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.

And, STAY to the management and kitchen staff as they transition over to the Italian theme of Gregorio’s under the helm of Matt DiGregory.  It’s the same people as Rodeo Grill, which are the same people as The Range, and the same as Standard Diner.

Here’s my issue:  They’ve been open ONE WEEK.  Urbanspoon already has 4 reviews both great and bad.  Give it some time, folks . . . even experienced restauranteurs need time to get things flowing.  Go visit, take notes, wait, go back, think about it…. and then post a review.

Thanks.

P.S. I’m not saying that Gregorio’s is getting any different treatment than most new and hyped joints in town, but this one happened so quickly that I wanted to object in public to the general practice of lobbing critique at brand new restaurants.

I have mostly laziness to blame for not talking up the best new radio show in this city in a really long time: Break the Chain on 1550 KIVA AM.

I have been a guest once (soon to be twice), and it is always a great time and a FAST hour.

The previous guests have all been excellent resources and interesting personalities.  I hope that this continues and we are able to keep hearing the voices of local restaurant owners, those interested in food, and even those who have a stake in farming, business and the future of our food supply.

Here’s the impressive guest list so far:

Gil Garduno (Albuquerque food blogger)
Cheryl Jamison (author and New Mexico foodie treasure)
Kate Manchester (editor of Edible Santa Fe)
Fran and Kevin Hopper of Local IQ
Nicole Villareal of Nicky V’s Pizzeria and Larry McGoldrick (food blogger)
Ari LeVaux (Alibi food fanatic and writer, TWICE)
Billy Baldwin of Billy’s Long Bar, Horse & Angel Tavern, AND Stone Face Tavern
Maxime and Daniela of Torino’s @ Home (the best Italian joint in the whole darn city)
Chris Morales of Golden Crown Panaderia
Cheri Frost (food blogger and traveler)
Saul Paniagua of 4 Aces Grill
Matt Rembe of Los Poblanos
Tim Harris of Tim’s Place Cafe
John Calvin of Casa Rondena Winery
Omar and Tony Neshiewat of Times Square Deli Mart and Sahara Middle Eastern Eatery

I am constantly trolling for local food and restaurant mentions, and they range from openings to (unfortunately) shootings.

This week one of my favorites touches a huge pet peeve of mine – incompetent sign makers.  I see so many horribly misspelled signs that I wonder how these places stay in business.  But Bandido’s Hideout across from UNM is making use of their screw-up to get more people engaged and in the door.  Good work, guys!

A Chicago-area paper that I hadn’t even heard of – Journal Online – did a nice little feature on our Duke City attractions.  They mentioned the usual tram, Balloons, El Pinto, et cetera.  But special attention was given to a few of my personal favorites here in town:  St James Tearoom (now with a new location on Osuna!), and Torino’s @ Home (quite simply the ONLY good Italian restaurant in Albuquerque).

Next month will be the annual Equestrian Cup event – think of it like the Albuquerque the Magazine Best of The City party, except it’s outside and there are horses!  Basically it’s hobnobbing with tons of local go-getters, eating samples of food by some of the best restaurants in town, and enjoying the show.  It is put on by the 20/30 Club, a group of business-active folks in their – you guessed it – 20s and 30s.  Tickets are $50 but you can afford that, especially since it goes to support the All Faith Receiving Home’s Children’s Safehouse.

Another Saturday, another episode of Break The Chain, Ryan Scott’s laudable attempt to bring more dish to the local restaurant scene by interviewing the movers, shakers, and armchair foodies to talk about everything food in Albuquerque.

This week was Matt Rembe, owner-operator of Los Poblanos Inn and Cultural Center (not Los Poblanos Organics - that’s another entity, as I’ve been informed in the comments).  That’s a mouthful!  I’ve gotten weekly boxes from Los Poblanos Organics before from Monte Saarsgard and his bunch of talented crew.  Their produce has always been wonderful, even if they occasionally take flak for utilizing California as a source when locally grown options are thin.

The show should be up on the archives page by now – check back and listen at your leisure!  I recommend you listen while the show is live – you can comment, ask questions, or call in to be a participant.