Rustico Italian Kitchen – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)
What does it say about a restaurant when it runs out of food? Nine times out of ten, you’d probably say it’s either brand new and doesn’t yet have a feel for its traffic volume or their inventory management just isn’t very good. Our inaugural visit to Rustico Italian Kitchen on a bright Sunday morning introduced us to another reason. The restaurant was so busy the previous night that diners polished off everything on the menu save for pizza and salad. For denizens of Albuquerque’s far northeast heights, that’s actually reason for celebration. It means outstanding Italian food has finally made a triumphant return to this quadrant of the city. Not that many years ago, I lamented that with the…