Eating Out in New Mexico

Albuquerque: Best Lee's, 7900 Carmel Ave NE #F, Phone (505) 798-0888 Recommended by locals, I had high expectations. I tried the chicken curry, which the waitress warned me three times was HOT!!! It was not. It was tasty, but it was not spicy at all. The others with us all enjoyed their meals. (4/2010)

Bien Shur Restaurant, Sandia Resort and Casino, 30 Rainbow Blvd. Phone (800) 526-9366 Denny's sister brought us here for our 25th anniversary dinner because she wanted a "dress up" occasion. The dress code is not enforced here; we saw golf outfits and jeans mixed in with the business casual attire that was mandated. Dinner was very good; I had the bison filet wrapped in bacon, Denny had regular filet mignon. The sides were a bit disppointing; we tried the creamed spinach and the white macaroni and cheese. Everything is ala carte here and expensive. The view of the desert and distant mountains is fabulous, especially at night. (4/2010)

Dion's, Paseo Del Norte @ Wyoming, Phone (505) 857-0100 Another local favorite with great salads and pizza. Nice decor and views at this location. (4/2010)

El Patron, 10551 Montgomery NE, Phone (505) 275-0223  Again we were treated to dinner by Denny's sister who samples a lot of the local restaurants.  Good margaritas, nicely spiced salsa and chips, Denny and I had the Baja fish tacos which were quite good while Connie enjoyed the chile rellenos. (06/2012) 

Flying Star, 8000 Paseo Del Norte, Phone (505) 923-4211 This is a local chain, serving sandwiches, pizza, salads and desserts. Highly favored by the locals of ABQ, there are several locations throughout the city; Denny and I ate at three of them and they were all good. Sandwiches are huge, plan to take half home. We had the NM burger, Denny's sister had the patty melt. Great desserts, too. (4/2010)

JJ's Pizza, 4711 Menaul, Phone (505) 883-6962 The pizza looked great, but we came here for the subs. All three of us had the Italian sub—yum. (4/2010)

Le Crepe Michel, 400 San Felipe St NW #C2, Phone (505) 242-1251 Located in Old Town, Le Crepe Michel is an old building hidden in a nook which makes it a little hard to find but worth the effort. I had the Crêpe a la Volaille:Chunks of chicken in a savory cream sauce with mushrooms and Madeira wine, Denny had the Crepe au Porc Dijonnaise; pork tenderloin with Dijon mustand, white wine and cream sauce, Connie had the Crepe au Boeuf Bourguignon. Dessert crepes were to die for. (4/2010) Pricey even by ABQ standards.

Pho Nguyen, 7202 Menaul NE, Phone (505)830-6554 Connie introduced us to Vietnamese cooking here and it was a good place to start.  I had the chicken lemongrass and loved it. But what drew my eye was the "pho" bowls at the next table; all three ladies there had huge steaming bowls of broth with multiple side dishes of veggies to add to the soup. Next time! (4/2010)

Range Cafe, 4401 Wyoming NE, Phone (505)293-2633 This place is so good we went back three different times for lunch. The Baja fish wrap, the pulled pork sandwich, the burgers, the fries, the Asian apple/cucumber slaw. Yum. It's all good. And nice kitchy decor to boot. (4/2010)

Sadie's of New Mexico, 6230 4th St NW, Phone (505) 796-6183 We had to wait an hour for a table and so I was expecting great things of this locals' favorite Mexican restaurant. And surprisingly, I was disappointed. It was very Americanized Tex-Mex. Perhaps they have just gotten too big for their kitchen but to me the food was overpriced for being mediocre Mexican. (4/2010)

Savory Fare, 7400 Montgomery NE, Phone (505) 884-8514  Denny's sister treated us to lunch here and it was delicious.  Connie and I had the green chile chicken soup and the spring roll while Denny had the chicken soup and the French dip. Yum!  Fresh, hot, nicely seasoned.  We'd go back.  (06/2012)

Cedar Crest: Cedar Point Grille, 12124 Hwy 14 N. Phone (505) 281-2534 Recommended by the staff at our campground, we stopped here for Sunday breakfast on Mother's Day. I was given a lovely carnation by a very pleasant and friendly waitress. Our Tijeras omelette was delicious, if a bit expensive. You can dine on the deck overlooking a small valley or inside where the walls are lined with the watercolor pastels and oils of a local artist who does exquisite work. (5/2007)

China Best, 12165 Hwy 14 N. Phone (505) 286-4898 Lunch here was relatively inexpensive and very good. We had a window side table looking out over the mountains. Very pleasant. (5/2007)

Deming: La Fonda Restaurant, 601 E. Pine St. (505) 546-0465 This restaurant has new owners so they don't have the liquor license transferred over yet. We had eaten here three years ago and the food was okay, nothing exciting. This time around in spite of being owned by a Hispanic family they have managed to make Mexican food that is absolutely tasteless. Stay away. (3/2006)

Si Senor, 200 E Pine St., Phone (575) 546-3938   We anticipated a good meal of Mexican food based on other reviews of this restaurant. Our salsa was piquant, the chips cold. My husband's chimichanga was not deep fried but served baked like a burrito--perhaps that's a simply a regional thing. However the ground beef in both his chimichanga and my taco were simply browned beef with no apparent seasoning and thus both were very bland. Our meals were served hot, the service was good but the meal itself was disappointing.(12/2011)

Gallup:  Earl's Restaurant, 1400 Hwy 66 E, Phone (505) 863-4201   Denny and I ate here twice; once for dinner and once for breakfast as we were leaving town. Located on Rt. 66 Earl's is pleasant inside, nothing fancy. There are indeed local Native Americans who stop by your table in what seemed to be a never ending stream but they weren't pushy and there was some lovely wares being offered.

For dinner I had the seafood platter; the tiny little crab cakes were excellent, the shrimp well cooked and the fish fresh tasting. Denny went for the fish and chips and we were both almost too full to eat our meal due to the selections of salads and fruits and desserts at the salad bar. Actually, we could have made a meal of the salad bar easily. The greens were fresh, the meal was hot and the fish well cooked. The cooked spinach was more or less out of a can, which brought back memories of home.

Breakfast for Denny was a very large serving of chicken fried steak, heavy on a flavorful gravy while I had the green chile omelet. Breakfast was good and I had lots of leftovers.

On the way out I purchased a SS necklace in a Navaho wedding basket pattern that was later admired by several jewelers in Santa Fe. The price was just too good to pass up. We would certainly eat here again and I'd bring more cash for the hand crafted items being sold both inside and outside of the restaurant.

Raton: Enchanted Grounds Espresso Bar, 111 Park Ave, Phone (575) 445-2219 One block off the main street in downtown Raton, this homey little espresso bar serves soup and sandwiches for lunch. Denny and I had the soup and sandwich special the first time we stopped in and it was so good we came back the next time we had our truck in the shop for its final repairs. The soups are homemade and the panini sandwiches are made as you watch. (4/2010)

Roswell:  Cattle Baron Steak & Seafood, 1113 N. Main St, Phone (505) 622-2465   Cattle Baron has a nice salad bar, serves a small loaf of hot bread with your meal, has reasonable wine prices by the glass and their prime rib was thick, tender and cooked just right. What more can you ask for?  (12/2011)

Santa Fe: Bobcat Bites, 418 Old Las Vegas Hwy, Phone (505) 983-5319  Here Denny had the New York strip, baked potato and cole slaw, Connie had the rib eye, baked potato and potato salad while I had the green chile cheeseburger and pasta salad.  The steaks were well seasoned, tender and moist, the burger was juicy and huge.  The pasta salad and cole slaw could have used a dose of apple cider vinegar--they were a bit bland.  Pricey but good. (06/2012)

Silver City:  Vicki's Eatery, 315 N Texas St, Phone (575) 388-5430  Denny and I had a late-ish lunch here after exploring downtown Silver City. He had the special sandwich of the day with corned beef and I ordered the "Vicki" which was grilled roast beef with green chiles. Both of us agreed that the sandwiches could have used the addition of some sort of spread or condiment. Our side dish was warm German potato salad which we anticipated, because that a staple at our family reunions in Ohio. Sadly, this version was a healthy one--lacking in bacon grease, sugar, sauteed onions and bacon all of which are necessary for good German potato salad. The salads we saw served at other tables looked very appetizing as an alternative. My raspberry iced tea came in a glass with a large crack in it that leaked all over the table. Pricey. (12/2011)