…”all the way over” in Cedar Crest is a gem of a restaurant founded by one of the dudes behind The Range Cafe and Standard Diner.  I say “all the way over” because really, Cedar Crest is about 10 minutes from town – closer than most stuff on the Westside.  But I digress.

I like this place but don’t go a ton, but when I receive their emails for specials and new ideas, it always makes me happy they are doing well against the likes of really mediocre Chinese food and other less worthy options.

The owner and cook is Jay Wulf, and the place is Greenside Cafe.

On Valentine’s Day, Jay is offering a 4 course meal with wine pairings for $65 – yum!

Here’s the menu, to get you salivating enough to make reservations:

I keep tabs on news that filters up about new spots, chef departures, developing concepts and try to bring them in one non-paywalled placed, because I love you.  Actually, I really like gossip, so let’s see what I have this week:

Pizza 9 will be moving in to the former frozen-dessert spot behind the Century Downtown theater.  They say they’re Chicago, I say not-so.  Good pizza, but it’s thick crust, plain and simple.

McGrath’s in the Hyatt.  Ever eat there?  Yeah, maybe once and you didn’t choose to.  What did you eat?  Who knows.  It was fine.  Finally the uninteresting is shoved out and a new contender steps in.  It’s called Forque and whether or not they intend to compete with Lucia, it is always a good sign when new places open, especially in a down economy.  Looks like steak . . . and stuff.  Duck, ok, and some South American influences like chimichurri (one of the greatest condiments ever).

More hotel renovations:  the downtown Hilton, home of the Rancher’s Club, is now rebranded as Crowne Plaza.  Rancher’s Club stays, but the casual restaurant will be reopened as “innovative New Mexican” and called Stonestreet Restaurant.

East Mountain diners have one less spot to have drinks with dinner – the Backside Alehouse has been fighting for a liquor license but recently lost their legal fight, and as a result they will close down completely.  Big bummer for the 10,000+ residents out there.

Just wanted to let everyone know that if you missed hearing the interview on Saturday, it is available to listen online.  During it I was visibly outed as a 6’7″ red-headed black woman, which is totally misleading – it’s only 6’2″.  Ryan neglected to describe the vivid pattern of my J Lo-esque dress or my deadly 5″ stilettos which contribute quite a bit to the height number.  :-)

http://breakthechain.info/2011/05/21/andrea-lin/

Restaurants I wanted to mention but didn’t get around to:

Fat Boy Cafe for great coffee

Cedar Point Grille for a recent revamp that includes great breakfasts and wonderful biscuits and gravy

Slate Street Cafe for just being pretty gosh darned good for a long time

Winning Coffee for being there for all of us coffee hounds long before Charlie Sheen made it trendy

Annapurna Chai Shoppe and Restaurant for Cardamom Pancakes – seriously delicious

Thank you for your support of local restaurants, and tune in this Saturday as the guest will be Cheryl Jamison, a prolific cook and author here in our fabulously spicy state.

It is so close to town – that little diversion over to Tijeras, then north on 14 for 3 short miles until you come to a gorgeous new building housing the Triangle Grocery.

Wine and Cheese in Cedar Crest — Taste wines and cheeses from around the world TONIGHT at the Triangle Grocery in Cedar Crest (12165 N. Hwy. 14, 281-3030). 5-7 pm.

Right next door is Greenside Cafe, the perfect place for dinner after your sips and nibbles. Jay Wulf, formerly of The Range and Standard Diner, will treat you to well-crafted entrees in the cool light of evening.

If you are loving the cooler fall weather and just can’t get enough, take a quick drive to the East Mountains and you’ll not only find tall trees but a culinary scene that deserves more attention.

A previously loved-and-lost cafe is re-opening in a new space: Chilepeno’s opened its doors in the space previously occupied by Ming’s Chinese (which was a second location of Ming Dynasty on Eubank). I’ve raved about Chilepeno’s before as a staple of good hearty chile and egg dishes – I hope they’ve brought back the same cooks (Lawrence, you there?).

It seems like months, but THREE YEARS have gone by since Greenside Cafe started serving excellent simple food, providing a necessary alternative to the pizza/chinese/BBQ stalwarts of the North 14 corridor. You could say the food is “generically” American, but in reality it is just good. Hanger steaks, chicken piccatta, meatloaf, and some awesome eggs benedict are all on the menu augmented by homemade ice cream and wine & beer. I think their anniversary bash already happened, but swing by and thank Jay Wulf for his commitment to the area.

Finally EVERY SINGLE Thursday the Triangle Grocery holds a wine and cheese tasting to allow sampling of one of the best little liquor departments around. (take that, Edgewood Smith’s!)

East Mountains should be called the Eat Mountains!