That’s all a long way of saying that less than six months after Casa Vieja closed, the main gastronomic mind behind the kitchen is now in a new kitchen at Desert Fish just east of Nob Hill. Given that Desert Fish has impressed me mightily, I have to check out what Josh Gerwin is going to do with the place. And of course, I’ll have to find out where or where the previous chef/owner went.  I can barely keep tabs on these folks!

Here’s the short scoop, over at Larry’s website: Josh Gerwin rises again!

The wine and cocktail mistress from Casa Vieja is also branching out – rumor has it that the talented Kate will be emerging into a new venture. When I know, you will, too!

First and most importantly, let’s talk coffee. Cafe Giuseppe has changed ownership. I’m frankly terrified of any reduction of espresso quality, so I’ll have to go check ASAP to make sure the same folks are employed and/or any new baristas know what they’re doing with those gorgeous old style Italian machines.

Four Aces lost their King. Saul Paniagua has left Four Aces Grill on 4th Street. This is breaking and I haven’t heard yet what happened and where he might be headed next. His menu was fantastic. Bravo, Saul, and hope to see you soon.

New management means kitchen changes at St. Clair Winery & Bistro – Chef W. James LaDuke is no longer in St. Clair’s kitchen after some menu rejiggering and new cuisine philosophy. He cooked great food for many years there, so I hope to see him in a new post as soon as possible. (Any fine dining spots looking for a chef? Get in touch with me or James!)

And, last AND certainly least:  Chipotle is on the way.  Did you hear a big resounding “MEH” from me?  Yes, yes you did.  They’re even hiring management, so anyone that wants an hourly “seasonal” job in one of the toughest industries in this country, go for it.

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.

Garduno's Chile Rojo - delicious red chile and steak

Garduno’s Mexican Restaurant group, of which just 2 are still in operation, was BOUGHT for $1.7 million dollars, quite a sum if you consider the troubles they’ve been through the last few years.

Many locals, however, seem to just not care about all that internal stuff – just bring the food back!  I kind of agree – the guacamole was quite tasty, the bowl of red (Chile Rojo) with beef tips is one of my favorite comfort meals of all time.

So, we’ll see what will happen under new control and new ownership – they say they’d like to continue sourcing locally, and that would be a great thing for Albuquerque and the loyal fans who no doubt will be back to order up some of that tableside guac.  (Though you can now get it made tableside at the FORMER Garduno’s on 4th, which is now El Brunos of Cuba – and it’s good there, too.)

Further, in the same NYTimes story, Wal-Mart has announced they will require all suppliers of seafood products to both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club to be either M.S.C certified OR “an equivalent certification”.   I’m excited about this, and withholding any concern so far, like “will the equivalent certification be good?”.  It is still a step in the right direction, especially as Wal-Mart has a lot to make up for with it’s participation in the utter destruction of the Chilean coastline for their unending demand for cheap salmon.

Great article, and thank you, New York Times, for bringing all of the announcements together as one story.

Chris Martinez and his family have sold the Albuquerque Tortilla Company’s production to Mission Foods, a massive company and subsidiary of Mexico-based GRUMA that removes ownership of one of the last wholly New Mexican tortilla companies.

Interestingly, Chris and Pete Martinez, under the new ownership, will start up a subsidiary company to sell salsa and BBQ sauce.  It will be called The Authentic New Mexican and is something they feel they can make money on, unlike tortillas which are suffering from high raw materials costs that have devastated many all across Mexico in the last few years, causing tortillerias to close en masse and families to feel the pinch.  If “the authentic New Mexican” is the kind of folk that adds their family-owned long term business into the sludge pile of a multinational conglomerate, then I suppose they are doing OK.

GRUMA also could have an influence on the high prices of corn that are sending all these little tortillerias out of business, as stated in the article,  “In 2009 GRUMA controlled an estimated 75 percent of the strategic corn flour market in Mexico”

Who’s left for the locally owned?  Just one, from what I know:  La Mexicana Tortilla Company.  They have a downtown restaurant and are some of the nicest people I’ve talked to in a long time.  Stop by and say hello, and have some fantastic chips and salsa.

Los Cuates, one of the stalwarts in our NM food scene, is expanding to a new location in Santa Fe – good for them!  They’ll be inside the newly renovated Santa Fe Lodge hotel with a grand opening scheduled for early May.  Another local opening will be at the Sunport, taking over the Garduno’s spot after winning the bid over El Pinto.  The “Twins” will soon be quadruplets!

Next month was the deadline for a bunch of local restaurants to install really crazy expensive new sprinkler systems, and no one is happy about it – not the restauranteurs nor the city officials who will have to enforce the law, so they granted another 90 day extension to the businesses.  I’ll be on the look out for closings over the summer due to small establishments not being able to pony up the $100K to update their systems.  Ouch.

Really good restaurants often do well, that’s what I love to see.  Here’s my quote of the week:  “Recession? What recession?” – Christophe Descarpentries, one of the owners of P’tit Louis Bistro, with one downtown location and another opening up in Nob Hill.  Well deserved, guys!

One of the heroes of my early days as a foodie here in Albuquerque is leaving town for family reasons – Chef Sam Etheridge, with a storied history in landmarks like Portabello, Bien Shur, Kanome, Ambrozia, and Nob Hill Bar & Grill had a decade to make you all happy with duck tacos, lobster corndogs, amazing Sunday brunches and the weirdest food innovations this town has seen in years, many of which are now standard menu items at your favorite restaurants.  He spent the last several years as a writer for the Local IQ, tending to his cooking and his family.  I wish him the best.

Aye Carumba, there has been some crazy food-related news here in the Duke City as of late. First of all, if I were going to get into an altercation (with rocks!) over some stolen food it might be oysters or chocolate or red chile . . . but a muffin?  And, (sorry guys), but really – a muffin from Copper Canyon Cafe, which may very well have come from Costco?

How about a place with good muffins, like Just Muffin Around, or Flying Star?

It only gets more interesting and sordid after that. Garduno’s continues to splinter, after the current creditors decided that the remaining family owners were more trouble than they were worth and canned the lot of them. Henrique Valdovinos is the head of the current ownership-group and he wants the much-slashed chain to remain open and viable for years to come, especially if someone steps in and buys the business. Anyone got $1.75mil?

Some personal faves, where the readers at large and I agree:

Most Romantic Restaurant
Blades’ Bistro
221 State Highway # L, Placitas, 505.771.0695
bladesbistro.com

Blades is under-appreciated for their tucked away location, their gracious hosts, and the “wow” factor for special meals.  Everyone knows about Antiquity and Jennifer James 101 – Blades is something new and nifty for most Duke City diners.

Best Place to get a Chocolate Fix
Chocolate Cartel
315 Juan Tabo NE, Ste. A, 505.797.1193
chocolatecartel.com

Hells Yeah! Even if it is only one of the two original brothers, I’ll still take the confections that come from any cute tall man, especially when the flavors are delicious and weird and the chocolate is not cheap Rocky Mountain Chain Place crap.

Best Pizza
Farina Pizzeria
510 Central SE, 505.243.0130
farinapizzeria.com

Stewart Dorris took his wine skills and pie-loving friends across the street from Artichoke and has been making sweet music with dough and tomatoes and meatballs ever since. GO.

Oh, but I disagreed with y’all (or the Local IQ) on a lot of food categories…. stay tuned for that dirt.

“Inspectors said they found raw shrimp on the buffet, chicken not kept hot enough, improper sanitizing and soiled and moist cloths on the kitchen counters.”

I’m a huge fan of raw food – WHEN it is from a clean source and meant to be served raw.  That’s a big difference from a place like a buffet where dozens or  hundreds of people are looking for inexpensive belly-filling sustenance.

AA Buffet also serves sushi and oysters on the half shell – something I’d be pretty wary of, not only because their sanitation is in doubt, but because the source of the (non-oyster) fish is probably factory farms and East Asian shrimperies.  It’s hard to avoid, true, but when I *know* I can avoid meat of questionable origin, I still will do my best.