Apache warriors to drive away miners from their traditional homeland. In its early days Pinos Altos saw a veritable who’s who of fame and infamy.   In the 1860s, Old West legend Roy Bean operated a mercantile in Pinos Altos before moving to West Texas to gain fame as Judge Roy Bean “The Law West of the Pecos.” Henry McCarty (William Bonney was just an alias), the infamous Billy the Kid, began his life of crime in the area.  As the area’s gold began to deplete, families turned to ranching.  Some of the largest ranches in the country once were located just outside of town.  Evidence of ranching…

AlbuquerqueBreakfastNew Mexico Culinary Treasures TrailRating: GoodSteak

Western View Diner & Steakhouse – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:20 AM

Since the 1930s, neon signage has been a prominent and vital part of Route 66 as it meanders through Albuquerque. From the foothills of the Sandias in the east to the parched desert expanse of the west, Route 66 is festooned with vibrant neon signage that cuts a luminous swath through the city. The nocturnal spectacle of glowing neon might be the siren’s call that has drawn generations of “cruisers” to Central Avenue. One of Albuquerque’s most prominent neon spangled signs celebrates Route 66 as it spans across all four lanes of Central Avenue near its intersection with Coors Boulevard Southwest. Literally at the shadow of that span is the Western View Diner & Steakhouse which has been pleasing weary travelers and hungry locals since 1937 thanks to generous portions of reasonably priced and delicious comfort food with a homemade taste that comes from years of plying its culinary craft. To say the Western View Diner & Steakhouse was at Albuquerque’s western fringes back when it launched seven decades ago is an understatement. Aside from sagebrush and vast expanses of horizon, there wasn’t much in the city this far west. The Western View is one of the very few surviving…

AlbuquerqueDiners Drive-Ins and DivesFood Network Eats New MexicoNew Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail: 2009New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail: 2011Rating: ExcellentSteak

Monte Carlo Steakhouse – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno4:48 AM

“Last night I broke the seal on a Jim Beam decanter That looks like Elvis.” ~George Jones Having spent much of his career in an inebriated state, Country music icon George Jones actually lived the life experiences that inspired much of his music. After one of his four divorces, Jones sat alone in a rather empty home, his ex-wife having absconded with almost everything–furniture, china, glassware and more. Among the few items left behind were a small table, a Jim Beam whiskey decanter bearing the likeness of Elvis Presley, and a Fred Flintstone jar of jelly beans. After dumping the jelly beans, the “Possum” used the jar as a glass into which he poured the entire contents of the Jim Beam decanter. The imaginary conversations he had with Elvis and Fred during his impaired state were the inspiration for the song “The King is Gone.” Only among avid collectors will you generally find Jim Beam decanters sporting the likeness of The King. The Duke City’s most prolific collectors of vintage adult beverage decanters, bottles and signage is the Monte Carlo Steak House on Route 66. Kitschy mirrors emblazoned with the logos of beer distributors, anthropomorphic alcohol decanters, faux wood walls,…

AmericanBar & GrillColoradoDog FriendlyRating: N/R (Not Rated)SteakUnited States

The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern – Estes Park, Colorado

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

During my years at St. Anthony’s in Peñasco, I frequently tried the patience of the saintly nuns.   Thankfully capital punishment was not permissible or you wouldn’t be reading this.  It’s bad enough I wore out a few rulers and hopefully one elderly nun’s knuckles which often found their way to my head (that may explain a few things).  I wasn’t a malicious student, just one who didn’t always conform.  It wasn’t the age of “doing your own thing” though I certainly did my best to be an individual.  Albeit, I was an individual who didn’t do his homework or study for tests (but still managed to ace them all). My antics were never deliberately destructive.  In some ways I was like a gangly newborn giraffe trying to get my legs under me.  Unusually tall for an elementary school student in Northern New Mexico, I was a poster child for clumsiness.  Fellow students feared my lack of coordination would result in injury.  When the nuns insisted on having us square dance, the girls feared my do-si-do more than they did an impromptu math quiz.  My dancing resembled a combination of roller skating on ice and steer wrestling.    My Kim…