volume 7, number 10 October 2002
New Mexico's Premier Food, Arts and Lifestyle Magazine

Mike, Sam Seth and Jason from Ambrozia

I swear it's like a game of musical chairs, what with chefs hopping around from one place to another all over town. But it's worth paying attention to who's going where because, as I told some folks at La Cocinita's Great Chef Series dinner with James Peterson, you have to watch the chefs. Restaurants are fluid entities and the food gets better and worse, but it all depends on who's in the kitchen. Find a chef you like and follow him wherever he goes. Much of the action this month centers around Prairie Star and the chefs who have put in time at this Bernalillo gem.

Monte Vista Fire Station is in for an enormous change this month as crews wrap up a total renovation of the dining room, kitchen and bar areas. You won't believe your eyes when you see what they've done with this Nob Hill landmark (Central and Monte Vista). The turquoise trim has all been painted a deep, rich green. Inside, the pink awnings, pink booths and faux flowers are all gone, replaced by jewel tones, higher ceilings, wood and tile flooring, a second fireplace up front and dual waterfalls flanking the rear fireplace. While the transformation of ambiance is stunning, it will pale in comparison to the upgrade in food. Matt Nichols, owner of Fajitaville (Montgomery and Juan Tabo) and partner in Nothing But Noodles (San Mateo and Montgomery) has joined forces with Monte Vista owner Kerry Rayner to completely revitalize the food. Nichols and sous chef Tony Nethery, most recently of Coyote Café, have totally classed up the grub with appetizers like seared ahi tuna with cucumber mint salsa and crispy wonton chips, entrees like grilled pork chops with sweet potato hay, apple serrano chutney and pueblo corn pudding. Don't freak out yet, the popular upstairs bar (though with a whole new look) will still have the same easy hang-out feel and affordable prices for bar munchies. What will change is the quality of the bar food. Sure, you'll be able to get fried calamari, but it will come with tomato habanero dipping sauce and be drizzled with cilantro pesto. Not bad for $6.95. You really must see and taste the changes to believe them. Call 505-255-2424 for hours, information and reservations.

Maybe you used to be a fan of Portobello, Bien Shur or Kanome. Well Sam Etheridge did wonders at the stoves of all three restaurants and he's finally opening his own place. Follow him! With partners Mike Tafoya and Seth Beecher, also both chefs, Etheridge is set to open Ambrozia (get it, Ambro-ZIA) in the old Smiroll's location at 108 Rio Grande NW (just north of Central). The 150-year-old adobe building has been in the Tafoya family for 65 years but has recently enjoyed lavish renovations including new wood flooring in the bar, fresh paint everywhere and a new brick patio in the back. A raised patio area, secluded by fruit trees, will be available for romantic, private dining. When I talked to Etheridge in late September he was done with most of the construction and preparing to move in all the hand-carved and hand-painted tables and chairs made by Bob Gonzales of Old Town's De Colores. Etheridge will team up with Tafoya, Beecher and Jason Jassman to put out what sounds like a glorious menu. Open just for dinner at first, Ambrozia will have a discriminating beer and wine selection. Call 505-242-6560 for information and reservations.

Just around the corner from Ambrozia, at San Pasquale and Central, Chef du Jour is once again open for dinner and I'm hearing nothing but rave reviews. La Cocinita editorial intern Elena Ailes celebrated her 21st birthday with dinner at Chef du Jour, her first time there. She was thrilled when the whole restaurant (barely a dozen other tables) joined her parents in a round of Happy Birthday. Other patrons came over to give their best wishes, including a few hugs and a bottle of wine from a nearby table! Owners Buddy Murzyn and Ralph Garcia really go out of their way to make diners feel at home. If you haven't been to Chef du Jour in a while, stop by and try it again. You'll find a new, more secluded dining area out front, a completely new look inside and a scrumptious menu from chef Mike Erwin. The resumed dinner schedule is a direct result of the restaurant's new liquor license. Check out the great wine list while you're there. Call 505-247-8998 for reservations or to have a copy of the menu faxed.

Just up the Road at Rio Grande and Mountain, Maria Teresa is now in new hands. The historic home turned restaurant ha

Tony Nethery and Matt Nichols at Monte Vista Fire Station

s been taken over by Rob Spaulding and Mark Campbell, both formerly of The Compound in Santa Fe, among many other restaurants. In fact, Spaulding has been in the restaurant business since I was wearing didies and gumming zwiebacks, which is to say, he's bringing a wealth of experience to this new endeavor. Spaulding and Campbell are working as a team to redo the menu at Maria Teresa, though they haven't touched the dark wood and velvet antiques that make the restaurant's atmosphere so unique in Albuquerque. Spaulding wants Maria Teresa to appeal to both tourists and locals looking for a nice place to have a classic cocktail (they have a full bar) or sit down for a nice meal. The homey New Mexican food has been eliminated from the menu, replaced with more modern, upscale dishes that incorporate the same flavors. He describes it as, "a marriage of the flavors of New Mexico with good old comfort food, dressed up for Grandma's Sunday parlor." I couldn't have said it better. Gone are the enchiladas, but in their place has appeared molded corn spoon bread on a bed of red chile sauce and served with melted goat cheese and toasted pecans. Wow! I don't miss those enchiladas at all! Stop in for an appetizer (half price during happy hour, Monday through Friday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm) and wash it down with the house cocktail, the Sazerac. Call 505-242-3900 for hours, reservations or to find out what the heck a Sazerac is.

Chef Johnny Gabaldon left Prairie Star restaurant (at the Santa Ana golf course) at the end of August, after three very successful years as executive chef. Now Gabaldon has taken over the kitchen at the more intimate Indigo Crow in Corrales where this month he debuts with totally revamped menus for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Why would Gabaldon leave such a big, prestigious restaurant for the much smaller Indigo Crow? "The style of cooking I did at Prairie Star was something I had wanted to do for a long time," he told me, but I got the feeling it was time for Gabaldon to try something new. "To recreate this place [Indigo Crow], it's exciting. It's not going to be like Prairie Star, it's going to be something very different." Expect the food to be what the chef describes as "inspired American cuisine"—comfort food with a kick. Knowing what Gabaldon is capable of I'm sure Indigo Crow will become a dining destination in Corrales. Call 505-898-7000 for reservations.

Meanwhile, Gabaldon's former sous chef Heath VanRiper has taken over at Prairie Star. (505-867-For such a young chef—he's 25—VanRiper has an extraordinary record of staying put, having spent the past three years at Prairie Star and the two prior to that at Scalo. (Look out ladies, he young, talented, unmarried and unafraid of commitment!) Having had a lot of influence on the flavors of the restaurant's menus over the past year, VanRiper is well situated to take over. "I'm ecstatic!" he told me, and though I asked if he were stressed out and he denied it, the new chef did say he'll be breathing a sigh of relief when the new menu, which goes into effect this month, is in place. Two of the most popular entrees on the menu will remain—the Chama Valley lamb chops with jalapeño tomato jelly and the Socorro chicken breast—but they will be joined by adventurous new dishes like a slow-braised venison osso buco with apricot demi-glace and cilantro-infused Israeli couscous. Just remember to get to Prairie Star as close to sunset as possible (before Daylight Savings Time!) so you can catch the gorgeous sunset as it splashes pink across the Sandias.

Jay Wulf, who did a turn at the Prairie Star a few years ago but has most recently been known for his work at The Range (in Bernalillo and in Albuquerque at Wyoming and Montgomery) has got a new project on his hands. He, along with a few partners, bought Gecko's (next to Scalo at Carlisle and Central, 505-262-1848) this spring and have brought about an astonishing change there. Gecko's still attracts a football-loving element and does have plenty of TVs showing all kinds of sporting events, but a thorough renovation and complete change of menu have made it someplace I'd hang out. Though Wulf is a trained and experienced chef, he put Gecko's new tapas menu in the hands of chef Todd Lovell, with whom Wulf has worked for many years. And when I say tapas, I mean true tapas, $3, $4 and $5 little plates of classy but approachable munchies like orange chipotle duck pastries and blackened Gulf shrimp. Yum! If tapas aren't your style, you can always order off the regular menu of normal-sized meals. Stop in and see the change for yourself. While you're there, let the guys know if you can think of a better name than Gecko's. They're looking for a change.

Whole Foods finally opened at Wyoming and Academy last month. How did we ever get along with out it? The store is enormous and you will have your socks knocked off by the fresh seafood, gourmet meats, cheeses, breads and wine. I hate to admit it, but this is one chain store I really do love.

There's bar food and then there's bar food. O PM, the posh new lounge on Gold between 2nd and 3rd Streets, doesn't have a kitchen, but they serve plenty of food because owner Michael Goodwin (you'll recognize that name from nearby Sauce and Raw) has devised a novel way of feeding his well-heeled clientele. At the bar sit a stack of menus from nearby Tucanos (Brazilian barbecue), Comida Loca (soups and sandwiches), Sauce (wood oven pizzas and salads), Raw (Asian snacks and sushi) and Pearl's Dive (burgers and pub grub). Hungry customers can call in an order for food and O PM staff will run and pick up the order, bring it back and put it on a nice plate. No eating out of Styrofoam. What service! Stop in O PM Wednesday through Saturday and experience it for yourself. While you're wandering around, be sure to admire the beautiful artwork of Stacia Lamb, a former La Cocinita staffer and extremely talented painter. Call 505-243-0955 for details or to inquire about private parties at O PM.

You've heard of Anthony Bourdain, of course, he's the junkie-thin New York chef who wrote the scathingly accurate Kitchen Confidential. Maybe you've seen his Food Network show, A Cook's Tour? Well, if you're as stuck on Tony as I am you'd better make plans to see him when he's in Albuquerque Nov. 10 as part of La Cocinita's Great Chefs Series. Meet the author himself when he signs books at Bookworks (next to Flying Star in the North Valley) or come join him for dinner at, where else, Prairie Star! We'll be chowing down on a multi-course wine and food extravaganza. No cobra hearts or nearly-hatched duck eggs, I promise! Go to www.lacocinita.com or call Lindsay at Bookworks (505-344-8139) for information on the signing. Call Prairie Star 505-867-3327 for reservations for the dinner.

If you have information for Around Albuquerque, e-mail foodnews@lacocinita.com or call 505-346-0660 ext. 245.

<< Letter From the Editor

October 2002 Contents

Santa Fe Scoop >>