Marc Is Hungry!

ABQ Review: Saggio's

2012-08-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

Saggio's

www.saggios.com

(505) 255-5454

107 Cornell Drive SE Albuquerque

Atmosphere: 3/5

Front of House: 3.5/5

Kitchen: 3.5/5

Price Range: Expect to pay about $11 for lunch.

Bottom Line: Atmosphere might be dizzy but the food is clear.

ABQ Review: Saggio's

Filled to the brim with kitsch and camp, Saggo's on on Cornell Dr near UNM sports everything from Beatle juice with beach balls, baseball mannequins and greek columns. A New York / Film themed Pizzeria is overwhelming with the feel of a crowded warehouse and a time-square magazine stand. Colors, crowd and canals greet you at the entrance. Strangely though, it all seems to work. The tables are placed with a comfortable distance between each other. Sinatra voice is complemented by, what else, the indoor waterfall and hanging lush flora. With all of the decor natural sunlight somehow splashes the booths making the restaurant breathable as if the fresco painting on the ceiling were actually the sky. The whole place really does have the feel of a playground for children-at-hearts.

The menu is diverse and almost as overwhelming as the decor but without the charm. With over 95 items on the menu "and so much more!" I find my attention split between Cleopatra, the menu and Zeus. It's can be frustrating to skim through all of the options, not to mention the five different kinds of pizza crusts available. Frankly, when I ordered I had no clue which crust would accompany my special the pizza the best. Menu's so large often signal desperation, some kind of lack of confidence in having fewer choices. Though, perhaps this isn't always the case.

As far as choices, Saggio's has fare such as Calzone with Prosciutto, "My Way" Lasagna, Chicken Cannelloni, Roman Club Sandwich, and of course the multitude of specialty pizzas ranging from the banal Margherita to the exotic Thai Chicken Pizza.

The prices at this New York pizzeria are average. There is nothing that glares out in the menu although I did find it a bit odd that an entire 10" gourmet pizza was just two dollars more than a $6 and change individual slice. Noted, the individual plane slice was of a fairly big size but it was no entire New Chicken Alfredo pie with Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, chicken breast and basil.

My first dish was the Fried Ravioli which were served almost immediately. These little appetizers were fried perfectly. It was no 'all over' the place like the decor would suggest. The little pockets were perfectly crisp and creamy inside with an all around good ricotta and parsley filling. There was no grease dripping from them whatsoever, just a clean bite. Perhaps the filling could have been better seasoned and perhaps the marinara it was served with could have used some red pepper flakes and bigger tomato chucks. Even so it's no easy task to disturb the balance of such a well fried appetizer.

Throwing culinary caution into the wind we chose the Thai Chicken Pizza with Rosemary Whole Wheat dough. Service again was quick, timed well with the conclusion of the appetizer. The pie was delightfully oval, and large enough to feed two to three, one more than the one to two the menus suggests. And the flavors? Well, muddied. There was absolutely a thai flavor, it permeated through every bite. The sauce was heavy handed and hit most of the notes of Thai cuisine. It seemed to focus on novelty more than flavor. Fresh basil, lime, anything green could uplift the drab color beige of the pie. A separation from the overly sweet sauce to something more subtle. And yet despite all this the crust was one of a kind. It had such a complexity of flavors and textures. This pie may not have beat my pad tai but no doubt a more conservative pizza pick would sing in clear harmony. More than anything else eating the Thai Chicken pizza was fun and campy. It just seemed 'right' sitting under the multicolored bulbs. No, I'de never get it again but I am glad I did once, and that seems worth mentioning.

But the real winner of the meal was the clear under dog. Half sandwich, half salad. The meal was served on a long rectangular plate which beautifully divided the two portions; each large enough on it's own to feed a hungry diner. The complimentary salad was Cesar with a truly savory taste. The shaved cheese, not crumbled or powdered, was welcome on my tongue and added a bite of texture that nearly made the frankly sub-par croutons unnecessary. The balance of dressing in the salad was there although the lettuce was not quite as crisp as I hoped (perhaps the salad and dressing was pre-mixed?) The Sandwich was spectacular. No, not the filling which was actually quite ordinary blocks of chicken with perhaps under seasoned picante', but the bread itself. The Picante Chicken Panini was not what I expected. It was not two slices of grilled bread but something remarkable. Rather, it was a house-made dough folded over the ingredients. The dough itself was perfectly moist and flavorful and worth the meal itself. It had a spiciness that was right on ball.

Saggio's is certainly strange and not like the italian style pizzaria's I grew up around in the tri-states but they certainly have a certain charm talent with the knife. Somehow, surprisingly, such a vast menu manages to hit score after score with big flavors. If you are able to hold your attention long enough through the multitude of distractions you'll find your focus on Saggio's flavors is very well rewarded.

Picante Chicken Panini with Cesar Salad

Fried Ravioli with Marinara

Thai Chicken Pizza

Chocolate Canoli

Mural

Sky Fresco

Sante Fe Review: Cafe Vingt Cinq

2012-07-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Cafe Vingt Cinq

cafevingtcinq.com

505-474-7300

8380 Cerrillos Road, Sante Fe NM

Atmosphere: 1/5

Front of House: 3/5

Kitchen: 2/5

Price Range: Expect to pay over $15 for lunch.

Bottom Line: Only come for the Coffee and Pastries

Cafe Vingt Cinq: No. Ordinary place.

Tucked away in the Sante Fe Fashion outlets is Cafe Vingt Cinq which servers as a way to provide the outlet with a much needed munch. Started in 2010 the French Cafe promises to use only the finest and freshest ingredients. In addition to various pastries and breads the Cafe 25 also offers more substantial items such as quiches, hot panini sandwiches, crepes, salads, soups sides and even mussles. The bakery has grown ambition in it's menu to provide a wide variety of items to the local discount shoppers who perhaps are not intimately familiar with french cuisine. Their motto exclaims their intention, "no ordinary place."

Upon entering the Cafe you can feel in the air the struggle Vingt Cinq puts in to not be ordinary. It is questionable whether the space was designed to actually just support one vendor or multiple. The space doubles as a passageway to the clearly (and largely) marked "Restrooms" used to service the entire outlet center. A grouping of potted trees is perched on easy to clean beige tiling which extend to the beige and green walls lined with romanesque pillars. Wood tables are spread out over the overly large space leaving open areas for the busy shoppers with their bags to plunge through the floor of the restaurant to the bathrooms. The tables themselves are thick and sturdy but the majority have no table wear. My table was accompanied by a lone fork. It is hard to resist a chuckle when the host, garbed in formalwear punches your order into the register and the waitresses scurry the food off to tables in T-shirts and shorts.

The prices clearly reflect that Cafe Vingt Cinq is not ordinary indeed, perhaps because there is no competition nearby to compare it to. In this slightly modified cafeteria you can expect to pay up to 15$ per person on food and drink. There happens to be no other restaurants in the outlet and overall the feeling of the cafe evokes that of an airport cafe.

Our food arrived surprisingly promptly. I decided to go with the Chicken Mushroom Crepe- a crepe stuffed and topped with chicken, mushrooms, red peppers, onions in a mustard cream sauce finished with swiss cheese. My table also received the Quiche Lorraine, ham bacon swiss cheese and the Chicken Panini.

The crepe itself had a very luscious butter flavor and a texture somewhere between a pancake and a thin sheet of rubber, but overall the crepe was enjoyable and nearly delicate. The filling however was not and seemed to emphasize the struggle between the extra-ordinary and extra ordinary. The chicken within the crepe was cut into very large cubes that seemed to hemorrhage their juiciness out. Perhaps overcooked, perhaps sub-par meat and perhaps the large chunks simply could not absorb enough of the slick gelatinous mushroom cream filling. The swiss cheese was generously graded into the filing mixture which removed any cultural referential to French cuisine within a melting pot of mundane flavors. The crepe was nearly bursting at the seems with the filling which happened to be dangerously close to the look, taste and smell of Campbell's Cream of Chicken canned soup. I found myself scraping much of it away to get some of the flavor of the Crepe. To top things off, another layer of the filling was poured over of the Crepe as a means of presentation that was about as appealing as pouring liquid butter on a fresh Croissant. Unnecessary and serving only to remove the texture of the dish.

The dishes were all served with a salad of mixed greens topped with a few onion slices and cucumber. The dressing was liberally applied which had notes of a creamy mustard vinaigrette with much of the consistency of ranch dressing. While the amount of dressing was somewhat overwhelming the flavors were fine and perhaps enjoyable.

While the crepe was a textural mess, the Chicken Pesto Panini was a much needed break. It's buttery toasted crunch of crust was welcome. Inside, thinly sliced chicken breast was piled up and had truly fresh taste which over powered, or out numbered, the ratio of pesto. While it was no Eiffel Tower it was still a small monument potential flavors.

On to the Quiche Lorraine. There was a smokey and fatty pork taste which permeated through the first bite which I welcomed. Perhaps too rich Swiss flavor melted in which seemed to muddy the flavors more than highlight the individual aspect. The crust was acceptable and had somewhat of a flakiness quality. While this was not the best Quiche I've had it was certainly normal. Ordinary, even.

It would have been impossible to leave without tasting the pastries tucked behind glass counters. Their prices as big as the rest of the experience. My palette had thus far been grading on a curved scale. Sure, the flavors were somewhat bland, the textures disappointing, and the perpetual thirst after eating the overtly dry chicken cubes but--- this was still a outlet cafeteria. The struggle to separate themselves from a shopping center failed in my eyes. They were exhausted and their culinary arms collapsed on themselves. Sure, the food was not so great but what could I have possibly expected? I struggled between writing a review of a poor to mediocre to ordinary French Cafe or write a review of a superb unique French-themed mall food court vendor.

I held the Chocolate-filled Croissant knowing that it would certainly be the final vote. Biting in, the rich flavors Croissant danced with the just-right amount of just-sweet-enough chocolate. There was the distinctive flakiness of the crust that plied apart into individual soft buttery sheets. I was not over-powered by the pastry, rather it seemed to partner with my senses and held my attention to the last bite. The Lemon tart was spot on, again. Sour sweet cream was luscious and was simply not the cream of lowly mall vender. It's crust was spiced just right and the pastry sung in harmony.

I looked back at the strange little cafe with Carla Bruni music playing- the notes bouncing off of the Dr. Pepper vending machines and bottles of French made sparkling lemonade. The shoppers sipping their coffee and dipping their forks into their mussels with Nike store recipes on their tables. Stepping back into the outlet I thought to myself, sometimes it really is better to be ordinary than unique.

Cafe Vingt Cinq's Pastries

Seating area

Chicken Mushroom Crepe

ABQ Review: Holy Cow

2012-07-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow
www.holycownm.com
(505) 242-2991
700 Central Ave SE, ABQ NM

Atmosphere: 3/5
Front of House: 0/5
Kitchen: 2/5
Price Range: Expect to pay over $10 for lunch.
Bottom Line: Far from Beefy Bliss.

Holy Cow, indeed!

Holy Cow! is what I thought when I first saw the construction of a self proclaimed 'upscale' burger eatery between the UNM campus and downtown. Ready to be wowed by a lunch time menu to combat the dreariness of the local burger competition-- limp and wet diner food and certain McFast food items the microwave dinners of the fast food world. A burger not zapped by microwaves or tickled by melting pot griddles.

Located at 700 Central SE, Albuquerque, Holy Cow! sports a 50's style patio and diner. The interior is clean, open and somewhat antiseptic. The outside patio is lined with reflective metal chairs and tables kept cool from a thick and ominous patio ceiling. Akin to postmodern deconstructionist architecture, the enclosure is purpose missing the upper portion of the walls while retaining the bottom portion of greyish hue painted over cement blocks. While locked into the enclosure (and my mind can't help think about the meaty counterparts facing a similar enclosure) I admittedly was given the freedom to enjoy the cool Albuquerque breeze.

Chris Medina, owner of Holy Cow! states that "All of our meat is hormone-free, grass fed and double ground," while their buns are from local baker Fanobread. Much of the ingredients are local and recipes are said to be from scratch. And anyone who's anyone knows just how succulent grass fed beef is next to grain fed. The bar and grille has all the makings of a fantastic lunch spot when small celebrations and the desire for something 'above the cut' are in order.

The menu contains basic grille eatery, burgers, salads, shakes and sides. At the steep price of 8.50 and up for a burger Holy Cow!'s ambition to be taken serious as a burger joint becomes apparent. The menu explains that burgers are served medium with tomato, lettuce and onion-- fries and related fair to be purchased separately. Items of note on the menu included the Parmesan Zuchinni fries, Holy Cow burger: Smoked bacon, american cheese, thousand island dressing- Roasted beet salad: goat cheese, walnuts, argulia, vinaigrette, root beer floats and more.

But this holy cow has a dirty little confession to make before it wins it's way into culinary heaven. Slothfulness. What I would describe as either a lack of passion and respect for the quality of ingredients and it's neglect of it's customers. My Holy Cow! burger was sullied by an apathetic cook, brought to me far from medium overcooked, haphazardly lacking it's pridefully pink. The flavors and freshness of the burger tried in agony to sing great hymns but mouths were gagged by black charcoal bands. The juices in the burger were stolen of their luster and reduced, like a careless baker, to an unleavened loaf. The sweet and vibrant dressing, crisp lettuces and fresh tomato could not win the battle alone. It was as if the grey heavy paint of the concrete enclosure found a way to schlep itself into the food.

Where the burger gave me a taste of brilliance hidden under a darkened husk, the salad told it's own brilliant joke at my expense. It's state bewildered and confused me, patronized me and reminded me that my definition of a salad is simply not contemporary. The Ahi Tuna Salad was a burger of equal sized to it's cow cousin, the only discernible difference is the lettuces was seated next to the Ahi Tuna burger rather than within it. The fresh avocado was painfully tucked underneath the bun out of view and the over dressed salad was topped with a few small cubes of tomato. The flavors of the tomato and crunch of the lettuce were extinguished by the dressing, suffocated and requiring sips of water in-between careful and small bites of the green. Luckily I ate lunch with a close friend, as I would have felt an idiot ordering the salad and it arriving in it's mixed-media state in front of guests I was not familiar with. The Ahi-tuna had a delicate and desirable flavor but once again sin of Sloth was apparent in the choice cut of fish- it had been left too long on the fryer and the brilliant vibrating reds were substituted with a grey to greyish pink gradient. The lull in attention and care on the meat, a driver drifting of and head bobs down and up- in that split second disaster can strike and for this eatery, it did.

The choir service was also muffled. During the course of the meal I was not asked once as to the quality of the food or whether or not I was enjoying my experience. While I was excited to try the parmesan zuchinni fries they simply never arrived. I was forced keep my body painfully contorted away from the table to signal a server to ensure that I would not be charged for the fries. I managed to lock eye contact four times with one server over the course of nearly ten minutes, over empty tables and seats before giving up any inclination that he would decode my request for attention. I fixated my eyes on a separate server and after another bout of time she strolled over.

My original waiter came by and took it upon himself to remove our dishes and leave the check without first asking if we were finished with our meal (we were not). I was not asked after paying if I enjoyed my meal and after informing the server that my food had been overcooked I was thrown a quick insincere apology with no effort for emends. I was left in that moment with a check as thick as the burger and I enjoyed signing my name on it as much as I enjoyed my experience at Holy Cow!

With such marvelous flavors masked by carelessness, disrespect for the the fantastic ingredients and poor service, Holy Cow! has much to repent for. But this little eatery on central is far from hell. The mountain of purgatorial will be a tough climb but with such potential flavor they are almost guaranteed to reach their gastro-empyrean. Whether or not they do it in my lifetime is another matter, and most likely, unlikely.

ABQ Review: Asian Cafe

2012-07-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

Asian Cafe
www.asiancafe-nm.com
(505) 298-3000
1950 Juan Tabo Boulevard Northeast Albuquerque, NM 87112

Atmosphere: 2/5
Front of House: 4/5
Kitchen: 1/5
Price range: About $11 a plate.
Bottom line: I'd choose over fast food on late weekday evenings.

Surprisingly, Asian food seems to be no more rare than taco stands here in Albuquerque. Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese... hell, even Korean food can be found lining the streets. The southwest tongue has a taste for chili and spice and the eastern robust flavors can satisfy the craving for burn.

I too, had the same drive that brought me to the Asian Cafe located on Juan Tabo. My time at the Asian Cafe can be summed up simply- hot sauce that lacks kick, a pickle without the zest, over watered wasabi... sure, the content is there but it seems to be lacking in spirit.

The interior of Asian Cafe sports white walls, flowers which I can only assume are real, vibrant red napkins that are set against a chestnut brown table that is both warm and inviting. Nothing is necessarily wrong with the interior. I'd even go as far as saying the interior is rather nice. I'm sparred the seemingly required giant & empty fish tank featuring bulging goldfish, I'm spared awkward smells and grime. Simply, the interior is clean. But, it's unsettling. Mojito without the mint. The ceiling is covered with bright bulbs which seemed to lack dimming functions. Tables were pushed far apart, the negative space in between seem to cry for some kind of borders, objects, anything. Seated at the table I felt as if I was in the middle of a field at high noon rather than be nestled cozy for my midnight snack. The walls felt exceptionally bare. The entire restraint could be squeezed into the average family's kitchen and dining room without the feeling of being constricted.

Our host was our waitress she was exceptionally kind and prompt. She seated us at one of the furthest tables from the entrance, consequently, also from her hostess stand and the kitchen. She checked on us often, refilled water often, inquired on the quality of the food which resulted on watching her long and lonely treks from the to and fro.

For starters I ordered the Beef egg rolls composed of celery, carrots, cilantro served with a peanut dipping sauce. The rolls were dripping with grease. The flavor of the rolls should have been as bright as the lights. Under seasoned and bland come to mind, and the sauce was simply no savior. Where there should have been a vigorous peanut taste, there was a vague muddiness flavor.

The menu has items such as Mushu, Coffee Chicken, Thai curry, Wing Ding Chicken (which I would have loved to have in the wingding font) "seafood magic" and other more standard fare. Keeping simple we ordered the Moo Goo Gai with Chicken, Asparagus chicken, Pork Lo Mein and Kung pow chicken.

Before I was able to finish my egg rolls the food arrived on large flat plates which encouraged family style eating. Rice was not included which became justified when our side of rice arrived-- one side rice could easily provide enough for three or four people. The food was presented in a simple way. No frills, no garnish, no time wasted with plating. When I go to an Chinese restaurant for this price range I not only don't not only mind this but I prefer it. Sadly, the taste did not have the self assured dignity the presentation arguably did.

Like all else at the Asian Cafe, food wasn't really 'bad', it was just, there. Soulless cadavers of the brilliant flavors I know Chinese can represent. The asparagus chicken was far under-seasoned which is rather a shame because hints of a flavorful garlic sauce were buried underneath the blandness. The asparagus was far undercooked and because the plate was primarily asparagus really caused some culinary damage. The Moo Goo Gai pan was literally the same dish as the asparagus chicken, without the asparagus. The same sauce, composition, and under-seasoning. Frustrating. The pork lo mien was the prize winner of the night. The noodles were somewhat al dente, cooked perfectly really- and although the flavors were a bit vague the texture was exciting and compelling. The noodle bit back just enough to not leave a sloppy starchy mess. Whatever the lo mein brought to the table the kung pow chicken was a dangerous mess that smashed the delicacy of flavors that were there. The chicken, peppers and peanuts were covered in a thick black goo substance that had I ever eaten tar I would swear it was the same stuff. Nothing was subtle about it and if I had guessed the real ingredients I'd come up with two: a lot of soy sauce and a thickener such as cornstarch.

The Asian cafe feels a little introverted. As if they haven't found their voice yet, purposely dumbing down the flavors to accommodate for what a pompous chinese chef expects of an american pallet. But so long as the Mexican restaurants, and even fast food, sizzle my tongue with bright spices I hope the Asian cafe finds their spice as well.