{"id":56416,"date":"2022-05-15T12:46:28","date_gmt":"2022-05-15T18:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416"},"modified":"2026-04-13T11:20:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:20:41","slug":"the-whole-enchilada-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416","title":{"rendered":"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tarasco (Formerly the Whole Enchilada( on Alameda in Northwest Albuquerque<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps because I was away from the Land of Enchantment for much of my Air Force career, one of my favorite bloggers has long been Lisa Fain, the James Beard award-winning “Homesick Texan<\/strong><\/a>.” \u00a0 Like me, Lisa longed for home during the two decades she lived in New York City.\u00a0 Like me, Lisa returned to her home state, the call of family, friends, bluebonnets, and Tex-Mex luring her back.\u00a0 Also like me, Lisa is fiercely proud of the cuisine of the state she calls home.\u00a0 Much of the enjoyment I derive in reading about her favorite foods is in noting the (sometimes vast) differences in foods just across the border.\u00a0 Take for example cheese enchiladas which she calls “the essence of Tex-Mex<\/strong><\/a>.”<\/p>\n

\\She describes them as “a plate of rolled corn tortillas stuffed with orange, oozing cheese, floating in puddles of brown-chili gravy. Yes, that kind of cheese enchilada. The Tex-Mex kind<\/em>.”\u00a0 What makes Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas so special to her is the chili gravy which Lisa describes as “a mash-up between flour-based gravy and Mexican chile sauce. It\u2019s a smooth and silky substance, redolent with earthy cumin, smoky chiles and pungent garlic. It\u2019s not fiery, as it was originally created by Anglos, but it does have flavor. And there\u2019s no meat in chili gravy\u2014it\u2019s just fat, flour, chicken broth and spices<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A very sad sight – an empty dining room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\\At the very least, many New Mexicans would find the notion of chili gravy absurd, at most repellent.\u00a0 During her time in Austin, Albuquerque Academy and UT-Austin graduate Carmen Rising<\/strong><\/a> admits to having experienced a “Tex-Mexistential crisis.”\u00a0 In her quest to find “real” Mexican food in Texas, she encountered the “chili gravy” of which Lisa Fain is so fond: “Next up were chicken enchiladas that came with a list of sauce options including neither red nor green chile, but instead a list of confounding toppings such as sour cream, verde cream sauce, chipotle, and queso (such additions to main dishes would be blasphemy on any New Mexican menu). There was no Spanish rice and, to my horror, no option for blue corn tortillas. Instead came enchiladas covered in mildly spiced queso, fajita-style chicken (instead of shredded), and no fresh, complimentary sopapillas dripping with honey. Uh, seriously<\/em>?”<\/p>\n

It should come as no surprise that enchiladas would engender such a difference of opinion.\u00a0 After all, tastes and preferences vary.\u00a0 It’s been that way from the very beginning for the not-so-humble dish whose very name translates from Spanish to “covered in chile.”\u00a0 Not surprisingly, enchiladas have their genesis in Mexico or more specifically the Aztec capital Tenochtitl\u00e1n.\u00a0 In chronicling the history of the conquest of “New Spain,” Spanish conquistador Bernal D\u00edaz del Castillo provided vivid descriptions of the great feasts<\/strong><\/a> served at Montezuma’s court.\u00a0 Among the lavish spreads he described was what is thought to be the earliest description of enchiladas in European literature.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Chips, Salsa and Queso<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Two \u2026 young women of great beauty brought the monarch tortillas, as white as snow, cooked with eggs and other nourishing ingredients, on plates covered with clean napkins.<\/em>”\u00a0 In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs the dish was called ch\u012bllap\u012bzzali\u00a0<\/em>(literally \u2018chilli-flute\u2019), suggesting its most distinctive ingredient was the chile pepper.\u00a0 Chiles were ground up to produce a spicy paste, into which tortillas were dipped, then filled with beans, squash, fish, game, or eggs.\u00a0 Another Spanish historian described some of the chile-based sauces as “terrifyingly hot<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

hile the Spanish forces under Hern\u00e1n Cort\u00e9s seized Tenochtitl\u00e1n and systematically destroyed much of the rich Aztec culture, the conquistadors were content to appropriate much of its cuisine \u2013 including enchiladas.\u00a0 Spaniards added new ingredients including cheese, pork and chicken.\u00a0 Spicy sauces replaced chili paste.\u00a0 By 1821, when Mexico gained its independence from Spain, enchiladas were the closest thing the new country had to a “national\u2019 dish.”\u00a0\u00a0 Later when the United States annexed Texas, California and much of what is presently the Southwest, Mexican dishes–among them enchiladas–found a place in American culture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tostadas de Ceviche<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Enchiladas are now a global phenomena, available in Berlin<\/strong><\/a>, Tokyo<\/strong><\/a>, Melbourne<\/strong><\/a> and even Moscow<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Okay, so that’s Moscow, Idaho but given a month, my friend Howie “the Duke of the Duke City” Kaibel<\/strong><\/a>, Community Director for Yelp, would have Muscovites posting about their favorite enchiladas in Russia.\u00a0 With all its permutations and variations throughout the planet, the Aztecs of Tenocyhtitl\u00e1n would probably be challenged to recognize the dish they held sacred.\u00a0 The scions of Montezuma would especially probably not approve of the “Americanization” of enchiladas with all our calorific cheeses and creams.<\/p>\n

We weren’t quite sure what to expect when we set off for our initial visit to The Whole Enchilada, a Mexican restaurant that launched on November 7th in the Corrales Shopping Center.\u00a0 The Whole Enchilada’s Facebook page promised “Authentic Old Mexico cuisine with flavors of Mexican origin<\/em>,”\u00a0 but Mexico is such a broad and diverse nation that those terms can’t pigeonhole a cuisine.\u00a0 Perusing the menu gave us hope that this restaurant might just be a little bit different…more exciting and varied.\u00a0 That menu lists steak, seafood, “Mexican favorites” such as a beef birria burrito, specialties of the house such as enchiladas Suizas and “Chef’s choice” options such as a Mexican broil.\u00a0 Despite the restaurant’s name, there are only two types of enchiladas on the menu.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Enchiladas Suisas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

26 March 2021<\/strong>: In addition to not knowing what to expect from a menu cutting such a broad swath, we weren’t sure how the items we ordered would hold up after a 20-minute trek (potentially much longer if we cut through Corrales).\u00a0 We figured we’d probably be cursing the most recent shelter-in-place “reset,” especially with items intended to be served hot.\u00a0 We knew the salsa and chips <\/strong><\/em>would hold up well in transit and they did.\u00a0 The salsa is incendiary–even for this volcano-eater.\u00a0 My Kim dipped one chip into the fiery stuff and her eyes watered as she coughed and sputtered profanities at me for not warning her. \u00a0During a return visit in March, 2021 with my friend Tom “Sultan of Simile” Molitor, we were feted not only with salsa but with a queso dip. \u00a0Perhaps in deference to guests who aren’t as tolerant of piquancy, the salsa seemed somewhat subdued and the queso lacked bite altogether. \u00a0In any case, we enjoyed the fresh, housemade chips served warm.<\/span><\/p>\n

28 November 2020<\/strong>: We also figured the tostadas de ceviche<\/strong><\/em> would arrive home fresh and flavorful though we also had to wonder how they’d be packed for us.\u00a0 A generous plating of ceviche (chopped shrimp cooked in lemon with onion, tomato, cilantro, Serrano peppers served cold) was deposited in a Styrofoam container designed to prevent spillage and keep our food fresh.\u00a0 The tostadas were placed in a separate container, meaning we’d have to construct our own at home.\u00a0 Alas, our trip damaged most of the tostadas so we used the broken shards in a manner similar to scooping up salsa.\u00a0 No harm done.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Churros con Cajeta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

28 November 2020<\/strong>: One of Pati Jinich’s<\/strong><\/a> (the ebullient host of the James Beard Award-winning and Emmy nominated PBS series Pati\u2019s Mexican Table<\/strong><\/a>) favorite food memories is sneaking off to Sanborn’s grocery store in Mexico City with her dad. There she’d always eat their famous dish, Enchiladas Suizas <\/strong><\/em>(literally Swiss-style enchiladas).\u00a0 The Whole Enchilada’s version features four hand-rolled chicken enchiladas in a house tomatillo sauce topped with melted Swiss cheese.\u00a0 We liked the dish, but in all fairness, would probably have loved it fresh out of the oven.\u00a0 Our commute didn’t do it any favors (drying it up somewhat), but it did increase our resolve to visit The Whole Enchilada and have the dish again one the world resumes a state of normalcy.<\/p>\n

28 November 2020<\/strong>: Similarly, our commute wasn’t kind to the churros con cajeta<\/strong><\/em>, one of four desserts on the menu.\u00a0 More precisely, our trip back home dried up the churros.\u00a0 In our minds we could extrapolate their soft, but slightly crispy texture when freshly prepared.\u00a0 We have that to look forward to.\u00a0 The cajeta (thickened caramel usually made of sweetened caramelized goat’s milk) was outstanding, so good we would have loved a pint or so to lap up.\u00a0 This is a dessert we’ll return for, probably many times.\u00a0 That cajeta is a wonder.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Beef Birria Mulitas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

26 March 2021<\/strong>: \u00a0To a sommelier like Tom Molitor, the senses of taste and smell are of primal importance. \u00a0Born with a heightened responsiveness to these senses, sommeliers are attuned to nuances of aromas and flavors many of us can’t discern. \u00a0That’s one of the reasons I enjoy dining with Tom so much, especially when the experience entails introducing him to something he’d never had before. During our visit to Whole Enchilada, Tom finally had the opportunity to enjoy beef birria mulitas<\/strong><\/em> (three fried tacos dipped in chile and stuffed with a melted white Mexican cheese and birria served with rice and beans).<\/p>\n

For about three years, birria–slow-cooked beef as tender and fall-apart moist and delicious as any meat you’ve ever had–has been one of the most popular fads in the foodie community (perhaps not as much in New Mexico which sometimes tends to be behind the times). \u00a0Though Tom didn’t have a frame of reference for what birria should taste like, he instantly discerned the tenderness of the beef, dipping the tacos into the accompanying consomm\u00e9. \u00a0 Alas, because the consomm\u00e9 was somewhat lacking in the aromatics and seasonings that sometimes characterize birria, he wasn’t challenged with the opportunity to discern those aromatics and spices. \u00a0He did appreciate the fluffiness of the rice which was studded with corn niblets and liked the refried beans very much.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tuetano Tacos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

26 March 2021<\/strong>: \u00a0It’s not only proponents of the Paleo diet who enjoy the bone marrow trend that’s swept across North America for several years now. \u00a0Roasted bone marrow has been consumed by humankind for as long as we’ve inhabited this planet. \u00a0Though composed almost entirely (97%) of fat, bone marrow contains stem cells which produce white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, which in turn help fight infections, help carry oxygen throughout the body and help with blood clotting. \u00a0So there! \u00a0Moreover, bone marrow is delicious.<\/p>\n

During our inaugural visit to Whole Enchilada, we were warned not to order\u00a0Tuetano tacos<\/strong><\/em> (charbroiled bone marrow served with ezquite, rice and beans) because the marrow would likely “melt” by the time we got it home. \u00a0During our sit-in meal, Pancho Villa’s ragtag army couldn’t have prevented me from ordering it. \u00a0Two large bones split down the middle and burbling with unctuous marrow were presented beautifully along with two corn tortillas. \u00a0Despite the Flintstonian size of the bones, there just isn’t much marrow to extricate so we had to rely on white onions, cilantro and a fiery chile paste to give the tacos some substance though they did take away from the flavor of the marrow somewhat. \u00a0Delightful accompaniment in the form of elote (roasted corn scraped off the cob slathered with chile and Cojita cheese) was a highlight.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pork Belly Tacos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

15 May 2022<\/strong>: The 1983 movie Trading Places may have been the first time many of us learned about pork bellies in the commodities market. \u00a0Don Ameche as the condescending Mortimer Duke explained to Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy), a subject of a social experiment conducted by the manipulative Duke Brothers: “Commodities are agricultural products. Like coffee, that you had for breakfast, \u2026 wheat, which is used to make bread, \u2026 pork bellies, which is used to make bacon – which you might find in a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich<\/em>! Later when\u00a0 Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Ackroyd) conspires with Valentine to avenge being wronged by the Duke Brothers, he exalts: “I have a hunch something very exciting is going to happen in the pork belly market this morning<\/em>.” \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Order the pork belly tacos<\/strong><\/em> (three sous vide pork belly tacos on corn tortillas topped with an apple jalapeno slaw and chipotle apple glaze sauce with a side of esquite) at Whole Enchilada and that excitement will visit your table.\u00a0 The sous vide pork belly is magnificent with a nice balance of fatty and meaty pork.\u00a0 There’s nary a hint of bark on the pork nor is it smoky, but it’s porcine candy nonetheless.\u00a0 The influence of sweet-tart apples is a nice counterbalance to the piquant jalapenos and chipotle glaze.\u00a0 If you’re not a fan of slaw that’s mostly cabbage and mayo, you might appreciate that there isn’t much to this “slaw” other than red onions and apple slices.\u00a0 Bravo Whole Enchilada!\u00a0 These tacos are superb!<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fajitas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

15 May 2022<\/strong>: Columnist and author Gustavo Arellano<\/strong><\/a> has a unique perspective on eating fajitas: \u201cEating a fajita is like eating a living, breathing organism \u2013 you can feel the burrito\u2019s ingredients sigh inside with each bite, each squeeze<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Good fajitas should elicit audible sighs of delight as you enjoy them.\u00a0 Great fajitas should elicit involuntary salivation when you reflect on your experience eating them.\u00a0 Whole Enchilada’s fajitas approach only good.\u00a0 They’re composed of the usual suspects–beef, flour tortillas, onions with sour cream and guacamole–but a plume of fragrant steam didn’t precede their delivery to your table.\u00a0 That’s a biggie.\u00a0 \u00a0Worse, they were lukewarm when we dug into them.\u00a0 Sure they were delicious, but fajitas should put on a show and they should always be hot enough.<\/p>\n

15 May 2022<\/strong>:\u00a0In 2017, Gustavo Arellano lamented “most conchas suck<\/em>.” He’s probably got much more experience with conchas than I do, but most of the conchas we’ve had in New Mexico’s Mexican bakeries and restaurants are actually quite good.\u00a0 Some are actually memorable.\u00a0 Among them are the conchas with ice cream<\/strong><\/em> at Whole Enchilada.\u00a0 A fluffy concha is sliced in half and in sandwich-like fashion, ice cream drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with walnuts is nestled atop the bottom half.\u00a0 It’s a unique and delicious way to enjoy conchas.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Conchas with Ice Cream<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After our first visit, I debated whether or not to even publish this review considering the take-out experience was certainly not representative of what our experience would have been had we dined on the premises. In the end, I figured if we (mostly) enjoyed our meal despite the situation, how much better would it be once we’re able to have a more leisurely in-place experience. During my second visit, I did discover just how much better the Whole Enchilada is when we were able to sit down for a leisurely meal inside the restaurant.<\/p>\n

The Whole Enchilada<\/strong>
\n10701 Corrales Road, N.W., #25
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 15 May 2022
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 28 November 2020
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 3
\nRATING<\/strong>: 21
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Churros Con Cajeta, Tostadas de Ceviche, Enchiladas Suisas, Salsa and Chips, Tu\u00e9tano Tacos, Beef Birria Mulas, Agua Fresca De Melon, Pork Belly Tacos, Fajitas, Conchas with Ice Cream
\nREVIEW #1193<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps because I was away from the Land of Enchantment for much of my Air Force career, one of my favorite bloggers has long been Lisa Fain, the James Beard award-winning “Homesick Texan.” \u00a0 Like me, Lisa longed for home during the two decades she lived in New York City.\u00a0 Like me, Lisa returned to her home state, the call of family, friends, bluebonnets, and Tex-Mex luring her back.\u00a0 Also like me, Lisa is fiercely proud of the cuisine of the state she calls home.\u00a0 Much of the enjoyment I derive in reading about her favorite foods is in noting the (sometimes vast) differences in foods just across the border.\u00a0 Take for example cheese enchiladas which she calls “the essence…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60665,"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":[440,4661,262,222,57,141,727],"tags":[919,922,918,1979,915,916,912,1980,913,914,1981,921,917,920],"class_list":["post-56416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-closed-in-2025","category-closed","category-mariscos","category-mexican","category-new-mexico","category-tacos","tag-beef-birria-mulitas","tag-chips-and-salsa","tag-churros-con-cajeta","tag-conchas-with-ice-cream","tag-conquistadores","tag-enchiladas-history","tag-enchiladas-suisas","tag-fajitas","tag-homesick-texan","tag-montezuma","tag-pork-belly-tacos","tag-roasted-bone-marrow","tag-tostadas-de-ceviche","tag-tuetano-tacos"],"yoast_head":"\nTarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) - 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=56416\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Perhaps because I was away from the Land of Enchantment for much of my Air Force career, one of my favorite bloggers has long been Lisa Fain, the James Beard award-winning “Homesick Texan.” \u00a0 Like me, Lisa longed for home during the two decades she lived in New York City.\u00a0 Like me, Lisa returned to her home state, the call of family, friends, bluebonnets, and Tex-Mex luring her back.\u00a0 Also like me, Lisa is fiercely proud of the cuisine of the state she calls home.\u00a0 Much of the enjoyment I derive in reading about her favorite foods is in noting the (sometimes vast) differences in foods just across the border.\u00a0 Take for example cheese enchiladas which she calls “the essence…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416\" \/>\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=\"2022-05-15T18:46:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T17:20:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\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=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\"},\"headline\":\"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-15T18:46:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-13T17:20:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416\"},\"wordCount\":2593,\"commentCount\":16,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Beef Birria Mulitas\",\"Chips and Salsa\",\"Churros con Cajeta\",\"Conchas With Ice Cream\",\"Conquistadores\",\"Enchiladas History\",\"Enchiladas Suisas\",\"Fajitas\",\"Homesick Texan\",\"Montezuma\",\"Pork Belly Tacos\",\"Roasted Bone Marrow\",\"Tostadas De Ceviche\",\"Tuetano Tacos\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Albuquerque\",\"Closed in 2025\",\"Gone But Not Forgotten\",\"Mariscos\",\"Mexican\",\"New Mexico\",\"Tacos\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416\",\"name\":\"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-15T18:46:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-13T17:20:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"Fajitas\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56416#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"description\":\"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,522 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\",\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Gil Garduno\"},\"description\":\"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/%20\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","og_description":"Perhaps because I was away from the Land of Enchantment for much of my Air Force career, one of my favorite bloggers has long been Lisa Fain, the James Beard award-winning “Homesick Texan.” \u00a0 Like me, Lisa longed for home during the two decades she lived in New York City.\u00a0 Like me, Lisa returned to her home state, the call of family, friends, bluebonnets, and Tex-Mex luring her back.\u00a0 Also like me, Lisa is fiercely proud of the cuisine of the state she calls home.\u00a0 Much of the enjoyment I derive in reading about her favorite foods is in noting the (sometimes vast) differences in foods just across the border.\u00a0 Take for example cheese enchiladas which she calls “the essence…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416","og_site_name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","article_published_time":"2022-05-15T18:46:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-13T17:20:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gil Garduno","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gil Garduno","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416"},"author":{"name":"Gil Garduno","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf"},"headline":"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)","datePublished":"2022-05-15T18:46:28+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-13T17:20:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416"},"wordCount":2593,"commentCount":16,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg","keywords":["Beef Birria Mulitas","Chips and Salsa","Churros con Cajeta","Conchas With Ice Cream","Conquistadores","Enchiladas History","Enchiladas Suisas","Fajitas","Homesick Texan","Montezuma","Pork Belly Tacos","Roasted Bone Marrow","Tostadas De Ceviche","Tuetano Tacos"],"articleSection":["Albuquerque","Closed in 2025","Gone But Not Forgotten","Mariscos","Mexican","New Mexico","Tacos"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416","name":"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg","datePublished":"2022-05-15T18:46:28+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-13T17:20:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/WholeEnchilada14-scaled.jpeg","width":2560,"height":1920,"caption":"Fajitas"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56416#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tarasco (Formerly The Whole Enchilada) – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","description":"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,522 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf","name":"Gil Garduno","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","caption":"Gil Garduno"},"description":"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/%20","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nmgastronome\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56416"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79641,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56416\/revisions\/79641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/60665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}