February 26, 2022 Lunch - Beef and Lentil and Barley Soup with Corn Bread. Dinner - Mesa Provisions

February 26, 2022 Lunch - Beef and Lentil and Barley Soup with Corn Bread. Dinner - Mesa Provisions

Today I worked on the brief from 7:00 until 1200.

I then heated a bowl of beef, lentil, and barley soup with a buttered honied corn muffin. 

I can’t recall eating a more filling meal for the quantity of food in a long time.

I rested from 2:30 until 4:30 which revived me.

I dressed and Suzette and I left for the symphony at 5:20.

It took a while to navigate the vaccination review but we were in our seats by 5:50, when I decided to go to the restroom.  I walked briskly down the stairs and when I left the bathroom walked up the two flights of stairs without any difficulty. I was amazed and happy.

I was looking forward to the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2, but there was a change in the program.  Instead of the Rachmaninov, guest pianist, Ukrainian born Alexander Gavrylyuk, played solo on the new Steinway piano a short Rachmaninov piece and then three selections from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, the last being the “Gates of Kiev”.  It was the most stirring and powerfully rendition of Mussorgsky I have ever heard.

Then the orchestra returned and he joined them to play Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 1.

Gavrylyuk’s skill was immense and he pulled sounds out of the new piano I have rarely heard.  It was an exhilarating evening of music.

Mesa Provisions

After the symphony we met Cliff and Nancy at Mesa Provisions at 3120 Central in half the space previously housing Vivace at 8:00.  We waited a few minutes and when a table opened we were seated.

The menu was interesting with mostly small plate offerings. Cliff ordered the Brussels sprouts served with small dots of spicy hoisin and a puddle of sweet white miso honey sauce. The Brussels sprouts must have been blanched and then quickly deep fried because their outer leaves were super crispy and the middle was firm but soft and tender.  I was immediately impressed by the skill and creativity exhibited in the sauces.

Nancy and I ordered the Orange salad with slices of fresh orange, Manchego cheese, bite-sized pieces of radicchio, green Castelvetrano pitted olives, and a firm brown butter pistachio dressing coagulated in a puddle on the bottom of the plate, and Suzette ordered the kale salad with aged Gouda, butternut squash, dates, maple pecans dressed in a Bourbon Vinaigrette.  As soon as we ate the salads we realized that Chef Steve Riley had just as assured a hand and creative approach to the menu items as Alexander Gavrylyuk did to Mussorgsky.

Having the dressing coagulated in a puddle under the salad ingredients made one mix the dressing with the ingredients that I thought was an interesting concept.

I was blown away.  My immediate thought was that Mesa Provisions was the best restaurant in Albuquerque.

We had a good experience with the wine also.  Our waiter was very cooperative and brought me small tastings of two whites, a Spanish Verdejo from Rueda and a Grenache Blanc from Cote du Rhone.  Nancy had ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, but both she and Suzette liked the Verdejo when they tasted it.

Nancy ordered a glass of the Verdejo when she ordered a second glass.  We requested and were served two pieces of toasted French baguette to accompany our salads.

Cliff drank a La Cumbre beer.

Suzette and I also ordered a small plate of Moroccan meatballs with a Harrisa Sauce and Nancy and Cliff split the house specialty, 1/2 Smoked Chicken served with a bowl red Chile pinto beans cabbage slaw, pepita crema, and duck fat toasted tortillas.

Since Suzette and I were eating heavy spicy lamb meatballs, we chose reds.  Suzette chose a glass of the lighter Tenuta Garett’s “Rosina” Barbera di Asti and I chose a heavier St. Cosme Cotes Du Rhone Syrah.

The food was plated very attractively, the meatballs were served in a bowl covered with a tomato/ harrisa sauce and garnished with a small blob of yogurt and sprig of micro oregano.

I immediately ordered another small bowl of yogurt because I suspected that the harissa’s spiciness needed to be tamed a bit.

I was right. As soon as Suzette tasted her meatballs she took a dab of my yogurt and ordered another small dish of yogurt also.

The bright spiciness of the tomato/harissa sauce actually complemented the dense lamb meatballs, especially when a bit of yogurt was added to each forkful of meat and sauce. The flavors were so bright and exciting that neither of us could eat more than 2 1/2 of the 3 1/2 meatballs in each portion and our waiter graciously packed up the two remaining meatballs and sauce in a take-out cardboard box.

The 1/2 Smoked chicken was served at the same time as our lamb meatballs. Nancy and Cliff have a prefect relationship to chicken. Cliff likes dark meat and Nancy likes white.

Nancy gave us a taste of chicken and cabbage slaw and I liked the slightly sweet slaw that added a brightness to the bland but tender smoked chicken.

After we finished our entrees, our waiter presented us with the dessert menu.  We were full but one item caught my attention, Arancini Dulce, so we ordered one order of it with four spoons.

We were served a plate with three small round fried fritters set in a swirl of pistachio cream with a thin delicious quarter slice of candied orange balanced on top of each fritter. 

We dipped bites of fritter into the pistachio cream for a delightful creamy warm method of cleansing our mouths of the previous heavy meat flavors.

I felt that we received good value for our dining dollars. Each of our bills was under $100.00 for a three or four course dinner with wine and bread.

I highly recommend Mesa Provisions.  It is a wonderful addition to the fine dining scene in Albuquerque.

Bon Appetit

https://nmphil.org/music-