I keep tabs on news that filters up about new spots, chef departures, developing concepts and try to bring them in one non-paywalled placed, because I love you. Actually, I really like gossip, so let’s see what I have this week:
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.
Hot dogs and burgers are recession food, so they say. Personally it seems more reasonable to me that true recession food would be beans and rice, or stew, or casseroles, or beans and beans and beans. Or maybe that’s depression food. Anyway . . .
If you have been missing Bob’s Fish n’ Chips near downtown, you still won’t be able to get the old school divey experience at 700 Central SE because it is now owned by a couple of chefs with experience at high-end joints in Santa Fe. What are they doing to the old place? Making burgers out of grass-fed beef, that’s what. Owner Chris Medina is calling the place “Holy Cow” and hopes to compete with the likes of BrGr, Standard Diner, and a host of others.
This is obviously a trend, whether or not it has anything to do with the recession. I applaud the increasing use of grass-fed beef, especially for “fatty” applications like burgers where you want the moisture but not all the icky hormonal junk that usually tags along in factory-farmed cattle meat. True grass-fed AND grass-finished beef’s fat is as good for you as salmon fat. Neato, eh? While Holy Cow’s grass-fed is probably grain-finished, it’s still a good start.
Open daily lunch through late with weekend breakfasts (maybe); 505-242-2991
The woefully empty building at Carlisle and Central might actually be opening up for a new business – the newest offshoot of Chow’s Asian Cuisine called Fan Tang. Fresh food, tried and true recipes from Chow’s, and reasonable prices are the goal, says the owner.
Thanks to a few restaurant industry veterans, a new breakfast and lunch spot is now open on Tijeras Avenue near downtown.
Cafe Lush is the creation of owners Tom Docherty and his wife, Sandy Gregory. They’ve spent long hours in local restaurant kitchens and behind the counter at bars in town, but now they’d like to keep in the same industry without having to retire completely.
The menu is, in a nutshell, fresh. Breakfast pizzas and french toast “bread pudding” that sound promising start the day, and lunch moves into sandwiches, savory salads, and more pizzas than you can shake a BBQ Chicken at.
Looking forward to see how Cafe Lush serves the neighborhood!
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.
Albuquerque Restaurant Movers and Shakers
