“Get to the point!” Archie Bunker, the irascible curmudgeon on the 70’s sitcom All in the Family frequently chided his doting wife Edith with the epithet “Get to the Point, Edith!” One of the series occasional and most memorable bits depicted Archie’s pantomime suicides, carried out while Edith rambled on and on in her nasal high-pitched voice, wholly oblivious to his dramatic gestures. In one episode Archie did himself in by tying a noose and hanging himself as Edith prattled on incessantly. Archie also play-acted suicide by Russian roulette, overdosing on pills and slashing his wrist. His facial expressions at the moment of death were priceless, often portraying him with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
Some visitors to Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog have echoed Archie’s sentiment. “Get to the point, Gil” they’ve expressed. They tell me they don’t want to wade through details or read the clever (okay, that’s debatable) introductions that preface my restaurant reviews. Others, such as my friend Ryan “Break the Chain” Scott actually look forward to my roundabout way of introducing a restaurant, my efforts at being a racounteur. For them as well as those who would rather I employ a more formulaic (translation: fishwrap-style) approach, I offer this advice (or retort): Get to The Point!
That would be The Point Grill in Rio Rancho’s Mariposa master-planned community. If you’re thinking “that’s too far,” think of going there as a New Year’s resolution (we’re not that deep into 2016) to journey outside your neighborhood in pursuit of new culinary adventures. Better still, think of it as a treat (you owe it to yourself) in that you’ll get to experience a meal that competes with Joe’s Pasta House and Namaste as the best in the city and among the best in the metropolitan area. That’s what our friends Dave and Joe have done and they live almost as far east as you can go while still being in Placitas. Dave and Joe introduced us to The Point which has become one of their favorite restaurants, distance be damned.
The Point is actually only about four miles north of the Santa Ana Star Center which even much of Rio Rancho’s citizenry erroneously believes is as far northwest as you can go and still be in the City of Vision. From the intersection of Rio Rancho’s Unser and Southern Boulevards, The Point is almost equidistant to the Cottonwood Mall. There are far fewer traffic lights and you won’t encounter the typical urban traffic snarls. Beyond the Santa Ana Star you’ll encounter a vast expanse of sage and sand as far as the eyes can see on both sides of the two lane highway. “It’s where the bodies are buried,” my Kim remarked.
The Point is about two miles west of the turn-off into Mariposa. It’s ensconced in a 1,200 square-foot corner space in the capacious two-story business center, a modern edifice with plenty of glass to take advantage of wondrous panoramic views. From the ground-level cafe, your views are of the Sandia, Sangre de Cristo, Manzano and Ortiz Mountains, views which seem even more spectacular from the patio. Your views will also include just a few of the state-of-the-art homes and community buildings entwined with the natural splendor of the hilly desert topography in which the 6,500-acre community is situated. The delicate balance of nature, architecture and community blend in harmoniously with each other.
The Point’s perceived distance will make it a true destination restaurant, an exclusive enclave far away from the bustling well-beaten and well-eaten path that defines the Rio Rancho’s dining scene. Two other highly regarded restaurants—The Outlook Café and The Timbuctu Bistro—gave it the “old college try” at this location, but neither was able to sustain a consistently reliable customer-base. What makes The Point different? The difference makers begin with owner and executive chef Michael White, a visionary who in his 18 years of professional experience has traversed the gamut of cooking—everything from food trucks to high-end restaurants. Originally from Virginia Beach (and reputed to prepare fabulous crab cakes), Chef White’s menu reflects his love of New Orleans’ dynamic culinary culture and its spices.
Chef White’s menu offers everything from American comfort foods (six different macaroni and cheese dishes) to an innovative array of bounteous hand-crafted burgers and sandwiches, sumptuous salads, weekly soup specials, tapas and a variety of “chef’s favorites.” The dessert menu, while showcasing only four items, would tempt the most disciplined of dieters. Even the Sunday brunch menu, typically a boring after-thought for some restaurants, offers a number of dishes sure to be the best part of getting up. Best of all, the entire menu (save for brunch) is available at all hours in which the restaurant is open.
The Point opened its doors on September 15th and within two months had achieved 500 “likes” on Facebook. Guests certainly like the comfortable seating, accommodating 44 guests inside and 40 on the patio. They also appreciate all the special event menus such as a crawfish boil for Mardi Gras (already sold out) and a romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day. They’re grateful for the professional, attentive service and recommendations they can trust. Moreover, guests like the “get away from it all” feel of dining at a restaurant that may be a bit out of the way, but well worth the effort to get there. In 2016, The Point earned the coveted People’s Choice Award during the sixth annual Taste of Rio Rancho.
15 January 2016: On a cold winter day when the winds are biting and dark, somber clouds loom ominously, you can’t beat a soothing, soul-warming soup. If the soup-of-the-day is mushroom soup, don’t hesitate to order it. There are two qualities to appreciate most about The Point’s version. First, it’s not overly creamy, a quality often attained through the profusion of thickeners that obfuscate the flavor of the fetid fungi. Second, it’s served piping hot, a sure and instant offset to the cold. This mushroom soup is topped with croutons which soften when submerged under the soup as do the two pieces of ciabatta bread.
15 January 2016: The chipotle chicken satay offers another type of heat—the heat generated by the piquancy of peppers. This satay is the antithesis of the satay served in Thai restaurants which is punctuated by pungent curry and served with a cloying peanut sauce. Instead of curry, the chicken is marinated in a spicy chipotle blend then chargrilled and served over coconut rice, all topped with tzatziki, scallion and lemon wedges. The flavors are lively and offer a wonderfully immersive dining experience in which complementary flavors and textures compete for your rapt attention. The tzatziki and scallions offer cooling contrasts to the chargrilled chicken and help cool off your tongue, too.
15 January 2016: The menu’s market side selections, all priced at three dollars, are intended to complement your main entrees, but they can be treated as appetizers as well. After enjoying the charbroiled chicken so much, we thought the pairing of red chile grilled corn and garlic sautéed mushrooms would be a good follow-up. Great call! Golden nibblets of sweet corn are lightly dusted with a pleasantly piquant red chile then roasted nicely to preserve moistness while providing more than a hint of char. We were surprised at how well garlic and mushrooms married together. Neither of the two strong flavor profiles is dominant with both garlic and mushrooms blending their personalities well.
15 January 2016: Among the “Chef’s Favorites” in the winter menu is baked ziti (meatballs, Italian sausage, roasted peppers and onion baked with ziti marinara and Italian cheeses), a classic Italian-American hybrid showcasing a medium-sized tubular pasta baked with a “chunky” sauce and meats. Chef White’s rendition is very reminiscent of the baked ziti I enjoyed so much in the East Coast, save for the fact that The Point’s version is served in a pho-sized bowl instead of in a casserole dish. This version is replete with meatballs and sausage, both as flavorful as you’ll find at any Italian restaurant. The baked ziti is yet another dish that works best in winter, but which would be very enjoyable any time of year.
BRUNCH
Not everyone has a high opinion of brunch. In his terrific tome Kitchen Confidential, fellow sybarite Tony Bourdain blew the lid off brunch, explaining that “brunch menus are an open invitation to the cost-conscious chef, a dumping ground for the odd bits left over from Friday and Saturday nights” adding that “you can dress brunch up with all the focaccia, smoked salmon, and caviar in the world, but it’s still breakfast.” New York Times columnist and writer Mark Bittman calls brunch “a huge fat-bomb,” no doubt a recognition that Americans will eschew fresh fruit and veggie frittatas to swill a few Bloody Marys with their heavy on the Hollandaise eggs benedict. In his defense, Bittman’s recent foray into Michelle Obama inspired healthy food activism has probably starved his thought processes of the clarity made possible only with a diet replete with processed foods and animal products.
Some brunches offer sumptuous all-you-can-choke-down buffets with gleaming silver trays overfilled with fried, gloppy, saucy, sweet, savory and otherwise not-good-for-you options sure to be a big hit among caloric overachievers. This is the arena in which ordinary Americans do their best to emulate the behavior of gurgitators, the competitive eaters who can eat more in one seating than most of us can eat in a week. It’s where belts are loosened, fabric is stretched and civility (especially table manners) goes out the window. Albuquerque has its share of bounteous buffet brunches, the magnetically appealing, calorie-laden Vegas-style all-you-can-eat Bacchanalian feasts, but it also has the type of high-quality, off-the-menu brunch offerings that have lessened the frequency of my trips to Santa Fe on Sunday. Restaurants such as the Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro, the Gold Street Caffe, Sophia’s Place and a spate of others serve up brunch that’s worth climbing out from under the covers to indulge in.
Add The Point to the list of the metropolitan area’s very best spots for brunch. Quite frankly, it’s one of the area’s best restaurants of any genre. My friend Larry McGoldrick, the professor with the perspicacious palate and Albuquerque’s most prolific and trusted contributor to Zomato calls The Point the “best new restaurant of 2015” and “well worth the pleasant drive to the Mariposa boonies.” If Larry vouches for it, you can take it to the bank that this is a restaurant you have to experience.
24 January 2016: During our inaugural brunch visit, we ran into our friends Joe and Dave who were enjoying their umpteenth visit to The Point. Practically ambassadors to this great restaurant, they extol the chef’s preternatural culinary skills to all their friends. Seeing Joe luxuriate in a bowl of cream of garlic soup inspired us to order it, too. If Ludwig van Beethoven’s aphorism “only the pure in heart can make a good soup” holds true, Chef White’s heart must be chaste because his soups are fabulous. How he managed to create a soup that renders garlic so thoroughly delicious despite its distinctly pungent and odoriferous qualities speaks volumes to his skills. Rather than warding off vampires, this garlic soup will bring them in like ants to a picnic.
24 January 2016: Dave rhapsodized about The Point’s Caesar salad (Parmesan, hard-boiled egg and croutons with Caesar dressing). The side salad portion is about a pitchfork sized amount of beauteous Romaine lettuce punctuated liberally with shaved Parmesan. If there are any anchovies on this Caesar, they may have been incorporated into the rich, creamy, garlicky dressing. It’s not a point we debated for too long as we were all too busy enjoying this intricate concoction. While many variations of Caesar salad exist and many high-end restaurants prepare it table-side, few versions are as delicious as The Point’s. There are three other salads on the menu.
24 January 2016: Having lived in the Deep South may explain my affinity for grits, a “Rodney Dangerfield” type of dish in that it gets no respect outside the South. At their essence, grits are small, broken grains of corn, but let’s face it, when you order them outside the South, you’re playing “Southern Roulette” in that you have a one-in-six chance of them being palatable. The best we’ve had in New Mexico come from The Hollar in Madrid and Blades Bistro in Placitas. Equal to those are the shrimp and grits (jalapeno, maple bacon and white Cheddar; topped with Cajun shrimp, sunny-up egg and scallions) at The Point. Its fragrant properties will get to you before anything else. You’ll swear you’re imbibing the aroma of waffles and bacon. That’s the suggestive power of the maple bacon at work. The Cajun shrimp (succulent and sweet with the snap of freshness), jalapeno and scallions provide a pleasant punch while the sunny-up egg is like a molten blanket of gooey goodness. These are grits that will make you forget all the nasty things you may have heard about grits.
24 January 2016: There are so many enticing options on the hand-crafted sandwiches and burgers section of the menu that you’ll be hard-pressed to make a decision as to which one you’ll enjoy first. For my Chicago born-and-bred Kim, it’s a no-brainer. She grew up with sausage and peppers sandwiches, but none in her Windy City neighborhood included goat cheese and basil. Perhaps they should. This is a superb sandwich, due in no small measure to some of the best sausage we’ve had at any restaurant in the area. It’s somewhere between spicy and assertive with lots of flavor. The tangy-pungent goat cheese is a perfect foil for the peppers while the basil lends freshness.
15 January 2017: It should come as no surprise that burgers at The Point are more than a cut above. In large part that’s because these burgers showcase great beef, not a plethora of ingredients that compete with the beef for your rapt attention. Chef White constructs his burgers with seven-ounces of Akaushi premium beef, a Japanese red cattle Wagyu sourced from Harwood, Texas. This prized beef if renowned for its marbling, taste and texture. It’s great stuff! There are five burger options on the menu, but New Mexicans will gravitate toward the Southwest burger which doubles up on our official state vegetable and favorite color combination–red and green chile. The Akaushi patty is crusted with red chile and topped with roasted green chile and Cheddar. The chile is more than a colorful adornment. It’s got a nice bite, but not so much that it overwhelms the unctuous Akaushi beef. This is a memorable burger, one of the best in Rio Rancho.
15 January 2017: The brunch special of the day during our inaugural visit in 2017 was a flatiron steak served with papitas and two eggs prepared to your exacting specifications. Flat iron steaks are a value-priced cut that is tender, juicy and which some experts say has the “beefiest” flavor of any cut of beef on any steak. Chef White exploits these qualities to their utmost, serving a fork-tender steak sliced into one and two-bite segments that is juicy, delicious and absolutely beefy. The exterior of the steak has a nice crust, but inside it’s medium-rare with a nice shade of pink. The accompanying papitas would be excellent on their own, but are made irresistible with the simple addition of sauteed onions and red and yellow peppers.
5 August 2018: With eight years on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and within an hour from Cajun country, we certainly had our share of Cajun chicken. The ingredients with which it was prepared typically included cayenne, paprika, black pepper and red pepper flakes. The resultant chicken packed plenty of personality, all of it incendiary. We loved the kick. When the brunch menu listed Cajun Chicken, we expected something similar. Alas, the “Cajun battered” fried chicken was more akin to chicken fried chicken with so much thick country gravy on top that we couldn’t discern the Cajun seasonings. Sure, the chicken was a moist and tender slab of perfectly prepared poultry, but we were looking for the chicken to bite back. The “Cajun” chicken was served with two eggs (prepared any way you want them), home fries and a buttermilk biscuit. We didn’t discover the biscuit until later because it was buried under the gravy.
5 August 2018: Two of the most famous of all composed salads are the chef’s salad and the Cobb Salad. Though they share some similarities, they are distinctly different salads altogether. As with the chef’s salad, a Cobb salad contains lettuce, meats such as bacon, chicken breast, and ham, and hard-boiled eggs; however, it can contain a variety of lettuces, and usually bitter greens. The Cobb salad also has avocado, tomato, and roquefort cheese. It’s the latter ingredient which really stands out on The Point’s chicken Cobb salad. Roquefort, often renowned as the “King of Cheeses, Cheese of Kings” is a pungent, fetid fromage with characteristic blue veins of mold. It’s one of my favorite of all cheeses because it provides such a contrast to other ingredients on a salad. Every ingredient on this salad is fresh and delicious, another star being the grilled chicken breast (though one more would have been greatly appreciated).
DESSERT
As talented as Chef White is in crafting incomparable appetizers and entrees, it’s in the dessert arena that he really shines. With much of his culinary career having been spent in the operational side of restaurant management, Chef White used his free time to conceptualize and create hundreds of dishes with two goals in mind. First, he dreamed of owning and operating his own restaurant where he could showcase the dozens of diverse menus he formulated. Second, he hopes to someday soon participate in the Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen program. With the launch of The Point, he’s achieved his first goal. He persists in applying for Cutthroat Kitchen.
15 January 2016: It took us even longer to decide upon a dessert than it did our shared entrée. The Point’s dessert menu is like a siren’s call, leading guests willingly into temptation. If there’s one dessert which is even better than it sounds, it has to be the bacon-toffee sundae (cinnamon and brown sugar ice cream topped with bacon, toffee, maple-caramel and fresh whipped cream). My “best of the best” for 2015 list is heavily laden with desserts and already the bacon-toffee sundae is primed for inclusion in my 2016 list—and not just because it’s got bacon. This dessert is a montage of deliciousness, a sweet succor for the dessert-starved, a masterpiece in every respect.
24 January 2016: One of the dishes Chef White conceptualized is country apple cobbler. In and of itself that name doesn’t come close to doing justice to this dessert. Not even close! In fact, the name “country apple cobbler” may conjure images of the type of cobbler you’ll find at many barbecue joints, not that there’s anything remotely wrong with that type of cobbler. As is often the case with the barbecue joint type of cobbler, Chef White’s version is served a la mode. The greatest difference between his version and the usual suspect is in the candied apple-cranberry mix sans crust topped not with streusel, but with a crunchy granola and with ice cream drizzled with caramel. The ice cream is sixteen percent milkfat which means it’s richer and creamier than most ice cream. It’s also more delicious. You’ll want to make sure every spoonful of this inspired dessert rewards you with a little bit of every single component.
24 January 2016: Though not on the menu, if your server or the chef recommends the grilled pineapple dessert, grab it before someone else does. This is not grilled pineapple prepared as you may have had it at a Brazilian churrascaria (prepared on a grilled and served on a skewer). It’s Chef White applying his creativity to elevate what would be a great dessert if grilled pineapple was all you found on your plate. Instead, this grilled pineapple is topped with caramel and designed to look like New Mexico’s Zia symbol. Atop the pineapple are two scoops of the aforementioned rich, creamy, delicious ice cream. The concoction is then sprinkled liberally with coconut flakes. The sweet, juicy, tangy pineapple marries so well with the sweetness of the caramel and ice cream that you may have to subdue a swoon or three.
By popular request, Chef White has figured out how to package his magnificent desserts for guests who want to enjoy them at home. While it’s possible their aesthetic appeal may lose something by virtue of being jostled on the ride home, they’re bound to be just as delicious once you get there (at least during the winter when the cold prevents ice cream from melting). These are desserts you’ll dream about. Just ask my friends Larry McGoldrick and Dazzling Deanell who’ve made the trek to the Point several times and are still raving about it.
LAISSEZ BON TEMPS ROULER: Mardi Gras 2017
28 February 2017: In 2017, Mardi Gras took place on Tuesday, February 28th, marking the the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent begins. In celebration of “Fat Tuesday,” The Point Grill featured a two-day crawfish boil. From 12PM through 9PM Monday and Tuesday, diners were treated to a menu showcasing such New Orleans staples as crawfish, shrimp, sausage, jambalaya, gumbo, crab cake hush puppies and Cajun shrimp or roast beef po’ boys. By popular demand, The Point rented a giant tent for the event which went on despite 55 mile-an-hour winds. My friend Bruce “Sr Plata” and I visited The Point during lunch. Had we not arrived early we wouldn’t have found a seat for this well-attended, very popular event.
According to legend, hush puppies may have been named on account of Southern fishermen and Civil War making the golden nuggets from scraps just to toss to barking and begging dogs with the command to “Hush, puppy.” Today cooks throughout the Deep South prepare these crisp-fried fritters from cornmeal shaped into an orb and served alongside fried fish and tartar sauce. Chef White’s version is made not from cornmeal, but from crab. Available in quantities of six or ten, the crab cake hush puppies are much better than their cornmeal counterpart. A couple squeezes of lemon are enough to provide a tangy contrast to the rich, sweet, succulent crab.
28 February 2017: Most people know New Orleans is a Mecca for seafood, but there are other dishes prepared incomparably well throughout the Crescent City. The Roast Beef Po’ Boy is, along with oyster and shrimp po’ boys, one of the most popular sandwiches in The Big Easy. What distinguishes roast beef po’ boys in New Orleans from roast beef sandwiches elsewhere is moistness. In the birthplace of Jazz, roast beef sandwiches are judged by how many napkins used to keep your chin semi-dry. Many of the very best roast beef po’ boys are replete with debris, all the tiny bits and pieces that fall of the roast and wallow in its juices as it cooks and is carved.
The roast beef po’ boy at The Point isn’t nearly as moist and messy as some of its New Orleans counterparts (the one from Mother’s Restaurant, for example), but it’s far more moist than the desiccated roast beef sandwiches oft served in the high dessert of New Mexico. Chef White adds a light smear of creamy horseradish to give the roast beef a little oomph. Tender tendrils of thinly sliced roast beef engorge a lightly toasted sandwich roll. My friend Sr. Plata enjoyed this sandwich very much.
28 February 2017: It wouldn’t be a true Mardi Gras celebration without gumbo, that hearty, spicy, soul-warming stew. Chef White’s version included many of the usual suspects such as chicken and sausage along with green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and herbs. While quite good, for my tastes it could have had a tad more heat (and I didn’t ask for hot sauce). It’s immediately obvious Chef White spent quite a bit of time in Louisiana.
Get to The Point! It may be a bit of a drive for many of you, but the destination is worth the drive. The Point is destination dining at its best!
The Point Grill Gastropub
2500 Parkway Avenue, N.E.
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
LATEST VISIT: 28 February 2017
1st VISIT: 15 January 2016
# OF VISITS: 5
RATING: 22
COST: $$ – $$$
BEST BET: Bacon-Toffee Sundae, High Point Mac, Baked Ziti, Mushroom Soup, Chipotle Chicken Satay, Red Chile Grilled Corn, Garlic Sauteed Mushrooms, Grits & Shrimp, Caesar Salad, Cream of Garlic Soup, Southwest Burger, Flatiron Steak, Cajun Chicken, Chicken Cobb Salad
Looks these folks are planning a move: http://www.rrobserver.com/news/business/article_a16b0510-bddb-11e8-8b96-23351cd7d7a5.html Looks like this is Nicky V’s old digs. On the upside, it’s closer to those of us on the southern end of Rio Rancho. On the downside, that’s one less eating option for the northern Rio Rancho folks.
Thank you, Sarita. Chef Mike White, the New Mexico Restaurant Association’s Chef of the Year Award for 2018, is indeed relocating his wonderful restaurant to the former home of Nicky V’s. In fact, today is the last day for The Point at its Mariposa location. Heavily trafficked Coors should be a much better location for him. As good as The Point was, even those of us who live in northern Rio Rancho didn’t always want to make the drive to the hinterlands.
We wish them success at the new site.
As much as we liked going to Nicky V’s, the down side was (for us) the Southbound left turn off of Coors – especially at dinner time, and then the crazy-odd parking lot which was always full and not too fun to navigate in my pick-up truck!
Also I recall (if memory serves me well) news of an accident and issues with repairs which impacted Nicky V’s ability to re-open their doors in a timely manner. A somewhat similar situation that I believe affected La Passion.
Caveat!!!! and for being Crabby (no pun intended)… Call ahead! Call ahead! if only for the 3rd Annual Crawfish Boil (yesterday and today) unless, as Gil forwarned RE the distance, you like the splendiferous views of the valley and ranges of the Sandia/Sangre de Christos, as you make the trek out to there. Otherwise, you may find 1/2 to 3/4 of the variations for ‘the boil’ are scratched off the hand written “board” of accompaniments, e.g. shrimp by around 5:30!!! on opening night!!!
Alas, my first trek finally out there. I’d suggest calling on Fri/Sats as, unless the main dining room is hidden away, there ain’t that many tables!!! Sorry for being a Crab, but if it was to be the 3rd such Annual event, one might expect either an exception for reservations accepted and/or the kinks are worked out with a sufficient supply of advertised vittles being on hand. My Daughter/S-i-L were planning to meet up to celebrate another couple’s anniversary that further dampened the experience. As such, per being in the neighborhood, we decided to boggie on down to Bernalillo’s Freighthouse!
We made the 18 mile trek from Corrales last night with friends for our first visit to the Point Grill. We all really enjoyed the food! The only down-side from the outing is that I now have to rethink my best “gourmet” burger recommendations.
At the dear cost of 1/4 of my Mushroom Bacon Mozz burger (with garlic mushrooms, bacon, and melted mozzarella cheese) I got a taste of Soozi’s baked ziti dish. Both were excellent!
For the Cerrevisaphile’s in the audience there’s an ample selection of locally brewed draft and bottled beers.
Given the size of the venue they have an enticing and varied menu that puts quite a few popular and larger establishments in more centralized locations to shame!
Mike White and his partner in this venture (Dale Hensel, a Corraleño who owns the building) have begun an expansion into the vacant room next door, and this will double their eating space.
Joined Sensei on Mardi Gras Tuesday and wouldn’t you know it, there was only 1 item on the menu I eat since I don’t do Pork and Seafood so, yes very picky, so I had the Po Boy Roast Beef. It had a good deal of meat that was marinated very good. I would have like it to be packed with more goodies but then again that was my first Po Boy. I must go back when they have their regular menu and check out their brunch. I hear from Sensei the Pancakes are great, will have to check it out doing their brunch. The Chicken Marsala on the menu looks like another must eat. They need to change their coffee from Columbian to something a bit stronger perhaps Farmers Brothers or French Roast. This is a really cool place located in an oasis of northern Rio Rancho where you would never think a fine restaurant would be. I will definitely be back.
“Get to the point!” Archie Bunker, the irascible curmudgeon…..
Ya Ok Gil….I wont take double offense. It would’ve been a privilege/honor to have sat next to Carroll O’Connor and pop open a PBR for what he done did in advancing life in the USofA!!!
Be that as it may: if Folks need more of a reason besides good food to drive out to The Point http://tinyurl.com/gs2an62, let me suggest gas is often cheaper on 550 & 528 and combing it with a visit to The Coronado Historic Site (just off 550 near the Casino) to tour https://kuaua.com/ Lest you do not know, besides educational stuff in the center, you can actually climb down into the restored Kiva, but it is necessary to call ahead to be sure a Docent will be available for doing that. In addition, if you have an RV, check out the campground for a quick/short trip just outside ABQ in the future to sit and contemplate the river valley/Sandias!
Not your thing? How about 60 restored vintage cars that will make you drool…like being an appetizer….before The Point. Just north of the WallyMart out there on 528…1/2 mile south of 550. Not “into” cars? No matter…..These are metal sculptures!!!! Sorry, their website is a bit behind, but go here http://themotor.net/?p=118 for examples of cars. Click pics to enlarge. Elsewise, here’s hours/admission http://www.jrvintageautos.com/
In my mis-spent youth I was fortunate enough to have eaten in many of the legendary restaurants in Europe and ( Later on ) to have had brilliant meals in many of the best venues in America from coast to coast over many years of serious
appreciation of brilliant food. From lobster shacks on Nantucket to crab joints in Baltimore…to Chez Panisse& the French Laundry in Cali…Peter Luger& le Pavillon in NY…there was one thing that made the difference….
That difference was the passion that the chef brought to his art. Chef Michael White brings a high degree of dedication
to his ( Admittedly small and a bit out of the way ) excellent venue…” The PointGrill ”
More& more folks are buzzing about the Point…and rightfully so. I am justified in looking forward to many more fine meals.
Wow! The Point is great! That baked ziti tasted divine. It was so good that I felt guilty eating it, like somehow it was something to be shared around the table and eaten with a salad and some bread; rather than hoarding it to myself. The juicy medium rare burger is phenomenal; the taste of the beef is savory and flavorful, and getting the garlic mushrooms were wonderful, but they almost disappeared from the bowl without me consciously noticing it. This is a truly wonderful place with such relaxing and serene views that sometimes I just look out the window eating and just wish I could exist in the moment for an eternity. If I had the money and metabolism, I could eat there everyday.
Isn’t it more than a little insensitive to portray suicide as funny? There’s NOTHING funny about suicide especially when you use a racist homophobe like Archie Bunker in your story! I’m ashamed of you.
There are many things which are very hard to respond to regardless of how ridiculous they are. The racist homophobe, Archie Bunker, was created exactly to illustrate how ludicrous prejudice is even in otherwise decent people (such contradictory things actually exist in nature). Suicide is not amusing in any way, shape or form but “gallows” humor is real and will never go away. It did not actually take place in the example nor was it a serious presented as a possibility nor did Gil write the script. I am old enough to remember the shows and that it actually was funny even though I would never consider any real portrayal of suicide as even mildly amusing. I am certain that none of this will dissuade you from your opinion, especially if there is any kind of scar involved,
Thank you, Jim. It wasn’t my intent to be insensitive or make light of suicide. In that it was perceived in that manner, I apologize.
While Archie Bunker may have been a racist and a homophobe, the tremendous actor who portrayed him was anything but. Carroll O’Connor knew when he accepted the role of Archie Bunker that some would find it controversial, but he also believed that sometimes the best way to expose bigotry and misogyny was to present it in a humorous vein. Rather than hate Archie for his ignorance, much of America viewed him as a misguided curmudgeon and victim of his personal circumstances. No one but Carroll O’Connor could have made the character beloved despite so many personal failings.
Ironically O’Connor’s own son committed suicide a few years after All In the Family went off the air.
I, too, will get to the point: The Point Girl rocks!
Thanks, Gil.
I’m sure the Point Girl rocked your world, Larry, but how was the restaurant?
🙂 😛
The food rocks.
OK, Gil. You made the point.
The Dazzler and I are going there for lunch today. Report later.
A few years ago my wife was co-chair of a group called the Out to Lunch Bunch and we would make up the monthly list by trying the restaurants in advance. I thought the Outpost was very good but had the feeling that it was doomed, not by menu or taste but by the fact that on the particular night of our audition dinner we were alone. The food and service was excellent, the owner was there to make sure things went well and If the Outpost was almost anyplace else, instead of the middle of nowhere it could have succeeded. Being in the middle of nowhere it closed. I would hope that The Point has better luck. It’s tough enough to succeed in the restaurant business in a high traffic area, which Mariposa is not.
Don’t think the problem is getting customers there once, the problem is getting them to come back a second and third time.
I’ll happily try new restaurants and keep my fingers crossed for their success, but so far that Marosa location is the restaurant equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle.
I do enjoy your roundabout way of introducing restaurants!
This place looks really good. Maybe we should put it on the “next lunch” list.