I thought our night in Albuquerque was going to be one of
those means-to-an-end stops. The
“means” being a late night arrival from the East Coast, needing a bed on
which to put our heads and a restaurant to fill our bellies the next day before
we hit the road. The “end” being those
more desirable, storied parts of New Mexico- Santa Fe, Taos- for which we were
destined.
As with so many times when I have had no expectations, a
city managed to surprise me.
John had booked the Hotel Andaluz with little more to go on
than their claim to be the only boutique hotel in Albuquerque. Driving through the rather desolate streets
of downtown, in the shadow of large, chain hotels, it was a bit of a shock (and
a relief) to walk into serene interior of the Andaluz, complete with intricate
wood paneling seemingly lifted of the walls of some Moorish hacienda in Spain.
It turned out the Andaluz is the only historic hotel still
standing in Albuquerque. After a recent
$30 million renovation it is unique in an otherwise sea of standard room
offerings. Though just steps from the
Convention Center and the somewhat seedy nightlife of Central Avenue, the Andaluz had the charm more often found in boutique hotel-rich cities like San Francisco and Miami.
Further, at only $100 for the room, the Andaluz would turn out to be the
best hotel deal in our three week American West Road Trip.
By the time we checked in, the hotel’s restaurant, run by one of New Mexico’s most well
respected chefs, had long since closed.
But the pleasant woman at the front desk recommended a nearby bar she
claimed to hang out at herself on her nights off.
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| Crowd lining up to order at the counter at Frontier. |
Even though it was past midnight on a Monday, The Anodyne did
not make us feel unwelcome. There were
still enough people milling about, playing pool, or nursing a beer from one of
the thirty-plus taps that we felt right at home. The bar doesn’t serve food but we had heard
there were chips and salsa available, apparently all gone by the time we
arrived. Unperturbed, we ordered a Macallan each and called that dinner.
Even before the hotel clerk recommended Anodyne, it turns
out we had already heard the best tip we would have from a local. The employee at Thrifty Car Rental, a
friendly girl with white-blond hair dip-dyed Smurf-blue, had given us the full
run down at the counter on all her favorite things to do in the area. Frontier, she insisted, was the place to go if we wanted a taste of
“real” Southwestern cuisine.
Frontier was the sort of restaurant we would have
driven right by without a second look if not for the recommendation. The red and white barn exterior, not to mention its
location directly across from the university, seemed more Waffle House than Beacon of Authentic Southwestern Cuisine.
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| Chicken enchiladas with chopped green chiles. |
I realized with one bite of my chicken enchiladas buried
under a mountain of chopped New Mexican green chiles with just the smallest
sprinkle of melted cheddar, that all these years I had been eating enchiladas
the wrong way. As for John’s adovada soft tacos, I had never before heard of
that particular way of marinating pork in a red chile sauce. The heat on both was just right- the slow
tingling that develops over time without burying the flavors of the sweet
marinade, savory pulled meats, and salty chips on the side.
It was hard to imagine we would eat better Southwestern food
after Frontier, and that was our very first meal in New Mexico. There would be more excellent meals as we
took the high road out of town to Santa Fe and then on to Taos. But that first amazing
meal, on the recommendation of a total stranger, was a good reminder than on a
road trip, sometimes the “means” was the “end” you were looking for all along.
Hotel Andaluz
125 2nd St NW Albuquerque, NM, 87102888 734 8503
125 2nd St NW Albuquerque, NM, 87102888 734 8503
Anodyne
409
Central NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
409 Central NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
