The Artichoke Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico

“These things are just plain annoying.
After all the trouble you go to, you get about as much actual “food”
out of eating an artichoke as you would from licking 30 or 40 postage stamps.
Have the shrimp cocktail instead.”
– Miss Piggy

Miss Piggy, that shrill and garrulous walking side of bacon, may not appreciate the humble artichoke much, but among both health conscious and discerning diners, the artichoke has long been a healthful and delicious dining option. Considered a “super food” for its high antioxidant, fiber, potassium, phosphorous, iron, calcium and magnesium content, artichokes have long been used in the treatment of gall bladder and liver conditions because it improves liver functions and is recognized for its ability to lower blood pressure. It’s also been known, in some cases, to help with migranes and to give skin a healthy glow.

In 16th Century Europe, eating an artichoke was considered scandalous behavior for women because the artichoke was considered an aphrodisiac (as was the humble tomato).  During the “Renaissance,” artichokes were reserved exclusively for men (especially aristocrats like Henry, VIII). Catherine de Medici, bride of King Henry, II of France, denounced that social more, introducing the artichoke along with traditional Italian foods and cooking to the French kitchen. Catherine was passionate about artichokes, consuming them in large quantities. Henceforth the French elevated the artichoke to the stature of a gourmet ingredient. It was treated as such when introduced to the American colonies.

It’s only fitting that one of Albuquerque’s most highly regarded fine-dining gourmet treasures pay tribute to the artichoke by festooning its name on the marquee. When the Artichoke Cafe opened in 1989, the artichoke was hardly ubiquitous on Duke City restaurant menus, many of whom seemed to believe vegetables stopped and ended with green chile (technically a fruit from a botanical standpoint). In its nearly four decades of serving the city, the Artichoke Cafe has helped pioneer culinary trends diners now take for granted. That includes concepts such as seasonal menus, sustainable foods, a wine bar and…foundational business values.

The Artichoke Cafe operates on foundational business values focus on three distinct pillars: Community and Connection: The restaurant strives to be a welcoming neighborhood gathering place where guests “feel like family” and experience the warmth of being invited into a home. Culinary Excellence: Their core mission is to always deliver the best possible product by utilizing the freshest, finest, and locally grown ingredients. They fuse classic French and Italian techniques with New American innovations. Attentive Service: Their leadership emphasizes creating an elevated, extraordinary dining experience that remains relaxed, warm, and highly attentive without feeling stuffy.

From the onset, the Artichoke Cafe has been a trend-setter, launching in the East Downtown (EDO) district long before it was the burgeoning residential and business district regarded by real estate experts as an established yet continuing up-and-coming urban core district.  In 1989, the district was actually considered failing. You can’t underestimate the impact the Artichoke Cafe has had on the area nor that it has rightfully earned the sobriquet “heart of EDO.” In fact, there’s no disputing the veracity of any of the other slogans the Cafe has used: “the saucy little bistro at the heart of creative cuisine” and “where artisan cocktails meet creative cuisine” among them.

The 5000-square foot, 120-seat establishment is the brainchild of proprietors Pat and Terry Keene. Pat serves as the restaurant’s executive chef, a vocation for which she was formally trained in New York City while Terry has more than 30 years experience in restaurant management. While that marital pairing was certainly made in heaven, the restaurant is reputed to serve heavenly pairings of fine wine and exquisite cuisine. As a non-imbiber of adult beverages, I can’t speak for the wine, but The Wine Spectator certainly can, perennially listing it in its annual dining guide.

The Cafe’s walls are adorned with art whose beauty pales in comparison to the the truly artistic cuisine, whose artists are merely stick figure novices in comparison to the classically trained masters who create in the kitchen. From the complimentary bread basket to desserts, this restaurant exudes four star first class with a culinary repertoire which melds the finest in creative American, Italian and French cuisines. Be aware, however, that it’s easy to fall in love with an entree that may not be available because of a seasonal menu rotation or because it’s available only as a special.

Returning to two of the three pillars of the restaurant’s foundational values, the Culinary Excellence pillar has been exemplified by chefs who have gone on to stellar success in other restaurant ventures throughout the city.  Most recently, Chef Tony Netherly moved on to launch Tony’s Pizzeria, one of the most highly regarded pizzerias in the city.  Before him, there was Chef David Gaspar de Alba who shines at Oni Noodles. Chef Cristina Martinez is the executive chef at El Monte Sagrado in Taos. Chef J. Martin Torrez is working as a sous chef at the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe. Chef Israel Rivera (better known as “Izz”) is the executive chef and owner of Albuquerque’s The Shop.  You get the picture.  A chef stint at the Artichoke Cafe is a virtual predictor of future success.  In terms of the third pillar (Attentive Service), you need to look no further than Simone, an effusive and savvy server and one of Albuquerque’s very best waitresses.

Perhaps more telling of our high regard for The Artichoke, when given a choice of restaurants at which to celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary, my Kim’s first and only choice was The Artichoke Cafe.  We hadn’t visited this eDo institution in ten years.  Not surprisingly it more than lived up to expectations.  We even got to meet Chef Chris who replaced Chef Tony Netherly.  Chris has already placed his stamp on the restaurant menu, telling us more than 80-percent of the menu is uniquely his own.  Some standards (such as the French onion soup gratinee) will remain as it wouldn’t be the Artichoke without them.  It also wouldn’t be The Artichoke without complimentary bread, something very few restaurants (even in the fine-dining arena) offer nowadays.  The Artichoke’s focaccia bread served with real butter is inspired. The Artichoke bakes its own bread in-house rather than outsourcing it to an external commercial bakery.

28 December 2011: Also quite inspired is the French Onion Soup gratinee with imported Gruyere. It’s easily among the very best French Onion Soups in Albuquerque, so good even French-hating xenophobes would appreciate a steamy bowl of aromatic beef broth in which sweet onions and rich, nutty, and savory Gruyere cheese swim merrily with spongy, soft crostinis. Considered a “peasant food” by virtue of its humble, economically borne origin, French onion soup has risen to the level of much coveted, highly sought after gourmet favorites.  At The Artichoke, French onion soup gratinee is an artform.

8 September 2026:  The Artichoke Cafe isn’t just a clever, catchy name pulled out of a marketer’s mind.  You’ll always find an artichoke dish on the menu.  Consider yourself blesssed if fried artichoke hearts (served with a sauce of lemon aioli, mint and Parmigiano Reggiano) are among the “Smaller” offerings on the menu.  Unlike fried artichoke hearts you may have had previously, these are lightly coated.  You’re not eating a lot of batter and a little artichoke heart.  These are artichoke hearts even diners who believe they won’t like them will fall in love with.  Best of all, there’s no peeling off annoying artichoke leaves.  Every part of the fried artichoke hearts is edible and absolutely delicious.  The interior of the artichoke hearts are soft, tender and juicy with a slightly sweet and mild yet mouth-watering flavor.  The sauce is a wonderful complement.  Because artichokes naturally absorb surrounding flavors, fried artichoke hearts take on the taste of the sauce,

8 September 2026:  In my 39 years on Terra Firma, only two panzanella dishes have ever tantalized my pedantic taste buds.  Only one–from Chef Javier Montaño then at the Vara Winery & Distillery–came from New Mexico.  The other transformative panzanella dish came from the Italian Daughter in Scottsale, Arizona.  So, what makes a memorable panzanella? A great panzanella balances crisp, sturdy bread with intensely flavorful, salted tomatoes and typically a sharp vinaigrette that ties the bowl together without turning the salad into mush.  The Artichoke’s charred corn panzanella transforms its fabulous foccacia into toasted croutons, still crunchy and firm.   This treasure from the smaller plates menu also features finely chopped tomato, corn, cucumber, herbs, pickled shallot and extra virgin olive oil.   The pickled shallots and cucumber blending with the extra virgin olive oil are the likely catalysts which mimic the dressing we thought for sure we were enjoying. Every element on this outstanding panzanella worked harmoniously with every other element, creating an onchestral concordance.

8 September 2026:  Did I mention what a wonderful server Simone is?  In addition to taking great care of us with sage recommendations, she convinced me to order The Artichoke’s special-of-the day when I was eyeing a risotto dish.  That special was a pan-seared monkfish with a cannelini brown butter puree, red wine and butter sauce, sauteed mushrooms and onions and fried fennel. If you’ve never ordered monkfish, think lobster. Monkfish is a bottom-dwelling fish (not entirely unlike catfish) known for its giant, hideous head.   It’s also known for its sweet, firm meat that some say tastes like lobster.  In fact it’s often called “poor man’s lobster.”  Sadly, some restaurants occasionally substitute less expensive fish like monkfish for lobster, especially in mixed, fried, or heavily sauced dishes where the texture and flavor are harder to identify.

Having lived in Massachusetts where lobster was relatively inexpensive compared to landlocked states to which lobster is flown in, I’m not easy to fool.  When I order monkfish, it’s because I want monkfish and don’t want a simile lobster.  Chef Chris knows what he’s doing with monkfish and doesn’t try to mask its firmness or make it taste like lobster.  The cannelini (large, white Italian kidney beans often used on pasta fagioli) and brown butter puree could easily be mistaken for delicious mashed potatoes. Then there’s the red wine and butter sauce with a delightful purplish hue and vibrant fruity notes.  Pan-fried to a delicate crispness, the monkfish proved worthy of Simone’s effusive recommendations.  Despite that recommendation, however, I would probably not have ordereed it had it not been deboned.  Some chefs keep the central backbone in place to help the fish hold its shape and impart a richer taste while roasting or pan-searing, but traumatizing experiences with fish bones have turned me off them.

8 September 2026:  With no pescatarian leanings whatsoever, my Kim loves steak but also enjoys pork, the “other white meat.”  Her carnivorous bent was sated by The Artichoke’s bone-in pork chop (served with orzo, endive and a cherry reduction).  The bone-in chop is a thing of beauty, a carnivore’s dream.  It’s got beautiful diamond-shaped grill marks that bespeak of meat resting on hot grill grates without moving during the first part of cooking.  The dark lines occur because of the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars when hot metal touches the meat.  Not only is the chop a thing of beauty, it is absolutely delicious.  Prepared at medium, it’s among the most tender cuts of meat we’ve enjoyed in quite a while.  Surprisingly good was the orzo.  Though it looks like rice, it’s actually a small type of pasta shaped like a grain of rice.  Orzo has very little flavor of its own, but inherits the flavors off sauces very well.

8 September 2026:  Six dessert options are the best way to finish your meal.  While all six are reputedly delicious, Simone waxed especially eloquent about the triple chocolate cake a la mode (pecan-cocoa nub praline, dulce de leche).  The three layer cake is magnificent–like edible art.  The pecan-cocoa nub praline combines buttery, sugary Southern-style candy with rich cocoa flavor and crunchy toasted pecans.  The dulce de leche ice cream is rich with a deeply caramel influence.  The chocolate is adult chocolate meaning it’s not cloying, but deeply robust and slightly bitter.  It’s my kind of chocolate.

The Artichoke Cafe is one of the Duke City’s premier dining destinations, a fact not lost among the city’s movers and shakers who make it their destination of choice for “power” lunches and dinners. Whether or not you consider yourself a “player” in the arena of business, politics or any other enterprise, you’ll feel right at home at the Artichoke Cafe, truly one of the city’s very best restaurants of any genre.

The Artichoke Cafe
424 Central, S.E.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
505 243-0200
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LATEST VISIT: 8 September 2026
# OF VISITS: 9
RATING: Outstanding–A stand-out; delivers a memorable dining experience through a harmonious blend of exceptional food, attentive service, and consistent quality
COST: $$$ – $$$$
BEST BET: Triple Chocolate Cake a la Mode, Pan-Fried Monkfish, Bone-In Pork Chop, Charred Corn Panzanella, Fried Artichoke Hearts