A Lazy Morning @ The Grove

 

Yes, it's known as one the hippest places in Albuquerque, and yes they have won every "Best of" award for their brunch and lunch, and we're here to say "We Agree!". The Grove Cafe and Bakery is owned by Josh and Lauren Greene and serves local favorites like breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches using fresh regional ingredients and a sophisticated twist on much loved American and New Mexican foods. 

It is one of my favorite restaurants in Albuquerque!

They serve Sage Bakehouse artisan bread, Taos Farms all-natural free-range eggs, local and organic produce, Applegate Farms and  Emil’s all-natural preservative free meats, Tully’s local all-natural preservative-free sausage, Heidi’s local organic jam, all-natural vegetarian fed beef, imported and domestic artisan cheeses. 

Photos by Lauren Rae Kovarik of "Snaps."

You are supposed to start your journey at The Grove by ordering at the counter, but you can't.  On your way up there, you will find tables filled with packaged candies, cards, and cookbooks.  So fun and just what I seem to need at the time!  And the fresh flowers.  Love them.

So then you approach the counter and are asked what you want to order, don't worry, they are used to people's eyes being wide and a little wild.  There are so many good choices it is difficult to choose.  See their website for a menu at http://www.thegrovecafemarket.com/

I always have the same thing, so its not too hard for me!  Grove Pancakes with fresh fruit and creme fraiche.  It also comes with maple syrup.  The pancakes are french style and the price is $8.25.  Here I had a pretty poached egg on the side.

One of my family's other favorite dishes is the breakfast sandwich with fresh fruit ($6.75).  Not only does it have a fresh egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo, but it is on an indescribably delicious house made english muffin!

The Breakfast Burrito ($7.50) is a scrambled egg, Tully’s sausage, goat cheese, house made green chile in a tortilla, and roasted tomato jalapeno salsa.

They often have a soup of the day.  On Thursday it was a roasted corn chowder - Yum!  There are salads, warm pressed sandwiches served with fresh fruit and sweet pickles, and "cool" sandwiches, also served with fresh fruit and pickles.

Desserts include sugary, splendid, and sumptuous cupcakes and cookies.  Only the finest ingredients are used in these goodies, and you can taste it! 

Intelligentsia coffee is featured, which is good, but I find it to be a bit bitter, so I order something with milk, like a cappuccino.

There is outdoor dining all year, and it is especially nice, because it is easier to hear out there.

As you can probably guess, our ratings are as follows:  5/5/4. 

The Grove Cafe and Bakery is located at 600 Central Avenue SE, Suite A, Albuquerque New Mexico 87102.  They are open Tuesday-Saturday 7a-4p, Sunday 8a-3p,  and are closed on Monday.  505.248.9800.

So Lush!

Local.  Really fresh food.  Small and chic.  That is Cafe Lush, 700 Tijeras Avenue NW.  On a tree-lined street in downtown Albuquerque, my family and I ate outside and enjoyed refreshing new takes on favorite dishes, as well as new, innovative choices.

Owners Sandy Gregory, Manager, and Tom Docherty, say that their restaurant has "Food for the Senses."

I had a fresh, delicious chopped salad ($7.95) (substituted a lime avocado vinaigrette) and enjoyed every bite.  The coffee is Red Rock Roasters and is brewed well, although I personally like mine a little stronger.

My sister tried the St. Gregory Burger ($7.95), a 1/3 lb. burger with green chile cheddar, caramelized onions,  lettuce and tomato on a fresh, grilled sesame roll.

David had the The Davis ($8.95), with New Mexico-raised roast beef, local asiago cheese, lettuce and tomato with roasted garlic aioli on herb flat bread.

Cafe Lush is open Monday through Friday 7AM to 3PM, and Saturday 8AM to 1PM serving Brunch.  Website is www.cafelushabq.com.  Phone is 505-508-0164.

Ratings were 5/4/4.  Note: While the decor is trendy, it is a bit loud when the indoor space fills up.

Stop by the historic building across the street and check out the metal rings in the sidewalk! 

"ZS + T"s Great Grub!" ??

This new restaurant was recommended by a colleague.  Now I wonder if he had actually tried it, or just heard about it.

ZS + T's Great Grub! is a "mom and pop" restaurant at 5017 Menaul NE and claims "If you don't think it's the best food in Albuquerque we'll refer you to a good Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to get your taste buds adjusted."

I'll take that referral please.

Their website (www.http://zstgreatgrub.com/) doesn't work, so I can't pull up the menu, and I can't remember what we had, other than breakfast foods, but I can tell you the following.  Two of us rated the food a "3" and two rated it a "2".  The service was rated 1 - 3.  Not friendly, which you wouldn't expect from a Mom and Pop place.  It was loud, and the coffee was "Folgers" which doesn't impress this party.

Sorry ZS + T's Great Grub, but I have a doctor's appointment and won't be back.

Vic's Daily Cafe

 Tried a "new" breakfast spot in the area of Osuna NE and I-25, "Vic's Daily Cafe."  The first impression was good after reviewing the on-line menu (www.vicsdailycafe.com); plenty of American and New Mexican choices for our party of five.

   

The area is mostly businesses and industrial, and this place is in a strip shopping center on the south side of the street.  Easy to locate at 3600 Osuna Rd. NE.

The food we ordered, in ordered of "best" to "acceptable" is as follows:

Pecan french toast with cinnamon and honey (Rating a 5) [$5.79 - 1/2 order].  Excellent.  I ordered a side of bacon, which was my only disappointment.  It had been around a while, and had a fake smokey flavor.  The other side was a poached egg and it was prepared well.

The next two dishes, each rated 4, were the Huevos Rancheros [$6.99] and the Santa Barbara Chicken Club [$8.29].  Both red and green chiles on the Huevos were good.  My sister liked the fries with her club, and the excellent bun.

Mom had the Breakfast Burrito with ham and green chile [$6.79]. She rated it a 3. Comments were that she like the portion, and everyone agreed that the portions were good sized.

The waffle [$5.79] and sausage were rated 3 as well.  The waffle being the better of the two.

The coffee served is "Farmers" which equates to "Folgers" so we did not order any.  Sad because several of us enjoy coffee with our breakfast.

The service was mostly rated 2 by our party.  The wait was long, and we had a new waitress that had yet to learn the menu.  The atmosphere was rated 2 - 3.

I will definitely try it again.  

 

Outside the City Limits... Vinaigrette of Santa Fe

Spent some time in Santa Fe today with my daughter Lauren, and on her recommendation we visited Vinaigrette, a salad bistro serving salads, sandwiches, stews and soups in an adorable contemporary Santa Fe style space.  It's small, but laid out well, with table and counter dining.  

What's interesting and unique is that most of the organic produce used is from owner Eric Wade's farm in Nambe, New Mexico.  Anything that they do not grow, they buy locally.  That translates into some delightful flavors.

As it was cold and snowing, I wanted something warm, so I ordered a bowl of the Mushroom Stew ($7), with fresh sourdough bread on the side.  There were a variety of mushrooms, carrots and onions in a miso broth.  So many delicious flavors!  I loved it.

The coffee brand was "Aroma" and it was good.  While we did not try them, I also noticed that they have seasonally flavored, housemade sodas ($4).

Lauren ordered the Salacho ($12.25), one of ten Signature Salads.  Others included "The Beet Goes On", "Apple Cheddar Chop", and "Eat Your Peas."

We enjoyed all of the little decorative touches like mason jars for the water, a bushel basket for the bread, and a small aluminum pail for the check.  

Our ratings were as follows:  Toni 5/3/5  and Lauren 4/4/5.  While the decor was refreshing, the service was just OK.  It also became a little loud as more customers arrived.

You can find this restaurant at 709 Don Cubero Alley in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Their hours are 11AM to 9PM Monday through Saturday.  Phone is 505.820.9205.  http://www.vinaigretteonline.com/

 Now I can spell "Vinaigrette"!