... and among the finest in the Duke City area,

Corrales, the charming village on the west bank of the Rio Grande, home to some 8,500 charming residents, has a disproportionate number of charming restaurants serving great food (Perea's Tijuana Bar, Hannah & Nate's, Oasis, to name a few), and the charming Indigo Crow is clearly the best of the best.

Opened about twelve years ago by owners Don and Regina Raber in an old house that formerly hosted the Desert Rose, it has become a favorite gathering place for many Corraleños and their friends, and has developed a loyal following (including me). In nice weather, you should (try to) eat your meal on the patio under some gorgeous trees and listen to some local music, often performed by Oscar Butler, an Albuquerque legend (Google him) who has a continuing love affair with the Indigo Crow (you can hear his praises on YouTube at

[link] age). By chance, I have always been there with many sets of guests during chilly times, and my favorite spot is in the back room by the roaring piñon fire.

Chef Jacob Williams' food is spectacular. Read the online menu, and I dare you not to drool. On various visits, we have tried:

Salads

☺Organic Baby Greens (with cherry tomatos, red onions, shaved carrots, and caramelized almonds), Grilled Romaine (grilled tomatos, melted gorgonzola, and a fantastis vodka vinaigrette), Caesar (you can add slipper lobster, shrimp, or salmon ), The Catalina (chopped romaine, tomato, egg, bacon, avocado, and gorgonzola). Each is great.

Appetizers

☺Moules Frites (with saffron garlic white wine sauce and wonderful shoestring potatos that taste like potatos). You will swear that you have been transported to a Belgian bistro.

Entrées

☺Seared Shrimp and Scallops in an Herbed Truffle Butter Sauce. Served with garlic sautéed baby spinach and Japanese rice, this dish will fool you into believing that you are sitting at the seaside. Drink a Malbec with this (yeah, really).

☺Grilled Rack of Lamb. Perfectly done with a cherry glaze (not sweet), Parmesan Risotto, and sautéed garlic baby spinach. This is one of my favorite dishes anyplace.

☺Lobster Ravioli. This is velvety magic on a plate. Open faced ravioli with Parmesan, mascarpone, ricotta, and mozzarella with slipper tail and lobster claw meat.

On some earlier visits, we have had various renditions of steak and a lamb shank dish that was the only excellent lamb shank in all of Corrales.

Desserts

☺Lemonberry Bread Pudding. I am a bread pudding freak, and this instantiation is among the very best I have had.

The bread (and herbed olive oil) is delicious. Save some to mop up the sauces from your entrees. Good to the last drop. The servers are charming.

There are lots more fantastic dishes here. You need to make Corrales and the Indigo Crow a regular destination. Email me before you come, and I may just join you. It's just a short walk from my house.