Hollow Point Cuisine – Albuquerque, New Mexico

In every profession–from teachers to NFL players–some people exhibit qualities of greatness far beyond their peers. They seem to have been born to excel at what they do, to stand out and shine. They seem devoid of flaws and appear to execute without effort.  It begs the question “is greatness acquired or is it something with which you’re born.”  In the vocation of chef, Albuquerque has a perfect case study with which to ponder that question.  That chef is Mike White, perhaps the metropolitan area’s most honored chef over the past decade.

It’s pretty well established that Chef White did not attend culinary school. Gordon Ramsay didn’t attend culinary school either and he’s considered one of the world’s premier chefs.  Nor did Chef White learn to cook at a restaurant.  He’s entirely self taught.   Chefs can certainly be trained to cook well, but a great chef has that rare innate–instinctual–ability to put flavors together that leap off plates and cause diners to swoon in rapturous joy. They don’t need unique or strange ingredients. Their talent is born from years of focus and discipline coupled with unwaivering and constant attention to continuous improvement of technical skills.  Great chefs work hard and remain dedicated to being better every day.

Chef White got his start in restaurant management–at Albuquerque’s first Krispy Kreme.  He spent his paychecks on groceries to take home and learn to cook with while watching the Food Network.  With continuous trial and error, he taught himself to make pasta (as much a science as it is an art).  As with many chefs aspiring to move forward, he eschewed the corporate chef life to launch a food truck.  After an year of palate pleasing on the mean streets of Albuquerque, he opened up the Point Grill in Mariposa about four miles north of the Santa Ana Star Center. In the 2016 Taste of Rio Rancho, The Point Grill got the most votes in earning the People’s Choice award

In 2018, Chef White began plying his formidable skills for larger crowds at The High Point on Albuquerque’s west side.  It didn’t take long before more recognition came his way:  In 2018, Chef White earned the first of three (and counting) Chef of the Year honors from The New Mexico Restaurant Association. Also in 2018, his blended burger creation was among the twenty top vote-getters (from among hundreds of burgers) in the James Beard Foundation’s “Blended Burger Project.”  Accolades continued to pile up…then came 2020 and the dreaded Cabrona Virus.  It not only forced the closure of Rustico Italian Kitchen, his venture into Italian food, it changed life as all knew it.

With much of the  world shuttered, Chef White was determined to keep his restaurant alive.  Rather than laying off his staff, he didn’t pay himself.  It cost him his home and forced him to have to live in his truck, but the sacrifice allowed The Point Grill to remain open.   Eventually his restaurant was able to offer cubside service.  You can’t keep a great man down.  In April, 2024, Chef White added Hollow Point Cuisine to his repertore of restaurants.  He’s not a restaurant impressario who’ll be “collecting” new restaurants just because…  When he adds his name to a restaurant, you can rest assured he’s personally involved and  that you’re in for a great meal (or ten).

That said, Chef White isn’t involved in Hollow Point’s day-to-day kitchen operations.  He developed the restaurant’s concept, menu and recipes, but execution of that menu is the purview of Chef Jackson Davis.  Though he looks much younger than his experience, Chef Davis has been in the culinary world for years.  He’s got an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and Management and eight years experience in professional commercial dining in Arizona, including private events and catering through third parties.  Chef Davis (or “Jackson” as he introduced himself) is a personable  guy who visited our table twice to ensure our inaugural experience at Hollow Point was a pleasant one.

High Point Cuisine is located within Hollow Spirits Distillery, a distillery (content in italics taken from Hollow Spirits website)”not afraid to try something new and go against the grain.”  “Distilled in Downtown Albuquerque our grain to glass spirits are created with New Mexico red corn, high-quality grain, and a vibrant mix of botanicals. We proudly produce a variety of local spirits including Bourbon, Whisky, Agave (Tequila), Vodka, Rum, and Gin.”   “Here at Hollow Spirits, we have a brand-new beautiful rooftop patio perfect for celebrating your special occasions. The second story of our patio offers a gorgeous view of both the Albuquerque downtown skyline and the juicy Sandia Mountains that explode with color every evening at sunset.”

A scratch kitchen in every sense of the term, Hollow Point Cuisine offers a menu that features some of the treasures to which Chef White has introduced us over the years.  Among our favorites were dishes we have experienced at his previous restaurants–including the maple bacon sundae with which we fell in love at Point Grill.  The menu includes seven grilled entrees and five hand-made pastas.  We’ve visited restaurants helmed by Italian master chefs that don’t prepare pasta as well as it’s done on the premises of Hollow Point Cuisine.

As is our usual practice, we asked Esperanza, our delightful server, what menu item she liked best.  She became effusive when discussing the fresh Prince Edward Island (PEI) black mussels.  She actually had me at PEI, but why stop a declaration of love.  PEI mussels are sweet and tender, and they create deliciousness whether prepeared simply in white wine or in more complex sauces. PEI mussels are “mid-sized.”  Shells are about the length of your finger and  contain a plump morsel of meat inside.  An order of PEI mussels at Hollow Point rewards you with more than twenty of these magnificent mollosks.  They exemplify freshness.  Esperanza told us they’re alive until cooked.  The mussels are served in a broth of garlic, wine, tomatoes, shallots, lemons and herbs and are served with two slices of toasted bread.  You won’t want to waste a drop of that precious broth.  It would make a great soup.

Bacon-wrapped dates (six Medjool dates, smoked bacon, bourbon-honey whipped goat cheese and a drizzle of Balsamic) have become almost de rigueur in restaurants.  The challenge of balancing sweet and savory flavors so they work together without any one flavor profile dominating can be a bit much for some chefs.  Not so for Chef Davis.  Sweet and savory notes work in two-part harmony, each blending seamlessly with the other.  The salty smoked bacon and whipped goat cheese play swoon-worthy notes with the bourbon-honey while the rich complexity of the Balsamic lendsa fruity and tart compliment.  This is one of the best dates-goat cheese-bacon appetizers in Albuquerque.

As has been oft chronicled on this blog (perhaps ad nauseam), my Kim is the meat-eater in the family.  While her husband eschews steak, she loves it in every size and form.  The “Grilled Entrees” section of the menu lists only three chops, but perusing that section of the menu provided both joy and dilemma (which to order).  Ultimately she decided upon the filet tips (marinated bistro filet, red onion, bell pepper, mushroom and chimichurri) served on a bed of arugula salad.  The filet is redolent with the inimitable flavor of grilling which causes the proteins and sugars on the outside of the meat to undergo a reaction called the Maillard Reaction. This reaction produces a complex mixture of molecules that make food taste more savory or “meaty” and adds depth to scents and flavors.  The Maillard Reaction does its job well with the filet tips, as juicy and delicous as a premium filet mignon.

If any restaurant in the metropolitan area makes its own pasta as well as Chef White’s small family of restaurants, it doesnt come to mind.  It was inevitable that I would have one of Hollow Point’s five homemade pasta dishes, all of which beckoned.  Calling loudest was the pork belly carbonara (crispy, double-cooked pork belly, carbonara, Parmesan and fresh spaghetti).  Though I lack the basic motor skills to wrap spaghetti around a fork, I managed to cut the spaghetti into manageable strands.  Hollow Point’s pasta is perfectly al dente, the best you’ll find.  Parmesan adheres to that pasta with its sharp, salty, tangy, and pungent flavor.  The double-cooked pork belly is so reminiscent of chicharrones.  It’s cut into small pieces and offers a delightful crunch with the addictive flavor of rich, salty, savory pork.

In 2016, the Point Grill in Rio Rancho introduced us to Chef White’s bacon-toffee sundae, a “best of the best” choice for 2016.  Eight years later, we discovered the next best thing, Hollow Point’s maple bacon sundae, a goblet of greatness.  Maple covered bacon not only tops the sundae, overflowing remnants are strewn on the plate.  If you’ve ever wondered how bacon could possibly be any better, Hollow Point has an answer for you.  Vanilla ice cream and creamy caramel topped with whipped cream would have made this dessert superb.  Bacon takes it over the top.

So was Chef Mike White born to be a great chef or has he become a great chef courtesy of his disciple, hard-work and creativity?    Form your own opinion.  I’d rather contemplate just how delicious his creations are.

Hollow Point Cuisine
1324 1st St NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 433-2766
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 3 August 2024
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$$$
BEST BET: Pork Belly Carbonara, PEI Mussels, Filet Tips, Maple Bacon Sundae, Bacon Wrapped Dates
REVIEW #1413