Bistro
Another day full of food discoveries..
Marty made us a Gravad Lax, red onion, arugula, spinach and cream cheese omelet for breakfast at 10:00. I toasted two slices of French Baguette and four slices of chile bread they bought at Michael’s kitchen in Taos. They spread cream cheese and orange marmalade on the toasted Chile bread and I spread butter and marmalade on the toasted French Baguette. The omelet was great. I love cooked cream cheese.
I went to the compost pile and picked fresh arugula and added a handful of baby spinach and chopped them.
After breakfast we drove to Coronado State Park. After looking at the pre-contact murals taken from the walls of the kivas in the 800 year old Pueblo. It appears that Coronado has contact with this Pueblo in 1540 on his expedition to the seven cities of cibola in the Midwest.
As we looked at the murals a volunteer came in and told us the park was closed. She told us we had to leave, which we did.
Marty wanted YoYo to try Texas BBQ. I googled BBQ restaurants in Bernalillo and found that the Freight Station at 200 Camino Pueblo was the best in Bernalillo. We drove there. It was a newly constructed development with very attractive décor.
I was amazed that this was another Matt DiGregory Restaurant.
The menu contained all the basics. Although there was a smoked meatloaf on the menu we ordered a beef brisket plate and a full rack of pork ribs plate. Marty and I ordered pints of Ex Novo Brewery’s “The most interesting Lager in the World”. Ex Novo is a new brewery opened in Corrales. It appears to be affiliated with two other Ex Novo breweries in Oregon; fascinating.
We ordered two baked bean sides, a Cole slaw, and calabacitas. The calabacitas were amazing, cubes of fresh zucchini, lightly sautéed with corn kernels, onion, kidney beans and black beans. The meats were also legit Smoked beef and ribs. The ribs had a rub, but the brisket did not seem to have been rubbed and the meat was tender although not wet. There were four sauces, a green chili sauce, a sweet and tangy stipules, an Alabama white sauce and a spicy catsup. We dipped the meat in the sweet and tangy sauce. I ordered a side of Red onions and was brought sautéed red onion. We liked the meal a lot and I would gladly go back.
We drove home and I lay down and napped until after 6:00 when Suzette awakened me to tell me to get ready for dinner.
I had made a reservation for five at Ajiaco on Silver near Girard. It appears to be the only authentic Colombian restaurant in Albuquerque, which probably means New Mexico. When the waitress started by asking if we wanted to order an appetizer Suzette ordered aMorciarepa, a tender corn cake garnished with two blood sausages stuffed with rice. This was perhaps the best dish of the night.
I was not hungry so I ordered an al a carte plate of about ten slices of Tajadas, deep fried ripe plantains. Willy joined us and ordered an arroz con pollo plate served with arepas, crisp fried corn meal and tajadas. A pile of rice sautéed with sofrito, vegetables, and chicken. The sauce reminded me of the Puerto Rican homemade Sofrito served at Suzette’s Greenhouse Bistro several weeks ago, a mix of tomatoes, mild peppers, and onions cooked into a sauce.
Suzette ordered the Pa?cd ccd .tacon con Ropa &Viejo, a dish. That combined stewed brisket with the sofrito sauce with a ramekin of beans. I could not any of Suzette’s dish because I had just eaten an excessive amount of smoked brisket and beans five hours earlier. Marty offered the share his paella with me. I loved it also. If we ever go back, I shall order it. It was the second best dish of the night. YoYo ordered the vegetarian platter that included an interesting dish named boronia (a mixture of plantains, eggplant, balsamic vinegar, and creole sauce) piled on skinned and sautéed peppers that Suzette loved. We all shared our meals and. Marty talked about our Meltzer side of the family from near Minsk.
I drank a very interesting drink, lulo, a fruit juice mixed with milk and ice into a loose smoothie. Willy ordered a guanabana juice that was similar. Both seemed to be combined ice, milk, and ice that cooled the juice. Suzette drank a Colombian beer and Marty drank a glass of Pinot noir.
I liked the unique menu, dishes, and food items offered by Ajiaco and hope it becomes a permanent part of Albuquerque’s food scene.
Finally by 8:15 we had eaten all we could eat and we took YoYo and Marty to their motel and said goodbye and went home to bed.
Bon Appetit
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