State Treasures: New Mexican Cuisine

New Mexican Cuisine

\ Oct 07, 2010

13 min read

State Treasures — Best Posole: Frontier / Golden Pride BBQ, Chicken & Ribs (Eric Williams ericwphoto.com)

6230 Fourth Street NW • 345-5339

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

A state landmark, Sadie’s serves New Mexican dishes with plenty of heat and flavor to boot. The melt-in-your-mouth quesadilla only needs Sadie’s signature salsa to make it great. (MY)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Los Cuates

3) Tie: El Patio, El Pinto

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Green Chile Cheeseburger

800 Eubank NE • 291-4900

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Owl Café built its rep on that green chile burger, so it’s not a surprise to see it in the top spot. While the anthropomorphically architectured Albuquerque location isn’t quite the same as the dark, dollar-bill-festooned bar in San Antonio, N.M., it’s winged its way into Alibi readers’ stomachs. (DO’L)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Blake’s Lotaburger

3) Lumpy’s Burgers

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Red Chile Burger

1501 Mountain NW • 304-1819

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

While it doesn’t have quite the statewide reputation that its brother, the green chile burger, has, the red chile burger is a thing of subtle beauty. Oddly enough, this Old Town area diner serves its signature “Little Red” burger in both red and green chile versions. Ever the traditionalists, we’re craving it smothered in red. (DO’L)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Bob’s Burgers

3) Monroe’s

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Frito Pie

North Valley: 5230 Fourth Street NW • 345-8727

South Valley: 4506 Central SW • 831-2111

Midtown: 5214 Menaul NE • 875-9603

South Valley: 1690 Rio Bravo SW • 877-8589

Northeast Heights: 6101 San Mateo NE • 883-3767

West Side: 6628 Caminito Coors NW • 792-2001

Northeast Heights: 305 Eubank NE • 332-0818

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Bob’s Burgers is one of those local joints that toils in obscurity, not often getting the credit it deserves. Except for now. The Frito pie is good and spicy, the kind that turns your face red. (JB)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Dog House Drive In

3) Tie: Blake’s Lotaburger, Little Red Hamburger Hut, 66 Diner

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Huevos Rancheros

See P.M., Best Meatloaf for contact information.

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Taking home this award is impressive. Just about every restaurant around here has its own version of tortillas, eggs, potatoes, chile and beans. Our readers like The Range, which perches its huevos on blue corn, better than all the rest. (CC)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Frontier

3) Weck’s

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Green Chile

See A.M., Best Breakfast Burrito for contact information.

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Wait, guys. Do you mean the simple, flavorful, chopped that’s layered on a burger or mixed in with your hash browns? Or are we talking about the stew that’s both kinds of hot and begging to be cupped by an unparalleled tortilla? (MD)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Duran’s Central Pharmacy

3) Sadie’s

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Red Chile

1815 Central NW • 247-4141

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Sometimes it’s screaming-hot (or "warm," as we New Mexican badasses like to say). Sometimes earthy, garlicky undertones are the star. The color can be brighter some days, deeper on others. What’s consistent is that Duran’s nuanced, smooth red chile is vividly delicious. (LM)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Mary & Tito’s

3) Sadie’s

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Tortillas

See A.M., Best Breakfast Burrito for contact information.

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Just about every culture has its version of the tortilla—France and Vietnam flip crêpes, the Mediterranean and Middle East bake pita and lavash, the Indian subcontinent rolls out roti … and that’s not even getting into blintzes and pancakes. But none of those places have the Frontier. World domination, here we come. (LM)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Duran’s Central Pharmacy

3) Garcia’s

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Tamales

1715 Second Street SW • 242-1843

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

When you order El Modelo’s tamale plate, it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. It’s the tamale that’s built like an enchilada. (ALV)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Tie: Dos Hermanos, Los Cautes

3) Tie: Albuquerque Tortilla Co., Garcia’s

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Sopaipillas

Midtown: 5016 Lomas Blvd. NE • 268-0974

Uptown: 8700 Menaul NE • 237-2800

loscuatesrestaurants.com

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

A New Mexican meal is not complete without one of these pastry pillows on the side. No two sopaipillas are the same (just like snowflakes)—some are airy and flaky, others dense and chewy. According to voters, Los Cuates’ sopas are king. (CC)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Sadie’s

3) El Patio

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Enchiladas

142 Harvard SE • 268-4245

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Reasons El Patio is great: 1) Everything on the menu is fantastic. 2) Nearly every dish can be made vegetarian (and the avocado burrito will give your taste buds daydreams). 3) The service, the titular patio and the live music are always pleasant. 4) It also happens to have the best darn enchiladas in town. We could keep going, but we think you understand. (CC)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Chips And Salsa

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

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Remember when Sadie’s was inside that bowling alley in the North Valley? The chips and salsa were pretty damn good. And guess what? They still are. (JB)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Los Cuates

3) El Pinto

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Green Chile Stew

See A.M., Best Breakfast Burrito for contact information.

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

It ain’t rocket science. Green chile + cubed potatoes + seasoned ground beef = so good, it should be served 24-hours a day again. … Hint, hint, Frontier / Golden Pride decision-makers. (LM)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Garcia’s

3) Rudy’s "Country Store" and Bar-BQ

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Posole

See A.M., Best Breakfast Burrito for contact information.

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

These two Albuquerque institutions serve the quintessential comfort food of the region, say Alibi readers. (ALV)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Garcia’s

3) Loyola’s Family Restaurant

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Carne Adovada

See A.M., Best Breakfast Burrito for contact information.

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Oh, Golden Pride / Frontier carne! We love you, with your tender, shredded morsels, your well-seasoned chile. There’s a lot of amazing carne adovada in the 505, so this is high honors, y’all. (MD)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Sadie’s

3) El Pinto

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Taquitos

4515 Menaul NE • 888-3611

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Historic. Legendary. People have been raving about the taquitos at Mac’s for almost half a century. Dream about the rich “chili” and juicy beef filling until the week before Thanksgiving, when it reopens after extensive remodeling. (MD)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Garcia’s

3) Taquería Mexico

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Navajo Taco

Expo New Mexico • 300 San Pedro NE

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Once you leave the great state of New Mexico, the Navajo Taco becomes the Indian Taco. When you go up to Jemez Pueblo, it’s called a Pueblo Taco. (JB)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Margarita

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

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

This Fourth Street landmark wins a lot of awards, usually for its tasty salsa. But what do you use to wash down that fiery substance? A delicioso , jumbo-sized, jet-fueled Margarita, of course. Pregunta : salt or no salt? (DO’L)

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

2) Garduños

3) Casa Vieja

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010: Best Burrito

Midtown: 5010 Cutler NE • 881-2202

North Valley: 6211 Fourth Street NW • 345-4588

Northeast Heights: 7600 Jefferson NE • 828-1166

Uptown: 2435 Wyoming NE • 294-8945

redorgreen.com

Best Of Burque Restaurants 2010:

Did you know Dos Hermanos recently introduced the “Ito”? It’s a burrito, only smaller. Because sometimes you just can’t handle a full-size carne adovada and refried bean burrito smothered in cheese and red chile that’s as big as your calf. That’s how much the people at Dos Hermanos care about you. And burritos. (DO’L)