{"id":39115,"date":"2016-04-15T04:44:08","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T10:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=39115"},"modified":"2026-03-31T19:10:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T01:10:47","slug":"bucketheadz-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=39115","title":{"rendered":"Bucketheadz – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bucket Headz in its new home on San Pedro just north of Gibson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“I think it\u2019s easy to dismiss Southern food as nothing but grease and grits.
\nI happen to like both grease and grits,
\nAnd if you call them lardo and polenta, no one would have a problem with it.”
\n~<\/em>John T. Edge<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Author John T. Edge acknowledges that negative stereotypes are rampant about Southern food, crediting some of those perceptions to how Southern food is marketed. Instead of Southern food being presented as one of America\u2019s great culinary traditions, all too often it\u2019s presented as bumpkinly and backwater. Instead of focusing on its soul-warming deliciousness and comforting properties, it\u2019s presented as fatty, fried and laden with butter. It could well be argued that Southern cooking is the Rodney Dangerfield of American cuisine; it gets no respect. Credit media, particularly the aptly named \u201cboob tube\u201d for perpetuating unsavory\u2014and often inaccurate–stereotypes. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you were a product of the \u201860s and 70s, your perceptions of Southern cuisine were probably gleaned from such television shows as The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, The Andy Griffith Show and The Waltons. While these programs were generally family-oriented and depicted homespun values, they often portrayed Southern food in a condescending light. Who, for example, can ever forget the typical Beverly Hillbillies soiree of possum shanks, pickled hog jowls, goat tripe, stewed squirrel, ham hocks and turnip greens, gizzards smothered in gristle, and smoked crawdads? Or Aunt Bee\u2019s homemade pickles on the Andy Griffith Show which were described as tasting “like they\u2019ve been floating in kerosene?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

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Bucket Headz Dining Room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It doesn\u2019t get any better in contemporary times where today’s viewers are subjected to a barrage of bizarre and jejune wackery. Though we\u2019ve never made it past the first commercial break on either Honey Boo Boo or Duck Dynasty, two minutes of each was enough to convince us that mealtime scenes were probably as bizarre and annoying as the “stars” of these prime-time reality nightmares. Nor have we endured more than a snippet of Chrisley Knows Best, Atlanta\u2019s equivalent of the Kardashians\u2026at least in terms of both plasticine families being ditzy and unlikeable. We don\u2019t even want to imagine what constitutes a dining experience in their world. <\/span><\/p>\n

Having lived in the Deep South (the Mississippi Gulf Coast) for nearly eight years, we were fortunate enough to discover what Edge describes as \u201cthe cradle of some of our great folk foods,\u201d the traditional foods of a small group of people living in isolated or rural areas. Crawfish is one example of a folk food (and so are quelites (lambs quarters), a spinach-like plant enjoyed throughout northern New Mexico). We also discovered the dichotomy of a fierce pride in Southern culinary traditions and a self-effacing modesty that prevents crowing loudly about those traditions. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Catfish, Fried Pickles, Fried Okra, Cornbread<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Southerners may not be prone to braggadocio and self-promotion, no matter how good their cooking is, but they are experts in hospitality. Whether in a restaurant or in a private home, Southern hospitality is more than a turn of phrase; it\u2019s a way of life. Food figures prominently in Southern hospitality with heaping helpings expected at church fellowship suppers and picnics. We hadn’t been in our Ocean Springs home for a day before our neighbor Donna Pace welcomed us with a vinegar pie. If the food doesn\u2019t win you over, the genuine hospitality and warmth of the citizens of the South most certainly will.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fond memories of Southern hospitality bubbled up when we drove up to Bucket Headz, a Southern restaurant on Louisiana Blvd which opened its doors in October, 2015. NOTE<\/strong>: In June, 2016, Bucket Headz relocated to 1218 San Pedro, N.E., just south of Gibson in the former home of Talking Drums<\/strong><\/a>. Even without \u201cSouthern Home Cooking\u201d subtitled on the marquee,\u201d we knew that a restaurant named Bucket Headz had to be a Southern restaurant. What we didn\u2019t know until walking in was whether or not “Southern home cooking” also meant “soul food.” What\u2019s the difference? San Jose University explains that \u201cWhile not all Southern food is considered soul food, all soul food is definitely Southern.\u201d Differentiating between the two can be complicated.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to most online definitions, the term \u201csoul food\u201d defines the cuisine associated with African-American culture in the southern United States. In wide use since the 1960s, the term originated and came into heavy use with the rise of the civil rights and black nationalism movements. Though still most widely associated with the African-American culture, over the years \u201csoul food\u201d has become synonymous with basic, down-home cooking, especially of comfort foods\u2026and as Cracked <\/a><\/strong>magazine puts it, soul food is \u201cthe real reason why white people like Cracker Barrel.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Bucket Headz is a family-owned and operated business grounded in Southern cooking traditions, described on the restaurant\u2019s Web site as \u201cno fancy frills, just good ol\u2019 down home stick to yo ribs cookin\u2019 just the way our Granny use to make it.\u201d The name Bucket Headz, by the way, is a family nickname\u2014what the family patriarch calls all of his grandkids. Step into the restaurant\u2019s homey confines and you\u2019ll find it readily apparent that the owners are a Godly people. Aphorisms attesting to their faith are splayed on the walls as are kitchen implements hung for decorative purposes. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The Big Boy with Red Beans and Rice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Air Force pride is also on display in signage indicating Bucket Headz is a veteran owned business. Owner Malaika Marks served for four years, while her husband, stationed at nearby Kirtland, has four years to go until he can retire. Malaika\u2019s mother, a delightful “Okie from Muskogee” who helps out at the restaurant, is also an Air Force veteran. During her four-year stint Malaika would bake cakes for General officers, a precursor to her launching Trinity\u2019s Custom Cakes when the family was reassigned to Kirtland. On display in a bakery case is some of her handiwork, including a cake you\u2019d swear is one of Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s size 22 sneakers. <\/span><\/p>\n

The family\u2019s Southern heritage has its roots in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Florida and\u2026Chicago (where Malaika\u2019s husband is from). Hospitality is part and parcel of your dining experience as you\u2019ll read in the motto \u201cCome in as a customer, leave as family.\u201d You could also reword that motto to read \u201cCome in hungry, leave full and happy.\u201d In addition to such Southern soul favorites as catfish, chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, smothered pork chops, wings and macaroni and cheese served in more ways that you thought possible, Bucket Heads offers daily specials Monday through Friday. Thursday\u2019s ox tail special is reputed to be exceptional.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Gumbo, the very best in Albuquerque<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 February 2016<\/strong>: As you\u2019ve read (perhaps ad-nauseum) on this blog, one of the foods we\u2019ve missed most from our days in the South is catfish. Most of the catfish we\u2019ve had in New Mexico is so desiccated we wonder if it\u2019s been battered in sawdust. Bucket Headz knows how to prepare catfish<\/em><\/strong>, serving lightly breaded, golden-hued filets that are moist, tender and absolutely delicious. Your best bet is the two catish and two sides option. Make those sides fried okra and fried pickles, both as good as you\u2019ll find anywhere in Dixie. The catfish is served with a terrific tartar sauce we practically ignored because of the buffalo-garlic sauce served with another entr\u00e9e we ordered. The accompanying corn bread relies on sweet niblets of corn for its sweet flavor, not on sugar. It\u2019s a moist corn bread baked \u201choe cake\u201d style meaning it\u2019s flat (similar to a pancake). <\/span><\/p>\n

27 February 2016<\/strong>: Described as \u201cthe big brother of po\u2019boy,\u201d the Big Boy<\/em><\/strong> has nothing to do with a restaurant of that name. The Big Boy is a behemoth sandwich in which two catfish filets are crammed between a sandwich roll where they share space with a handful of shrimp as well as lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. You can apply as much or as little of buffalo-garlic sauce as you\u2019d like. This sauce packs a bite and has enough garlic to ward off a family of vampires (that’s a good thing unless you’re into Twilight). The shrimp are lightly battered and so fresh, they snap when you bite into them. The Big Boy, much like its little brother the po’ boy, bespeaks of the fine sandwich traditions of the South. Instead of the usual sandwich sides, ask for the red beans and rice, the best we’ve had outside New Orleans, so good you’ll want a second bowlful. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Bucket Burger Stuffed with Mac and Cheese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 February 2016<\/strong>: During our eight years in Mississippi, we never ran into anyone who didn\u2019t think Kraft\u2019s version of macaroni and cheese was a travesty. Mac and cheese is always homemade south of the Mason-Dixon line and it\u2019s usually much better than you\u2019ll find north of that demarcation. Obviously recognizing that people are passionate about their macaroni and cheese, Bucket Headz serves it in two unique ways. One is a mac and cheese stuffed burger you\u2019ll have to open wide to bite into. The other is Fried Mac n\u2019 Cheese Balls<\/em><\/strong>. Served four to an order, these golden-hued orbs are crispy on the outside and ooey-gooey on the inside with lots of cheesy flavor. These, as a Southerner might say, are to die for. <\/span><\/p>\n

30 March 2016<\/strong>:\u201cThere is no dish which at the same time so tickles the palate, satisfies the appetite, furnishes the body with nutriment sufficient to carry on the physical requirements, and costs so little as a Creole Gumbo<\/strong>. It is a dinner in itself, being soup, piece de r\u00e9sistance, entremet and vegetable in one<\/em>.\u201d That\u2019s how author William Coleman described gumbo, the spicy, hearty, flavorful dish enjoyed throughout the Gulf Coast\u2026and now Albuquerque. The version offered at Bucket Headz is better than many we enjoyed in New Orleans. The swimming pool sized bowl (described by my friend Bill as \u201ca vat\u201d) in which the gumbo is served will feed a small family. Brimming with vegetables, chicken and Andouille sausage in an addictively spiced broth atop rice, the steaming hot bowl is amazingly delicious. Every spoonful is a pleasure trip, the type of which you\u2019ll want to repeat frequently. Though there are a number of hot sauces on your table, it\u2019s a true testament to this gumbo\u2019s greatness that you won\u2019t even be tempted to add more heat to this just right elixir.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oxtail with Rice and Gravy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

30 March 2016: <\/strong>My friend Bruce \u201cSr. Plata\u201d Silver is a believer in the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. As he perused the Bucket Headz menu, it was the two photographs of the Bucket Burger<\/em> that snared his attention. He was intrigued at the notion of a mac and cheese stuffed burger<\/strong><\/em> and even more pleased that he could design the burger to his liking with a variety of standard fixin\u2019s and fixin\u2019s for a slight additional charge. Sr. Plata\u2019s masterpiece included lettuce, grilled onions, mushrooms and a fried egg\u2014toppings which increased the girth and volume of this behemoth burger from a half-pound to well over a pound. Not for the faint of heart or calorific underachievers, this burger is as flavorful as it is large. The mac and cheese, stuffed inside hand-formed beef patties, provides the cheese element that makes it a cheeseburger and the element of nostalgia that makes mac-and-cheese a childhood favorite for children of all ages. The mushrooms are fresh, not out of a can. The burger is served with Texas-sized fries about as big as a stick of firewood. <\/span><\/p>\n

30 March 2016<\/strong>:As she had during my inaugural visit, the delightful Malaika stepped away from her busy kitchen to meet and greet as many diners as time permitted. One of the guests with whom she visited looked very familiar, but it wasn\u2019t until we were leaving that we noticed it was Daniel \u201cPepper\u201d Morgan, the pitmaster extraordinaire at Pepper\u2019s Bar-B-Q & Soul Food<\/a><\/strong>. In that one table at that precise moment, there was more culinary talent than anywhere else in Albuquerque and we were honored to share in conversation with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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My friend Ryan “Break the Chain<\/a>” Scott About to Dive Into A Plate of Pork Ribs, Black-eyed Peas and Okra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

7 April 2016<\/strong>: Oxtail is to the South what menudo is to New Mexico. Some people love it and others can’t stomach the notion of eating it (you can probably guess in which camp I stand). Oxtail<\/strong><\/em> is exactly what its name declares it to be: the tail of an ox. It’s officially classified as offal similar to other organ meats and sweetbreads. As with other offal, the preparation of oxtail probably arose from the tradition of trying to use every part of every animal butchered. At Bucket Headz oxtail is available only on Thursdays and if you don’t get there early or pre-order, chances are there won’t be any left. Served over a bed of rice and a brown gravy, oxtail far from off-putting. In fact, it’s absolutely delicious, so much so my friend the Dazzling Deanell declared the version at Bucket Headz to be better than oxtail she had in Spain (where amusingly it is known as osso bucco). It’s better than any oxtail we enjoyed in Mississippi, too. <\/span><\/p>\n

15 April 2016<\/strong>: My friend Ryan “Break the Chain” Scott has visited most of the barbecue joints Texas Monthly<\/em> has anointed as the Lone Star State’s best. He’s also perfected the low-and-slow smoking techniques used to prepare mouth-watering barbecue at home. As such, he’s got some serious barbecue creds. You can’t pull the wool over his eyes. Within a couple of bites he can tell you exactly how a meat was smoked. You won’t find a smoker out in back of Bucket Headz, but Ryan quickly discerned the inimitable redolence of low-and-slow smoking on the Flintstonian pork ribs<\/em><\/strong> he enjoyed. An order will bring you three meaty ribs with a lacquered-on sweet and tangy sauce. The meat isn’t “fall-off-the-bone” tender, but barbecue aficionados know it’s not supposed to be. Rather, the meat has just a little bit of “give” which means it’s smoked to perfection.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Chicken Fried Steak with Macaroni and Cheese and Sweet Potatoes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

15 April 2016<\/strong>: Ryan has been known to tell me “where to go” on several occasions, but that’s only where to go to find great wings. Only my friend Ralph Guariglio in Ahwatukee, Arizona and maybe an ornithologist or two know as much about wings as Ryan. About the only thing he can’t tell you is the name of the chickens who gave themselves up so we could enjoy their delicious appendages. When Ryan raved about the buffalo garlic wings<\/strong><\/em> at Bucket Headz, it was a certainty that they’d be superb. They are! These wings are huge, obviously coming from chickens who kicked sand in the face of smaller fowl. Malaika fries them to a golden hued crispiness then slathers on the buffalo garlic sauce which has both the kick of buffalo sauce and the pungent heat of garlic. The wings are meaty and delicious, as good as wings can be. On the day Ryan and I visited, a table of six Air Force enlisted men put away some eighty wings. They made me proud to have served in the world’s finest Air Force.<\/span><\/p>\n

15 April 2016<\/strong>: My friend Bruce “Sr. Plata” may never forgive me in that I got to visit Bucket Headz on a day in which chicken fried steak<\/em><\/strong> with two sides was the special of the day. Sr. Plata loves chicken fried steak even more than he loves his truck and that’s a lot of love. While most chicken fried steak is good, it doesn’t always have a lot of personality and often the personality it does have is gleaned from artery-clogging gravy. Malaika imbues her chicken fried steak with lots of personality, what might be called “sass” in the South. The breading she uses is impregnated with Cajun spices which will give you an immediate kick. The peppery white gravy lends its own sass to the tender breaded cube steak. The perfect side and a wonderful foil for this personality blessed chicken fried steak is sweet potatoes, the very best I’ve ever had. They’re buttery, sweet and rich, so good you’ll wish you had a sweet potato pie to go with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cinnamon Rolls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 February 2016<\/strong>: You won’t find better desserts anywhere unless you go online to Trinity’s Custom Dessert Studio <\/a><\/strong>where Malaika’s handiwork is on display. Her repertoire of postprandial deliciousness includes such Southern favorites as sweet potato pie and red velvet cake<\/em>, the latter being the best we’ve ever had. Sinfully rich and sweet, it’s also ogle-worthy (but won’t be for long as you’ll want to dive into it quickly). The cinnamon rolls are the size of bricks and as tasty as any you’ll find in the Duke City. The operative word here is “cinnamon” and there’s plenty of it though not nearly as much as there is icing. The interplay between the two is as harmonious as music performed by Musica Antigua de Albuquerque<\/a><\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Red Velvet Cake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One visit to Bucket Headz probably won’t cure you of any ill perceptions you may have about Southern cuisine, but this is not a restaurant to which one visit will suffice. Bucket Headz could easily become a habit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bucket Headz<\/strong>
\n1218 San Pedro, S.E.
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\nWeb Site<\/a><\/strong> | Facebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 15 April 2016
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 27 February 2016
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 4
\nRATING<\/strong>: Excellent<\/strong><\/span> – High quality dining experience; very good to excellent food, attentive service, and a well-maintained atmosphere; worth a detour.
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Red Velvet Cake, Cinnamon Roll, Catfish, Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls, Fried Pickles, Fried Okra, Big Boy Sandwich, Red Beans and Rice, Hoe Cakes, Gumbo, Oxtail, Sweet Potatoes, Chicken Fried Steak, Buffalo Garlic Chicken Wings, Pork Ribs, Macaroni and Cheese, Church Punch<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I think it\u2019s easy to dismiss Southern food as nothing but grease and grits. I happen to like both grease and grits, And if you call them lardo and polenta, no one would have a problem with it.” ~John T. Edge Author John T. Edge acknowledges that negative stereotypes are rampant about Southern food, crediting some of those perceptions to how Southern food is marketed. Instead of Southern food being presented as one of America\u2019s great culinary traditions, all too often it\u2019s presented as bumpkinly and backwater. Instead of focusing on its soul-warming deliciousness and comforting properties, it\u2019s presented as fatty, fried and laden with butter. 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I happen to like both grease and grits, And if you call them lardo and polenta, no one would have a problem with it.” ~John T. Edge Author John T. Edge acknowledges that negative stereotypes are rampant about Southern food, crediting some of those perceptions to how Southern food is marketed. Instead of Southern food being presented as one of America\u2019s great culinary traditions, all too often it\u2019s presented as bumpkinly and backwater. Instead of focusing on its soul-warming deliciousness and comforting properties, it\u2019s presented as fatty, fried and laden with butter. 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