Author: Gil Garduno

Since 2008, the tagline on Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to “Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico’s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.” To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.
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Theobroma Chocolatier – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

For many men, February 14th is the most dreaded day of the year. It’s a day in which our boundless capacity for bad taste comes to the fore. Though well-intentioned, when it comes to women and romance, we’re clueless.  You might not know it, but shopping for women is the biggest cause of anxiety among American men. There’s nothing like the crushingly disappointed look on your lover’s face as she unwraps the latest bad gift to quell the ardor in a man’s heart. Worse, our anguish has been made public thanks to the annual global dissemination of an e-mail entitled “ten worse Valentine’s Day gifts.” Most men would rather find themselves on the annual “Darwin Awards” e-mail similarly circulated worldwide…

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Ramona’s Mexican Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.” ~Laurie Colwin, Novelist Watch virtually any episode of Kitchen Nightmares and you might just be convinced that families can’t possibly work together in a restaurant.  Kitchen Nightmares, one of Gordon Ramsay’s eight-hundred or so television shows, is rather formulaic–Ramsay spends a week with a failing restaurant in an attempt to revive the business.  Almost invariably, the failing restaurant is owned and operated by a family.  Almost invariably, the drama falls just short of Homer strangling Bart.  Arguments on Kitchen Nightmares are loud and intense.  Copious…

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Thai Spice – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

“Thai food ain’t about simplicity. It’s about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it’s got to have a smooth surface but it doesn’t matter what’s happening underneath. Simplicity isn’t the dictum here, at all. Some westerners think it’s a jumble of flavors, but to a Thai what’s important, it’s the complexity they delight in.” ~Chef David Thompson Complexity of flavors, disparate elements, a jumble of flavors…these are the expectations diners have come to expect from Thai restaurants. The underlying foundation of Thai cuisine, going back to Chinese influences as early as the 10th century, is to achieve a satisfying and exciting taste experience through the relationship between five fundamental tastes: sweet,…

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Red and Green: New Mexico’s Culinary Scene is on Fire: November, 2024

Gil Garduno

ALBUQUERQUE VEGAN RESTAURANT AMONG AMERICA’S TOP 100: In its compilation of the Top 100 Vegan Restaurants in the US for 2024, Yelp elaborated: “Once a niche cuisine, plant-based food—free of animal ingredients—is now a top dining trend, as more consumers choose diets for a healthier body and planet.”  Everyman philosopher Homer Simpson continues to resist that trend, preferring pork-based products to health: “I’d be vegetarian if bacon grew on trees.”  One point Yelp didn’t make is that vegan and vegetarian restaurants are serving food that’s absolutely delicious–whether it’s Mediterranean, Mexican or Moroccan.   As Albuquerque’s Vegos Vegan New Mexican has proven, even New Mexican cuisine can be made deliciously vegan style.  Vegos ranked 66th in Yelp’s compilation. TALKING ABOUT TACOS:  Tacos aren’t…

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Island Vibes Cuisine – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

“Come on JamaicaIn Jamaica all dayDancing with your darlingDo Jamaica jerk-off that way Come on JamaicaEverybody sayWe’re all happy in JamaicaDo Jamaica jerk-off that way.” ~Jamaica Jerk Off by Elton John On the surface, Elton John’s 1973 hit Jamaica Jerk Off seems to be about “enjoying yourself by yourself” while in Jamaica.    That’s the way many of us interpret it.  It can also be interpreted as an ode to the joys of goofing off in a tropical island location.  Lyrics seem to indicate the flamboyant troubadour was indeed expressing his appreciation for the island’s pulsating energy. As a culinary observer, I prefer to believe the playful tune is about leaving off just a bit of Jamaican jerk seasoning to…

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Lavender Cocinita – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

According to Simply Beyond Herbs, “many people find lavender’s gentle fragrance helps center their thoughts and enhance cognitive abilities. It can provide a sense of mental freshness, enabling one to think and make decisions more clearly; this is particularly beneficial during intense work, studying, or when facing challenging tasks requiring heightened concentration.  Whether used as an essential oil, dried flowers, or as part of a relaxing environment, lavender’s influence on mental clarity is valued by many who seek improved focus and a clearer mind.” Hmm, sounds like something we all can use. If you’ve ever attended Los Ranchos De Albuquerque’s annual Lavender Festival, you can probably benefit from lavender’s calming effect as you vie for a parking spot up close…

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Hello Deli – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

HELLO DELI (to the tune of Hello Dolly) “Hello Deli, this is Joe, Deli would you please send up a nice corned beef on rye. A box of RITZ, Deli and some Schlitz, Deli Some chopped liver and a sliver of your, apple pie. Turkey Legs, Deli hard boiled eggs, Deli and a plate of those potatoes you french fry, oh Don’t be late, Deli I just can’t wait Deli, Deli without breakfast, I’d just die.” ~ Frank Jacobs (Writer for MAD Magazine) In 2016, BBC Travel lamented the imminent demise of the New York City deli.  “Not the corner markets or bodegas that appear on nearly every New York block,” but “the true New York City delicatessen: the brick and…

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Level 5 Rooftop Restaurant at Hotel Chaco – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

The Hotel For a nearly four-hundred year period, the Anasazi civilization which preceded New Mexico’s Pueblo cultures achieved the pinnacle of its technological and cultural advancement at a magnificent,  deep gorge called Chaco Canyon. Within the walls of Chaco Canyon, construction of multi-level buildings sprung up, some structures accommodating as many as  800 rooms. Not surprisingly, lower walls had to be made massive in order to support heavy stone walls up to five floors high.  It took remarkable planning to locate doors, passageways, kivas and other architectural features.  At five stories high,  Pueblo Bonito was the largest structure and the inspiration for Hotel Chaco’s spectacular venue in Albuquerque’s Sawmill District. In 2017, local developer Heritage Hotels launched Hotel Chaco on…

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Craft Republic – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

For several months every four years, Americans are subjected to a seemingly interminable number of television commercials, radio ads and social media postings advocating for candidates running for political office.  Opposing idealogies would have you believe the “other guy or gal” was of dubious character with “extreme” points of view.  One-minute snippets pandering primarily to “undecided” voters may have unintentionally created even more cynics and malcontents among eligible voters.  Some of us wished the sadistic “mean season” was as simple and decisive as selecting the winner of the annual New Mexico State Fair Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge. While the New Mexico State Fair hosts a number of food related competitions, none garner as much attention as the green chile cheeseburger…

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Herencia – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

When he founded Los Equipales in 1996, restaurant impresario Henrique Valdovinos admitted “I wouldn’t have tried this ten years ago, but I think people are ready for it.”  As recently as a quarter-century ago, two types of Mexican restaurants existed across the fruited plain.  Most common were those sharing reciprocal expectations with diners who expected and received such stereotyped “Mexican” food as fajitas; hard-shelled tacos filled with ground beef, cheese, lettuce and sour cream; chiles rellenos made with bell peppers and enough yellow cheese to clog a dinosaur’s arteries.  Denizens under the spacious skies didn’t know any better and enjoyed the watered down versions of the real deal.  This “Mexican” food became mainstream. The other type of Mexican food restaurants…

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Luigi’s Ristorante & Pizzeria – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno

Luigi’s is the eponymous brainchild of Luigi Napolitano whose very last name translates to citizen of Naples, the city from which his mother Tina emigrated more than four decades ago. Tina is the bread-baking, pasta-making dynamo in the kitchen and is also responsible for many of the restaurant’s homey touches.  Tina painstakingly hand-sewed the delicate lace covering over each lamp (above) as well as the curtains over each booth.  Other homey touches include viney plants hanging from pillars throughout the restaurant and a framed picture of the Mona Lisa hanging above the buffet. Tina, a spry octogenarian, is one of the sweetest, kindest restaurateurs you could ever hope to meet.  She’s cut down the hours she works and sometimes the…