Experience has shown that the Friends of Gil (FOG) are willing to go great distances for a diversity of excellent dining experiences. In four previous excursions, FOG members have traveled to Rio Rancho for superb Italian fare at Joe’s Pasta House, enjoyed a sumptuous six-course repast at Budai Gourmet Chinese, partaken of magnificent Mexican food at El Norteno and converged on M’Tucci’s Kitchina for an evening good friends, good food and good laughs.
On Sunday, July 19, 2015, FOG convened at the fabulous Luna Mansion Landmark Steakhouse in beautiful downtown Los Lunas for a delicious brunch. The diverse group enjoyed such decadent deliciousness as lobster Benedict, eggs and hash browns, prime rib burrito, New York steak and Linguine with a Red Chile Cream Sauce. Several of us enjoyed the Maytag Wedge.
Author Jane Austen’s idea of good company was “the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation.” Snippets of conversation at our table centered around a variety of diverse topics ranging from politics to the Madonna song La Isla Bonita to the FOG’s favorite major league soccer player Omar Gonzalez (who bears an uncanny physical resemblance to FOGey Jim Millington). Event organizer Bob of the Village People even gave a tour of the historical facility.
*bump*
When is the next one? I miss you guys!
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa…It’s my turn to set up the FOG dinner and as usual it’s my head that’s in a fog. In my defense, I’ve had to spend quite a bit of time keeping the blog up and running. The blog engine I was working had some components that became security liabilities. As such, I’ve been playing for weeks with different blog themes and elements, trying to stave off being shut down. The them now on Gil’s Thrilling…is a bit on the boring side, but its fonts are legible. I do miss seeing all the great NM photos by Lilly Digital.
Now I can focus on FOG.
FWIW, I like this color scheme a whole lot better, and the layout (though VERY similar) just looks better. Yes, the missing NM photos would be nice but I gotta admit that after a few visits, I didn’t even notice them anymore.
Besides, with content this good, who needs pictures of landscape ;-)…
Sorry you experienced some difficulties. The site looks great now – no signs of wear or tear. The content is what matters, anyway.
Yo FGFABQ: While I look forward to escorting, if permitted, Lady Graycee around another exotic FOG venue, I’m posting this to hopefully entice you to fill us in on some of your venue considerations for the next FOG Gathering….Yo, no pressure implied! E.g….Are you targeting Oct. or Nov.? Obviously, at this point, things would/should be fluid, but am curious. (Besides Balloon Fiesta, have 2 kids BDs and Columbus Day in Oct. and obviously there is Voting and Thanksgiving and Black Fri Days in Nov. Say, lest you are giving any thought to a Kobe GCCB BBQ/overnight camp-out at your lair, I forgot to offer my electric/counter-top Turkey Friar that CAN be used for a Dirty Seafood Boil as well! You can put me down for gratis 2 dozen eggs and a couple of baggies of freshly frozen green chile for Morning Egg burritos. Just curious…does your sleeping patio face the Sandias or West Mesa.
Yo Mate of the Child-Bride: Thanks. Nice to see you still hunger for a Foot Long (NM “Red”) Chile Cheese Dog con onions paired with an orange drink, but I think there is a non-repeat clause…LOL In that light however and per my love of coincidences, Ta Da…CELEBRATE! TODAY (7/23) is….National Hot Dog Day!!!
FGFABQ: Thanks…Glad you could make it to LM as well as allow me to escort Lady Grayce on a tour which she appeared to find Enchanting…per the ambiance of the rest of Luna Mansion.
Will look forward to your offerings whether they be (and this is just a random blathering) formal, e.g. Ranchers Club, Bien Shur; semi-informal, e.g. High Noon, Chez Axel, Scalo’s, Prairie Star, Antiquity; or informal e.g. 66 Pit Stop-on-the-West Mesa (if enuf seating?), Red Chile Ribs only on The Fiesta Patio of El Pinto, Nicky V’s, Monte Carlo, Mary & Tito’s, Down n Dirty Seafood Boil, or we chip-in for beverages and appetizers (like caviar and Vienna sausages in a mustard/grape jelly sauce in a chafing dish), and Kobe Green Chile Cheeseburger Sliders on a choice of Kaiser Roll, Bagels, Brioche, or slices of Polish Rye or B&M Brown Bread-in-a-Can, chefed by Chef Omar at G&B’s BBQ Joynt in Las Placitas!
—-Buena Suerte!—-
Mr Los Ranchos 2015, Thank you for getting so many Fogies to leave town. I was worried that it would be impossible.
Mr FGFABQ, Thank you for volunteering. I would recommend that we reserve the entire Dog House for a Saturday night feast.
Thanks, BOTVOLR,
What a wonderful brunch with the FOGs.
I have been charged with planning the next FOG meeting and hope it’s as good as the last one.
I’ll come up with a few ideas and pass them on.
While dining evening time has its own Especial aire of romantic Enchantment, there is still a quaint ambience, IMHO, to feel Genteelmanly for a moment by enjoying a casual Brunch with cohorts (as diverse as we may be) on a Sunday afternoon after a brief motoring through the countryside!
– After a few hesitant moments looking over the menu, our fearless leader reassured some that the Chile would be safe (i.e. Sin Cumin) as it was from Teofilio’s across the street.
– I myself had the so called “Historic Rte 66” with it’s just right, ‘brunch sized’, tender filet con a mild, red chile cream sauce. It was accompanied by toast and done-just-right hashbrowns with two perfectly cooked eggs-over-easy. Brunch priced Bloody Mary’s had a nice zing of spices and an expresso was sobering! While our WaitGal was of a tender age, e.g. given she’s attending UNM, her ‘service’ was attentively hospitable, proper, and engaging, befitting the charm of this Southern setting where one can’t but help have a sense that Rhett and Scartlett might come waltzing through at any moment!
“Chow!”
– Jim: Sorry for delay as LM closed yesterday and doesn’t open till 5 during the week.
Yes Y’all will order off the menu: http://lunamansion.com/menus/brunch/ (As previously noted, one may order off the dinner menu, but “baked potatoes” are not available at 1 when we meet this coming Sunday the 19th!
“Natalie” will make a note that separate checks are preferred.
(Please remind me to share some thoughts on CB’s look-alike observation!)
– Jen: understand your support needed at “post-divorce-brunch-in-the-new-place”. Am sure we’ll send good vibes to your Comadre!
Sorry, a dear friend is throwing her first post-divorce-brunch-in-the-new-place that day, and I RSVP’d about a month ago. I’d love to sup with all of you, but I need to support her event, too. I’ll be with you in spirit. Looking very forward to the photos of the festivities, and to the next gathering as well.
May I reiterate: Shoot.
OK! Sun July 19th at 1 for Brunch…Reservation has been made for Jim/Child Bride; Jim/Zelma; Bruce/Grayce; Larry McG/?; Hannah; BOTVOLR; Gil/Kim
(Ah come on Jen…unshoot…hope you can alter plans in the meantime!)
– I asked for a little wiggle room if Any One missed the “sign up”.
– Looking forward to seeing/chatting with Y’all!!!
Mr Bob, please clarify a couple of details.
1. We will be ordering off a menu, not a fixed meal?
2. We will have separate checks?
That is it. I will have an MRI at 6pm in Albuquerque but that should be easy to reach.
Thank you for organizing everything.
Oh, shoot… I can’t do brunch on the 19th but dinner on the 18th would work. It would just be one for me.
One for me!
Hannah
Jen
Great!…is that one count each?
Count me too, I’m fine for either time/date!
A little late to the party, but count me in for either date!
Sounds good to me….Looking forward to seeing old FOGies!
Hope others consider signing up by The 4th!
Brunch.
Either is OK but Sunday Brunch would be first choice.
2 of us.
We’ll attend either but we prefer the brunch on Sunday. John and Zelma
We will be there at either time since we haven’t been since the ownership change. We would prefer the Saturday dinner.
It must be telepathy. We ran across Professor Larry and his admiring entourage at the second to last day of the now “Gone but not forgotten” Los Equipales and he was suggesting that we try to set up a FOG. I assured him that Bob had the assignment and was running with it.