(Ever.)

That being said, there is a new Thai restaurant opening soon in the former space where Lotus Cafe bit the dusk on Osuna & San Mateo.  The new spot is called Thai Vegan, just in case it wasn’t clear what they specialize in.

Now, this is a pretty darn good idea, because it does not take a lot of tweaking to make Thai vegan.  Remove the meaty proteins?  Easy.  Remove fish sauce?  Ok, sure.  Done.  Most other ingredients are veggies, rice, coconut milk, spices.  Not too complicated, though the results can be absolutely stunning.

I’m excited to check it out and see if I can tell the difference.

So…. there’s a pretty well regarded chain of “upscale” burgers moving into Albuquerque.  Not sure about their prospects, given that the Duke City already has a huge number of really good burger places where we can get our fix of either gooey green chile cheese or the truly squishy and delicious Otis Burger at Standard Diner (fried egg and all).

Per the NMBW, “For hamburger aficionados hungering for gourmet beef chains to arrive in New Mexico, the wait is over. Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a fixture on the East Coast, is invading the Land of Enchantment with 15 restaurants over the next five years.”

So what can Five Guys do that we already cannot?  (Apparently one thing they do that I applaud is print their nutrition info – that’s one thing that the chains have been browbeaten into doing in recent years and I don’t think it is a bad move.)

My hope is that if they do well, it is not at the expense of gems like Little Red Hamburger Hut and Bubster’s and heck, even places that are more refined like Independence Grill and Route 66 Malt Shop (yes, I called them refined – its the burger, not the atmosphere, that I’m assessing).

So where is it?  In that weird little nexus of Louisiana, San Pedro, and Paseo Del Norte that I had very little reason to frequent previously (Trader Joe’s) and now I’m pretty much never up there.  Guess I’ll be making another visit.

Apparently folks need their sugar – Krispy Kreme is coming back. Need a job and love the smell of frying dough? They’re having a job fair on November 30th, prior to the opening on December 8th.  Doesn’t sound like a lot of time to me.

Here’s the news story from the New Mexico Business Weekly:

Krispy Kreme Back From The Dead

Regardless, they’re opening left and right here in Albuquerque.  Al Bilotti’s Lucia in the Hotel Andaluz (more about *that* later), and now in the Doubletree, home to fresh baked cookies at check-in, we have a New Mexican-Californian restaurant called La Oja.

No word on menu specifics.  I hope it will be decent combinations of our own local treasures with some of the stereotypical California touches – goat cheese enchiladas?

Good luck to Chef Alberto Mendez – let’s see what ya got!

http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/11/09/daily31.html

Salad Bowl, a small franchise with only 5 locations so far across Texas and Colorado, has set their sights on many locations right here in New Mexico, with the first to be on San Mateo & Academy (is this the old Sweet Tomatoes location?  Nope, looks like a former massage therapist.)

Whoa.  In this economy, with food prices at record highs and dining options getting tighter?  I hope they do well, but in the “more is more” eating mantra I fear that many diners will check them out a few times, then retreat to Sweet Tomatoes or Souper Salad for volume.

Best of luck to Salad Bowl – I’ll be there checking out the variety!

Salad Bowl Business Information

For months already, Fat Boy Cafe has been plying locals with sandwiches and homemade pastries in addition to the already spank-your-cheeks good roasted coffee.

Gordon’s italian opened in the previous Kokopelli’s (previously Pete’s Home of the Halfbreed), by Vivace’s Gordon Schutte.

And…. now we have North Inspired Cuisine in the old Chilepeno’s Bagel spot in the A-Frame up near the ski turn-off.

It shall be a good fall, friends.  Reports to follow, but comment away if you’ve been!

Steaks will be broiled in their 1400-degree drawer, and the interior got nearly a million dollars’ worth of upgrades overall.  Yikes.

But, sales are already up at Yanni’s, so Nick and Jim are hoping the upturn will continue to bring eaters back to their usual habits of sitting down for an enormous bowl of pasta or some meat & potatoes.

Employees are being trained already, so the open date should be soon!