Food News It’s Cookie Time
The Facey Family via Flickr
For nearly 100 years, the green clad Girl Scouts have been whipping up batches of their now famous cookies. On Sunday, Feb. 9, from 2 to 5pm, the eight classic Girl Scout flavors (thin mints, tagalongs, etc) will be transformed into sweet and savory creations (including dulce de leche and green chile thin mint crossovers) by local chefs at an Albuquerque event. Chefs from P’tit Louis Bistro, Pasion Latin Fusion and others will compete with their cookie inventions in a number of different categories. These include Most Creative, Best in Show and Mina’s Dish—a category created in honor of the late Alibi food writer Mina Yamashita, who helped organize and judge the event over the past several years. Tickets to the fundraiser may be purchased for $10 online at bit.ly/1lyScT2 or at the Uptown Sheraton (2600 Louisiana NE), where the event will take place. Bring your cookie loving friends and family in support of a worthy cause.
Food News A Mother Lode On The Mother Road
If you’ve ever dreamed of slinging suds in your own dusty, prohibition era, Route 66 watering hole, now’s your chance. The iconic Silva’s Saloon in Bernalillo is up for sale at $995,000. The sum not only includes the historic building, but also the existing package liquor license and adjoining half-acre of land. On this land some decades ago, Felix Silva Jr. cleaned outhouses and spittoons for his father, the original Saloon proprietor. Now, he and his daughter Denise pour anything from aged brandy to Budweiser for thirsty patrons looking for a bit of history with their imbibing. Although the establishment has been listed for sale since 2012 (when the Alibi ran a feature), the Silvas have only recently hired a successful local realty company to attract the right purchaser. “We are one of the lone family-owned businesses that are on the route,” Denise says, and the legendary family hopes to keep the business local and independent. Since the bar opened in 1933, the day after Prohibition ended in New Mexico, the walls have collected artifacts of the times: hats of deceased patrons, velvet nude paintings and a pack of Geisha toenail clippings from a grateful Japanese customer. It will remain open until a buyer is found. For the asking price, this bar-cum-museum could be yours.
Food News Pop ‘N’ Subway?
The fate of the vacant Pop ‘N’ Taco on Central Avenue remains undetermined about a year after owners agreed to sell the property to a drive-thru Subway franchise. Shuttered since 2011, the orange and red building has remained a bright blemish in the developing East Downtown (EDo) area. Although the Subway drive-thru was given the green light, no progress has followed due to concerns lodged by the East Downtown and Huning Highland Historic District neighborhood associations. They argue that the drive-thru restaurant, with no indoor seating, opposes the neighborhood’s credo of “park and walk.” In fact, Rob Dickson, the EDo neighborhood association executive director, has counter-proposed a development that includes a Subway—a traditional one. The three-story building would also feature housing. Another option introduced by Dickson highlights food trucks serving their fare in a public space setting. Whatever happens, let’s hope our beloved Pop ‘N’ Taco sign finds a worthy home.
