{"id":56908,"date":"2024-10-05T00:01:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-05T06:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56908"},"modified":"2025-12-12T10:40:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:40:49","slug":"upscale-burgers-shakes-rio-rancho-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56908","title":{"rendered":"Upscale Rio – Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Upscale Rio in Rio Rancho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NOTE<\/strong>:\u00a0 Upscale Rio shuttered its doors for good on 4 December 2025.<\/p>\n

My friend Schuyler used to joke that every meal we enjoyed together was “upscale” because “up” was the direction his scale climbed when we finished our marathon meals. \u00a0We were quite the trenchermen in our youth, bona fide threats to any all-you-can-eat buffet in town. \u00a0Back then–as impoverished junior noncommissioned officers in the Air Force–ten dollar meals were near the upper end of we could afford with an occasional fifteen dollar splurge. \u00a0Back then, some thirty years ago, you could get quite a bit of food for ten dollars. \u00a0Fast forward a few decades and the term “upscale” has a different meaning for both of us. \u00a0We have both been able to reap the harvest of our hard work and are able to (on occasion) afford upscale restaurants that features fine-dining.<\/p>\n

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The Dining Room (Also Pictured: Server Extraordinaire Nikki)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back when a dollar would buy four burgers at Griff’s<\/strong><\/a>, we couldn’t have conceived of any burger being considered “upscale.” \u00a0Not even the most sage of soothsayers could possibly have had the prescience to predict the price of burgers exceeding ten dollars. \u00a0Today, it’s not uncommon to find burgers flirting with the twenty dollar mark (maybe that’s what “build back better” means). \u00a0That price point is justified by such labels as grass-fed, local ingredients, artisanal condiments, made-to order and organic beef. \u00a0Restaurateurs have seen our demand for high-quality burgers and they’ve jumped on the opportunity. \u00a0They’ve heard us rage against unhealthy franchised fast food burgers and they’ve offered a much better–and more expensive–alternative.<\/p>\n

GHOST KITCHEN<\/strong><\/h1>\n

At its launch Upscale Burgers & Shakes operated as a “ghost kitchen” which opened its virtual doors in December, 2020.\u00a0 As a purveyor of upscale burgers, it checked all the boxes: “a much healthier option than the drive-through burger joint; everything made from scratch brioche buns and sauces; fresh in-house ground short-rib, sirloin and chuck blend; sourcing only the best ingredients; a local restaurant with a passion for good, clean, rich food.” \u00a0Unlike some ghost kitchens, Upscale Burgers & Shakes did have a brick-and-mortar presence. \u00a0It was located within the comfy, cozy confines of Lily & Liam Bistro<\/strong><\/a>, one of the City of Vision’s most popular up-and-coming eateries.<\/p>\n

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Turtle Custard Shake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Lily & Liam Bistro strictly offers breakfast and lunch Monday through Sunday, Upscale Burgers & Shakes had somewhat more abbreviated hours of operation.\u00a0 For expediency, you could place your order on the restaurant’s website and\u00a0 have your meal delivered to your car at a time you designate. \u00a0You could also have your meal delivered to your home via DoorDash. \u00a0The process fits right in with what my friend Captain Tuttle calls the “new now<\/strong><\/a>.” \u00a0 While the ordering process is easy, picking up food to eat at home isn’t as satisfying as dining in–especially if you’ve got to ferry your fare half-an-hour.<\/p>\n

We found the online menu somewhat disjointed. \u00a0There was a section called “most popular” which listed only four items. \u00a0Then there’s a section that lists everything else and not necessarily everything of a type together. \u00a0Ideally the six burgers on the menu would be grouped together, but that wasn’t the case. \u00a0Similarly the shakes, desserts, beverages and chicken tenders weren’t grouped together. \u00a0For the compulsively well-ordered among us, it took some getting used to. \u00a0Maybe the intent was to make us peruse the entire menu to see just how many delicious options are available. \u00a0 If that’s the case, mission accomplished.<\/p>\n

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Green Chile Double<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 January 2021<\/strong>: True to the restaurant’s name, shakes featured prominently on the menu. \u00a0There were four of them: vanilla, chocolate, berry, turtle custard. \u00a0You’ll also find four old-fashioned floats: black cherry, root beer, cream soda and Coke. \u00a0Having been acquainted with Lily & Liam’s magnificent turtle cheesecake made my choice easy. \u00a0A turtle custard shake<\/strong><\/em> (caramel, ganache and pecans) it would be…or at least that’s what I ordered. \u00a0Even after getting it home half-an-hour later, there’s no way even a Hoover high suction vacuum cleaner could have sucked it up–much less a straw. \u00a0The “custard” was still hard. \u00a0Nary a pecan or pecan piece was to be found. \u00a0As an ice cream dessert with caramel and ganache, this was a pretty good dessert. \u00a0As a shake, it didn’t pass muster.<\/p>\n

27 January 2021<\/strong>:\u00a0 The green chile double<\/strong><\/em> (Cheddar, green chile, lettuce, tomato, onion, Upscale sauce) was precisely as advertised. \u00a0Thankfully the burger was constructed on housemade brioche buns because a standard vendor-provided bun would have collapsed under the weight and moistness of the two thick beef patties constructed from a fresh in-house ground short-rib, sirloin and chuck blend. \u00a0This burger is all about the beef and this is great beef with its complex mix of fat an umami gussied up in a process called the Maillard reaction<\/strong> <\/a> (thank you, Becky) \u2014 the browning that happens when we cook a piece of meat. Cheddar runneth over and the green chile has a pleasant piquancy. \u00a0Only the Upscale sauce got a bit lost among the massivity of other ingredients.<\/p>\n

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Chipotle Tortilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27 January 2021<\/strong>: Another way in which upscale or gourmet burgers are making their mark is by not subscribing to the age-old template that the canvas upon which to pile on other ingredients has got to be a hamburger bun. \u00a0Hence the chipotle tortilla<\/strong><\/em> (tortilla, Muenster, avocado, chipotle aioli, jalape\u00f1o, tomato, iceberg, red onion and of course, the\u00a0fresh in-house ground short-rib, sirloin and chuck blend patty). \u00a0This is a burger replete with personality and flavors that go very well together. \u00a0A few additional jalape\u00f1os would have made the burger even more to my liking, but not everybody is a fire-eater. \u00a0As with the green chile double, the chipotle tortilla is accompanied by a rather good jicama melon slaw and kettle chips.<\/p>\n

COTTONWOOD MALL LOCATION<\/strong><\/h1>\n

3 June 2022<\/strong>: The ghost kitchen concept proved so successful that in April 2022, Upscale Burgers & Shakes relocated to a brick-and-mortar establishment “just down the hill” from Rio Rancho.\u00a0 Situatd in the space that previously housed Johnny Rocket’s, Upscale plied its concept on the ground floor of the Cottonwood Mall immediately next door to the Regal Cinema.\u00a0 The capacious space underwent a significant make-over.\u00a0 Cobalt\u00a0 blue and white walls and pristine wood flooring gave the restaurant a touch of modernity that hearkened back to the days when burgers, shakes and fries ruled.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the Cottonwood Mall location didn’t work out.\u00a0 Mall crowds aren’t what they used to be.<\/p>\n

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Strawberry and Feta Sala<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The menu also underwent somewhat of a make-over though it still includes the enigmatic “Most Popular” section (I’d love to see the algorithms that determine what goes into this section.)\u00a0 Other menu sections are dedicated to sandwiches, salads, upscale burgers, entrees, classic burgers, shakes, drinks and desserts.\u00a0 It’s not as unwieldy as the first online menu at Upscale.\u00a0 Even better, the price points remain quite reasonable, especially considering the high quality and prodigious portions.\u00a0 There are only two degrees of doneness available on your burgers–“cooked through” or “a little pink.”\u00a0 Not surprisingly, there isn’t a significant difference between the two.<\/p>\n

3 June 2022<\/strong>: Five salads–grilled chicken cobb salad, taco salad, house salad, strawberry and feta salad, and quinoa salad–adorn the menu, again priced reasonably.\u00a0 The taco salad is one of two items (the other is the carne adovada burger) in which cumin is used.\u00a0 When we ordered the strawberry and feta salad<\/strong><\/em> (grilled chicken, candied pecans, strawberries, feta, cucumber, tomato, greens) we reasoned it would serve as our appetizer.\u00a0 Instead, that salad could have served as our entr\u00e9e–not my entr\u00e9e or my Kim’s entr\u00e9e but one we could split between us.\u00a0 We barely made a dent in it and took enough home for lunch the following day.\u00a0 Not only is it a sizeable salad, it’s super fresh and delicious.\u00a0 Where did Upscale find strawberries that sweet?\u00a0 Where did Upscale find greens so fresh?\u00a0 One caution–you might not want to pair blue cheese dressing with all the feta piled onto this salad unless you want to wreck your breath for a week.<\/p>\n

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The Bistro Burger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3 June 2022<\/strong>:\u00a0 One of the seven burgers categorized as “Upscale Burgers” is the Bistro Burger<\/strong><\/em> (braised short rib, burger patty, arugula, bell peppers, cheddar, muenster, au jus).\u00a0 Now, meat on meat isn’t for everyone, but if you identify with Clara Beller’s immortal utterance of “where’s the beef<\/em><\/strong><\/a>?” this burger is for you.\u00a0 Not only is the beef patty a behemoth, the portion of braised short rib is almost main entree generous.\u00a0 This is truly a carnivore’s dream though the richness of all that meat almost did me in.\u00a0 Good as it was, maybe some hot mustard would have helped cut the richness.\u00a0 The arugula and bell peppers did their best, but they were almost lost underneath all that protein.\u00a0 Then there are two cheeses (Cheddar, Muenster).\u00a0 It’s almost too much of too many good things.<\/p>\n

3 June 2022:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>For diners eschewing bread in favor of bread alternatives, one option (albeit not necessarily greatly reduced in calories) is the steak burger frites<\/strong><\/em> (two seared burger steaks, potato wedges, mushrooms, bacon onion jam, arugula, au jus).\u00a0 Just don’t make the mistake of confusing “burger steaks” with rib eye steaks, Porterhouse steaks or even prime rib.\u00a0 Burger steaks are thick, charred burger patties.\u00a0 And if you’re used to frites as thin as matchsticks, you’re in for a surprise.\u00a0 The potato wedges are Texas-sized, thick-cut and (probably) baked wedges of potato.\u00a0 A more pleasant surprise is the fresh mushrooms which impart even more umami to an umami-rich dish.\u00a0 There’s so much umami, in fact, that you might just want to ask for more bacon onion jam to cut through it.<\/p>\n

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Steak Burger Frites<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3 June 2022<\/strong>: Chantilly cream, or more appropriately cr\u00e8me Chantilly, is a sweetened whipped cream, originated in small town of Chantilly, France. Chantilly cake, on the other hand, can refer to two different kinds of cakes. In the South, Chantilly cake is a vanilla cake topped with fluffy, sweetened whipped cream (or whipped mascarpone). This version was “invented” in New Orleans. In Hawaii, a Chantilly cake is a chocolate cake with coconut frosting.\u00a0 Upscale’s rendition is made of light and airy sponge cake layers.\u00a0 Each of the middle layers is slathered filled fresh berries and more sweetened cream.\u00a0 It\u2019s an incredibly light cake with a burst of fresh berries in every bite.\u00a0 Though we enjoyed several Chantilly cake<\/strong><\/em> slices in the Deep South, we’ll take the Upscale version any time.<\/p>\n

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Chantilly Cake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

RIO RANCHO LOCATION<\/strong><\/h1>\n

In July, 2023, owners James and Megan Garrigan–who also own and operate Lily And Liam Bistro<\/strong><\/a> in Rio Rancho and Belle’s Urban Deli<\/strong><\/a> in Corrales–relocated Upscale to Rio Rancho.\u00a0 It’s now known as Upscale Rio in tribute to the city in which is located as well as a more apropos name considering this restaurant is about so much more than burgers and shakes.\u00a0 Its familiar location on Sara Road just north of Intel was previously home to such stalwarts as Namaste<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Ensconced in the timeworn Lujan Plaza, its new location is recessed about a block from Rio Rancho Blvd., the city’s main drag.\u00a0 Visionaries (the term for residents of Rio Rancho) know this location well, but sometimes out-of-sight…<\/p>\n

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Short Rib Quesadilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5 October 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 One of many reasons finding Upscale Rio is worth the (small) effort is Nikki, one of the City of Vision’s very best servers.\u00a0 Nikki can be trusted to give you a savvy recommendation.\u00a0 She’s tried everything on the menu and is anxious for her guests to try them all.\u00a0 During our October, 2024 visit, for example, she recommended the short rib quesadilla<\/strong><\/em> (braised short-rib, cheddar and jack, green chile, chipotle aioli), four crispy wedges of deliciousness.\u00a0 The moist and juicy short rib is the star of this dish, but the supporting cast is equally stellar.\u00a0 Neither the green chile or chipotle aioli pack a piquant punch, but they rev up the quesadilla’s flavor.\u00a0 If there’s one nit, it’s that four shared slices isn’t quite enough.\u00a0 A pizza-sized version of this quesadilla might be enough.<\/p>\n

5 October 2024<\/strong>:\u00a0 Obviously concerned about my caloric intake, Nikki recommended two of the menu’s heartiest entrees: meatloaf and chicken fried chicken breast<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(house breaded fried chicken breast, mashed potatoes, green chili cream gravy and seasonal vegetables). You might not be able to see the chicken fried chicken breast clearly on account of all the green chili (the restaurant’s spelling, not mine) cream gravy.\u00a0 That’s the way I requested it.\u00a0 Only our friend Lynn (author of the best-selling Fifty Shades of Gravy) likes gravy more.\u00a0 She would have loved Upscale’s version.\u00a0 It’s thick and replete with flavor, albeit not as piquant as I would have wanted.\u00a0 The “seasonal vegetables” were collard greens (also covered in gravy), as good as we’ve had them in a while.<\/p>\n

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Chicken Fried Chicken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Decades ago, my friend Schuyler and I couldn’t have envisioned burgers as creative (albeit pricy) as those offered at Upscale Rio. \u00a0We couldn’t have envisioned Captain Tuttle’s “new now” either. \u00a0Without that new now we wouldn’t have Upscale Rio, one of the few good things to come out of this global pandemic.<\/p>\n

Upscale Rio<\/strong>
\n1520 Deborah Road, S.E., Suite O
\nRio Rancho, New Mexico<\/strong>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>:5 October 2024
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 27 January 2021
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 3
\nRATING<\/strong>: 21
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Turtle Custard Shake, Green Chile Double, Chipotle Tortilla, Chantilly Cake, Steak Burger Frites, The Bistro Burger, Chicken Fried Chicken, Short Rib Quesadilla
\nREVIEW #1202<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NOTE:\u00a0 Upscale Rio shuttered its doors for good on 4 December 2025. My friend Schuyler used to joke that every meal we enjoyed together was “upscale” because “up” was the direction his scale climbed when we finished our marathon meals. \u00a0We were quite the trenchermen in our youth, bona fide threats to any all-you-can-eat buffet in town. \u00a0Back then–as impoverished junior noncommissioned officers in the Air Force–ten dollar meals were near the upper end of we could afford with an occasional fifteen dollar splurge. \u00a0Back then, some thirty years ago, you could get quite a bit of food for ten dollars. \u00a0Fast forward a few decades and the term “upscale” has a different meaning for both of us. \u00a0We have…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68461,"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":[21,25,4661,262,141,265],"tags":[2062,2053,809,2065,2923,2060,2056,2059,2054,2055,808,2052,2058,807,2057,790,810,4417,2063,2064,806,2061],"class_list":["post-56908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american","category-burgers","category-closed-in-2025","category-closed","category-new-mexico","category-rio-rancho","tag-bistro-burger","tag-brioche-buns","tag-burgers","tag-chantilly-cake","tag-chicken-fried-chicken","tag-classic-burgers","tag-cottonwood-mall","tag-entrees","tag-housemade-sauces","tag-in-house-ground-beef","tag-lily-liam-bistro","tag-made-from-scratch","tag-most-popular","tag-pick-up","tag-regal-cinema","tag-sandwiches","tag-shakes","tag-short-rib-quesaderilla","tag-steak-burger-frites","tag-strawberry-and-feta-salad","tag-take-out","tag-upscale-burgers"],"yoast_head":"\nUpscale Rio - Rio Rancho, 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=56908\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Upscale Rio - Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NOTE:\u00a0 Upscale Rio shuttered its doors for good on 4 December 2025. My friend Schuyler used to joke that every meal we enjoyed together was “upscale” because “up” was the direction his scale climbed when we finished our marathon meals. \u00a0We were quite the trenchermen in our youth, bona fide threats to any all-you-can-eat buffet in town. \u00a0Back then–as impoverished junior noncommissioned officers in the Air Force–ten dollar meals were near the upper end of we could afford with an occasional fifteen dollar splurge. \u00a0Back then, some thirty years ago, you could get quite a bit of food for ten dollars. \u00a0Fast forward a few decades and the term “upscale” has a different meaning for both of us. \u00a0We have…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=56908\" \/>\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=\"2024-10-05T06:01:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-12T16:40:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/UpscaleRio04b-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2014\" \/>\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=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56908#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56908\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\"},\"headline\":\"Upscale Rio – Rio Rancho, New Mexico (CLOSED)\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-05T06:01:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-12T16:40:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56908\"},\"wordCount\":2365,\"commentCount\":7,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56908#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/UpscaleRio04b-scaled.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Bistro Burger\",\"Brioche Buns\",\"Burgers\",\"Chantilly Cake\",\"Chicken Fried Chicken\",\"Classic Burgers\",\"Cottonwood Mall\",\"Entrees\",\"Housemade Sauces\",\"In-House Ground Beef\",\"Lily & Liam Bistro\",\"Made-From-Scratch\",\"Most Popular\",\"Pick-up\",\"Regal Cinema\",\"Sandwiches\",\"Shakes\",\"Short Rib Quesaderilla\",\"Steak Burger Frites\",\"Strawberry and Feta Salad\",\"Take-Out\",\"Upscale Burgers\"],\"articleSection\":[\"American\",\"Burgers\",\"Closed in 2025\",\"Gone But Not Forgotten\",\"New Mexico\",\"Rio Rancho\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56908#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56908\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=56908\",\"name\":\"Upscale Rio - 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