Heading to Albuquerque & Santa Fe in March

There are two Whole Hog Cafe's in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe. The one in Santa Fe was very good when I ate there a few years ago. For a scenic drive google the high road and low road to Taos from Santa Fe. You might like looking at the earthship houses in Taos too.

ETA - Google Albuquerque Old Town and Santa Fe town square. There may be some things there that you would like. There's a craft market at the Santa Fe square. There was a good Mexican Restaurant at Old Town and a good New Mexican place at Santa Fe square when we were there.

Rudy's has some pretty good Q. Haven't been to ABQ for a few years but have ate there a few times and was quite good IMO.

Yeah, the pass to Taos is beautiful. Go past the earthship houses to the Rio Grande gorge on the way into Taos and eat at Micheal's Kitchen.

I've spent a LOT of time in ABQ, and a bit less in Santa Fe. Can't speak much for BBQ in either.

I can advise on some damned fine SW US-Mexican grub if you're interested.

Would recommend the scenic drive to or from Santa Fe on East of Sandias on Hwy 14.

Can recommend a pretty darned good Italian spot in downtown Santa Fe.

Let me know if any of that is interesting... otherwise, I won't clog the thread.

Can't recommend much in the way of BBQ Tim. But, there was, maybe still is a small place on the way up to the tram way. Can't remember the name of the place, but was decent/okay Q.
http://www.ribsbbqcedarcrest.com

Ride the tram to Sandia Peak. Gorgeous.

And if you are a hot dog lover......here. If ain't much, but just one of those hole in the wall places with good food. I make it a point to go there.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/...og-house-drive-in-albuquerque-new-mexico.html

Have only driven through Santa Fe. But I do know there are some really good Mexican food joints there!

Bob

Some 20+ years ago there was a restaurant on the main square of Santa Fe that had a prime rib like I never ate before. It was coated in a chile paste before being cooked and it has haunted me ever since. I do not recall the name of the restaurant, but I have checked the menus of the restaurants on the square and they are not the same, so it is out of business or moved. There is, however, another restaurant called Rio Chama that has a chile encrusted prime rib. They are not located on the main square. In any case, I would like to check it out the next time I am in town. It does come up as the #1 prime rib in Santa Fe (whatever that is worth).

https://www.yelp.com/biz/rio-chama-santa-fe?osq=Prime+Rib

Go the long way over Chama pass and over the gorge. It really is spectacular.

SDAR said:

Go the long way over Chama pass and over the gorge. It really is spectacular.

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Yes! I second this. Walk across the bridge if you can. Some pucker factor as you can feel the bridge bounce! Also, some cool vendors set up shop there and sell all sorts of stuff.

BTW, the restaurant at the top of Sandia has decent grub too. You will love the tram. Plus, it is gorgeous up there.

UPDATED: This is in the area too, I Believe.

http://cumbrestoltec.com/

Groundhog66 said:

After a quick Google search, I can't seem to find much info as to where this is?

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Maybe this will help. I am also saying take the long way up 84 to Chama. Turn back east on 64 to go over Chama pass (before you get to Chama from Santa Fe).
https://www.google.com/maps/place/R...46d95988cb141!8m2!3d36.4763571!4d-105.7329942

Gore said:

Some 20+ years ago there was a restaurant on the main square of Santa Fe that had a prime rib like I never ate before. It was coated in a chile paste before being cooked and it has haunted me ever since. I do not recall the name of the restaurant, but I have checked the menus of the restaurants on the square and they are not the same, so it is out of business or moved. There is, however, another restaurant called Rio Chama that has a chile encrusted prime rib. They are not located on the main square. In any case, I would like to check it out the next time I am in town. It does come up as the #1 prime rib in Santa Fe (whatever that is worth).

https://www.yelp.com/biz/rio-chama-santa-fe?osq=Prime+Rib

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I think the place you're referring to was called Ore House on the Plaza. Can't come up with the name of the menu item, but do recall that I was so enthralled with it that I went to the kitchen to ask the chef what was included. Again I don't remember the details, but there was butter, au jus, and "a hell of a lot of garlic" included in the sauce. Was never able to come close to replicating it at home.

Now it's going to drive me crazy trying to recall the exact name of that. My son may remember. He was astounded that I actually went back to the kitchen that evening.

Really miss that place.

Groundhog66 said:

I'd love to explore the SW cuisine, so yes, I am definitely interested in your suggestions.

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Just saw this, brother. Apologies for the long delay.

ABQ Fare
- Near the airport, on Gibson
- Tia Betty Blues - Frickin' amazing breakfast and lunch spot. I can highly recommend the Huevos Rancheros, their breakfast burrito, or their "Big Burrito" for lunch. Their coffee is excellent, as well.
- Closer to University / Nob Hill area
- Tia B's Waffleria - Ah-mazing grub. It sounds weird, but try the smoked salmon waffles (bottom of the menu)
- The Frontier Restaurant - This family-run place is a true landmark in ABQ. Their carne adovada is simply amazing. Great for people watching.


Santa Fe Fare
- Downtown
- Osteria D'Assisi - Excellent bartender whips up some delicious cocktails. Skip the antipasti platter, but I'd recommend 'bout any pasta dish on the menu, as it's all housemade. Also, not a bad place to start your evening with just a light bite and libation before continuing elsewhere.

Enjoy your adventure! Hope this'll give you some ideas / options to consider along the way.

cincysmoker said:

I think the place you're referring to was called Ore House on the Plaza. Can't come up with the name of the menu item, but do recall that I was so enthralled with it that I went to the kitchen to ask the chef what was included. Again I don't remember the details, but there was butter, au jus, and "a hell of a lot of garlic" included in the sauce. Was never able to come close to replicating it at home.

Now it's going to drive me crazy trying to recall the exact name of that. My son may remember. He was astounded that I actually went back to the kitchen that evening.

Really miss that place.

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Yes, it was the Ore House! That meal still haunts me! And yes, I think garlic may have been the first ingredient, even before prime rib. Oh how I wish I had the recipe. I see that they are now closed and their most recent menu does not include prime rib, probably why they are no longer open. That is sad. I wonder if a chef could be contacted....

Well, just got back from a week in Santa Fe and was it was a mixed bag. I ate out roughly two meals a day for 6 days. I had numerous enchiladas, a NM specialty. All were fairly bland and uninspired except for some chicken mole enchiladas I had at Mucho Gusto, which I would rate as average and everyone else raved about. I ate at Thunderbird (which was the former Ore House). It is completely different and ... pretty meh. A great many of the enchiladas I had were relatively under-seasoned shredded meat, like chicken, wrapped in a corn tortilla with some green chile salsa and melted cheese on top. It was uninspired tourist fare (of course, I was downtown without a car, which is full of restaurants for tourists). I did not eat at any of the higher-end restaurants, except we did have a meal of salmon at Luminaria (next to the Loretto chapel) that was quite good. This was surprising as it was a banquet, but did suggest that they can cook. I don't remember seeing salmon on their regular menu. I had planned to live off Mexican food for the week, but changed my mind (I grew up in Tucson and lived in New Mexico, so the stuff I'm used to and cook at home is much better than anything I got in Santa Fe). Every restaurant in town does seem to offer a green-chile cheeseburger and they were all good. I especially enjoyed the Burger Stand downtown. They had a lunch special of a green chile cheeseburger (6 oz, instead of their regular 8 oz), fries and a beer (they had several on tap, including a stout that I liked), for $14. Probably this was one of the best meals I had, and I ate there twice. They have a number of different types of fries. I had the sweet potato and also their regular fried in duck fat. Both were quite good (and I usually don't eat fries). The other place of interest was Cowgirl BBQ. This turned out to be a local hangout: pool-hall, restaurant and bar. The band the night I visited was one of the worst I ever heard, but it was fun. They sang a bunch of 70s covers, but their instruments were bad and they couldn't really sing, and their timing was off, but they were enjoyable. I had their combination plate of chicken, ribs and brisket. The chicken leg quarter was cut badly and had lots of bone shards in it, but was cooked beautifully. The brisket was undercooked (tough and dry), and the ribs were fine. The potatoes in the potato salad were undercooked, coleslaw was good, and the beans were tough. However, what I found interesting was the BBQ sauce. This is the western BBQ sauce of my youth growing up in Tucson. It is a hearty western flavor, not sweet, that I haven't had in maybe 30 years. They also had a number of drafts. I liked especially the stout. If I had just ordered ribs and beer, I would have been quite happy. For the record, I think I was the only person in the restaurant who didn't order a sandwich of some sort. I would guess their green-chile cheeseburger or pulled pork would have been much better than what I got, but I'm happy with my order for the sauce reminiscence. Also, it was quite crowded and full of locals, which should say something. Also the best music I heard while in Santa Fe was a street musician singing the blues and playing a steel guitar on Thursday night. I ended up giving him a fiver.

Incidentally, many people were sad the Ore House was gone and talked about their prime rib. I asked a few people to see if someone knew a former cook who could give me the prime rib recipe, but didn't have any luck. I think I'll write to the tourist bureau. :thumb:

Didn't see this thread when it came out, so late to the conversation. If you want some recommendations for the ABQ/Bernalillo area, I can make a bunch of them. Our good friends moved to that area several years ago, and they are a couple of foodies. They've taken us to several of their favorite places, many of which have been fantastic. None of them were chains or in the heart of the city. Hole in the wall type or long established local favorites. The Range Cafe (Bernalillo). I enjoyed Los Ojos Restaurant & Saloon in Jemez Springs. Have to do some research to come up with names of others.

Done a fair number of day trips via car through the Valles Caldera area which were great. Go to Bandalier National Monument if you can. The Gilman Tunnels area out 376 off of the 4. Rio Grande Overlook in White Rock. Old Town Santa Fe to play Tourist, just don't buy anything - way over priced. Ditto Taos. Make purchases in ABQ.

Sandia Tram.