annak wrote:Any recent recs? Have one meal to spend there and would love anything an LTHer heartily recommends.
The Frontier is a favorite both for the food and the atmosphere. The carne adovada is absolutely great and the posole is excellent. I could stand in that restaurant for hours watching the efficiency of the operation which serves THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE per day. (It is the type of place where you order at the counter and wait for the food.
The restaurant is virtually an art museum of six or seven storefronts. If you are expecting formal, remember, it is a dive for UNM students, not a white tablecloth restaurant. Plan for about $10/person for more food than you can eat.
http://www.frontierrestaurant.com/menu.pdfFrontier Restaurant
2400 Central Ave SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
One place that rarely gets mentioned is the Pueblo Harvest Cafe at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. They offer a wide variety of dishes ranging from New Mexican to traditional tribal dishes. Personally, I tend to go for the more traditional earthy dishes like the mutton stew and the blue corn porridge. However, the more upscale dishes are also pretty good. The place was good enough for THREE stops last fall.
They also offer game dishes like rabbit and elk and pull them off pretty well.
What was most surprising to me was their non-traditional baked goods. They make scones and pastries that are among the best that I have ever had.
The cultural center is well worth a visit. Unfortunately, the restaurant has always been relatively empty when I have been there. I suspect that the prices is one of the reasons. They are high by ABQ standards (cheap by Chicago standards).
Pueblo Harvest Cafe
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
2401 12th St NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
My next "off the beaten track" choice is the Duran Central Pharmacy. It is a small lunch counter operation near old town. They serve good New Mexican food and do some wicked sodas. It was a favorite of my nephews.
Duran Central Pharmacy
1815 Central Ave NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
Those are all of my restaurant recommendations. In general, when we go to New Mexico, we spend most of our time south of the city (between ABQ and Las Cruces). We rarely spend more than a couple of days in town.
By the way, if you head to the NM State Fairgrounds on a non-fair weekend, they have a huge flea market. There will be dozens of food vendors, dozens of chile vendors and at dozens of people roasting hatch chiles. The state fair runs September 9-25.
Hope that helps.
http://www.indianpueblo.org/images/pdfs/phc_dinner.pdf