Breaking up the long menu at Saigon Far East are bold descriptions of the food that lack neither color nor modesty. Consider the bun bo hue: “We are proud to introduce this famous spicy bowl of soup which was located in Central Vietnam,” the menu crows. “A combination of sliced and well cooked beef shank and slowly cooked pork hock sliced. This bowl will spark your imagination and take you far away.”

I can’t remember any of their names, but they are all my best friends. That’s how I regard the thousands of beer geeks who made the pilgrimage to Munster, Ind., for the annual Dark Lord Day. Not the Satanist convention it sounds like, Dark Lord Day is a holy grail trek for people like me. It’s the one-day release of Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout, a 13 percent ABV beer that ranks among the highest-rated and hardest to find beers in the craft world.

Farm & Table hosts their Taste the History of Chocolate IV on Monday, Jan. 20 from 6 to 9pm. Tickets for this event are $93, though you can splurge and pay $118 to take it with wine pairings, and leads you through the rich, decadent history of everyone’s favorite snack. This time around, be treated to some fascinating information about the heavy travel cacao went through to get to Chaco Canyon over 1,000 years ago. The guest chocolate maker Steve Prickett, from Eldora Chocolate, and Dr. Patricia Crown, who led the team that learned so much about the history of cacao at Chaco Canyon, are the guests of honor. For more info on how to get your hands on these sweet treats, email reserve@farmandtablenm.com and guarantee a spot before it's gone.

Get Out There

It’s summer in Burque and myriad patios await your presence. Snap the kids out of their bought air-and-video game trance for an outing that culminates in the joyful consumption of healthful and delicious paletas—no, really!—or invite some colleagues and comrades out to smash the swanky local rooftop bar scene with you. If you’re looking for a more pastoral vibe, get your farm-to-table on in Albuquerque’s resplendent North Valley. Here are a handful of our favorite patios in The Duke City. Don’t neglect to slather on some sunscreen and install a rideshare app (such as Uber, Lyft or zTrip) on your smartphone ... in case you over-hydrate.

View in Alibi Chowtown