The owners of the newly updated and finally tasty again Luna Mansion in Los Lunas were taking a nice little respite in Chile when the earthquake hit.

After a long bout of fear, a ton of agog staring at the damage around them, and thanking the stars for their fortune, they are back in town and ready to spread some generosity – a special dinner Thursday night to benefit the relief effort.

NOW is the time to check out Luna Mansion all over again, for the food (and this event if your schedule is free).

I’m shocked and appalled that I have not yet blogged about this!  Coming up in just one week, Albuquerque Restaurant Week will showcase a ton of local favorites, special menus, and no-fuss pricing for complete meals.  Most restaurants – which are scattered all over town for your dining convenience – are using the $25/person model, with only two squeaking in for $25/couple (Flying Star and Sandiago’s at the Tram).

Are all of those meals screaming bargains for the $25?  Not necessarily.  That’s not the point, though you will find some respectable discounts relative to just ordering the same food off the menu, especially at places like Prairie Star, Lucia, and Casa Vieja, where your $25 meal would be in the 35+ range or so.

But again, that’s not the point – many of these restaurants are showcasing their most recent creations and I think there are just a few that have crafted an entirely new set of flavors just for this event.  Who’s doing that?  I’ll do the research and report back – stay tuned!

There are even some special events and dinners outside of the “regular” $25 specials, so make sure you take a peek at those.

So, what is the point? Simply, it is to get you all out eating at our local establishments.  Inspire passion and appreciation for those hard working cooks and chefs who put out food that would be respected in any major city, food that gets you fumbling for your phone so you can try to take a blurry photo or text your best friend to convey the wonderfulness that is happening in your mouth and on your plate.

Get out, enjoy our restaurants, and eat glorious food.  Perfect.

Hard to believe that the holidays are HERE.  AGAIN.  Whatever happened to 2009?  (Heck, what happened to every thing since 2001???)

Soothing your spirits is key, so head up to the heights on Saturday for some candles, lights, holiday specials from local retailers, and delicious Tea from A Tea Co (otherwise known as Kung Fu Cowboy Tea).

They serve hot teas as well as delectable sandwiches, soups, and pastries, with a Gluten-free option every single day.  Neato!

Scottsdale Village Champagne and Lights - 4pm – 7pm

Garduno’s is fighting to stay alive after it was revealed to the restaurant and then to the public that the local restaurant chain owes $750,000 in state taxes and $143,000 to the city in rent at its Balloon Fiesta Park location, more than a year’s worth.

Although they’re under wraps on discussing just what the heck happened, general comments indicate the blame is being directed at a former executive who said they were doing things correctly but apparently were not.  If that’s at all the case, we have yet to find out.

This institution has been around for over 40 years and fed, entertained, and margarita’ed you and your family and your visiting out of town friends many times over.  If you still love their food and the crazy atmosphere, pay a visit and show your support by keeping the green flowing in while they try to stay on top of their debts.

My personal favorite has always been the Chile Rojo, a huge bowl of red with sirloin tips and a half dozen other garnishes.  Red meat + red chile = happy me.

Not one of their workers has yet to be laid off, despite an obvious cash problem.  Kudos to Gardunos for that.

No?  Well, how about if it were about 3 times the size of a normal burger and came with enough cheese and green chile to stuff a black hole?

Good, glad you’re interested.  Now, you might have to drive down to Mesilla, this is true, but there are lots of great eats in the area, from Chope’s in La Mesa, to Little Diner in Canutillo, to some amazing grub in a car wash in El Paso.

In Mesilla, a little cafe tries to petition the Guinness people to add them to their list:  Peppers Cafe builds a bigger burger.