Scalo – Albuquerque, New Mexico
Contrary to popular belief, Scalo was not already a Nob Hill fixture in 1706 when Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, governor and captain general of New Mexico, named a new settlement for the Duke of Alburquerque, then viceroy of New Spain. Scalo didn’t actually open until December, 1986, but during its lengthy tenure it has such a degree of permanence in our memories and taste buds that it’s hard to believe it wasn’t one of the fabled paradors (an establishment where travelers could seek lodging, and usually, food and drink) along the Camino Real. It would make sense because the word “Scalo” itself translates from Italian to “stopover.” Then there’s Scalo’s revered spot on the now defunct Albuquerque Monthly. On…