Albuquerque info?

Parent Cafe
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It’s difficult get green chile anywhere else because 85% of the state’s production is consumed in-state.

I was in Bozeman a few summers ago and stopped for dinner at a local upscale Mexican place there. I ordered (against my better judgement) the green sauce. It was tomatillos and fresh cilantro–OK, but it wasn’t “green sauce”. When the owner came over to ask how I liked my dinner. I explained I was disappointed the green sauce was actual green chile sauce–and he started laughing. Turns out he’s from Roswell and told me how impossible it is to get commercial quantities of green chiles. He gets his green fix because friends/relative from NM send hm fall care packages. (I do the same for friends who have moved to Idaho–ship them a 25 lbs. of frozen, roasted green chiles.)

La Salita is pretty good, but I haven’t been there for years. DH used to go there for lunch with guys from work–probably why we never used to go. Also there are better places closer to where I live.

If you’re coming off I-40, Sadie’s East Side location at 15 Hotel Circle ( go north from exit, east side of Eubank, between I-40 exit and Indian School)–even closer to the exit than La Salita. BTW, Sadies has full service bar. La Salita doesn’t.

[Sadie’s of New Mexico](http://www.sadiesofnewmexico.com)

There’s a Monroe’s at 1520 Lomas Blvd. Take the 12th (or 6th,4th or 2nd Sts) exit off I-40, go south to Lomas Blvd and then west.

If you’re on I-25, take the Montgomery exit, go east to San Mateo, then north to Osuna. Monroe’s is at 6051 Osuna Rd NE

[Monroe’s Chile](http://www.monroeschile.com)

For the New Mexico green chile cheeseburger fast food experience, go to any Blake’s Lotaburger. Get the green chile Lottaburger .They grill fresh when you order and will customize anything. They have a rotating seasonal menu of pretty decent milkshakes.

[Blake’s Lotaburger](http://www.lotaburger.com)

Church St Cafe is good. Elephant Bar–haven’t been there as I try to avoid eating at the chain restaurants in Uptown Mall. High Noon is meh, IMO.

Little Anita uses “plastic” cheese (Velvetta) in its rellenos and cheese enchiladas. Gack!

County LIne is meh–and it’s a chain restaurant out of Texas. Better BBQ can had at Dickey’s, Rudy’s or the Whole Hog Cafe (also chain restaurants).

More later–D1 is just got here for a visit from New England. We’re going out for some chile.

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Costco has giant jars of green chile salsa. The brand is Hatch Valley and they have a salsa that is mixed with tomatillos and one that is plain green chiles with a little lime and salt. It’s a bit chunky so I pour it into my blender and puree before cooking with it.

When I brought D3 back to school last August I was happy to find people roasting chiles at the local farmer’s market in Prescott, AZ. The supermarket also had a beautiful display of hatch chiles for a very low price. I brought a huge bag home. Too bad I can’t get that all the time!

My city has a restaurant called Santa Fe and it’s a terrible disappointment. All they would have to do is start roasting those chiles outside in the fall and everyone in the neighborhood would come in and want some. They are not even anywhere on the menu!

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You can order New Mexican green chile sauce from these vendors:

Monroe’s
http://www.monroeschile.com/chile-shop.html

El Pinto
http://www.elpinto.com/shop

Cervantes
http://cervantessalsa.com/Products.aspx

Sadie’s
http://www.sadiessalsa.com

Garcia’s
http://www.garciaskitchen.com/products-garcias-kitchen-nm.html

The Hatch Green Chile Store (fresh & frozen roasted green chile)
https://www.hatch-green-chile.com

Bueno Foods (frozen green or red chile, tortillas, masa, posole, entrees. Jarred red red & green sauces. Dried red chile & pods.)
https://buenofoods.com/chilestore/


Things D1 says absolutely no one in New England knows how to make decently

guacamole
salsa
tortilla chips
tortillas
green chile
red chile
Texas chili
margaritas

Her new mission in life is convince all her fellow medical residents that New Mexican is real cuisine by cooking for them. 

I routinely ship D1 red & green sauce, dried posole, masa flour and local salsa to enable her mission.

~~~~

Cocina Azul Old Town is an easy on-off from I-40

Exit I-40 at Rio Grand Blvd. Go south on Rio Grand to Mountain Rd (it's the first stop light). Turn east, go past the Natural History Museum & Explora Science Museum to the corner of Mountain & 12th st.--about 1 mile.

Cocina Azul Heights

Exit I-25 at Montgomery. Go east on Montgomery about 1 mile to 4243 Montgomery on north side of street (2nd stop light from exit, Carlisle Blvd is the first)

[Cocina</a> Azul](<a href="http://www.cocinaazul.com%5DCocina">http://www.cocinaazul.com)
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New hipster dining recommendations:

Rockin’ Taco for street syle tacos at the Green Jean Farmery-- a repurposed shipping container development with microbreweries, pizza, juice bar, expresso bar, ice cream (made w/liquid nitrogen), burgers, an all locally sourced deli (open for breakfast) and a co-op climbing gym.

No indoor seating.

Most the of food vendors are former food truck operators.

http://www.greenjeansfarmery.com

Just off the 1-40 and Carlisle exit. Very colorful! Can’t miss it.

D1 says the daily-changing menu options for tacos are exceptional. Options have included: lobster, mahi-mahi, duck confit, barbaquoa, tequila lime shrimp, tuna tartare, carnitas, pollo asado, chicken tinga, turkey mole, carne asada, carne adovada, mixed variety mushrooms, humitas.

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So there’s lunch sorted for Tuesday! Thanks for the tip, @WayOutWestMom- from a WayBackEastMom!

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@WayOutWestMom - finally got to Cocina Azul on my way through Albuquerque on Tuesday. It was great! I wanted to cry for only having one stomach when they had 3 kinds of green or red chile stew and posole too! I got the green chile stew with steak and one chile relleno to go. Delicious and fiery!

Last spring, we got to Albuquerque so late that most restaurants were closed. We found a dive open on the south side of town and 3 of ate for $10 and change! It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for but it was good and everyone was friendly and helpful. Lots of working class families there. I wish I could remember the name.

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If you’re anywhere near the Hispano Cultural Center in the South Valley, you HAVE to go to El Modelo. (It’s under the RR bridge off Broadway & 2nd SE.) El Modelo is the very definition of a dive and it’s take out only with 2 picnic tables in the parking lot, but they have the best tamales in central New Mexico. (And that’s saying something!) Everything else is pretty good too. I love their carne desebrada (stewed brisket in green chile) and stuffed sopas.

http://www.allmenus.com/nm/albuquerque/27757-el-modelo-mexican-food/menu/
https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-modelo-mexican-foods-albuquerque

And darn! Now you got me thinking of chile… I haven’t been to Cocina Azul in about 5 weeks. (Though I did have enchiladas at Los Cuartes Tuesday.) I’m going to need to go get my chile fix there tomorrow.

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We loved our back-in-time visit to the lunch counter at Duran’s Central Pharmacy in ABQ. In addition to a lot of great restaurant meals, I had pleasant lunches at the dining halls at UNM and St. John’s on my visit. Not bad green chile! UNM has a permanent New Mexican station in their cafeteria.

I love it when college food service includes the local cuisine. A highlight of my tours this year was a lunch of BBQ brisket and Dr. Pepper at Baylor. When in Rome!

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Two pages of ABQ restaurant recommendations and no mention of Los Pollos Hermanos?! >:)

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Hey–I did recommend The Grove Cafe --where Walter poisoned Lydia over breakfast. 8-X