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.

Food for your thoughts the next time you see menu prices and get annoyed:

Restaurants’ raw ingredient costs have increased 26% in the last 4 years.

Menu price increases in the same time period average 2.6% – exactly 1/10 of the differential.

In the real world, how does that play out? Let’s say a dish was on the menu for $19.  The raw food cost on that item was probably around $8.  That left $11 for the restaurant to pay rent, bills, servers, cooks, insurance, et cetera.

NOW the dish costs $20 and you’ve noticed.  However, the food costs are now $10.  Two dollars have flipped in this deal – you’re paying $1 more but the restaurant is “getting” $1 less.  For the restaurant to still be making their $11 (of which about 50 cents to a dollar will be actual profit), they’d have to price the dish at $21 or more.  No one wins, but the restaurant is still cutting you a break.

Sucks, right?  Well, we are in a recession and you can choose how you spend your money.

My request for you is to consider spending your less-frequent dining dollars locally.  Instead of $30 for pizzas from a national chain, get take-out from Johnny’s.  Or delivery from Giovanni’s or Straight Up Pizza.  Or have a sit-down meal at The Grill and plan your next special occasion at the next-door spot, Jennifer James 101.

With many restaurants operating on a 3 or 4% profit margin, this means there are a lot of small local spots that are trying to just survive this recession, raising prices a tiny bit or not at all while making no money – possibly even losing money for awhile hoping to not have to drive away customers that are having their own wallet-pinching woes.

Go.  Visit your favorite local restaurant, where the cooks are visible, the owner circulating (if they’re not the same person!), and the patrons nearly all regulars.  Thank them for the service they provide and let them know you hope they’ll be around for a long time.

Then, tip well after you enjoy a great meal, even if it won’t all go to your server if the restaurant practices tip-pooling.  Know that you are making a difference in both your local economy as well as a small business owner’s success.

Still plugging along, Kiva 1550 radio station is broadcasting the newest, coolest way for people who love food to gab and conspire about their favorite spots around Albuquerque and New Mexico. The goal is to promote local restaurants and entice listeners to give up their chain habits and forever avoid places like the Olive Chili Outback Corral kind of spots.

This Saturday will be another live show with at least one featured guest, and yeah, this weekend it is one of the blogging bastions of the Duke City:  Larry McGoldrick, accompanied by the owner of Nicky V’s pizzeria – simply one of the best pies in town.

http://breakthechain.info/

Streaming live during the broadcast on the radio’s site, as well as available later for live stream to listen at your leisure.

Here’s the press copy from the parent radio station:

“If your loyalties lie with local restaurants – those owned and operated by our friends and neighbors, you’ll love “Break the Chain,” an enlightening and entertaining new radio program hosted by Ryan Scott. Break The Chain premiered on Saturday, May 14th at 3PM on 1550 KIVA AM and www.1550kiva.com. This weekly radio show will feature locally owned and operated restaurants here in New Mexico.

Obviously Break The Chain isn’t about breaking or bankrupting heavily bankrolled chain restaurants. It’s about breaking the chain “habit,” the inclination many have to visit the ubiquitous and convenient chains. Break The Chain is a celebration of local mom-and-pop restaurants, aiming to show the many outstanding alternatives to the familiar chains. It’s an interactive show in which you can call in and express your opinions and share your experiences. Most of all, it’s a fun and lively show you will love.”

I’m a week late, not to mention a dollar short, but you NEED to know that a local radio station has started up a weekly segment where the goal is to promote local restaurants and entice listeners to give up their chain habits and forever avoid places like the Olive Chili Outback Corral kind of spots.

This Saturday will be another live show with at least one featured guest, and yeah, this weekend it IS yours truly:  http://breakthechain.info/

Here’s the press copy from the parent radio station:

“If your loyalties lie with local restaurants – those owned and operated by our friends and neighbors, you’ll love “Break the Chain,” an enlightening and entertaining new radio program hosted by Ryan Scott. Break The Chain premiered on Saturday, May 14th at 3PM on 1550 KIVA AM and www.1550kiva.com. This weekly radio show will feature locally owned and operated restaurants here in New Mexico.

Obviously Break The Chain isn’t about breaking or bankrupting heavily bankrolled chain restaurants. It’s about breaking the chain “habit,” the inclination many have to visit the ubiquitous and convenient chains. Break The Chain is a celebration of local mom-and-pop restaurants, aiming to show the many outstanding alternatives to the familiar chains. It’s an interactive show in which you can call in and express your opinions and share your experiences. Most of all, it’s a fun and lively show you will love.”

Love lamb?  Love all kinds of game meat, gently prepared and exuberantly strong flavored? I was reading the newest copy of New Mexico Magazine today and lit upon a description of a wildly simple entree at a little spot called Atrisco Cafe – leg of lamb burrito with red chile.  Kate Manchester‘s description was evocative enough that we literally scrambled to the car and went up for a late lunch, calling ahead to make sure this now-famous item was still available.

At Atrisco Cafe I had the pleasure of tasting their piece de resistance – a burrito stuffed with roasted leg of lamb from a heritage farm in New Mexico.  Lest you think this is ONLY about Santa Fe – the cafe has history.  George Gundrey opened the spot after generations of family restaurants, including a place at Atrisco & Central in Albuquerque called the Central Cafe, in operation from the 1940′s until the 1970′s.  The whole extended family has their chile-scrubbing hands in places like Horseman’s Haven and Tia Sophia’s – not bad for a story.

The burrito?  It’s really, really, lamby.  And that’s it.  No beans, no garnish.  Even the cheese is gently applied.  It is a good example of why I don’t often order lamb – for my tastes I find many lamb dishes too mild, too toned-down-for-beef-eaters.  But this, this grabbed you by the tongue and said, “hello.  I’m game meat.  How are you today?”

You can revel in that flavor but it does get overwhelming – a friend of mine suggested it was lacking something but we were not sure what.  Maybe calabacitas, maybe some beans, something with a little neutrality.  But if you want to be smacked in the head with your leg of lamb, it’s perfect.

Oh, and their red chile is pretty darn good, too.