The news broke last week: Jean Bernstein is closing a third Flying Star restaurant, this one the incredible space on Silver and 8th downtown. Whatever you think of Flying Star – and a lot of people love to hate it – the local chain is an Albuquerque institution that regularly wins “Best of” in almost…
Eating ABQ: Ajiaco Colombian Bistro
I don’t know who gave me my first recommendation for Ajiaco. My friend Carlos, who is originally from Colombia, was in the crowded church social hall after services when someone slipped a business card for the bistro into his hand. “I don’t even know who it was,” he laughed as I examined the mysterious card…
Eating ABQ: Tia Betty Blue’s
This is another one of those “I can’t believe I didn’t share it earlier” reviews. Tia Betty Blue’s opened about three years ago on a neglected stretch of San Mateo not far from Gibson, in a two-story building that used to house a cleaning business. It was a surprise to see someone try a restaurant…
A Beautiful Second Store for Michael Thomas Coffee
I’m just going to have to deal with it: Michael Thomas Coffee is no longer my neighborhood’s sweet little secret. For years, the shop has been housed in a tiny converted garage on a mostly residential stretch of Carlisle between Central and Gibson. The way I heard the story, the business wasn’t meant to be…
Eating ABQ: Nosh Jewish Deli and Bakery
UPDATE: Nosh closed in January 2016, and is still sorely missed. Albuquerque foodies bemoan certain holes in the culinary landscape. The first to come up in such a conversation is almost always Ethiopian. Tied for second, in my experience, are really great casual Italian and a good Jewish deli. Well, we can finally cross one…
Friday Food Truck Pod and Pod Schedule
It seems like not a day passes lately without interesting news from our Albuquerque food trucks. The proprietors are trying out all kinds of new things, making their presence known at festivals (The Seasonal Palate will be at this weekend’s Celtic Festival) and workplaces (Intel), hospitals (Lovelace Women’s, UNM Cancer Center), coffee shops (Michael Thomas)…
Eating ABQ: Nexus Brewery
I apologize. I’ve known about Nexus for months now and I haven’t told you about it. I have a good reason, I swear! The problem is that the food is too good. The first three times I went, I demolished half my plate before remembering to take pictures. We first went to Nexus after I…
Eating ABQ: Food Truck Holiday Extravaganza at Talin
This afternoon Talin hosted a “Food Truck Holiday Extravaganza” in its parking lot. Though perhaps less than an “extravaganza,” it was about twice the size of Talin’s Wednesday lunch food-truck pod, and the offerings were great. Our first stop was The Seasonal Palate, which had promised fresh oysters for the extravaganza. Sure enough the menu…
Save the ABQ Food Trucks!
If you’ve been following this blog, you know that I love food trucks. I’ve happily checked out carts in Portland, OR and NYC, and am positively gleeful about the recent boom in food trucks here in Albuquerque. (Check out my giddy review of Supper Truck if you doubt me.) Which is why I was dismayed…
Manzano Mountain Apple Orchard
Growing up in Urbana, Illinois, it was unthinkable to let autumn pass without at least one trip to Curtis Orchard in Champaign. I remember it being a fairly modest place when I was a child, but something new got added every year. By the time I moved away, Curtis Orchard had a huge store with…