The list of entrants was long, many of them relative unknowns to the locals of Albuquerque, but in the end, the state fair’s Green Chile Cheeseburger competition went to….

Grants.  A little burger joint wins favor with 2/3 lb slabs of beef topped with not only chile and cheese, but also bacon and guacamole.  Is that necessary?

Hmm.  Its only 60 miles away, not far at all, and certainly less hectic driving-wise than a trip to Santa Fe, especially the gorgeous view from 9 Mile Hill on your return trip.

Badlands Burger in Grants, NM will be featured in the upcoming Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail, along with its other competitors in the first annual Governor’s challenge.

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.

Restaurants in Albuquerque are either PASS or they are FAIL. Pretty simple.

Go to any other large city and you’ll see lots of restaurants with big “A”s or “B”s in their windows. Sometimes you’ll see a “C”. In fact, many chowhounds will insist that an ethnic restaurant graded “A” can’t really be all that good or authentic – its the B and C ones worth seeking out.

To bring the Duke City in line with all of these other progressive urban areas, it has been proposed that we, too, use the ABC method. And let the battle begin!

Its the New Mexico Restaurant Association vs. City of Albuquerque and city councilor Trudy Jones!

Each has their own talking points, arguments, and rebuttals. Here they are in a nutshell:

City of Albuquerque: “The old rules are outdated and behind the times and we must change them.”
NMRA: “The new rules embrace new technology but badge restaurants for six months based on inspection results that were likely fixed on the spot.”

I’m still reading everything and forming an opinion; since this is my blog I’ll be spouting it soon, don’t worry.

Prior to 2009, it was pretty damn hard.   

Santa Fe is known for a lot of touristy things, but one of them is not catering to the desires of those who like to eat, drink coffee, or shop past 8pm on weeknights.

If you happened to be awake in Santa Fe on a Saturday or Sunday morning and wanted portable coffee, where did you go?  O’Hori’s has some of the best beans in town.  Closed weekends.  Santa Fe Baking Company?  Sequestered away next to the Trader Joe’s (still, probably your existing best option and its close to St Francis if you’re driving through town).  Holy Spirit Espresso?  Closed weekends.  Dunkin Donuts?  Hey, at least its open!

When Flying Star opened in 2009, it expanded the drinkable coffee options in Santa Fe to a significant margin, especially in the evenings.  A few other local places open early and serve coffee, true.  But stay open late?  Not typically.

Now, a pissed off employee set the place on fire.  Why?  Who knows, but the reaction has been to blame Flying Star’s food and their “intrusion” into the local dining scene. 

I say WTF, and will continue saying it.  Flying Star is not the best restaurant around by a stretch, and I will keep saying that, as well.  But they are reliable, diverse, amicable to picky diners, cook organic meats and eggs, have great pastries, serve decent coffee, and are open many many hours every single day.  And, they are LOCALLY owned. 

What more do you slow food people want?

Sadly there have been a few restaurant robberies in the last week, targeting the manager’s office for cash while brandishing weapons.

Interestingly, it has been at two chain restaurants, both with Texas in the name:  Texas Land & Cattle, and the Texas Roadhouse.

Might other steak places be next?  Or just other large chains that potentially carry cash (though I can’t imagine any restaurant keeps much around for this very reason) . . .

I hope the culprits are caught and no more incidents occur.