Opening NEXT WEEK in Rio Rancho is the new spot opened by a Seattleite (they know coffee, don’t they?): Cafe Bella Coffee

According to their website and press info, Cafe Bella will feature locally-roasted beans (from where? I’ll find out!). But that’s not what interests me.  What interests me is that the owner, Michael Gonzales, will be pulling shots on a crazy expensive Italian espresso machine, and also that he was trained by the Italian World Cup champion barista while they both lived in Seattle.

Will Guiseppe’s be feeling some competition? I hope so. This metro area is far large enough to support several excellent espresso shops.
The cafe side of things will be featuring as much locally grown produce as possible, working with farms and small businesses to get the kitchen’s raw ingredients.

So, it all sounds good – I’ll haul myself up the hill and check the place out, and probably post photos to Twitter, too: @dukecityfood

Café Bella Coffee

2115 Golf Course Road S.E. #102 in Rio Rancho

http://www.cafebellacoffee.com

….. but I do.  Let’s round up some of the latest restaurant gossip, shall we?

Firstly, I did not know that former co-founder of Relish was Chef de Cuisine at Artichoke Cafe. Go, Tony Nethery!

Next, Nob Hill is abuzz with openings, closings, and speculation. A new spot should be coming in where Bumble Bee’s was – called Z, and owned by the Street Food Asia folks. And, Andre’s quietly closed. Did anyone even eat there, aside from the one horrible Urbanspoon review?

And mentions do pop up about people that eat here and love it, like this one about Perea’s.

I have a long history of defending Flying Star. I respect what Jean and Mark Bernstein do with local ingredients. I appreciate their ridiculously long hours, day after day (6 a.m. – 11 p.m. in most locations, most days). I am thankful for magazines I can browse while drinking refills of coffee.

I don’t like the usually burnt coffee. I whine a bit about increasing prices. Sometimes I find myself the recipient of sporadically inept hands in the kitchen.

BUT.

Flying Star, like Ari LeVaux said in his recent Alibi article, is the “friend you hang out with all the time, even though you sometimes complain about him”. And like an old friend, a heck of a lot of people would miss Flying Star if it were missing from the local dining landscape.

NINE, count ‘em, nine locations. Gorgeous interior design. Local roasting that has upsized several times. Over nearly 25 years, the operation has both grown and refined itself, finding solid ground in serving what most people want, most of the time, at prices that are perfectly fine (mostly).

Remember that organic costs more. Imported butter for great pastries costs more. Local chicken costs more. And in the middle of a recession, everybody hurts. Raw ingredient costs are up at least 25% for restaurants in the last 4 years, yet menu costs are up under 10%. That means that even though it sucks to pay more, the restaurants are sucking it up, too, and that includes Flying Star.

This is roundabout way of me congratulating Ari for his article. He appreciates what Flying Star does, even with a few grumbles thrown in.

At his lamentably closed burger and steak joint called Independence Grill, Jerry Wright served good burgers, tasty prime rib, addicting fried pickles, and Pig Wings.  Those delectable drumsticks were actually small pork shanks with all the flavor bestowed by having the bone on the premises for extra flavoring.

Well, Jerry was ahead of the Times, literally: New York Times loves Pig Wings. Apparently “shank” is not a dining public friendly word, so pig wings was the appointed moniker to pair with ranch dressing and/or barbeque sauces.  I also learned that Chili’s riblets (or are those the infamous “baby back ribs”???) are actually the transverse process of the vertebrae. That’s pretty nifty, and means that Baby Back Ribs is actually a correct term.  Who woulda thunk it?

Too bad the recession nailed us all when it did – or maybe the grass-roots campaign should begin now to bring back Jerry, the fried pickles, and those luscious pig wings.

It is (finally) chilly and the fall/winter menus are in full swing.  Here’s a little for you to nibble on in our local lineup:

Jennifer James 101 has a new menu heavily invested in roasts, comforting veggies, and luxurious soups.  PLUS, they are doing a winter Sunday dinner on 11/20 featuring the comfort foods of Italy.  With wine pairings included for $75, that’s a great pre-holiday stress season splurge for yourself.

In Los Lunas, you have to try the Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery – adorable space, friendly people and darn good food.  Plus, they’re doing a special cooking class next week featuring cured salmon.  Yum.

While the sun is out, follow the ABQ Food Trucks around town and snap up a tasty lunch or dessert with other devoted diners.

When you can no longer bear the chill in the air, about the warmest place I can think of is the “old” standby, Pars Cuisine (ack, turn off the flashing button!!!).  Bringing a tingle to your belly with Middle Eastern foods and belly dancers who show the right way to keep themselves warm, this is a great “destination” restaurant right in your backyard.

I’m off for a pig pig pig dinner, but have a great weekend and let me know if you spot great seasonal specials around town!