This week in Food, Ari LeVaux visits decades-old Chicharroneria Orozco’s new digs on Bridge and samples a golden-fried plate of turkey tails (aka colitas de pavo), one of the few non-pork meats in the place.
In other chicharrón news, that’s the name of the porcine sidekick carried around by Lynette ("Shit Burqueños Say") in a new series of New Mexico State Fair commercials. Felicidades to Blackout Theatre and Expo New Mexico for a local marketing campaign that’s actually, and awesomely, local.
The 23 year-old Chicharroneria Orozco has for years inhabited a drafty adobe on Isleta. But this summer it set up shop in new digs on the north side of Bridge, just west of the river, in the same building that the underwhelming Siete Mares used to occupy.
Al Hurricane and ¡Ask a Mexican! columnist Gustavo Arellano will perform mañana at the beautiful North Valley spot. This week, the Alibi’s food critic talks taco shop with Arellano, who’s written a book about how the humble food has overtaken the U.S.
Buy your tickets to the event in advance—and for half price!—at alibi.com/tacousa.
In honor of ¡Ask a Mexican! columnist Gustavo Arellano’s visit to Albuquerque next Wednesday, our restaurant critic paid a visit to an upscale taco and tequila bar named after the Arellano family's home state: Zacatecas. Fish tacos, ahoy!
I mean, what better way to pay tribute to Señor ¡Ask a Mexican! himself than getting buzzed on organic mescal in a place named after the Arellano family's home state, Zacatecas?
If you haven't been inside one of the many Mexican markets around town, you're missing out. They're enclaves of culture as well as food, filled with goods and services to make their customers feel at home, not unlike an Asian supermarket or a Whole Foods. Some Mexican markets have developed a loyal following among the English-as-a-first-language demographic as well; because in addition to the fresh papayas, phone cards and goat-milk candy, they have restaurants with great Mexican food. Today we explore the culinary offerings of the locally owned El Mezquite Market chain, with four stores in Albuquerque.
There’s one reason to go to El Alex, on Fourth Street just south of I-40. It’s a bowl of soup. And it’s good enough to merit the trip on its own.
Diana Kennedy bursts over the phone line like a dynamo. She’s in California and we’re discussing Oaxaca al Gusto (University of Texas Press).
If you need a reminder that there’s more to Juárez than disheartening headlines, look no further than El Sabor de Juarez. The sunny little place on Gibson near Carlisle serves Juárez-style Mexican food under the care of owner Jesus Mata Sr. and his son Marcos. Jesus says the only concession to New Mexican cuisine they've made is the addition of flour to thicken the red and green sauces.
