{"id":23037,"date":"2013-06-27T21:47:11","date_gmt":"2013-06-28T03:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=23037"},"modified":"2018-07-17T19:11:37","modified_gmt":"2018-07-18T01:11:37","slug":"ancient-spirits-bar-grille-bernalillo-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=23037","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Spirits Bar & Grille – Bernalillo, New Mexico (CLOSED)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"The<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

“Ancient spirits dwell in New Mexico, since before the existence of humanity<\/em>.”
\n– The Husband: A Novel by Dean Koontz<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

FROM THE ANCIENT SPIRITS BLOG ON JULY 17<\/strong>:\u00a0 Due to unforeseen circumstances Ancient Spirits Bar and Grille has had to close its doors. We have lost one of our owner\/investors and are searching for someone to take his place. We are hoping that this is only a temporary setback and that we will be able to open back up very soon. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your support.<\/span><\/p>\n

The presence of ancient spirits is ubiquitous throughout New Mexico.\u00a0 It\u2019s a presence as palpable as a soft caress or a small, still voice.\u00a0 You can feel that presence while standing reverently under a canopy of stars when the hushed stillness of an ebony night is punctuated by a gentle breeze.\u00a0 You can sense those ancient spirits around craggy canyon walls which reach precipitously upwards to cerulean skies.\u00a0 Contrary to what is popularly postulated, these spirits are earthbound not because of unresolved issues, but because they can’t bear to leave the preternatural beauty of the Land of Enchantment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some will call it sacrilege, others will argue it’s a tribute, but in March, 2013, a new restaurant named for those ancient spirits was launched in Bernalillo.\u00a0 Those who consider it sacrilege should remember that some of those spirits earned their reputations as pranksters, the most famous of which is Kokopelli. Known also as a fertility god, healer and raconteur, the flute-playing Lothario has come to embody what is colorful and fun about the Southwest.\u00a0 It’s only fitting that effigies of the hunch-backed flutist festoon the Ancient Spirits Bar & Grille.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
<\/span> The main dining room at Ancient Spirits Bar & Grille<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ancient Spirits is situated to the immediate east of the Santa Ana Star Casino in a capacious edifice owned by the Pueblo of Santa Ana (which is not involved in the operation of the restaurant in any capacity).\u00a0 Area residents will recognize the complex as having previously housed Capo’s Bottega Ristorante Italiano<\/a> and before that the Milagro Brewery & Grill.\u00a0 Perhaps because of the mediocrity of previous tenants, several of my foodie friends were trepidacious about dining at Ancient Spirits, believing it would be more of the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

Any trepidation or uncertainty we may have felt ourselves quickly dissipated when we ran into executive chef Enrique Guerrero, one of the most accomplished and personable chefs in the Land of Enchantment. Chef Guerrero has a very impressive culinary pedigree that includes having served for more than four years as personal chef for Mexican President Carlos Salinas. During that stint, he had the privilege of having prepared state dinners for Pope John Paul, II as well as President George H.W. Bush. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cowgirl<\/a>
<\/span> Cowgirl Quesadilla with Sweet Potato Fries<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In New Mexico, Chef Guerrero presided over the kitchens of some of most highly acclaimed restaurants during their halcyon periods, including the now defunct La Mancha at Galisteo Inn when it garnered recognition from Bon Appetit<\/em><\/a> as among \u201cten of our favorite dining spots in vacation destinations around the country.\u201d Under his watch, La Mancha was also named by Conde Nast Traveller<\/em><\/a> as one of the nation’s 26 “Hot Tables.\u201d More recently, Chef Guerrero was the founding chef for both the O Eating House<\/a> in Pojoaque and Mangiamo Pronto<\/a> in Santa Fe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chef Guerrero could not have selected a more inviting milieu in which to ply his considerable talents. Ancient Spirits is a very attractive, very well laid-out establishment with a sprawling patio providing awe-inspiring views of the bosque and Sandias. Blonde wood floors, massive floor to ceiling vigas and kiva fireplaces adorn the main dining room. Oneophiles will appreciate the separate bottle room in which they can select from among different wines. Plans are also in motion to relaunch the brewery operation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Slow<\/a>
<\/span> Slow Roasted Turkey Enchilada<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ancient Spirits is described on its Facebook page as a \u201cSouthwest Steakhouse,\u201d which offers an eclectic array of food styles: American (new), Mexican, sandwiches, seafood, Southern, steakhouse and vegetarian. You can trust that Chef Guerrero will infuse unique and innovative touches–sometimes with a bit of whimsy, sometimes with a bit of sophistication, but always with a delicious actualization of flavors in each dish. <\/span><\/p>\n

Surprisingly the lunch menu doesn’t list appetizers unless you consider the four taquitos on the “taquito divertido” menu as starters.\u00a0 Divertido, a Spanish word which translates to “fun or enjoyable” makes sense.\u00a0 The lunch menu also includes four “from the garden” salads and a taquito soup.\u00a0 The sixteen item Platos De Almuerzo (lunch plates) menu features New Mexican entrees, burgers, a petite steak, red chile battered Alaskan cod, quesadilla and sandwiches.\u00a0 Several, but not all, of the Mexican and New Mexican items are prepared with cumin.\u00a0 The lunch menu features thirteen entrees south of ten dollars.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AncientSpirits05\"<\/a>
<\/span> New Mexico Cheese Steak with Fries<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though it’s on the Platos de Almuerzo menu, the Cowgirl Quesadilla<\/em> makes a very good appetizer.\u00a0 As quesadillas go, this one is more appetizer sized than it is entree portioned.\u00a0 It’s one of the more creative quesadillas in the Albuquerque area with two\u00a0 pinto pony color charred flour tortillas stuffed with bleu and asadero cheeses, fresh apple slices and spicy pecans.\u00a0 An apricot-habanero glaze is drizzled on the tortillas.\u00a0 The contrasting flavors of the ingredients, especially the bleu cheese and the apple slices, go very well together as do the textural differences of pecans and soft asadero cheese.<\/span><\/p>\n

The New Mexican entrees proudly showcase New Mexico chile.\u00a0 The slow-roasted turkey enchilada<\/em> plate is served with your choice of Chimayo red chile or Hatch green chile, both of which exemplify what it is we all love about our state’s official state vegetable.\u00a0 The Chimayo red chile has a rich, earthy flavor and a notable piquancy.\u00a0 The green chile will also bite you back and has a fresh, fruity flavor.\u00a0 The enchiladas are served flat, the preferred way in Northern New Mexico and they’re served with house rice and black beans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AncientSpirits06\"<\/a>
<\/span> Apple Pie Tamal with Cinnamon Ice Cream.\u00a0 (Chocolate and Cajeta Ice Cream also Pictured)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Move over Philadelphia cheese steak.\u00a0 The New Mexico cheese steak<\/em> (beef tenderloin tips, roasted bell peppers, New Mexico green chile, Cheddar cheese) will make even the most devout of Philly transplants forget “wiz wit” (“with cheese whiz, “wit” onions).\u00a0 While green chile isn’t a novelty on cheese steak sandwiches, Ancient Spirits pulls no punches because it dresses this sandwich with a chile you can respect.\u00a0 It’s green chile with heat as well as flavor.\u00a0 Great as the chile is, you’ll come away remembering and perhaps pining for another bite of the beef tenderloin tips.\u00a0 If they’re indicative of the quality of the restaurant’s steaks, we’ll be trying those soon.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Six dessert offerings, in addition to the house ice cream selection, are available to crown your meal.\u00a0 The desserts are as creative (i.e., jalape\u00f1o cheesecake) as many of the entrees.\u00a0 Perhaps the most imaginative dessert is the apple pie tamal <\/em>(apple pie, moonshine crema)\u00a0 Sheathed within singed corn husks are apple pie filling inside a cinnamon crust served with cinnamon ice cream.\u00a0 As interesting as this dessert is, my preference would have been for masa with a pronounced corn flavor to go with the sweet apples.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Slow-Baked<\/a>
<\/span> Slow-Baked Cowboy Bread (Smoked Local Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, New Mexico Goat Cheese)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SECOND VISIT – 11 APRIL 2013<\/strong>:\u00a0 The beef tenderloin tips on the New Mexico Cheese Steak made such an impression on us that we knew we’d return in short order to try the steak.\u00a0 Any restaurant which calls itself a “Southwest Steakhouse,” especially a restaurant in which Chef Enrique Guerrero presides over the kitchen certainly must know its steak.\u00a0 The grill menu offers eight tempting entrees, not limited to steak.\u00a0 You can also order barbecue pork ribs, a three-quarter pound burger (with pork belly, among other ingredients), two smaller (a meager eight-ounces) burgers and a twelve-ounce pork chop.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Much as we might have wanted to attack a steak the moment we pulled up to the parking lot, other items on the menu beckon “try me first.”\u00a0 One such item is slow-baked Cowboy Bread<\/em> served with a sweet house butter.\u00a0 There are five breads from which to choose, each one baked individually at ten minutes baking time and each one seemingly more creative than the other.\u00a0 Our choice included smoked local tomatoes, caramelized onions and New Mexico goat cheese.\u00a0 The bread arrives at your table in a too-hot-to-the-touch cast iron baking pan (which could probably have used a bit of baking spray to prevent the bread from sticking to the pan).\u00a0 It’s a very good bread which would have been even better had we been able to extricate it wholly from the pan.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Taquito<\/a>
<\/span> Taquito Soup (Tomato Broth, Avocado, Charred Corn, Pulled Chicken, Cheese Taquito, Crema<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another starter not to be missed is the aptly named Taquito soup<\/em>, a beautiful expression of flavor and texture in a flying saucer sized bowl.\u00a0 The basis for this excellent elixir is a nicely seasoned and rich tomato broth in which you’ll find unctuous avocado, charred corn, pulled chicken, crema and a cheese taquito.\u00a0 The cheese taquito is a very pleasant surprise texturally in that it retains just a bit of a crispy crunch.\u00a0 The soup is served warm (not hot) and its portion size isn’t really substantial enough for sharing (not that you’d want to).\u00a0 Those are the two minuses for an otherwise terrific soup.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the 70s, “stacking” food was a gourmet restaurant trend that lingers on and on.\u00a0 Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.\u00a0 In the latter category is the Ancient Spirits bone-in center-cut rib eye<\/em> entree nestled atop potato puree and topped with a chile relleno and charred tomato sauce.\u00a0 The reason stacking this entree didn’t work for us is that the chile relleno erupted its molten cheesy innards all over the steak.\u00a0 Grrrrr!\u00a0 Even after scraping away the gooey, cheesy and charred tomato mess, their residual flavors remained imprinted on the steak.\u00a0 What might otherwise have been an excellent steak was diminished.\u00a0 The steak is thick, juicy and it’s prepared to your exacting specifications.\u00a0 Should we order it again, the sides will be on the side.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bone-In<\/a>
<\/span> Bone-In Center-Cut Rib Eye (16-ounce hand-cut bone-in rib eye, chile relleno, charred tomato sauce, potato puree<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

THIRD VISIT – 27 June 2013<\/strong>:\u00a0 In his near-obsessive quest to find the best non-fried chicken in the Duke City area, my friend Bruce “Sr Plata” Silver has devoured several chicken coops worth of rotisserie chicken, roasted chicken, chicken al carbon, barbecue chicken, baked chicken and chicken made in ways of which the Colonel never conceived.\u00a0 He’s got a phalanx of poultry loving people providing feedback on chicken dishes he hasn’t yet sampled.\u00a0 When someone recommended the iron skillet roasted chicken at Ancient Spirits, he took it in the spirit that “all feedback is a gift,” forgetting that fellow foodie Bruce Schor had found the penurious portions of the chicken to be just one of the things he didn’t like about it.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The menu describes the iron skillet roasted chicken<\/em> as half a chicken marinated in cardamom and Ancho chile.\u00a0 The term marinade implies “before cooking,” but the marinade appeared to have been applied after-the-fact.\u00a0 Instead of marinated, the chicken had a slathered-on feel with marinade ingredients not penetrating much below the surface.\u00a0 The marinade itself is wholly unnecessary and any cardamom influence is obfuscated by a\u00a0 chile which completely dominated any roasting flavor profile.\u00a0 The chicken is served with roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables and fresh avocado.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AncientSpirits10\"<\/a>
<\/span> Iron Skillet Roasted Chicken<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Much better than the chicken are the Ancient Spirit burgers. The Cowboy Deluxe Burger<\/em>, a beefy behemoth topping the scales at eight ounces and topped with onion rings, bacon, Cheddar and Oooo Eee barbecue sauce (did Bob of the Village People name that?) is a stellar burger–and it would be even better sans onion rings–or at least onion rings not so heavily breaded.\u00a0 As effective a desiccant as you’ll find anywhere, onion rings on a burger are a mistake which will make you wish for more of the Oooo Eee sauce or at the least, grilled onions.\u00a0 At medium, the beef is perfect.\u00a0 The bun is solid and formidable enough to hold up against all the moist ingredients.\u00a0 Burgers are served with your choice of regular or sweet potato fries.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AncientSpirits11\"<\/a>
<\/span> Cowboy Deluxe Burger<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ancient spirits who inhabit the Land of Enchantment have one more reason to remain earthbound–a delightful bar and grille named for them with a chef who prepares preternaturally good food.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ancient Spirits Bar & Grille<\/strong>
\n1016 West Highway 550
\nBernalillo, New Mexico<\/strong>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 27 June 2013
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>:\u00a0 6 April 2013
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 3
\nRATING<\/strong>: 18
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$-$$$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Cowgirl Quesadilla, Slow Roasted Turkey Enchilada, New Mexico Cheese Steak, Apple Pie Tamal, Slow-Baked Cowboy Bread, Taquito Soup, New York Strip, Bone-In Center-Cut Rib Eye
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ancient<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Ancient spirits dwell in New Mexico, since before the existence of humanity.” – The Husband: A Novel by Dean Koontz FROM THE ANCIENT SPIRITS BLOG ON JULY 17:\u00a0 Due to unforeseen circumstances Ancient Spirits Bar and Grille has had to close its doors. We have lost one of our owner\/investors and are searching for someone to take his place. We are hoping that this is only a temporary setback and that we will be able to open back up very soon. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your support. The presence of ancient spirits is ubiquitous throughout New Mexico.\u00a0 It\u2019s a presence as palpable as a soft caress or a small, still voice.\u00a0 You can feel that presence…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25341,"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":[21,521,275,607,262],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american","category-bar-grill","category-bernalillo","category-closed-in-2013","category-closed"],"yoast_head":"\nAncient Spirits Bar & Grille - Bernalillo, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil'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=23037\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ancient Spirits Bar & Grille - Bernalillo, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"“Ancient spirits dwell in New Mexico, since before the existence of humanity.” – The Husband: A Novel by Dean Koontz FROM THE ANCIENT SPIRITS BLOG ON JULY 17:\u00a0 Due to unforeseen circumstances Ancient Spirits Bar and Grille has had to close its doors. We have lost one of our owner\/investors and are searching for someone to take his place. We are hoping that this is only a temporary setback and that we will be able to open back up very soon. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your support. The presence of ancient spirits is ubiquitous throughout New Mexico.\u00a0 It\u2019s a presence as palpable as a soft caress or a small, still voice.\u00a0 You can feel that presence…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=23037\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-06-28T03:47:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-07-18T01:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/AncientSpirits10.gif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"481\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"305\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=23037#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=23037\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\"},\"headline\":\"Ancient Spirits Bar & Grille – Bernalillo, New Mexico (CLOSED)\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-06-28T03:47:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-07-18T01:11:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=23037\"},\"wordCount\":2237,\"commentCount\":10,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=23037#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2013\\\/04\\\/AncientSpirits10.gif\",\"articleSection\":[\"American\",\"Bar & Grill\",\"Bernalillo\",\"Closed in 2013\",\"Gone But Not Forgotten\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=23037#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=23037\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=23037\",\"name\":\"Ancient Spirits Bar & Grille - 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We have lost one of our owner\/investors and are searching for someone to take his place. We are hoping that this is only a temporary setback and that we will be able to open back up very soon. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your support. 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