AlbuquerqueClosed in 2025Gone But Not ForgottenMariscosMexicanNew MexicoTacos

Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno12:46 PM

Perhaps because I was away from the Land of Enchantment for much of my Air Force career, one of my favorite bloggers has long been Lisa Fain, the James Beard award-winning “Homesick Texan.”   Like me, Lisa longed for home during the two decades she lived in New York City.  Like me, Lisa returned to her home state, the call of family, friends, bluebonnets, and Tex-Mex luring her back.  Also like me, Lisa is fiercely proud of the cuisine of the state she calls home.  Much of the enjoyment I derive in reading about her favorite foods is in noting the (sometimes vast) differences in foods just across the border.  Take for example cheese enchiladas which she calls “the essence…

AlbuquerqueBarbecueFood TruckNew MexicoRating: Excellent

Rev’s BBQ – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

You might think that the food truck industry is an ultra-competitive dog-eat-dog business in which purveyors aren’t very gracious when discussing fellow food truck operators. Considering how they often jockey for a limited number of spaces in heavily trafficked events and vie for consumer attention and dollars, you would think they’d denigrate their brethren.  In an October 4th interview on the fabulous What’s Up Abq Podcast, Michael “Mighty Mike” Mondragon dispelled that notion.  Mike couldn’t have been more benignant about Albuquerque’s food truck scene, calling it a “community.”   He expressed tremendous admiration for both the owners and the food of Tikka Spice and Wing It Up (review pending), among others. When asked “if you’re not eating your own barbecue, where…

AlbuquerqueAmericanClosed in 2023Dog FriendlyGone But Not ForgottenNew Mexico

The Feel Good – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno5:42 PM

“Whoa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now I feel good, I knew that I would So good, so good, ’cause I got you So good, so good, ’cause I got you So good, so good, ’cause I got you.” ~James Brown The lyrics to the “Godfather of Soul’s” signature song aren’t etched on the windows or door of The Feel Good, but several other thematic aphorism are.  There’s Virginia Wolf’s quote, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”  M.F.K. Fisher’s “Sharing food with another human being is an ultimate act that should not be indulged in lightly” is etched on the door while Alan D. Wolfelt’s sage “Food is symbolic…

AmericanArizonaBurgersDog FriendlyUnited States

Red Onion Lounge – Heber, Arizona

Gil Garduno4:09 PM

On 5 November 1975, a seven-man logging crew working in the Sitgreaves National Forest near Heber, Arizona experienced what has become the most documented UFO (UAP or unidentified aerial phenomena, if you prefer) sighting and abduction in history. As the crew was wrapping up for the day, they saw a bright light off to their right. When they approached, they espied a bright saucer-shaped UFO  (UAP) hovering about 20 feet over a clearing.  Travis Walton was the only one who got out of the truck to investigate.  He was quickly knocked to the ground by a bright, blue-green beam of light.  Five days and six hours later, Walton awoke on the outskirts of Heber. Not surprisingly, the veracity of the…

ArizonaDog FriendlyRating: OutstandingSandwichUnited States

PANE BIANCO – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

When she lived in Tucson, Arizona Republic dining critic Andi Berlin would drive nearly two hours  to Phoenix to enjoy foods that can’t be found anywhere else in Arizona.  One of the five held such sway over her that she actually moved to the Valley of the Sun so that she could enjoy it more often.  Now that’s a gastronome after my own heart!  Among the cinquefoil restaurants was Pane Bianco, whose sandwiches Andi says “are so perfect that they’ve achieved cult status.”  Perfect sandwiches!  Hmm, that’s a good reason to relocate and maybe the reason the Phoenix real estate market is among the nation’s top 10 hottest markets.   During dozens of trips to Phoenix over my eighteen-year tenure at Intel, I would…

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…

ArizonaDog FriendlyFine DiningMexicanRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Call Her Martina – Scottsdale, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

The cultural and culinary histories of Arizona and Mexico are interlocked, transcending  the geographical borders that separate them. In fact, until only 1822, what is now the state of Arizona was still a part of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands to reason, therefore, that Arizona’s cuisine of would be largely (but by no means exclusively) influenced by the cuisine of its Sonora.  Those influences extend far beyond the common use  of chiles, beans, flour tortillas, grilled meats and tomato-based sauces.    Rooted in Sonoran cuisine with tendrils in the cuisine of other Mexican states and molded by the American palate, Arizona’s Mexican cuisine continues to evolve in diversity, sophistication and depth.  For that, I am most grateful.  During…

ArizonaDog FriendlyItalianPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Mora Italian – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In the dark ages before satellite radio and podcasts, my Kim and I usually listened to books on tape to pass the time during long trips.  Mystery author Patricia Cornwell was one of my Kim’s very favorites.  The protagonist for Cornwell’s best-selling novels was medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, a perfectionist and workaholic who uses forensic technologies to solve crime.  Most of Cornwell’s novels kept us enthralled from onset to finale.  Then came that one novel, the one building up toward a slowly revealing and scintillating climax but which finished abruptly.  The bad guy did it!  The end!  That abrupt conclusion torqued so much I swore I’d never listen to another Kay Scarpetta novel. My aggravation was so deep I removed a…

ArizonaChickenDog FriendlyRating: N/R (Not Rated)SouthernSpecialtyUnited States

Gus’s Fried Chicken – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:02 AM

As the crow flies, Nashville and Memphis are separated by about 210 miles.  You can get from one to the other of these two prominent Southern cities–that are probably best known for their signature sounds–in a speedy three hours.    Nashville sits on the north-central part of the Volunteer State.  It’s considered the cradle of country music.  Legendary pantheons of country music include the Grand Ole Opry House, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and historic Ryman Auditorium.  Honky-tonks throughout the city feature live music as aspiring artists and song-writers compete to be noticed. Memphis, progenitor of the blues, soul and rock n’roll, borders the mighty Mississippi at Tennessee’s west flank.  Popular landmarks include the Rock n’ Soul Museum,…

ArizonaDog FriendlyMiddle EasternRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Haji Baba – Tempe, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Visiting Haji Baba one day before the end of Ramadan in 2022, I pondered the Muslim observation of the month-long period  when the faithful are encouraged to give to charity, strengthen their relationship with God and show kindness and patience. Observed during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar by Muslims worldwide, Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.  It dawned on me, a life-long Catholic, that not all “Papists” like me have the spiritual and physical stamina to refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset for an entire month.  I probably don’t.   That these thoughts came to mind when we were about to enjoy an exquisite repast wasn’t lost on me.  I thought…

AlbuquerqueBreakfastNew MexicanRating: Good

Garcia’s Kitchen – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:21 PM

One of the central themes of William Faulkner’s magnus opus Absalom, Absalom! is that no two people experience the same thing. Of the four characters who narrate the story, none of them is completely reliable because each has a personal bias, a unique frame of reference based on personal experiences to call upon. Readers are left to determine those biases and how they affect the telling of the story. With the passage of time, one of the characters experiences the memory of the events differently than she experienced the events when they happened. Similarly, no two diners experience the same meal. Sure, they may partake of the very same entrees, but how they perceive their dining experience may be tainted…