Best of Burque Restaurants 2011

Best of the Rest

The tasty leftover bits

Eric Williams ericwphoto.com

Best Chef & Best Restaurant in Albuquerque: Jennifer James, Jennifer James 101

Best Vegetarian Restaurant

Annapurna's World Vegetarian Café

UNM Area: 2201 Silver SE • 262-CHAI (2424)
North Valley: 7520 Fourth Street NW • 254-2424
chaishoppe.com

The Duke City loves the seasoned tofu scramble, the tempeh bacon, and all of the vegan and gluten-free options. Seriously? How do they make that GF burger bun? And can someone sell us a gallon of that garlic Vegenaise? And 20 pounds of the masala fries?

2) Thai Vegan
3) Tie: Fei’s Health Café, Mint Tulip Vegan

Spiciest Food in Albuquerque

Sadie's

See State Treasures: Best New Mexican Restaurant for contact information.

From the salsa that accompanies the chips to the sauces that grace most of Sadie's dishes, be prepared for heat. This restaurant cooks for folks who like their chile hot.

2) Cecilia’s Café
3) Thai Tip

Best Mobile Food Truck

Good Food Eat Here

604-9924, tobywhite@yahoo.com
on.fb.me/goodfoodeathere

The name says it all. When you see this large, green-hued truck parked by the Journal Center, east of Nob Hill or by the Downtown Growers’ Market, you best pull over and tuck in. The concise menu of inspired vegetarian, vegan and raw foods is made with local produce and love you can taste.

2) Make My Lunch
3) Yellow Taco Truck

Best Date Night

Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro

See A.M.: Best Brunch for contact information.

Practically everything about Zinc whispers romance. The extensive wine list, the dark and sultry ambience, the five-star food. If you want to get to know someone better, or reacquaint yourself with someone you love, Zinc sets the mood.

2) Artichoke Café and Wine Bar
3) Seasons Rotisserie & Grill

Best Place to Take Out-of-Town Guests

El Pinto

10500 Fourth Street NW • 898-1771
elpinto.com

It’s just so gorgeous. El Pinto’s halcyon, tree-lined property, rambling, fireplace-filled rooms and sprawling patio leave an impression on everyone we take out there.

2) Sadie's
3) High Finance

Best Bar Food

Two Fools Tavern

3211 Central NE • 265-7447
2foolstavern.com

If you aren't among the folks who voted for Two Fool's, the excellent Irish tavern in Nob Hill, your attention needs to be directed to two places: the Scotch eggs and the boxty Reuben. The first is a hard-boiled egg covered in sausage, battered and then deep fried. The second is a traditional Reuben sandwich wrapped in a potato pancake. Pair either (or both) with a Guinness and you'll understand where our readers are coming from.

2) Gecko’s Bar and Tapas
3) O'Niell's Pub

Best Fine Dining

Artichoke Café and Wine Bar

424 Central SE • 243-0200
artichokecafe.com

One of the toughest tests of any restaurant is how it fares with New Yorkers. They are a notoriously picky bunch, with the zenith of virtually every cuisine on the planet (except, it should be noted, Mexican and New Mexican) available a few subway stops away. But you know what? The food and service at Artichoke floors our NYC guests every time they visit us in Albuquerque. They can keep their fancy metropolis. We’ll keep our fancy Artichoke.

2) Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro
3) Tie: Jennifer James 101, Lucia, Vernon’s Hidden Valley Steakhouse

Most Committed to Local Ingredients

Flying Star Café

See A.M.: Best French Toast for contact information.

In case you're unclear on Flying Star Cafe's devotion to local ingredients, just take a gander at the giant map over the cash register. It points out all the places in state where your food came from. The meat, the cheese, the fresh produce: all sourced from right here in New Mexico whenever available.

2) Jennifer James 101
3) The Grove Café and Market

Most Missed Restaurant

Casa Vieja

casaviejanm.com

What a big impression the brains inside this old house made. The menu offered their creative takes on organic and sustainable ingredients. In the 2010 Alibi poll, Casa Vieja took home the coveted Best Restaurant prize. The wine list crowned owner Kate Gerwin Best Wine Steward. But alas, the walls of the 300-year-old adobe could no longer shelter this Corrales favorite. We can't wait to see what the Gerwins do next.

2) Chocolate Café
3) Bumble Bee's Baja Grill

Best Downtown Restaurant

Slate Street Café

515 Slate NW • 243-2210
slatestreetcafe.com

There’s a lot to relish about this place—upstairs and downstairs, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Slate Street accommodates Downtown’s many changing moods, be it a power business lunch, a lazy weekend brunch or a glass of wine with your pals after work.

2) Artichoke Café and Wine Bar
3) Tie: Gold Street Caffè, Lucia

Best Restaurant in Nob Hill

Scalo Northern Italian Grill

See Around the World: Best Italian for contact information.

Scalo was Nob Hill before there was Nob Hill. Through the city’s booms and busts, Scalo has remained the neighborhood’s rock, anchored by excellent food, sterling service and unrivaled atmosphere.

2) Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro
3) Tie: Brasserie La Provence, Yanni's Mediterranean Grill and Opa Bar

Best Restaurant in the North Valley

Sophia's Place

6313 Fourth Street NW • 345-3935

We’re so glad the Alibi’s readers are handing this award over to Sophia’s Place. When chef and owner Dennis Apodaca ushered his culinary philosophy—local ingredients paired with soul-food comfort and a few surprises—into the North Valley, he gave the whole city a gift. Keep it up. We’ll keep eating.

2) Sadie's
3) Tie: Casa de Benavidez, Mary & Tito's

Best Restaurant on the Westside

Mimmo’s Ristorante & Pizzeria

3301 Coors NW • 831-4191

For more than 26 years, Mimmo's has brought New York flare to Albuquerque. The pizza crust is made fresh, the Italian-American dishes are authentic and the Italian wines flow. The pollo al Marsala and any of the veal entrées are tops.

2) Indigo Crow
3) Tie: Jinja Bar & Bistro, Nicky V's Neighborhood Pizzeria

Best Restaurant in Rio Rancho

Turtle Mountain Brewing Co.

905 36th Place SE • 994-9497
www.turtlemountainbrewing.com

Not only is it the best restaurant in Rio Rancho, it’s also among the best breweries in New Mexico. Turtle Mountain’s well-rounded menu and rotation of inventive beers ensure the people of Rio Rancho are in a good mood.

2) O'Hare's Grille & Pub
3) Tie: Banana Leaf, Namaste

Best Chef

Jennifer James of Jennifer James 101 (landslide)

4615 Menaul NE • 884-3860
jenniferjames101.com

Albuquerque’s best-known celebrity chef, the James Beard Award-nominated Jennifer James, is this year’s crème de la crème. The name of her restaurant suggests that it’s an entry-level introduction to her talents. If so, we anxiously await her 200-level offering.

Best Restaurant in Albuquerque

Jennifer James 101

When you call your restaurant Jennifer James 101, it better be good. And it is. The food and service are about as perfect as you can find in Albuquerque, yet you don’t feel pressured to act all high society when you dine there. If anything, an air of reverence for good food is expected—and earned.

2) Tie: Slate Street Café, Yanni's Mediterranean Grill and Opa Bar
3) Tie: Thai Vegan, Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro

Results reported by Sam Adams, Jessica Cassyle Carr, Christie Chisholm, Marisa Demarco, Ari LeVaux, Laura Marrich, Devin O’Leary and Mina Yamashita