{"id":13207,"date":"2012-02-19T11:12:46","date_gmt":"2012-02-19T17:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=13207"},"modified":"2018-07-18T20:12:10","modified_gmt":"2018-07-19T02:12:10","slug":"gregorios-italian-kitchen-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=13207","title":{"rendered":"Gregorio&#8217;s Italian Kitchen &#8211; Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<figure style=\"width: 455px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 455px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 455\/278;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio08.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"455\" height=\"278\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Gregorio&#8217;s Italian Kitchen opened in October, 2011 at the site formerly occupied by the Rodeo Grill<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">\u00a0<em>\u201cThe definitive recipe for any Italian dish has not yet appeared.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>We are still creating.\u201d<\/em><br \/>\n<strong>Luigi Barzini<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">The categorization and labeling some diners tend to ascribe to Italian restaurants bespeaks not only of strong emotional preferences, but of an unwillingness to assign any merits to the &#8220;other side.&#8221;\u00a0 At one side of the spectrum are the old-fashioned &#8220;red sauce&#8221; restaurants and at the other are Northern Italian restaurants.\u00a0 To those who love red sauce Italian restaurants, they represent Italian comfort food in a festive and friendly ambiance stereotyped by red and white checkerboard tablecloths and bottles of Chianti at every table.\u00a0 The menus&#8211;often green, white and red&#8211;feature familiar American Italian entrees such as spaghetti and meatballs served in profuse portions.\u00a0 To its proponents, red sauce restaurants are homey, rustic and simple in the best sense of those terms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Detractors usually speak of red sauce restaurants in derogatory and condescending terms.\u00a0 To its &#8220;haters,&#8221; red sauce restaurants represent overcooked, mushy pasta dredged in a profligate amounts of tomato sauce &#8220;gravy.&#8221;\u00a0 This, they will tell you is low-end food served by Old World restaurants as opposed to the more sophisticated &#8220;cuisine&#8221; that draws aficionados to Northern Italian restaurants and their nouveau menu offerings served\u00a0in swanky milieus.\u00a0 Northern Italian restaurant zealots\u00a0 trumpet their genre of choice&#8217;s\u00a0grilled meats, seafood and sauces based on creams and cheeses.\u00a0 They appreciate that their pasta is served on the al dente side and instead of noodle type pasta, they can opt for polenta or risotto.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 455px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 455px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 455\/341;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio09.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"455\" height=\"341\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">A kitschy ambiance<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Not to be outdone, red sauce restaurant devotees joke that Northern Italian restaurants are simply Italian restaurants that wish they were French.\u00a0 They consider Northern Italian cuisine haughty and pretentious, an overpriced and stuffy repast for the rich and those who wish they were.\u00a0 The elegant and cultivated cuisine of the north, they argue, is a denial of the true and authentic culture of Italian cooking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">If the aforementioned point-counterpoint debate sounds a bit like the ad infinitum diatribes in which political ideologues engage, then it accurately depicts the passion some diners actually have about their choice for Italian food.\u00a0 The truth is many of us appreciate <em>both<\/em> &#8220;red sauce&#8221; and Northern Italian restaurants, maybe one a bit more than the other.\u00a0 That&#8217;s why restaurant impresario Matt DiGregory&#8217;s new restaurant concept should do very well in Albuquerque.\u00a0 In an enthralling interview on <a title=\"Break the Chain\" href=\"http:\/\/www.breakthechain.info\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Break the Chain<\/a>, Matt described Gregorio&#8217;s Italian Kitchen as not wanting it to be &#8220;stuck with being labeled Northern, Southern or Peasant Italian.&#8221;\u00a0 He wants his restaurant to be &#8220;flexible and fun&#8221; and &#8220;all about family.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 444px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 444px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 444\/330;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio07.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"444\" height=\"330\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">A photo of the DiGregory family circa 1978 hangs on the foyer<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">If my inaugural visit, admittedly only a couple weeks after the restaurant&#8217;s launch, is any indication, Matt DiGregory is well on his way toward making Gregorio&#8217;s a restaurant in which families will genuinely enjoy themselves. Family is very important to the entrepreneurial owner.\u00a0 The restaurant is replete with pictures of the DiGregory family history, including a playful one circa 1978 of his entire family attired in white on a white background.\u00a0 Framed photographs of his grandparents, parents and siblings share space on the walls with a multitude of interesting and kitschy items.\u00a0 There are even photographs on the menu.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Other than family-friendly and fun, perhaps the most apropos description for Gregorio&#8217;s would be &#8220;kitschy.&#8221;\u00a0 That, too, is by design.\u00a0 Matt intends for his restaurant not to take itself too seriously&#8230;except for the food, of course.\u00a0 The decor isn&#8217;t quite circus clown contemporary meets wacky western with a bit of rib-tickling rustic thrown in for good measure, but it&#8217;s very entertaining and fun.\u00a0 There&#8217;s no way you could stereotype this as an Italian restaurant, but there&#8217;s also no way you can visit without thoroughly enjoying the mirthful milieu.\u00a0 There is literally something interesting and enjoyable to look at no matter where you turn.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 455px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 455px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 455\/223;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"455\" height=\"223\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Calamari with a lemon aioli<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Similar to the decor at The <a title=\"The Range Cafe\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=183\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Range Cafe<\/a>, another of Matt&#8217;s\u00a0 successful concept restaurants, the art on display is wildly eclectic and mostly tasteful.\u00a0 There are no velvet Elvis paintings, but there is a backlit painting of Leonardo da Vinci&#8217;s &#8220;The Last Supper.&#8221;\u00a0 Lighting above the bank of booths on the north wall is a series of 1960s style lamps hung upside down so that the shades are at the bottom. \u00a0 Suspended from the ceiling are latilla-style branches.\u00a0 The most &#8220;serious&#8221; decorative touches are a gas stove and refrigerator, both dating from at least the fabulous 50s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Matt describes menu offerings as &#8220;Italian comfort food,&#8221; much of which is based on family recipes.\u00a0 Some of the recipes are playful, too, including a spaghetti meat sauce which includes a bit of chocolate for richness.\u00a0 You&#8217;ll get the feeling that the visionary owner is having a blast creating in the kitchen instead of devising some new restaurant concept.\u00a0 He also enjoys stepping out from the kitchen and delivering entrees to the patrons who ordered them.\u00a0 When is the last time you saw a restaurant owner do that?\u00a0 If, by the way, you think your recipe is better than Gregorio&#8217;s, you&#8217;re invited to submit it to the affable owner.\u00a0 If Matt likes it, it will be run as a special for the month and will be named for the submitter. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 444px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 444px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 444\/299;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"444\" height=\"299\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Appetizer: Artichoke casserole with breadcrumbs and cheese served in a cast iron pan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Gregorio&#8217;s is situated at the former site of the Rodeo Grill, a rare Matt DiGregory concept restaurant in that it wasn&#8217;t a huge success as the Range Cafe and Standard Diner are.\u00a0 Unlike his other restaurants, Gregorio&#8217;s does not have a street-facing storefront and is somewhat obfuscated by a small strip mall.\u00a0 One of the holdovers from the Rodeo Grill is an invitation for diners to wash down their meal with lusciously thick shakes which are made with Haagen Dazs Super Premium ice Cream. \u00a0The shakes are not only made with real hand-dipped ice cream and whole milk, they\u2019re served in a shake glass with the tin on the side. \u00a0It\u2019s much like getting a shake and a half. \u00a0Better still, the flavors include the standards\u2013vanilla, chocolate and strawberry\u2013as well as shake specials such as spumoni shakes and lemon curd shakes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Now for the serious stuff&#8211;the food. Gregorio&#8217;s has gone a long way to provide variety that defies stereotyping.\u00a0 All pasta dishes, made from Italian quality dried pastas, are cooked to order including al dente if you desire.\u00a0 The restaurant offers several pasta types: spaghetti, rigatoni, bowtie, gnocchi, penne and more, each pasta order weighing in at a robust half-pound sans sauce.\u00a0 Your choice from a variety of sauces&#8211;the aforementioned spaghetti meat sauce with chocolate, Bolognese (made with turkey instead of beef), Gorgonzola cream, carbonara, arabiata, olive oil and garlic and more&#8211;will adorn the pasta you order.\u00a0 Thin crust pizzas are prepared on a stone oven.\u00a0 Sauces are sourced from the Santa Fe Sausage Company and salads are constructed from organic, locally sourced produce.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 444px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 444px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 444\/317;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"444\" height=\"317\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Bowtie pasta in an olive oil and garlic sauce with a side of sweet Italian sausage<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">The appetizer menu includes several intriguing options in portions large enough to be shared. A baked <em>artichoke parmesan casserole<\/em> with breadcrumbs and cheese served in a cast iron pan is a great bet. The artichoke is fresh and earthy and it absorbs the flavor of the seasoned bread crumbs and cheese. It&#8217;s served with lightly toasted Italian bread which can be used to dredge up the utterly delicious sauce.\u00a0 The cast iron pan keeps the dish hot down to its last morsel.\u00a0 Another super starter is the semolina dusted <em>calamari<\/em> with a lemon aioli served with marinara sauce.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Sometimes the secret to an excellent pasta dish is its simplicity.\u00a0 Gregorio&#8217;s bowtie pasta in an olive oil and garlic sauce passes muster and then some.\u00a0 The pasta is perfectly cooked&#8211;not too al dente and certainly not at all mushy.\u00a0 It&#8217;s perfumed with just a light fragrance of fresh garlic, enough to let you know it&#8217;s there without wrecking your breath.\u00a0 An excellent counterbalance is a side of sweet Italian sausage.\u00a0 A single link will do.\u00a0 The sausage is of medium coarseness and has a nice fennel influence.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 444px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 444px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 444\/356;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"444\" height=\"356\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Pan-Roasted Mahi Mahi With Grapefruit and Fennel Salsa and Risotto<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">At the opposite side of the simplicity scale is a special which will hopefully make it to the everyday menu.\u00a0 It&#8217;s a <em>pan-roasted mahi mahi with grapefruit and fennel salsa and risotto<\/em>.\u00a0 The mahi mahi is melt-in-your mouth tender with the requisite flakiness all high quality white fish have.\u00a0 The grapefruit and fennel salsa includes a few slices of sweet Mandarin oranges which balance the tanginess of the\u00a0grapefruit.\u00a0 It&#8217;s an excellent salsa and best of all, it doesn&#8217;t mask the flavor of the fish as some sauces are prone to do.\u00a0 The risotto is terrific, this compliment coming from a cynic who&#8217;s had truly great risotto only a handful of times.\u00a0 Add Gregorio&#8217;s risotto to the mix.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Darn those specials!\u00a0 On our second visit, I was bound and determined to try Grandma Mary&#8217;s spaghetti and meatballs where the sauce is made with chocolate.\u00a0 With an impassioned case borne out of pure love for the dish, our waitress convinced me the <em>tomato vodka sauce penne<\/em> is one of the best dishes she&#8217;s ever had and that I should forgo all others.\u00a0 She saved me from struggling to wrap those long spaghetti strands around my fork while serving me my very favorite pasta, one that&#8217;s easy to stab with a fork.\u00a0 The tomato vodka sauce is redolent with flavor, an olfactory-arousing sauciness with a hint of prosciutto, basil and shaved Parmesan.\u00a0 It&#8217;s an excellent dish served in a flying saucer sized bowl which means you&#8217;ll be taking some home with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 455px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 455px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 455\/341;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"455\" height=\"341\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Tomato Vodka Sauce Penne<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">On Saturday and Sunday, Gregorio&#8217;s serves brunch from 9AM until 3PM.\u00a0 The brunch menu includes breads and sweets, fritattas and breakfast specials and you can also order from the restaurant&#8217;s lunch menu.\u00a0 The breakfast specials include such specialties as Italian &#8220;biscuits and gravy,&#8221; a ricotta and green onion scone, wilted spinach, two eggs with sausage gravy.\u00a0 For sweet treat cravings, there&#8217;s lemon ricotta pancakes made with a berry compote and served with a tarragon butter and a pannetone French toast (pecans, cinnamon, marscapone).\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">The brunch dish calling us most loudly was a breakfast pizza, a thin-crust pizza topped with bacon, sausage, mozzarella and Munster cheeses and topped with tomato sauce and two scrambled eggs.\u00a0 In reading the menu&#8217;s description of &#8220;two eggs,&#8221; we had visions of two eggs over easy and unctuous yoke running all over the pizza.\u00a0 Alas, that was the restaurant&#8217;s vision, too, however, the vision was better than the actual design.\u00a0 Getting the eggs &#8220;just right&#8221; wasn&#8217;t always a consistent execution.\u00a0 This is still a terrific pizza, a good twelve-inch pie as good as any specialty pizza in the Duke City.\u00a0 The crisp bacon, fennel-blessed sausage and the two cheese blend go very well together.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 455px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 455px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 455\/341;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"455\" height=\"341\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Breakfast Pizza: bacon, sausage, mozzarella, two scrambled eggs<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">Because portions are so prolific, you have to wonder if the restaurant&#8217;s dessert menu receives more than a cursory glance, but the fact that most diners egress with doggie bags probably means desserts are quite popular, too.\u00a0 As with many menu items, desserts are inventive and &#8220;different&#8221; with some liberties taken.\u00a0 &#8220;This ain&#8217;t your momma&#8217;s tiramisu.&#8221;\u00a0 Gregorio&#8217;s <em>citrus tiramisu<\/em>, served in a sundae glass is wholly unlike any tiramisu in Albuquerque.\u00a0 If you&#8217;re looking for ladyfingers soaked in coffee, you won&#8217;t find it here, but if the literal translation of tiramisu is &#8220;pick me up,&#8221; this one will do it.\u00a0 It&#8217;s a lip-pursing, sweet-tart dessert dish that&#8217;ll win you over unless you&#8217;re staunchly unable to buy into its non-traditional approach to a very traditional dessert.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 445px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 445px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 445\/401;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/abq\/italian\/Images\/Gregorio13.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"445\" height=\"401\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Chocolate Sundae and Citrus Tiramisu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\">With Gregorio&#8217;s Italian Kitchen, Matt DiGregory has shown that he&#8217;s not only one of Albuquerque&#8217;s foremost restaurant impresario&#8217;s, he&#8217;s one heckuva chef.\u00a0 As <a title=\"Larry McGoldrick's Albuquerque's Top Ten\" href=\"http:\/\/www.abqtopten.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry McGoldrick<\/a>, the professor with the perspicacious palate says, it&#8217;s a winner!<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;\"><strong>Gregorio&#8217;s Italian Kitchen<\/strong><br \/>\n4200 Wyoming Blvd, N.E.<br \/>\n<strong>Albuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong><br style=\"font-family: Verdana;\" \/><strong>LATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 19 February 2012<br \/>\n<strong>1st VISIT<\/strong>:\u00a0 15 October 2011<br \/>\n<strong># OF VISITS<\/strong>: 2<br \/>\n<strong>RATING<\/strong>: 20<br \/>\n<strong>COST<\/strong>: $$<br \/>\n<strong>BEST BET<\/strong>: Pan-Roasted Mahi Mahi with Grapefruit and Fennel Salsa and Risotto, Bowtie Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce, Artichoke Casserole, Milk Shakes, Calamari, Tomato Vodka Sauce Penne, Breakfast Pizza, Citrus Tiramisu<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0\u201cThe definitive recipe for any Italian dish has not yet appeared. We are still creating.\u201d Luigi Barzini The categorization and labeling some diners tend to ascribe to Italian restaurants bespeaks not only of strong emotional preferences, but of an unwillingness to assign any merits to the &#8220;other side.&#8221;\u00a0 At one side of the spectrum are the old-fashioned &#8220;red sauce&#8221; restaurants and at the other are Northern Italian restaurants.\u00a0 To those who love red sauce Italian restaurants, they represent Italian comfort food in a festive and friendly ambiance stereotyped by red and white checkerboard tablecloths and bottles of Chianti at every table.\u00a0 The menus&#8211;often green, white and red&#8211;feature familiar American Italian entrees such as spaghetti and meatballs served in profuse portions.\u00a0&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,165,595,262,71,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-brunch","category-closed-in-2012","category-closed","category-italian","category-pizza"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Gregorio&#039;s Italian Kitchen - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil&#039;s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=13207\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gregorio&#039;s Italian Kitchen - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil&#039;s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0\u201cThe definitive recipe for any Italian dish has not yet appeared. 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