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

Balloon Fiesta. When the population of our normally spacious-feeling city swells to capacity and dining rooms across the city grow appendages of tired-looking balloonists that wind out their doors like Gore-Tex-clad tails. Thankfully, though I dine out more than I thought was humanly possible, I am also late to bed and late to rise. Often I miss the balloonists since I'm going out to dinner around the time they're snuggling into their highway hotel beds. But seeing these wide-eyed and curious out-of-towners milling about during their post-launch brunches, I always feel transported back to my first days in the city, marveling at all the strange people and curiously delicious smells (I know them now to be burning piñon and roasting chile). I feel obliged to stop and help out lost-looking souls, correcting their failed trajectories and putting them back on track to a "cheap breakfast" or "real New Mexican food." In this month's issue we highlight a few fun stops for your Balloon Fiesta itinerary, like the Greek Festival and a tomato farm in Corrales where you can buy tomatoes straight from the field. Also, this month, be sure to stop by lacocinita.com for a special web-only listing of our favorite New Mexican restaurants in Albuquerque.

Gwyneth

October 2002 Contents

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