{"id":38437,"date":"2026-05-10T20:58:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T02:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=38437"},"modified":"2026-05-13T09:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:21:10","slug":"asian-pear-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=38437","title":{"rendered":"Asian Pear – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
Asian Pear on San Pedro Just North of Paseo Del Norte<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cCareful Father, this stuff will melt your beads.\u201d
\n<\/em>~Lt Colonel Henry Blake, MASH 4077<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Just as Hogan\u2019s Heroes helped establish the perception many Americans (at least of my generation) had about German food, the television show MASH was the first introduction many of us had to Korean food. Set in South Korea during the Korean War, the series centered around a group of resilient doctors, nurses and support staff in an isolated hospital compound which saw more than its share of wounded. Not only did each half hour episode depict\u2013sometimes rather graphically\u2013the horrors of war, it painted a rather poignant and entirely accurate picture of sacrifice and hardship.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Asian Pear Menu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of the sacrifice and hardship came at the hands of the kitchen staff which concocted some of the most unsavory fare conceivable (imagine a restaurant today serving creamed turnips, spam lamb and cream of weenie soup). Indigenous cuisine was apparently even worse because no matter how bad chow hall food was, the MASH team didn\u2019t walk down to the nearby village for a meal of Korean food. And, as the quote above illustrates, when they did partake of Korean food, the impression given was that it was almost lethally piquant.<\/p>\n

Compared to the cuisines of other East Asian nations, the rise in the popularity of Korean food across the fruited plain was painfully slow. In fact, only in recent years have Korean restaurants become a thriving part of the American culinary mainstream. According to seriouseats.com<\/a><\/strong>, much of this is attributable to the insular nature of Korean restaurants which, by design, initially catered to other Koreans, not to the teeming masses. The unwillingness of Koreans to compromise on authenticity can be contrasted to the pandering to American tastes by other East Asian cultures who have dumbed down their dishes to appeal to the masses. Can you say Pad Thai or General Tso\u2019s chicken or even sushi?<\/p>\n

\"\"
Korean Vegetable Pancake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Korean food may be the least Americanized of East Asian cuisines meaning that within Korean restaurants you won’t find any one dish that you won’t recognize as\u00a0 being dumbed down for American tastes (as Pad Thai has been at Thai restaurants across the fruited plain).\u00a0 That means purists curious about traditional Korean cuisine can still find it easily and as relatively unspoiled as if served in Seoul.\u00a0 Indisputably the most popular Korean dish among American diners is bulgogi, the marinated and grilled beef dish to which diners often refer as Korean barbecue.\u00a0 Today it’s possible to find bulgogi served at non-Korean restaurants where it is discernibly more Americanized (almost cloying in some instances).<\/p>\n

Albuquerque has been blessed with the presence of at least one Korean restaurant for nearly four decades.\u00a0 Chris and Kye Lovato started it all with the long defunct Fu Shou House which they operated in the Kirtland Air Force Base area until 1993.\u00a0 That year the Lovatos moved to the Scottsdale Village Shopping Center where they reopened as Fu Yuang<\/a><\/strong>. \u00a0 Over the past four decades, there have been (and still are) other Korean restaurants operating in the Duke City, but in terms of sheer numbers, Korean restaurants in Albuquerque pale compared to restaurants from other East Asian nations.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kimchi Pancake (Half)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The January 12th, 2015, launch of Asian Pear, did little to impact the disparity in the number of Korean restaurants compared to the surprisingly high number of Vietnamese and Thai restaurants in the Duke City.\u00a0 Unlike many of them, however, but the Asian Pear concept appears a promising candidate for expansion (wishful thinking here).\u00a0 The restaurant’s marquee is underscored by “fresh and healthy Korean BBQ and Japanese food<\/em>,” but it would not be inaccurate to add “inexpensive” and “delicious.” \u00a0 Asian Pear’s first home was located in the bustling downtown area right next to the long-established Skip Maisel’s <\/a><\/strong>on Central Avenue.\u00a0 In 2018, Asian Pear moved relocated to a strip mall on San Pedro just north of Paseo Del Norte.<\/p>\n

Despite its relatively small digs and just a few tables (mostly two tops), Asian Pear has a warm, homey look and feel to it.\u00a0 A large-print menu is positioned to the right of the counter where you place your order.\u00a0 Just in front of you is a rather open kitchen where you can see dishes being prepared.\u00a0 The menu is segmented into Kim’s bowls (BBQ chicken, Korean beef, spicy pork and combo bowls served with steamed rice, Korean-style glass noodles and topped with lettuce), Asian Pear Specials, Salads and Kim’s Kimbob (Korean style sushi) and Soup and Sides .\u00a0 \u00a0The low, low prices will have you doing a double-take though several items have climbed well north of ten dollars as of this writing.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Two Types of Kimchi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10 May 2026<\/strong>:\u00a0 If you frequent Chinese restaurants, chances are you’ve enjoyed scallion pancakes.\u00a0 In restaurants they’re generally served as an appetizer, though in China and American China Towns, scallion pancakes are a popular street food, often considered a “poor man’s dish. Scallion pancakes have evolved into a popular, crispy-chewy savory “bread” enjoyed throughout China, Taiwan, and abroad. Vegetable pancakes do not have a single point of origin but rather developed independently across many cultures as a way to use leftovers<\/span>. Key historic variations include Korean yachaejeon (on Asian Pear’s menu as “Korean vegetable pancakes<\/strong><\/em> (vegan).” These delicious vegetarian pancakes are made with cake flour and vegetables with a side of spicy sauce.\u00a0 A crispy, crunchy exterior gives way to\u00a0 soft, delicate middle where you’ll enjoy fresh vegetables.\u00a0 In its annual Food & Wine issue for 2017, Albuquerque The Magazine<\/a><\/strong><\/em> awarded Asian Pear a Hot Plate Award signifying the selection of its Vegetable Pancake as one of the \u201cdishes…that’s lighting a fire under the city’s culinary scene<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Considering the thousands of potential selections, to be singled out is quite an honor.<\/p>\n

8 October 2019<\/strong>:\u00a0 At first browse, Asian Pear’s vegetable and kimchi pancakes are simplicity itself, but there’s much more to these crispy, chewy, salty, spice orbs than all-purpose flour and vegetables or kimchi.\u00a0 Shards of pungent-piquant kimchi are embedded in the orange-rust colored kimchi pancake<\/strong><\/em> which is served with a spicy sauce you probably won’t even touch. Instead, you might want to hold on to some of the complementary kimchi and use it as a topping for the pancakes.\u00a0 Either way, these are a must-have.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Korean Style Ramen Noodle Soup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10 May 2026<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u00a0One of my very favorite Korean culinary traditions is “banchan.”\u00a0 small, shareable side dishes served alongside cooked rice and a main dish in Korean cuisine. Banchan is an essential part of every Korean meal, ranging from simple home cooking to formal, elaborate spreads.\u00a0 Translated from Korean to “side dishes,” the number of banchan dishes is numerous (Thrillist jokes that there are a quarter-million kinds of banchan<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0At Asian Pear, we’ve had kimchi and The kimchi<\/strong><\/em>, a dish of fermented cabbage, pungent garlic and other vegetables, doesn’t have the eye-watering piquancy of kimchi\u00a0 w’ve had elsewhere, but it’ll tantalize your taste buds with its spiciness and personality. With its light, crunchy and refreshing qualities, the Korean cucumber salad is sure to please, too.<\/p>\n

8 October 2019<\/strong>: With temperatures hovering around 30 degrees on the day of my inaugural visit with my friend Bruce “Sr. Plata” Silver, only a steaming bowl of soup could take the chill out.\u00a0 At the time Asian Pear offered some of the very best wonton noodle soup in town, a piping hot elixir brimming with plump wontons.\u00a0 Wonton noodle soup is no longer on the menu, but an even better option is.\u00a0 That would be\u00a0 Korean Style Ramen Noodle Soup<\/em><\/strong> with your choice of tofu, pork, chicken or beef.\u00a0\u00a0 Julienne carrots lend a crispy contrast to the silky smooth, slide-down-your-throat noodles.\u00a0 Tiny strips of pork swim in a lavish, well-seasoned broth with just a hint of heat where you’ll also find a perfectly prepared half a hard-boiled egg.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Beef Kimbob<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a010 May 2026:\u00a0<\/b> Kimbap (spelled as “kimbob” on Asian Pear’s menu) literally translates from Korean to English as \u201cseaweed rice<\/em>,\u201d though it\u2019s more accurately described as a rice roll\u2014a piece of kim<\/em> (seaweed) covered with well-seasoned bap<\/em> (rice) and rolled around fillings. Some Korean chefs get irritated when it’s referred to as \u201cKorean sushi\u201d because of its visual similarity to futomaki, Japanese sushi rolls. That’s not a problem for Asian Pear where the “Kim’s Kimbob” menu is subtitled “Korean-style sushi.”\u00a0 Aside from emanating from different culinary cultures, there are significant differences betwen kimbap and sushi.\u00a0 \u00a0Kimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and is more savory, where sushi rice is vinegar-based. The most important difference is the filling.\u201d Maki rolls (sushi) tends to be filled with raw seafood and feels almost like a palate cleanser, while kimbap is more balanced and has more heft.<\/p>\n

Asian Pear’s Kimbob menu lists eight items, only one of which features fish.\u00a0 That would be the Korean-style spicy tuna kimbob (not made with raw tuna).\u00a0 Because the menu posted on Asian Pear’s website is so tiny it can only be read by the James Webb telescope, I didn’t see the spicy tuna kimbob and was a bit rushed by a growing queue so I ordered the beef kimbob<\/strong><\/em> (seaweed rice roll filled with seasoned bulgogi beef, pickled radish, carrots, spinach, and egg, seasoned with sesame oil).\u00a0 \u00a0Though it may resemble sushi, it certainly doesn’t taste like sushi.\u00a0 Nor was wasabi provided, only soy sauce in a packet.\u00a0 To refer to kimbob as “Korean sushi” is entirely inaccurate, but to call it “delicious” is a truism.<\/p>\n

\"\"
BBQ Chicken Bowl<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10 May 2026<\/strong>:\u00a0 One of my Kim’s guilty pleasures is terriyaki beef from (gasp) Panda Express.\u00a0 Yeah, I don’t understand it either.\u00a0 Ordering Asian Pear’s BBQ chicken bowl<\/strong><\/em> (freshly grilled boneless chicken with house teriyaki sauce) seemed a no-brainer.\u00a0 She immediately poo-pooed the lettuce and rice then proclaimed the teriyaki sauce inferior to the version at Panda Express.\u00a0 Luckily she has a horde of teriyaki sauce from Panda at home with which she doctored the chicken to her liking.\u00a0 The Dude is also a huge fan of Panda’s teriyaki chicken.\u00a0 It’s only this naysayer who’s dismissive of that chain’s fare.<\/p>\n

In 2016, a USA Today feature called \u201c50 States: 50 Best Restaurants<\/strong><\/a>\u201d used Yelp algorithms to determine that the very best restaurant in the Land of Enchantment was Asian Pear.<\/p>\n

Asian Pear<\/strong>
\n8101 San Pedro Drive, N.E.
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 766-9405
\nWeb Site<\/a><\/strong> | Facebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 8 October 2019
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 15 December 2015
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 2
\nRATING<\/strong>: Very Good<\/span><\/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>: Kimchee, Vegetable Pancake, Fried Rice, Beef Kimbob,
\nREVIEW #900<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cCareful Father, this stuff will melt your beads.\u201d ~Lt Colonel Henry Blake, MASH 4077 Just as Hogan\u2019s Heroes helped establish the perception many Americans (at least of my generation) had about German food, the television show MASH was the first introduction many of us had to Korean food. Set in South Korea during the Korean War, the series centered around a group of resilient doctors, nurses and support staff in an isolated hospital compound which saw more than its share of wounded. Not only did each half hour episode depict\u2013sometimes rather graphically\u2013the horrors of war, it painted a rather poignant and entirely accurate picture of sacrifice and hardship. Some of the sacrifice and hardship came at the hands of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81301,"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":[440,380,81,5631],"tags":[5718,5721,5717,4479,5715,5719,5720,1219,2351,5722,5716],"class_list":["post-38437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-japanese","category-korean","category-very-good","tag-banchan","tag-bbq-chicken-bowl","tag-beef-kimbob","tag-fried-rice","tag-kimchee","tag-kimchi-pancake","tag-korean-style-ramen-noodle-soup","tag-paseo-del-norte","tag-san-pedro","tag-usa-today","tag-vegetable-pancake"],"yoast_head":"\nAsian Pear - Albuquerque, New Mexico - 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=38437\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Asian Pear - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cCareful Father, this stuff will melt your beads.\u201d ~Lt Colonel Henry Blake, MASH 4077 Just as Hogan\u2019s Heroes helped establish the perception many Americans (at least of my generation) had about German food, the television show MASH was the first introduction many of us had to Korean food. 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