All The News That's Fit To Eat

\ Jan 19, 2006

3 min read

The Wine Loft is Now Open at Slate Street Café—Owner and certified sommelier Myra Ghattas has had this wine loft on her mind since she opened Slate Street (515 Slate NW, 243-2210) half a year ago. What was once a shell of a space is now a 60-seat cherry perched atop the breakfast and lunch hotspot, with its own extended hours to boot. Patrons can enjoy 25 wines by the glass plus a nice selection of beers and a new bar menu from 4 to 10 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays.

The wine menu is exceptionally user-friendly, and Ghattas plans to revise what's offered about every six weeks. Vintages are divided into categories like “abc … (anything but Chardonnay),” “sexy-elegant-austere,” “fun reds” and “it's chardonnay but it is soooooo good.” Ghattas even sprinkles the pages with her own tasting “notes” and inside winery details. The loft is similarly playful with a palate of primary colors and a nod to jungle gyms past.

OK, let's talk food. Remember that Slate Street still isn't technically open for dinner service, so Chef Albert Bilotti falls back on the restaurant's signature appetizers like mix-and-match bruschetta and dark ale fondue to fill out the bar menu. However, several new $7 to $10 “bigger bites” easily make the transition from shared noshes to light dinners. In keeping with Bilotti's flavorful thumbprint, the dishes are Mediter-Asian with a Western accent. Try the Persian-spiced chicken skewers and spiced beef and peppered onions in a pita. Yum.

The Dish

DG's Deli Expands to Downtown—UNM-area mainstay DG's Deli (1418 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. NE, 247-3354) will have its first satellite location up and running in Downtown Albuquerque by the beginning of next month. The new counter will operate out of Marco's Central Market (408 Central SW), using a small, updated kitchen towards the back of the convenience store. The deli will serve an abbreviated menu of hot and cold sandwiches, along with DG's popular homemade sides, from 11 a.m. until fairly late at night. In fact, you can help choose which sandwiches will be available Downtown by voting for your favorites at the original DG's location over the next week or so.

For the uninitiated, restaurant supervisor Stacia Lamb describes DG's as a “solid old East Coast-style deli with a hip, young staff.” Lamb heartily recommends the Philly cheese steak, which she says is “perfect,” and anything involving their spicy Italian meats. Stop in for a sub and fill out a sandwich survey—ASAP!

E-mail your food news to lauram@alibi.com. I've got coupons to Wild Oats and free tickets to Laffs Comedy Club for the best bits!