In the 1978 movie Same Time Next Year, Ellen Burstyn’s character lamented that her husband considered his years in the Army the best years of his life. When Alan Alda’s character, her partner in a 26-year adulterous affair, commiserated that many men felt that way about their time in the military, Burstyn retorted, “but he spent two years as a prisoner of war.” I can’t relate to being a prisoner of war, but can fully appreciate why so many men cherish their time in the military. More than playing sports in high school, the military develops a camaraderie and esprit de corps you will never experience anywhere else. Even Hawkeye Pierce, they cynical anti-military doctor who served in Korea with the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) recognized “I’m “closer to these people than i’ve ever been to anybody else in my life, or ever expect to be.”
When some of us return to civilian life, memories are mostly all that is left of the close relationships we cultivated during our terms of service. We tend to lose touch with the brotherhood of friends and colleagues for whom we would have happily taken a bullet. That’s not always the case, however. Many–if not most of us service and civic-minded former military members–continue in the same spirit of patriotism and sense of service that initially prompted us to sign up. We join the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion and other organizations where we can interact with others with whom we can commisserate and share memories of good and bad times in the military. Others, like my comrades Tom Neiman and Jim Tritten serve in unique and wonderful ways.
When diagnosed with PTSD, Jim recognized there was something he could do to help similarly affected veterans process and heal. He undertook the mission of leading a veterans’ writing group that harnesses the power of storytelling to confront and heal from trauma. Jim recruited his friend and fellow veteran Tom to help with the effort. They meet weekly at the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Albuquerque with veterans in the writing therapy group. With their coaching, veterans transform their traumatic experiences into written stories. Moreover, they find support in a safe, understanding space. For veterans, it’s an outlet for self-expression, offering a sense of relief and connection through writing. The group is planning a reading tour throughout the Land of Enchantment during which they will share their stories at veterans’ organizations.
Jim and Tom have since expanded their roles. Along with members of the VA Writing Group, they visit restaurants in the Albuquerque area and share their observations in a podcast they call Mañana Cafe. In weekly episodes, Jim and Tom have shared their insights on well over 100 restaurants in the Albuquerque area (with forays into Santa Fe and throughout the Land of Enchantment). Their format is simple and you don’t have to wade through half-a-million words (hint to self) to find out what they think of a particular restaurant. Each podcast includes video and is about five minutes long. I first met Tom in July, 2025 at the Blackbird Coffee House in Old Town. In December, he invited me to join the VA writing group for lunch at a brand new restaurant in Corrales. I brought along my dear friend Bill Resnik who, while not a veteran, is one of the most giving civic-minded people I know.
If you’ve never heard of the No Competition Supercharged Bistro, you’re not alone. To their “embarassment and amazement,” Corrales residents Tom and Jim stumbled upon it and shared their review on Mañana Cafe. They were so impressed that they declared it the “best in New Mexico burger joint.” They graciously wanted me to share their restaurant find with them and other members of the VA writing group. The audaciously named No Competition Supercharged Bistro is adjacent to the Sandia Bar on the corner of West Ella and Corrales Road. As you’re driving on Corrales Road, you’ll definitely espy the Sandia Bar, but there’s no visible signage telling you of the restaurant.
The No Competition Supercharged Bistro occupies the kitchen spaces at the newly renovated Sandia Bar. You’ll place your order at a window and pick it up at a counter. There is no seating within the tiny confines of the restuarant, but you’re welcome to enjoy your meal at the Sandia Bar or–weather-permitting–use one of the bar’s numerous outdoor tables. Should you choose to dine al fresco, you’ll be sitting under a canopy of arboreal giants. If you elect to find a table at the bar, you’ll be impressed by the upscale milieu–especially if you remember the days when it was the local biker bar hangout.
The No Competition is a member of the Primera Agua Hospitality Group which owns and operates a number of restaurants in the Albuquerque area. Among them are Flatiron Bites and Brews and Garduño’s Nativo. When you place your order at a Primera Agua restaurant, you’re enrolled in a rewards club where you will earn points toward free food and invitations to exclusive events (similar to credit cards with their cash back rewards programs). We were surprised at just how quickly the line to place our orders moved. On a rare sunny and warm day in December, we elected to dine outdoors in a shaded table. Our group ordered a number of different menu items, many of which were shared among us. I was fortunate enough to sit next to the delightful Laurel, one of only a few group members who also served in the Air Force.
While not expansive, No Comptition’s menu includes something for every palate. Five “apps” (I surmise this is short for appetizers) are listed though you might balk at the expensiveness of starters. That is, until you experience the sheer size of these apps. Each is large enough to share and can be ordered as an entree as several in our party did. Three salads also grace the menu. When espying Laurel’s salad, I teased her about being like Elaine Benes who always ordered a “really big salad.” The menu also includes a number of plates and combos. Combos include your choice of sandwich with French fries or three tacos with freshly roasted calabasitas. Desserts are also available though all of us were too full to partake.
With his Sandia loco moco ( traditional loco moco with long-grain rice, an Akaushi Wagyu patty, fresh egg, crispy onions, and house red chile gravy), Bill ordered the beer-battered onion rings. They were a hit! Shared among several of us, these golden hoops of crispy, sweet deliciousness may have been the best item we sampled during our lunch. All too often local restaurants tend to serve onion rings out of a bag and leave us believing the bag was fried alongside the onion rings. These onion rings were reminiscent of those I enjoyed at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire.
Both Bill and I had wanted to start our meal with elote corn ribs (elote seasoned and topped corn, ready for snacking like a plate of ribs), but No Competition had sold out. Not that the hummus trio (Unique flight of flavors: savory (avocado), spicy (NM green chile), and sweet (chocolate) was a consolation prize. None of us had ever envisioned hummus prepared these three unique ways. The chocolate dip was especially surprising. It went surprisingly well with the accompanying pita chips. As bona fide fire-eaters, Bill and I especially enjoyed the piquancy of the green chile. In addition to the pita, the trio plate included celery sticks, red pepper sticks and cucumber sticks, all excellent for dipping into the “hummus.”
Ordinarily after a plate as sizeable as the hummus trio, I wouldn’t order a second “entree” type item. Thank goodness I shared my hummus bounty with our table. My entree was the Rio Grande Burger described on the menu as a “classic New Mexico cheeseburger.” This behemoth in buns is constructed with a Frisbee-sized Akaushi Wagyu beef patty and includes lettuce, red onions, sliced tomato, Cheddar, bacon and green chile. The beef is prepared at just shy of well done (never my choice). If the green chile had any measureable Scoville scale heat, it just wasn’t discernible on account of just how much was packed between the buns. Perhaps the only hard-to-forgive aspect of the burger, however, was that it just couldn’t be contained within the buns. The buns practically disentegrated from the moistness and quantity of the ingredients. Picture trying to eat an otherwise very good burger without buns and you get my drift.
Though there may actually be restaurant competion for the No Competition, it offers Duke City area diners an excellent option for very good food in a relaxing and friendly venue. If you happen to run into the VA writing group while visiting, make sure to thank these supercharged patriots for their service.
No Competition Supercharged Bistro
4445 Corrales Road Suite B.
Corrales, New Mexico
(505) 525-7946
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LATEST VISIT: 11 December 2025
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Rio Grande Burger, Onion Rings, Hummus Trio,
REVIEW #1501
We always approach a new dining experience with caution, so often disappointed in the past. We were pleasantly surprised about a month ago when we made our first visit. The Rio Grande burger was very good! We asked the chef if he could deliver a juicy burger – and were a bit surprised when he warned us that they were still figuring out how to properly cook a frozen wagyu patty. We asked for medium rare hoped for the best – while the finished patty was medium (no pink) it was quite juicy and flavorful. We were very happy!