{"id":13382,"date":"2025-05-23T07:59:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T13:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=13382"},"modified":"2026-04-03T11:01:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:01:59","slug":"chez-axel-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=13382","title":{"rendered":"Chez Axel – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chez Axel on Montgomery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At an Italian restaurant in which he once worked,\u00a0 one of Chef Daniel Little’s primary tasks was to construct charcuterie boards, a recognition of his artistic nature and deftness.\u00a0 He would much preferred to be doing the cooking.\u00a0 The Central New Mexico (CNM) Community College trained chef is doing all the cooking he wants to do now.\u00a0 After more than twelve years of working for some of Albuquerque’s premier chefs at such enchanting eateries as M’Tucci’s Bar Roma<\/strong><\/a>, Savoy<\/strong><\/a> and Level 5<\/strong><\/a>, Chef Little is now calling the shots as the chef-owner of Chez Axel, one of Albuquerque’s most venerable French restaurants.<\/p>\n

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A Grand Piano Near The Entrance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During our 2025 visit to Chez Axel after an absence of fourteen years, Chef Daniel was both host and server while a fellow CNM alum did the cooking.\u00a0 Chef Daniel is a genial guy with a great sense of humor and guest orientation that makes everyone feel welcome.\u00a0 Moreover, he’s absolutely committed to his craft and not just the cooking part of owning a restaurant.\u00a0 He’s also pursuing a degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing so that he can take advantage of social media’s broad reach.\u00a0 One of the challenges he faces is that Chez Axel is recessed from Montgomery and is partially obfuscated by a Chinese eatery.\u00a0 The shopping center which has served as home to Chez Axel has seen far better days.\u00a0 It’s timeworn and often neglected or forgotten when diners contemplate their next meal.<\/p>\n

Chef Daniel related that Chez Axel has been around since 1996–making it 29 years old, a few years older than he is.\u00a0 He’s only the fifth owner of the venerable restaurant which has surpassed so many of its contemporaries in terms of longevity.\u00a0 In days of yore,\u00a0 Chez Axel was conspicuous by a facade of the Eiffel Tower on the roof.\u00a0 Chef Daniel told us he had to take the Eiffel Tower replica down because it became a safety hazard.\u00a0 Being buffeted by New Mexico’s ferocious winds for decades had damaged the Tower and threatened the integrity of the roof.\u00a0 What panache and flair Chez Axel may lack from the outside, it makes up for it once you step in.\u00a0 Just beyond the restaurant’s entrance you’ll espy a grand piano.\u00a0 On Friday and Saturday nights, a talented piano player tickles the ivories with a medley of tunes sure to aid in digestion.<\/p>\n

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The Dining Room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chez Axel is a charming old-world restaurant replete with refinement and grace.\u00a0 White tablecloths adorn each table.\u00a0 Framed images of the Eiffel Tower hang on the wall.\u00a0 My Kim was capitavated by shelves in which vintage tea serving vessels were displayed.\u00a0 Those vessels are decorative, attractive and interesting.\u00a0 Fittingly, Chef Daniel offers a petit French tea service (Tuesday through Friday from 11AM to 1:30PM) which can be yours if you schedule it a day in advance for a minimum of two guests. The tea service includes two savory items (soup, cucumber, egg salad, jambon\/cheese, chicken, apple\/brie, radish\/butter; scone with jam and a dessert (chocolate or strawberry mousse) along with a pot of Earl Gray tea.<\/p>\n

While my bride contemplated the tea service (preferably with someone other than her tea-hating husband who would delight in dumping all tea everywhere into the Boston Harbor), I studied the lunch menu at length.\u00a0 It’s not a compendium, but offers a nice selection of French favorites.\u00a0 Lunch includes such choices as soups, salads, tartines, croque monsieur and croque madam, quiches, crepes, omelets, fromage\/fruit plate and a bread plate.\u00a0 The dinner menu offers such seafood options as saffron red snapper and scallops.\u00a0 You can also find such traditional specialties as boeuf bourguignon and cassoulet (which Chef Daniel told us sells like wildfire in winter, but isn’t\u00a0 quite as popular during the summer).<\/p>\n

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Bread Plate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

23 May 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Some of my most treasured memories of having been stationed in England are of crossing the Strait of Dover into Calais<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Boulogne<\/a><\/strong> where we would purchase elongated baguettes of French bread to go along with fetid fromage.\u00a0 Others also returned with as much wine as they could carry.\u00a0 French bread and particularly French butter are a weakness for me.\u00a0 French butter is made with a higher concentration of butterfat which gives French butter a creamier texture and richer flavor.\u00a0 \u00a0Spread it lavishly onto a baguette, layer on some French cheese and you’ve got a meal fit for a king.<\/p>\n

Chez Axel offers a bread and butter plate for two dollars.\u00a0 Gone are the days when (like salsa and chips) bread and butter were complimentary at French restaurants.\u00a0 At two dollars per order at Chez Axel, it’s still a bargain.\u00a0 To the detriment of other items we might get too full to enjoy, my Kim and I still love bread and butter either as a preface to or with our meal.\u00a0 Because Chez Axel is implementing a new POS (that’sd point of sale not the term you’re thinking of), Chef Daniel graciously didn’t charge us for the bread.\u00a0 Somehow that made it even more tasty.<\/p>\n

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Fromage\/Fruit Plate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

23 May 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 Recalling that Chef Daniel once crafted artistic charcuterie boards at a restaurant at which he once worked, we decided to see if his talents still warrant praise.\u00a0 It may not be called “charcuterie board,” but the fromage\/fruit plate<\/strong><\/em> at Chez Axel is better than many charcuterie boards we’ve had.\u00a0 Turophiles will delight in the three cheeses of varying textures (from soft to hard) and flavor profiles (from mild to sharp).\u00a0 All too often charuterie boards don’t vary their cheeses in this manner.\u00a0 Also on the plate were fresh strawberries, blackberries and apple slices.\u00a0 On the center of the plate was a ramekin of mixed nuts.<\/p>\n

23 May 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 The French have long been renowned for preparing perhaps the most delicious soups in the world.\u00a0 Traditional French soups are typically served as a first course. There are no creamy soups in the French repertoire and, it could be argued, no stews either. The most famous of all French soups is onion soup (soupe \u00e0 l’oignon), the “French being redundant,”\u00a0 Soups in France are generally made with broth or stock. Your taste buds will first discern delicate notes followed quicky by robust flavors which make an indelible impression on your taste buds. Texture is vital, too: you want the liquid to be silky smooth and intensely flavored.\u00a0 That’s precisely what you’ll find should you order the French onion soup<\/strong><\/em> at Chez Axel.\u00a0 Chef\u00a0 Daniel believes it’s the best French onion soup in Albuquerque and I’m inclined to agree.\u00a0 Chez Axel’s French onion soup is amazing–brimming with thick, stringy cheese bubbling on top; perfectly caramelized onions; croutons softened by a rich, delicious beef broth; and the herbaceous hint of parsley, basil and bay leaf.<\/p>\n

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French Onion Soup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

23 May 2025<\/strong>: While my Kim rarely deviates from French onion soup, my very favorite soup is butternut squash soup<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 \u00a0Regular readers have long suffered through my declaration of love for butternut squash anything.\u00a0 It pains me to go an entire fall season without enjoying something made with butternut squash.\u00a0 On a brisk day (or any day ending in the letter “Y”) there’s nothing more soothing than the cozy wafting of sage, rosemary and butternut squash as they visit your grateful nostrils.\u00a0 Chez Axel’s version is silky smooth and luxurious.\u00a0 If you’ve ever lamented the pumpkin pie flavor of some butternut squash soups, you’ll appreciate the savory notes emanting from this delicious elixir.<\/p>\n

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Butternut Squash Soup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

23 May 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 The delightful website Pardon My French<\/strong><\/a> expresses perfectly why crepes are so wonderful: “One of the things that makes cr\u00eapes so special is their incredible versatility. They can be enjoyed at any time of day\u2014whether for breakfast, a quick lunch, the beloved French \u201cgo\u00fbter\u201d (afternoon snack), or even a cozy dinner.\u00a0 Cr\u00eapes are a beloved staple of French cuisine, adored for their delicate texture and versatility. Whether filled with sweet or savory ingredients, enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner, these thin pancakes are a must-have recipe in your French cooking repertoire<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

I know people who have never had a savory cr\u00eape.\u00a0 Even for me, it’s a challenge to venture far from the addictive flavors of cr\u00eapes filled with nutella and bananas.\u00a0 Chez Axel offers three savory cr\u00eapes all served with a petit vinaigrette salad: salmon<\/strong><\/em> (tarragon sauce and fromage), spinach (b\u00e9chamel sauc and fromage) and mushroom (b\u00e9chamel sauce and onions).\u00a0 Solely because I love tarragon sauces, I’m a shill for any crepe topped with tarragon and its subtly herbaceous flavors with a subtle reminiscent of anise.\u00a0 The more tarragon sauce, the better.\u00a0 Alas, Chez Axel is a bit more parsimonious in its use of the precious tarragon sauce.\u00a0 Still, this is an excellent crepe, a true showcase for the fresh salmon.<\/p>\n

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Salmon Crepe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

23 May 2025<\/strong>:\u00a0 At face value, a croque monsieur is nothing more than a warm ham and cheese sandwich. Savvy sandwich savants recognize it as a perfectly harmonious and delightfully decadent sandwich.\u00a0 \u00a0Besides that, it’s got a wonderful “origin” story.\u00a0 \u00a0Fittingly, the origin of the croque monsieur is rather humble. Bistro owner Michel Lunarca popularised the dish in the early 1900s as a simple snack for busy Parisiens.\u00a0 Its literal translation is “mister crunch<\/em>\u2019” for the sound the the sandwich makes when bitten into.\u00a0 \u00a0Who doesn’t like a little onomatopoeia with their meal?<\/p>\n

Made with baked or boiled ham, Gruy\u00e8re cheese, a soft sandwich bread, and b\u00e9chamel sauce, the croque monsieur<\/em><\/strong> is either fried or oven baked after preparation. The sandwich offers the ideal blend of textures: the crispy bread complimenting the gooey melted cheese and b\u00e9chamel sauce. Chez Axel’s version of a croque monsieur is just a bit different in that ripe red tomatoes cover the ham and are then topped with the melted cheese and b\u00e9chamel.\u00a0 The tomatoes are genius, offering a bit of acidity and sweetness.\u00a0 A relatively small amount of sauce is used which means you can pick up and eat the sandwich without making a mess.<\/p>\n

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Croque Monsieur<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If it’s been a while since your last visit to Chez Axel, you’re overdue for a visit.\u00a0 Chef Daniel has some surprises in store for you.<\/p>\n

Chez Axel Restaurant<\/strong>
\n6209 Montgomery, N.E.
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n505-881-8104
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 23 May 2025
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>:\u00a0 28 October 2011
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 3
\nRATING<\/strong>: Very Good<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Good to very good food; generally solid; delivers consistent quality, strong technique, and a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Beef Bourguignon, Mushroom and Spinach Quiche, French Onion Soup, Cassoulet, Croque Monsieur, Salmon Crepe, Fromage\/Fruit Plate, Bread Plate<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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PREVIOUS REVIEW<\/strong>:<\/h1>\n
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Another Land of Enchantment<\/em>.” That’s how the menu at Chez Axel describes the Provence region in France. No one who’s ever traveled through the region and luxuriated in a caf\u00e9 cr\u00e8me at a sidewalk caf\u00e9 on a leisurely Sunday morning would ever dispute that the region is as enchanting as any in the world.\u00a0 It truly is a soiree for the senses, especially for those who believe food is art and that it can restore not only the body, but the heart and soul.<\/p>\n

For freshness of ingredients, there is no region in France more renowned than the Provence region in southern France. The cuisine raised in this verdant, sun-drenched region has earned the nickname \u201cla cuisine du soleil<\/em>\u201d or \u201cthe cuisine of the sun<\/em>\u201d a tribute to freshness and quality.\u00a0 The produce in Provence perfumes the Mediterranean air where it competes with the wafting bouquet of lavender, oleander and olives.\u00a0 Is it any wonder French caf\u00e9s associate their freshest cuisine with this food-lover\u2019s paradise?<\/p>\n

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The colorful and romantic interior of Chez Axel<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

High aspirations have been meeting consistently good execution at Chez Axel since it launched in 1996.\u00a0 Owner-chef Stefan Springer is not the founding owner, but he’s raised the bar so much that in 2010, he was named Chef of the Year by the New Mexico Restaurant Association.\u00a0 This award is accorded to an outstanding chef in recognition of excellent cuisine and excellent service.\u00a0 Chef Springer was cited not only for his culinary skills, but for his civic-mindedness.\u00a0 An organization he founded to keep at-risk students in school provides clothing, school supplies and other necessities.\u00a0 Albuquerque can use more chefs like this.<\/p>\n

We can use more French restaurants like Chez Axel.\u00a0 Interestingly, the restaurant’s exterior edifice does not have a Provencal theme.\u00a0 Instead, its most conspicuous feature has long been a replica of the Eiffel Tower on the roof.\u00a0 At night the Tower is illuminated, a beacon to lead hungry diners to a terrific menu of excellent cuisine in a colorful and romantic ambiance.\u00a0 Each table is draped with white linen table cloths and red napkins folded into wine glasses.\u00a0 Bottles of wine are displayed on floor level racks and on shelves above eye-level.\u00a0 Service is personable and attentive.<\/p>\n

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French bread with herbed butter<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The menu showcases French cuisine at an affordable price point, especially for lunch when you can have a two-item lunch combination meal for under ten dollars.\u00a0 That combination features you choice of two items from a list of soups, salads, quiches and crepes.\u00a0 You can also opt for entrees the type of which Julia Child herself might have featured had she operated a restaurant–Chicken Provencal, Beef Bourguignon, Cassoulet, Shrimp Provencal and Trout Almondine.<\/p>\n

The dinner menu shines even more brightly with an appetizer menu which includes Snails a l’Aixoise and frog legs as well as salads and soups.\u00a0 A pageful of meat offerings is even more luminescent.\u00a0 All meats come from the Adkins Ranch whose animals are “naturally raised” and are guaranteed high in protein, vitamins and minerals and low in fat and cholesterol.\u00a0 All seafood (sole, trout, salmon, shrimp and scallops) come from Whole Food Market.\u00a0\u00a0 The desserts are made on the premises and are guaranteed absolutely delicious.<\/p>\n

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Tomatoes \/ mozzarella salad – Lettuce, basil, olive oil, croutons.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A basket of thinly sliced French bread and herbed butter<\/strong><\/em> arrives at your table shortly after you’ve placed your order.\u00a0 The exterior is crusty while the insides are soft.\u00a0 It’s a bit of a challenge to spread the cold butter, but once you do, it’s a bigger challenge not to eat two or more baskets full of the staff of life.\u00a0 You’ll want to save a slice or two to dredge up the soup or an entree in which a magnificent entree with rich, delicious broth is showcased.<\/p>\n

Culinary history is rife with examples of “rags to riches” foods–items writers often refer to as “peasant foods” by virtue of their humble, economically borne origins which rise to the level of sought after gourmet favorites.\u00a0 One such food is\u00a0French onion soup<\/em> which is, at its essence, simply onions, a scrap of old bread, grated cheese and veal stock. Chez Axel’s French onion soup<\/strong><\/em> is amazing–a brown-and-tan crock brimming with thick, stringy cheese bubbling on top; perfectly caramelized onions; croutons softened by a rich, delicious beef broth; and the herbaceous hint of parsley, basil and bay leaf.\u00a0 This is one of the most fragrant and delicious French onion soups in Albuquerque.<\/p>\n

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My favorite French Onion Soup in Albuquerque<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Julia Child once said, “When beef stew is in the oven, all’s right with the world, and Beef Bouruignon<\/strong> is the best beef stew known to man.”\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>She loved this stew so much that in her first episode of The French Chef<\/em> in 1963, that’s what she prepared.\u00a0 Because of the time and care required to prepare it correctly, Julia’s recipe for this hearty stew may have been filed away in a recipe book, but it wasn’t endeavored often save for by the most intrepid of cooks.\u00a0 It wasn’t until after the movie Julie and Julia that the home cook began to attempt it.<\/p>\n

Chez Axel’s rendition of Beef Bourguignon has that deep, rich flavor made possible only when it is carefully prepared in a slow and loving manner and with excellent ingredients and good wine.\u00a0 It’s a version which might even be better the next day when the flavors have melded even more fully.\u00a0 It’s a deep, rich flavor combining slowly braised, fork-tender beef with a very good wine and fresh, perfectly prepared carrots.\u00a0 The entree is served with two sides, chef’s discretion.\u00a0 Count your blessings if it’s the peppery snap pea pods and the buttery long-grained rice.<\/p>\n

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Beef Bourguignon a l’orange: pieces of beef loin saut\u00e9ed in olive oil with garlic, herbs, orange zest, carrot, onion & grilled mushrooms, stewed in red wine<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the process of making cooking a national pastime (back in the days before most women entered the workforce), Julia Child introduced the American television audience to quiche in the early 1960s.\u00a0 Two decades later, an American author named Bruce Feirstein wrote a best-selling book called Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche<\/em> which lampooned masculine stereotypes.\u00a0 Men who were all too conscious of fashion and who followed all the trends were referred to as “quiche eaters.”<\/p>\n

My friend Se\u00f1or Plata is one man confident enough in his masculinity to admit his love for quiche, especially if it’s nearly as good as the\u00a0 mushroom and spinach quiche<\/em><\/strong> at Chez Axel.\u00a0 The base for this quiche is a light, delicate and flaky crust that would be the envy of any blue-ribbon award-winning pie.\u00a0 Atop that fabulous crust is more than an inch of fluffy eggs topped with mushrooms and spinach under a blanket of molten Gruyere cheese.\u00a0 All quiche should be this good.<\/p>\n

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Mushroom and spinach quiche with carrots<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Julia Child wrote in The French Chef Cookbook<\/em><\/a> that cassoulet can be prepared in one day, but “two or even three days of leisurely on-and-off cooking makes it easier<\/em>.”\u00a0 In his Les Halles Cookbook<\/em><\/a>, celebrity travel host Anthony Bourdain was more definitive, calling for three days of preparation time.\u00a0 One thing is for certain–if you want to prepare a cassoulet dish, you should have the patience of a saint.\u00a0 Kate Hopkins, who writes as The Accidental Hedonist<\/a>, puts it best: “you have to want to make this dish, as it is an all day affair. A person doesn’t casually make a cassoulet. This dish is best made with an obsessive desire<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

Said to date back to the Hundred Years’ War during the 14th century, history and legend tell of a communal dish so hearty, it revitalized war-weary soldiers who promptly dispatched the invading forces.\u00a0 As with French onion soup, cassoulet<\/strong><\/em> is an archetypal peasant dish–an earthy, rich, slow-cooked casserole of beans, meat and herbs meant to be shared.\u00a0 Chef Springer’s version is made with pork, lamb, bacon, tomato, garlic, herbs and white beans.\u00a0 It is absolutely the perfect dish for a blustery winter day when its comforting qualities embrace you in a soul-warming embrace.\u00a0 The pork, lamb and bacon penetrate deeply to flavor the broth with fat, flavor and utter deliciousness.<\/p>\n

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Cassoulet – Pork, lamb, bacon, tomato, garlic, herbs, beans stew<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even as the captivating voice of Edith Piaf resonates over the restaurant’s sound system with Les Trois Cloches, Chez Axel seems woefully out-of-place in the timeworn shopping center that houses an international menagerie of restaurants in Ho Ho Chinese, Viet Q<\/a> and Wings N Things<\/a>.\u00a0 It frankly would be a better fit for the countryside in Provence.\u00a0 Duke City gourmets are thankful it’s here and not there.<\/p>\n

Chez Axel Restaurant<\/strong>
\n6209 Montgomery, N.E.
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n505-881-8104
\nWeb Site<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 25 November 2011
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>:\u00a0 28 October 2011
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 2
\nRATING<\/strong>: 23<\/strong><\/span>
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Beef Bourguignon, Mushroom and Spinach Quiche, French Onion Soup, Cassoulet<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At an Italian restaurant in which he once worked,\u00a0 one of Chef Daniel Little’s primary tasks was to construct charcuterie boards, a recognition of his artistic nature and deftness.\u00a0 He would much preferred to be doing the cooking.\u00a0 The Central New Mexico (CNM) Community College trained chef is doing all the cooking he wants to do now.\u00a0 After more than twelve years of working for some of Albuquerque’s premier chefs at such enchanting eateries as M’Tucci’s Bar Roma, Savoy and Level 5, Chef Little is now calling the shots as the chef-owner of Chez Axel, one of Albuquerque’s most venerable French restaurants. 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