Tag: French Fries

ArizonaAsianFilipinoRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Jollibee – Chandler, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

One visit to Jollibee might convince you you’ve visited yet another American chain restaurant.  You’d be half right.  Jollibee is a chain, but it’s a chain based out of the Philippines.  Apparently the many islands comprising The Philippines developed a taste for fried chicken and burgers during its years as a U.S. colony.  My Uncle Fred, a career Navy man stationed several times at Subic Bay (on the west coast of Luzon Island in the Philippines northwest of Manila), raved that the fried chicken, in particular, was far better than fried chicken anywhere in the United States.  Apparently he’s not the only person with that opinion. USA Today and Eater both recently named Jollibee fried chicken as the best in the country among fast-food restaurants, beating out brands such as Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, Church’s and KFC (not that you can consider that much of accomplishment considering how bad American fried chicken chains have become).  Jollibee now has about eighty locations across the fruited plain.  With my Kim hankering for fried chicken, we managed to find the only Jollibee in all of Arizona.  It’s located in Chandler, not too far from the Intel plants which I once visited for eighteen years.  Chandler,…

ArizonaItalianPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Pullano’s Pizza & Wings – Glendale, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Several years ago during a fund-raising effort, Albuquerque’s PBS television station KNME aired a program called “Sandwiches That You Will Like.”   The documentary was produced by the exceptionally talented Rick Sebak of Pittsburgh station WQED.  The entertaining travelogue featured delicious sandwiches (and the folks who make and enjoy them) served by shops, stands and diners from across the USA. This program originally aired in 2002, also the year a companion book titled Sandwiches That You Will Like was published.  The book was written by fabulous food author Becky Mercuri. I was well aware of most of the sandwiches showcased in the documentary and the book.  There were several, however, I had not tried.  The most intriguing sandwich to me was the “Beef on Weck” from Schwabl’s in West Seneca, New York, just outside of Buffalo.  Schwabl’s claims to have invented the beef on weck.  The segment on the beef on weck featured Becky Mercuri, one of my very favorite food authors.  Becky’s enthusiasm for the sandwich was so heartfelt and genuine that I wanted to visit Buffalo to sample one (or ten) of them.  Moreover, I hoped to share a few beef on weck sandwiches with Becky. What, you ask,…

BreakfastBreakfast BurritosBurgersOklahomaRating: OutstandingUnited States

Johnnie’s Hamburgers & Coneys – El Reno, Oklahoma

Gil Garduno3:00 PM

“In onion is strength; and a garden without it lacks flavour. The onion, in its satin wrappings, is among the most beautiful of vegetables; and it is the only one that represents the essence of things. It can almost be said to have a soul.” ~Charles Dudley Warner, American Novelist In the vividly hued threads that comprise a diverse tapestry of culinary preferences, onions stand as a polarizing ingredient. While some of us hail onions as the backbone of flavor, others recoil at their mere mention. In some cultures, onions are associated with bad breath and are avoided in social settings. This stigma can reinforce negative perceptions, making onions less appealing to those who prioritize etiquette. The fear of “onion breath” can deter people from enjoying dishes containing onions, especially in professional or romantic settings. This concern is not unfounded; the sulfer compounds in onions are released into the bloodstream and exhaled through the lungs, making their presence hard to mask. Much of that paragraph was excerpted or paraphrased from an article titled “Why Nobody Likes Onions.”   As an unabashed paramour of the edible, bulbous vegetable with a pungent odor, I love the alliaceous aromas emanating from a kitchen in…

AlbuquerqueDiners Drive-Ins and DivesFood Network Eats New MexicoNew Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail: 2009New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail: 2011Rating: ExcellentSteak

Monte Carlo Steakhouse – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno4:48 AM

“Last night I broke the seal on a Jim Beam decanter That looks like Elvis.” ~George Jones Having spent much of his career in an inebriated state, Country music icon George Jones actually lived the life experiences that inspired much of his music. After one of his four divorces, Jones sat alone in a rather empty home, his ex-wife having absconded with almost everything–furniture, china, glassware and more. Among the few items left behind were a small table, a Jim Beam whiskey decanter bearing the likeness of Elvis Presley, and a Fred Flintstone jar of jelly beans. After dumping the jelly beans, the “Possum” used the jar as a glass into which he poured the entire contents of the Jim Beam decanter. The imaginary conversations he had with Elvis and Fred during his impaired state were the inspiration for the song “The King is Gone.” Only among avid collectors will you generally find Jim Beam decanters sporting the likeness of The King. The Duke City’s most prolific collectors of vintage adult beverage decanters, bottles and signage is the Monte Carlo Steak House on Route 66. Kitschy mirrors emblazoned with the logos of beer distributors, anthropomorphic alcohol decanters, faux wood walls,…

BurgersNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Big Mike’s Burgers & More – Belen, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In 2014, Epicurious compiled a list of  crimes against burgers:  Hockey-puck patties, pressing down with a spatula, over-flipping, unmelted cheese and hard-as-a-rock buns.   For decades most burger aficionados followed these commandments as if their souls depended on them.  We cringed and bristled when burger flippers smashed down burger patties on a grill.  “There goes all the juices” we bemoaned.  “Here comes another dry as a New Mexico dust devil burger” we lamented.  Of all the felonious assaults against our beloved burger, pressing down the spatula was the most grievous, a crime that should be punishable by years of hard labor. Then in the 1970s a Kentucky restaurateur “invented” something we know today as a “smash burger.”  To hasten the preparation time and sate the throngs queued up to be fed, he placed a large bean can atop the beef patties.  By “smashing” the burger with a heavy object, he discovered the meat had greater contact with the griddle.  Not only did this lead to a better flavor, the resultant beef patties developed a “crust” that sealed in juices.  Smash burgers are super model thin compared to thick quarter- or half-pound beefy behemoths.   The thinner burger has a much darker,…

ColoradoDog FriendlyRating: ExcellentSouthwesternUnited States

Gray’s Coors Tavern – Pueblo, Colorado

Gil Garduno12:48 AM

Dante Alighieri’s classic poem “A Divine Comedy” recounts a spiritual journey in which the author was guided by ancient Roman poet Virgil through hell, purgatory, and paradise.  Their path takes them through the nine circles of Hell where they witness the punishments suffered for all eternity by the souls of deceased sinners.  The deepest circle of Hell, where Satan resides, is reserved for history’s worst traitors–Judas Iscariot, Brutus, Cassius…and maybe a certain New Mexico food blogger who not only admits there is wonderful green chile to be found outside the paradise that is the Land of Enchantment; he believes it’s possibly just as good, even better than some New Mexico chile.  That chile, from Pueblo, Colorado isn’t just an “it’ll do” substitute, but a bona fide equal (or superior) to much of the green chile grown in Hatch, Chimayo, Lemitar, Deming, Jarales and any number of other purveyors of chile fecundity across New Mexico.   “Gasp!  Heresy!” you lash out.  “Next you’re going to tell us the Denver Broncos, not the Dallas Cowboys, are America’s team.  Before you condemn me to an eternity of wailing, gnashing of teeth and non-stop watching of The View, hear me out.  My “heretical declaration” is based…

BurgersNew MexicoNew Mexico Culinary Treasures TrailNew Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail: 2009New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail: 2011Rating: Very Good

Circle T Burgers – Belen, New Mexico

Gil Garduno9:14 PM

The year was 1958.  The average American wage-owner’s income was $4,650 per year.  A Ford automobile cost between $1,967 and $3,929.  Milk was $1.01 per gallon.  Bread cost 19 cents a loaf and a can of Chef Boyardee spaghetti went for 19 cents a can.  First class US postage was raised to 4 cents after having held at 3 cents for more than a quarter-century.  A gallon of gasoline cost 24 cents. In 1958, the United States had two-thirds of the world’s 47-million television sets and many of them were tuned in to Gunsmoke, Father Knows Best, Dinah Shore and The Jack Benny Show.  France gave the world the disposable Bic pen (which very few people under 20 have even heard of today).  Corningware dishes, the hula hoop and stereo records were introduced.  To pay for this copious consumerism, American Express introduced the first credit card. The “King” Elvis Prestley was inducted into the United States Army. Prince, Andy Gibb, Madonna and Michael Jackson were born. In the world of sports, Pele scored two goals to lead Brazil to victory at the 1958 World Cup.  Wilt Chamberlain left the University of Kansas to play with the Harlem Globetrotters.  Ohio State…

AlbuquerqueMiddle EasternNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

El Chamo Arabe – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno11:01 PM

According to the New York Post, the beleaguered South American nation of Venezuela may be the easiest place on Planet Earth in which to become a millionaire.  Of course, a million Bolivars in the inflation-ridden nation is worth only about fifty-three cents.  In 2018, Venezuela’s Central Bank actually began printing $1,000,000 bills.  Years of hyperinflation devours the income of Venezuelans, leaving them hungry and struggling to buy food and medicine.  Many Venezuelans scour through garbage to find food while millions of others fled the country to build new lives across South America and beyond.   You wouldn’t know life in Venezuela is so difficult if you speak with Maria Laura, a perpetually smiling server at El Chamo Arabe. Maria Laura has reason to smile.  She’s been in the United States for only a month.  She’d prefer to extol the virtues of her country and its beautiful people rather than focus on Nicolás Maduro, the autocrat and dictator who has ruled Venezuela since 2013.  Maria Laura’s cousin Paola Maried co-owns El Chamo Arabe along with Ibrahim Jamaleddin.  Both are also immigrants who escaped Venezuela six years ago to make a better life for themselves in the United States.  Paola’s background is…

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2023Dog FriendlyGone But Not ForgottenMexicanNew MexicoTacos

The Last Call – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno12:05 AM

NOTE:  Shortly after the Last Call shuttered its doors, Cali Burrito Co. launched at the same familiar location. Its grand opening day was 1 December 2023. “Ah, but after the sunset, the dusk and the twilight, when shadows of night start to fall. They roll back the sidewalk precisely at ten and people who live there are not seen again.” ~John Denver: Saturday Night In Toledo Albuquerque has a reputation of being a town which “rolls up the sidewalk,” an expression used to describe towns where businesses close up early and night life is very limited (translation: bars close early).  The Land of Enchantment’s liquor laws mandate that bars close at 2AM, an hour apparently considered “too early” by those who describe the Duke City as a sleepy town.  As someone who considers it a late evening when we stay up to watch the opening skit on Saturday Night Live, terms such as “rolling up the sidewalk” and “last call” have very little personal relevance.  But there was a time… If you’re expecting salacious details of my debauched youth, you’ll be disappointed to learn my personal experiences with “last calls” were mostly as a designated driver for friends who often…