Tula: “My mom was always cooking foods filled with warmth and wisdom…
and never forgetting that side dish of steaming-hot guilt.”
As it celebrates its twenty year anniversary the 2002 Rom-Com “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” remains as timeless and funny as it was when it debuted. Moreover, it’s still a heart-warming movie with which some of us can relate. In my estimation, it could easily have been called “My Big Fat Northern New Mexican Wedding” and it could have been set in Peñasco. The similarities between Greek families and Northern New Mexican families around which I grew up were startling. That’s especially true about the food, family and eccentricities, the latter especially prominent among the movie’s well-meaning and hovering aunts and the protagonist’s domineering father. My Big Fat Greek Wedding centers around Tula Portokalos, who at thirty is only woman in her family who has failed to find a nice, Greek husband and have babies. Living at home, Tula works as hostess at her family’s restaurant, “Dancing Zorba’s.”
Tula describes her younger self as a “swarthy 6-year-old with sideburns” who was shamed by blonde schoolmates for eating “moose caca” (moussaka). Tula remains frumpy and insecure until early in her third decade when she practically wills herself into becoming a successful, confident, open-minded woman. Eventually Tula falls for a white Protestant professor who is definitely not Greek. She doesn’t see how it could ever work – how she could possibly explain her eccentric and oft-obnoxious family to someone so different. And, how could she explain to her meat-loving family that he’s a vegetarian? (“What do you mean, he don’t eat no meat? That’s okay, that’s okay. I make lamb.” – Aunt Voula) To her surprise, their relationship gets serious quickly, and before she knows it, the odd couple is engaged. What her beau doesn’t know is that he’s engaged not just to Tula, but to her whole family.
Learning that Dion’s, a perennial favorite of pizza paramours throughout New Mexico, planned to launch a new restaurant named Tula’s certainly piqued our interest. On top of that, a phalanx of food quotes from the movie flooded into my one track mind. It turns out Tula’s isn’t named for the main character in Greek Wedding, but for co-founder Jon Patten’s late aunt Tula who was known for her flavorful, scratch-made cooking. The name Tula is apparently short for Athenoula, a Greek name and variation of Athena. Athena, you might recall from Greek Mythology, is a half-sister of Dionysius (Dion). In that regard the names of the sibling restaurants make a lot of sense.
Tula’s Kitchen opened its doors in October, 2022 at the La Cueva Town Center on the northeast corner of Paseo del Norte and Wyoming, N.E. Fittingly its next-door neighbor is one of the 25 Dion’s restaurants throughout the Duke City. Tula’s is immaculate, a white-washed facade accentuated by dark accents. We half expected more Greek touches (such as a whitewashed exterior with blue accents and doors), but were actually relieved to discover that while Tula’s menu does offer some Greek specialties, it’s not a Greek restaurant. Nor does the menu replicate what you can find at Dion’s (though you can get Dion’s fabulous green chile ranch dressing).
The Tula’s concept is designed to offer modern dining (simple, delicious food constructed from quality, high-end and fresh ingredients) built for family dinners. Tula’s is an attractive and capacious space built for dining in all seasons. A separate bar area is set aside by a half wall that still smelled like freshly cut lumber when we first visited. Seating capacity accommodates about 130 guests while another 60 can dine at an outdoor patio with a fire pit. Unlike at Dion’s, Tula’s is a full service restaurant. Our beautiful server Gill (short for Gillian) was a peripatetic presence, taking wonderful care of us as well as several tables in our immediate vicinity. Service has always been a staple at Dion’s and appears to be a priority for Tula’s as well.
A smart menu will win over repeat visitors. It’s not an overly ambitious menu, offering a relatively small number of items–ostensibly prepared extraordinarily well. Three “shareables” (appetizers) and four fresh salads (served with pita wedges) should get you started on good footing. Deciding on an entree will be a greater challenge. You can opt from the “Tula’s Favorites” section of the menu or scroll down to the “Tasty Sandwiches” section. Grilled sandwiches are a focus area at Tula’s. They’re crafted with artisanal cheeses and house-baked bread. As with the sandwiches, items on the “Craveable Chicken” section of the menu are served with a cup of soup, Tula’s tots or a signature salad. Three soups are available, too, each a sure cure for winter’s bite.
12 November 2022: Contrary to a recent online meme, charcuterie is not French for “I’d like a sandwich, but I don’t have any bread.” There are no hard and fast rules for how charcuterie should be eaten. Salami snobs might, for example, poo-poo the presence of cheese on a board. Similarly, they’ll tell you bread has no functional role on a board. My advice–after years of enjoying charcuterie–is to have it your way. One of the three “shareables” on Tula’s menu is a charcuterie board (a selection of meats and cheeses with nuts, house-made pickles, Kalamata olives, and fruit, served with toasted pita). While the toasted pita wedges makes it easy to construct small sandwiches with the salami, prosciutto and the thin cheese slices, we instead enjoyed each item on the plate individually. This mishmash of meats, cheeses, veggies and fruits was a nice introduction to the Tula’s menu.
12 November 2022: On the “Tula’s Favorites” section of the menu you’ll find marinated grilled kabobs (two citrus-marinated beef or pork kabobs with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes, served with roasted potatoes and broccolini). These are not kabobs the type of which are served as a “sandwich” within pita, but savory skewers showcasing the marriage of meats and veggies. Tula’s gives you the option of beef or pork. The citrus-marinated beef is steak-quality though prepared to about medium-well which might not be to your liking. Veggies were prepared at about a medium degree of doneness which bodes well for the cherry tomatoes, but not so much for the green peppers. We didn’t get much of a “citrus marinade” flavor from either meat or veggies. Frankly, my favorite item on this entree was the broccolini, a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli. It reminded me of the cheesesteak broccolini sandwiches so popular in Philadelphia (hint for Tula’s chefs).
12 November 2022: My Kim also opted for an item from the “Tula’s Favorites” section of the menu. Her choice was the lemon and herb roasted chicken (a marinated half chicken served with roasted potatoes and Tula’s signature salad). This is a classic Greek chicken–well-seasoned, nicely charred and very flavorful. The latter adjective may surprise regular readers who recognize how easily I’m bored by chicken that isn’t fried. I would probably never order it myself, but sure enjoyed Kim having shared bits and bites of it. Accompaniment was excellent. In addition to the aforementioned broccolini, small, cubed roasted potatoes and Tula’s signature salad (cucumber, red onion, feta, grape tomatoes drizzled with vinegar and oil) graced the plate.
12 November 2022: Tula’s offers four “Sweet Treats:” peach crepes, berry cobbler, chocolate walnut brownie and an ice cream sundae though we were both too full to partake. That’s saying something about Tula’s prodigious portions. Beverages include Dion’s popular lemonade as well as a number of “mocktails,” Italian sodas and adult libations. As a Javaphile (a new term for coffee lover), I rarely get past coffee on any beverage menu. Tula’s coffee comes from Four Leaf Coffee, a Shamrock Foods product. We were surprised at how much we enjoyed this elixir and its rich aroma and flavor.
8 November 2024: The “Mediterranean Diet” has long been touted as a heart-healty eating plan which emphasizes healthy fats, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds. It’s been shown to reduce risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, certain cancers, depression, and in older adults, a decreased risk of frailty, along with better mental and physical function. If the diet was comprised of Tula’s Mediterranean Nosh (Mediterranean-style hummus, olive tapenade, served with seasonal vegetables and sumac-dusted pita chips), some of us non-believers might become converts to a more healthful eating lifestyle.
“Seasonal vegetables” may include such crispy delights as carrots and celery, both de rigueur offerings for many types of dips. Much more impressive were stuffed peppadew peppers with their unique sweet piquancy. Peppadew peppers don’t rate very high on the Scoville Scale, but on a scale of deliciousness, they’re right up there. Not only is the pita dusted with sumac, one of my favorite seasonings, it’s flash fried to make it crispy. While not quite a vegetable, who can resist cubed cheese and cherry tomatoes, two other favorites from the Nosh plate.
8 November 2024: Though usually a bartender, our server Nina offered to take care of guests on the heated patio during a lull in activity. Nina is an amazing server, one of the best we’ve met. She doesn’t appear much older than 25, but she served as a University police officer for 25 years before retiring. She’s responsive, kind and so helpful. I would say that even if she hadn’t recommended one of the best Reubens (hot pastrami, turkey, Swiss, and sauerkraut, served with our Thousand Island Dressing on marbled rye) I’ve had in New Mexico. She raved about it. So did I after enjoying half of it. This is a skyscraper tall Reuben with layers upon layers of ingredients working harmoniously to titillate your taste buds.
Every item on the “Tasty Sandwiches” section of the menu is served with Tula’s Village or Quinoa Salad, Tula’s Tots, or a cup of soup. You can upgrade to mac & cheese or a side salad for a pittance more. You’ll want to upgrade to the green chile chicken stew, one of the most unique renditions in New Mexico. In fact, its more akin to a hybrid green chile chicken stew and a tortilla soup. At the top of the bowl, you’ll find crispy tortilla chip strips, sliced avocado and a lime slice. Below that layer is some of the most tasty green chile chicken stew you’ll find. It’s best enjoyed as an amalgam; mix the layers for best flavor results. This is a soup you’ll want on cold winter days.
8 November 2024: New to Tula’s menu are several items including souvlaki (marinated chicken or pork with tomato, onion, and lettuce, served with tzatziki on pita bread). As with the sandwich menu, the souvlaki includes Tula’s Village or Quinoa Salad, Tula’s Tots, or a cup of soup. Fold over the tortilla-sized pita and you can enjoy the souvlaki “gyros” style or fork it over to your eagerly awaiting mouth. Whether on the souvlaki marinade or on a seasoning added after preparation, one of the flavors I discerned was cardamom. Nina checked with the kitchen and was told there was no cardamom used. My taste buds don’t usually fail me so if anyone reading this tries the souvlaki, please let me know if you, too, detect the spice. At any regard, the souvlaki is excellent. As her side, my Kim asked for and very much enjoyed a cucumber salad with champagne vinaigrette.
In its May, 2023 edition Albuquerque The Magazine awarded Tula’s Kitchen a”Hot Plate Award” for being a “hot meet-up spot.” This award is bestowed by the editors and staff of the Magazine “for dishes, drinks, concepts, ideas or persons who are doing amazing things in our local culinary scene.” Tula’s was described as boasting of “something few restaurants have; order at the counter, grab a seat and get treated to an otherwise standard dining experience.”
Dion’s has been serving New Mexico for some forty years. It remains to be seen whether Tula’s Kitchen will have similar longevity. One thing is for certain, it’s got the pedigree to be a people-pleasing success for a long time.
Tula’s Kitchen
8100 Wyoming Blvd., N.E., Suite G
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 418-4488
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 8 November 2024
1st VISIT: 12 November 2022
# OF VISITS: 2
RATING: 23
COST: $$$
BEST BET: Charcuterie, Lemon and Herb-Roasted Chicken, Marinated Grilled Kabobs, Mediterranean Nosh, Reuben, Souvlaki
REVIEW #1301