Family Restaurant for Thirty Years

In the video above, I interviewed the owner's son Tomas, which he seemed to be a very nice man. A few of the points that I want to reemphasize from the video are the history of the restaurant, the ingredients to their salsa, the way the red chili is cooked, and where their main food products come from in their establishment. From the interview, I learned that El Patio opened about thirty years ago and that this restaurant is a family business. I also learned that the restaurant building was originally a house for the family. The ingredients for the salsa are tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and garlic salt. The way that the restaurant cooks their red chili is by cooking and grinding the chili. Then, the chefs strain the chili. Finally, the chefs cook the chili with water, oil, and garlic salt. One of the last aspects that I learned was that they get their main food products from Zanios. Please comment about your experiences at El Patio De Albuquerque. If you want me to write all the information from the interview, please let me know. The next restaurant that I am going to review is Barelas Coffee House.

El Patio De Albuquerque Part I

First, I would like to thank Shay and Lori for recommending El Patio De Albuquerque. On Saturday at 3:00 p.m., I went to El Patio De Albuquerque to review their restaurant. The address of El Patio De Albuquerque is 142 Harvard Dr. SE, and the phone number is 268-4245. When I arrived, I waited less than a minute to be seat. The waiter asked if I preferred to eat outside on their porch or inside their restaurant. I told him that I would like to eat inside their restaurant. The waiter sat me at a table inside their establishment. I look over the menu and there was a good amount of dishes to choice from in the restaurant. I asked the waiter which are the most popular dishes in their restaurant, and the waiter told me three of their most popular dishes. The most popular dish at this restaurant is the green chili chicken enchiladas, which costs $8.35. The second most popular dish at this restaurant is the El Patio Combinacion, which cost $11.75. The third favorite dish is the stuffed sopapilla that costs $7.75. I decided to go with the El Patio Combinacion. This dish comes with two flat enchiladas, a chili relleno, and a taco. The side orders on this dish are potatoes, beans, and a sopapilla. You have your choice of red or green chili. I chose to have red chili in my dish and order their chips and salsa. My waiter placed the order and gave me the appetizer. The chips and salsa was a nice appetizer. The salsa had a good amount of flavor and a nice little spicy kick to it. My main dish took about 7 to 8 minutes to arrive at my table. The cheese was nicely melted on the enchiladas and the chili relleno. The enchiladas were hot and a little spicy. The chili relleno was soft, juicy, and had a good amount of cheese in the middle. The taco was crunchy and juicy. Finally, I tried the side orders. The sopapilla was soft, crusty, warm, and melts in your mouth. The potatoes were soft and had a good amount of flavor in it. The beans were nice and juicy. The meal was good. I enjoyed eating in this establishment. I give the restaurant 3 and half forks. The video that I have posted above will give you a better view of my meal and the atmosphere of the restaurant. Hopefully this Tuesday, I will interview the son of the owner. Please tell me your own experiences at El Patio De Albuquerque.

What Makes A Restaurant New Mexican & More

A couple of viewers, such as Lori and Susan Romano, have asked what makes a restaurant New Mexican. In order to answer this question, I went back to Los Cuates and asked the manager Leslie. He stated that the aspect that makes his restaurant New Mexican is the style of food. He said that they use more meat and less seafood and rice. It is not as Mediterranean as other Hispanic dishes. When a restaurant states that they are a New Mexican restaurant, they are talking about the style of food. Anyone can start a New Mexican restaurant if they just follow the style of food, which you can study from other New Mexican restaurants. I also do not believe that it is impossible for an immigrant to become a New Mexican. I liked Geoff's idea of making a scale for the restaurants that I going to review. I have decided to make a scale of one to five forks. One fork being the worst restaurant and five forks being the best restaurant. For Los Cuates, I give them 4 forks. For Las Mananitas, I give them 4 and half forks. Again, I will be reviewing El Patio De Albuquerque. Please leave any questions that you wish for me to ask the waitress, manager, or owner.

300 Year Old Restaurant

After I ate my meal, I interviewed the waitress Elda Terraza. She has been working at this restaurant for 20 years. My perception of Elda is that she is a very nice lady. From this interview, I learned that this building is 300 hundred years old. People have dinned in this building since the colonial periods. I also learned that Las Mananitas means many things-happy times, life's celebration and all the good things to come. One of the questions that I asked was what are the other popular dishes in this restaurant? She stated that the flat enchiladas are another popular dish. The price for the flat enchiladas is $8.75, but if you want it with huevo, it is $9.75. I also asked where do you get your food products? She answered that they get some of their products from Buenos; however, she also state that "they mostly make everything themselves fresh." I also learned some of the ingredients for the plato de combinacion. Some ingredients for this dish are salt, bacon grease for the beans, and corn bread for the chili relleno. Another aspect that I learned was the way the chefs cook their enchiladas. First, they fry the tortillas. Then, they place the meat that you ordered into the tortillas. Finally, they put the chili you order on top of the enchiladas. They also cook the rice by boiling or frying it. Finally, the last feature that I learned was that customers can ask for a tour of the facility. I would recommend that you take a tour of the building if you are going to dine in this restaurant This is where the interview ended. The video that I have placed above is to give you a taste of the environment and the atmosphere of the restaurant. My next restaurant review will be El Patio De Albuquerque.

Las Mananitas Restaurant Part I

First, I would like to thank Nathan for recommending Las Mananitas. On Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., I went to Las Mananitas Restaurant to review this establishment. The address of Las Mananitas Restaurant is 1800 Rio Grande Blvd NW, and the phone number is 242-6334. When I arrived, the host greeted me and gave me a table right away. I looked over the menu, but there was not many dishes to chose from in this restaurant. I asked which are the most popular entrees in their restaurant, and the waitress told me that one of the popular dishes is the plato de combinacion. The plato de Combinacion comes with a chili relleno topped with green chili, a tamale topped with red chili and cheese, and a cheese enchilada for $9.95. However, you can change the cheese enchilada for a shredded beef or chicken enchilada for $10.95. I substituted the cheese enchilada for a chicken enchilada. My waitress Elda Terraza placed the order and in about 5 or 6 minutes, my main course had arrived. The cheese on the dish was freshly melted and it smelled terrific. I first went for the sopapilla. It was fresh, soft, crusty, and very tasty. Finally, I went for the main dish. Everything was freshly made on this plate. The chicken in the enchilada was fresh and had a good amount of flavor. The chili was spicy. Just the way I like it. The whole meal was delicious. The whole experience at this restaurant was great. The waitress and the owner were very polity and courteous. After I ate my dish, I interviewed the waitress who has worked in this restaurant for 20 years. She also gave me a tour of the restaurant. You can read my interview in the next post. Please tell me your own experiences at Las Mananitas Restaurant!

Los Cuates Part II

After I ate my meal, I interviewed the manager

Leslie of Los Cuates. My perception of Leslie is that he is a nice man. From this interview, I learned that there are three Los Cuates in New Mexico. The addresses to each one are Del Norte 4901 Lomas NE, 5016 Lomas NE, and 8700 Menual NE. The original location was the Del Norte restaurant; however, the restaurant that I went to was the Menual restaurant. The first question that I asked the manager Leslie was the history of Los Cuates. Leslie stated that Los Cuates has been around for twenty-five years. He also added that the original owner Frank named his restaurant Los Cuates because he had to twins, which los cuates in english means twins. However, five years ago the restaurant changed hands. I also asked him what are the most popular dishes at this restaurant? He replied that the combination dishes are the most popular entrees in the restaurant, such as Frank's Combination plate and Los Cuates Combination plate. Another question I asked him is where does he get his food products? He said that he gets his food products from local distributors, such as Sysco and Zanios. I also learned a couple of the main ingredients for the salsa, which are chipotle peppers and honey. This is where are interview ended. If you want more information about the menus for Los Cuates, the link is http://www.loscuatesrestaurant.com/.

Los Cuates Part I

On Sunday afternoon at 5:00 p.m., I went to Los Cuates to review this restaurant, which the hostess greeted me very kindly and placed me at a table immediately. I looked over the menu and there were many dishes to choose from in this restaurant. I decided to order the large enchilada plate, which a customer has the choice of beef, chicken, or cheese. The large enchilada plate costs $6.29, and you have the choice between red or green chili for this dish. I chose to have the chicken enchilada with red chili. My waitress Darlene placed my order and gave me the chips and salsa. The salsa was sweet and spicy, and the chips were tasty. I waited six minutes and my main entrée arrived. The cheese was nicely melted, the rice were freshly cooked, and the chicken had a good amount of flavor. I definitely enjoyed the meal and my whole experience at Los Cuates. The waitress was very polity, the food was very good, and the price was unbeatable. After I ate, I interview the manager Leslie of Los Cuates, which you can read in the next post. I would also like you to comment on your own experiences at Los Cuates.

Going to review Los Cuates and many more...

Hello, everyone. I am going to start reviewing restaurants in Albuquerque, which the first restaurant will be Los Cuates. I will get as many facts as I can from the restaurants, such as the history, where the restaurants get their products, and the way the chefs cook their dishes. These will not be the only facts that I will try to obtain when I interview the staff. Please comment on which restaurants you would like me to review in the Albuerque area. Thank you!