{"id":242,"date":"2011-02-20T10:31:45","date_gmt":"2011-02-20T17:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=242"},"modified":"2018-07-19T18:36:22","modified_gmt":"2018-07-20T00:36:22","slug":"chama-river-brewing-co-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=242","title":{"rendered":"Chama River Brewing Co. – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Chama
<\/span> Chama River Brewery<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were mellowing out to the haunting three-part harmony of the Bee Gees as they crooned “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” when we drove into the Chama River Brewing Company’s parking lot during one unseasonably warm January day. How appropriate. At that moment my answer to the Bee Gee’s poignant question would have been “with an order of mango chutney chicken egg rolls served with a pickled ginger and an orange-chile dipping sauce followed by seared Ahi tuna and seaweed Timbale.” These were two of the wonderful appetizers masterfully crafted by Robert Griego, erstwhile chef and proprietor of the tragically now defunct Nouveau Noodles.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Nouveau Noodles no longer exists (a March 31, 2005 casualty of unadventurous diners not venturing to Tijeras to partake of incomparably wonderful and innovative Asian fusion cuisine), the immensely talented and contagiously affable Mr. Griego now serves as general manager for the Chama River Brewing Company, a brewpub restaurant which has impressed us more with every visit.\u00a0 Our\u00a0 inventive friend has continued to elevate the restaurant to greater heights even though he’s not in the kitchen crafting his inspired culinary masterpieces. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mussels
<\/span> Mussels with Andouille sausage and Ale<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Chama River Brewing Company is a sister restaurant to Santa Fe restaurants La Casa Sena, Rio Chama Steakhouse and the Blue Corn Cafe, all properties of Santa Fe Dining, the restaurant company owned by Santa Fe art dealer and developer Gerald Peters.\u00a0 Situated on the Pan American frontage road and within walking distance of the Century Rio 24 movie theaters, it is one of only a few restaurants on what has become “restaurant row” that isn’t a national chain.<\/span><\/p>\n

The restaurant’s ambiance reeks of upscale masculinity, but not in such a manner that it would turn off women. A copper-clad bar provides ample views of the vats in which the resident brew master handcrafts award winning ales and lagers. The dining areas offer comfort and intimacy while a very attentive wait staff is at your beck and call. The menu promises “high quality steaks, seafood, pasta and sandwiches, all prepared fresh on the premises using the highest quality ingredients.”\u00a0 Over the years there have been several changes to the menu since our inaugural visit, all for the best.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Butternut
<\/span> Butternut Squash Pasta<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During our first visit, we gorged ourselves on Chama Chili Nachos<\/em> and came away impressed only by the chili (sic), which my brilliant colleague and friend Andrea Lin<\/a> aptly described as “a happy cross between carne adovada and Tex-Mex chili.”\u00a0 The carne adovada portion of that marriage is what stands out with savory chunks of tender and well seasoned pork that you might want to horde for yourself. This chile is only mildly piquant and arrives adorned with crispy tortilla chips rimming the bowl and jalapenos atop the chile.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another excellent appetizer option is the restaurant’s signature green chile and ale fondue<\/em>, a house favorite redolent with gourmet cheeses served with crusty bread, vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower) and Granny Smith apples for dipping. While some may consider fondue just a throwback to the 60s, it really is a fun, delicious and potentially messy precursor to a meal. Bon vivants, in particular, will enjoy the flavor contrasts of tangy-sweet, crisp and juicy apples and cheeses of medium sharpness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/span> Truffled Bleu Cheese Fries: Hand-cut fries tossed with truffle oil, bleu cheese crumbles, applewood bacon and scallions<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Make it a terrifically tasty appetizer troika and order the roasted garlic and sun-dried tomato hummus<\/em> served with flat breads (a cheese coated lahvosh and warm pita) and vegetables (celery, carrots and red peppers).\u00a0 The hummus isn’t quite as garlicky as you might find at a Mediterranean restaurant, but it’s quite good and has a prominent citrus flavor to complement the sweet sun-dried tomatoes and a more than passable hummus. The cracker-like lahvosh is great on its own or with a dollop or two of hummus.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years, particularly in French brasseries and bistros, French fries doused with truffle oil have become almost de rigueur\u00a0\u00a0 Because actual truffle oil is so expensive, almost all restaurant truffle oils are a synthesis of olive oil and an organic\u00a0 odorant found in truffles.\u00a0 The truffle oil used at the Chama River Brewery\u00a0 on their truffled Bleu cheese<\/em> fries is very reminiscent of real truffles and it works wonders on the French fries, hand-cut gems fried to a crispy golden hue.\u00a0 The fries are bespattered with truffle oil, blue cheese crumbles, applewood smoked bacon bits and chopped scallions, an improvement over fries with ketchup by several orders of magnitude.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Southwest
<\/span> Southwest Pot Pie<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another terrific appetizer is the restaurant’s mussels with andouille sausage<\/em> with an ale and garlic broth served with rustic bread. The mussels are fleshy with a delicious briny flavor that seems enhanced by the broth. Even better is the spicy pork andouille sausage, one of the things we’ve missed most about living in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It’s one of our favorite American sausages with a pronounced flavor Cajuns love.\u00a0 Listening to andouille being mispronounced (usually butchered) is almost as much fun as eating it, though the wait staff at Chama River seems to have no problem with this Cajun word.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meatatarians might not make the saut\u00e9ed pecan pork cutlet<\/em> their first choice from among the beef entrees, but we enjoyed it thoroughly. Rarely have we seen lighter breading on a pork cutlet, allowing the focus on the flavor of the pork which was also tender enough to slice through with a fork. This entree is accompanied by a Thanksgiving worthy pi\u00f1on-chile green chile stuffing and an apple chutney which goes well with the pork. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/span> Grilled Quail: Spice rubbed and grilled quail served with bourbon beans, saut\u00e9ed spinach and a bbq vinaigrette<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From among the sandwich menu, our ever gracious host (the aforementioned Robert Griego) recommends the chicken salad sandwich<\/em>. I know what you’re thinking–what can possibly be special about chicken salad, usually a blas\u00e9 sandwich choice if there ever was one. The Chama River’s version is replete with basil and artichoke and is served on a delicious pretzel roll. It may not have an explosion of flavors, but the ingredients complement one another very well.\u00a0 Another sandwich sensation is the smoked turkey pita club<\/em> which features a house-smoked turkey with cheeses, avocado and BLT on three layers of pita. This triple-decker sandwich is fresh and delicious and can easily feed two.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are other options than sandwiches on the lunch menu. One brimming with flavor is the Southwest Pot Pie<\/em>, roasted chicken in a green chile gravy with root vegetables and peas in a light, flaky pastry crust. It’s better than the one we make at home which is saying something considering our pot pie was the best we’ve ever had. What makes the Chama River’s version so wonderful is the veritable explosion of flavors–the creaminess of the sauce, piquancy of the chile and the texture of the root vegetables.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/span> Jerk Crusted Red Trout: Served with lobster-basil mashed potatoes, green bean saut\u00e9 and mandarin glaze<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another popular lunch entree is the Butternut Squash Pasta<\/em>, orechiete pasta with a medley of shitake mushrooms, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, shallots and spinach in a red chile-truffle butter. This entree is available with grilled chicken or rock shrimp. It’s not the type of entree that explodes on your taste buds. In fact, its flavor is rather subtle, but very pleasant and pleasing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chama River Brewing Company doesn’t have a dinner menu per se, but you can order from the “entrees” section of the menu even during lunch hours.\u00a0 The only drawback is that some of the sides aren’t prepared until evening hours.\u00a0 As such, instead of your entree accompaniment being lobster-basil mashed potatoes, boursin “mac n cheese,” or any of the other entree sides, you’ll\u00a0 have to settle for a lunchtime side such as French fries or coleslaw.\u00a0 It’s a trade-off because the entree sides are quite good in their own right, better by far than the lunch sides.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/span> Pi\u00f1\u00f3n Cup: A Belgian chocolate cup filled with vanilla bean ice cream. Topped with dulce de leche, Mexican chocolate sauce, and pi\u00f1ones<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One example is the Jerk Crusted Red Trout<\/em> which is normally served with lobster-basil mashed potatoes and green bean saute.\u00a0 Order it even for a late lunch and you can forget about the potatoes and green beans.\u00a0 You might not miss them too much because the jerk crusted red trout is excellent.\u00a0 The jerk seasoning mix imparts several flavor combinations that go very well with the trout–flavor combinations that don’t overwhelm the delicate trout with incendiary heat so often prevalent in jerk seasonings.\u00a0 The trout is also lightly drizzled with a “Mandarin glaze” the color of baby food.\u00a0 Unlike some Americanized Chinese glazes which can be absolutely cloying, this one is light on the sweet and sour properties,\u00a0 again complementing the fish quite well. <\/span><\/p>\n

Grilled quail showcases the chef’s mastery of the grill.\u00a0 Although quail is among the least “meaty” of the poultry family, it does have a surprisingly high ratio of breast meat relative to the bird’s size.\u00a0 It also does not taste like chicken though its meat does vaguely resemble the dark meat from chicken in color and texture.\u00a0 At Chama River, the quail is rubbed with a spice mixture that accentuates the just ever so slightly gamy flavor of the quail.\u00a0 It’s utter deliciousness that will have you wishing quail was the size of a chicken.\u00a0 This entree is served with bourbon beans and sauteed spinach tossed with a bbq vinaigrette.\u00a0 Both are worthy accompaniments to the small in stature, large in flavor quail.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/span> Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding: Drizzled with dulce de leche and topped with vanilla bean ice cream<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Desserts at Chama River are a not-to-be-missed event–almost as inventive as they are delicious.\u00a0 The Pi\u00f1on Cup<\/em> showcases a combination of flavors, textures and even nationalities.\u00a0 It starts with a Belgian chocolate cup, whisper-thin at the sides but formidable at its base to hold in a couple of scoops of premium vanilla bean ice cream.\u00a0 The ice cream is then topped with dulce de leche (a thick caramelized sauce used throughout Latin America) and Mexican chocolate sauce then topped with pi\u00f1ones.\u00a0 The roasted pi\u00f1on flavor so reminiscent of pine is the topper in many ways, but the entire dish is really a tribute to creativity.\u00a0 The marriage of Belgian and Mexican chocolates is a marriage of contrasts, but contrasts which complement one another so very well.\u00a0 This is a memorable dessert…but it’s not even the best dessert on the menu.<\/span><\/p>\n

That honor would have to go to the cinnamon roll bread pudding<\/em> which is drizzled with dulce de leche and topped with vanilla bean ice cream.\u00a0 Why more restaurants don’t craft their bread pudding out of cinnamon roll bread is a mystery considering just how fabulous this Chama River dessert is.\u00a0 This bread pudding has moved into my recently revised list of New Mexico’s very best bread puddings and I’ll go out on a limb and surmise that my friend and learned bread pudding connoisseur Larry McGoldrick<\/a> will enjoy this one immensely.\u00a0 Unlike some bread puddings, this one is not cloying, thanks perhaps to the absence of the icing so often applied profusely to cinnamon rolls.\u00a0 It’s also apparent that just a little bit of salt is used on the cinnamon roll, a culinary technique designed to cut the sweetness while imparting salt’s unique flavor profile to desserts.\u00a0 The vanilla bean ice cream is an excellent topper.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The future bodes well for the Chama River Brewing Company and with Robert Griego at the helm, maybe someday I’ll get over my broken heart with that order I’ve been craving of <\/span>mango chutney chicken egg rolls with pickled ginger and an orange-chile dipping sauce followed by seared Ahi tuna and seaweed Timbale.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chama River Brewing Co<\/span>.<\/strong>
\n4939 Pan American, N.E.
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n<\/span>LATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 20 February 2011
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 6
\nRATING<\/strong>: 22<\/span><\/strong>
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$ – $$$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Butternut Squash Pasta, Southwest Pot Pie, Green Chile Cheeseburger, Smoked Turkey Pita Club, Chama Chili Nachos, Jerk Crusted Red Trout, Grilled Quail, Truffled Bleu Cheese Fries, Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding, Pi\u00f1on Cup, Root Beer<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We were mellowing out to the haunting three-part harmony of the Bee Gees as they crooned “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” when we drove into the Chama River Brewing Company’s parking lot during one unseasonably warm January day. How appropriate. At that moment my answer to the Bee Gee’s poignant question would have been “with an order of mango chutney chicken egg rolls served with a pickled ginger and an orange-chile dipping sauce followed by seared Ahi tuna and seaweed Timbale.” These were two of the wonderful appetizers masterfully crafted by Robert Griego, erstwhile chef and proprietor of the tragically now defunct Nouveau Noodles. While Nouveau Noodles no longer exists (a March 31, 2005 casualty of unadventurous diners…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47164,"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":[440,21,521,699,703,262],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-american","category-bar-grill","category-closed-in-2017","category-dog-friendly","category-closed"],"yoast_head":"\nChama River Brewing Co. - Albuquerque, 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=242\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chama River Brewing Co. - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We were mellowing out to the haunting three-part harmony of the Bee Gees as they crooned “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” when we drove into the Chama River Brewing Company’s parking lot during one unseasonably warm January day. How appropriate. At that moment my answer to the Bee Gee’s poignant question would have been “with an order of mango chutney chicken egg rolls served with a pickled ginger and an orange-chile dipping sauce followed by seared Ahi tuna and seaweed Timbale.” These were two of the wonderful appetizers masterfully crafted by Robert Griego, erstwhile chef and proprietor of the tragically now defunct Nouveau Noodles. 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How appropriate. At that moment my answer to the Bee Gee’s poignant question would have been “with an order of mango chutney chicken egg rolls served with a pickled ginger and an orange-chile dipping sauce followed by seared Ahi tuna and seaweed Timbale.” These were two of the wonderful appetizers masterfully crafted by Robert Griego, erstwhile chef and proprietor of the tragically now defunct Nouveau Noodles. 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