My life as a professional eater and professional noticer of edible things leads me to different restaurants all over Albuquerque. But not everything notable warrants a full article of its own, so in this new feature I’ll be dishing out some appetizer and side-salad versions of goings-on in the restaurant and consumable world.I stopped in at Q Burger (301 Central NW) the other day, and the server informed me that they are trying out some exotic meat burgers. One day, kangaroo; the next, yak. I couldn’t quite bring myself to try either, but I might go for the yak next time I’m in. The kangaroo seems a little too, well, cute for my appetite. Since Q Burger promotes the use of local meat, I asked the server if the kangaroos were local. “Oh, sure, they’re from Los Lunas,” she said. But I think she was making fun of me.Publicists send me weird stuff pretty regularly. The latest item comes from Albuquerque’s own Maloof family: a few bottles of a “dietary supplement” emblazoned with a promise that drinking them will keep you from getting hungover. It’s called, appropriately, Never Hungover. The ingredients list milk thistle, gotu kola and yellow #5 as important parts of the magical elixir. So if you’re feeling thistle or yellow deficient, give it a try even if you aren’t planning on drinking alcohol. Does it work? I dunno. I used it twice. The first time, I woke up in the morning feeling chipper and eager to face the world. The next time, I had a headache, and my wife was mad at me. So let’s say it’s 50 percent effective because that’s science.The baristo at Duggan’s Coffee (2227 Lead SE), my current favorite morning stopover, tells me that the intimate cafe will soon be adding a lunch menu. He says pulled pork and paninis are certainties and that they will, like the breakfast items, have cutesy, newspaper-oriented names like “afternoon edition.” Who says print is dead? Nu Asia Vegan (4200 Central SE), occupying the former Martini Grill/Cosmo Tapas location, has opened its doors, becoming the third Asian-vegan restaurant in the Nob Hill-ish area. It differentiates itself from the only-blocks-away Thai Vegan and Loving Vegan by offering a pan-Asian assortment of meatless wonders and even all-you-can-eat vegan sushi starting Thursday, May 22. I haven’t tried it yet because I only skip meat when eating cereal for dinner. My vegan operatives tell me it’s pretty good, though. This was news a few weeks ago, but I think we can all stand to be reminded of the fact that members of the band KISS are planning to open a KISS-themed restaurant in the near NE Heights. “Rock & Brews is a concept that excites rockers of all ages in a family-oriented, rock-inspired atmosphere that invokes a celebratory sense of community gathering,” said Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, which isn’t exactly "I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day," but maybe you can dance to it. Got a tip on a new restaurant opening, an old favorite expanding their menu or something delicious/weird that I need to eat? Drop me a line at ty@alibi.com and use the subject “Quick Bites.”
The Mouthful: Quick Bites
Tales From The Editor
3 min read
