Albuquerque The Magazine, August 2022

DISH

Eats, Etc.

A quick glance at three local eateries that you may or may not already know about.

Damacios serves up true Spanish tapas, like mushrooms stuffed with spicy cream cheese and proscuitto and topped with walnuts and honey.

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involved a more social aspect to be a little bit more fun and lively,” Zamora says. “We always tell people that they’re American style tapas, not true Spanish style.”

The menu features plenty of tapa-style eating, from bacon-wrapped dates to stuffed mushrooms to spicy fried pickles, along with five salad and six flatbread offerings. Another option is the steak of the week, which adds a high-end dining element to the equation.

“Every week we source in a cut of meat that’s unique to our market that’s in a very limited quantity,” Zamora says. “One week, if you’re that steak connoisseur, you can get that Wagyu ribeye…and then the next week, you could come in and get a really cool filet from a different part of the country.”

The cuisine is only part of the attraction. Zamora wants to provide an atmosphere that will serve to enhance the downtown scene. Damacios often hires

DJs and hosts specially-themed parties — recent brunch events paid homage to Britney Spears and The Notorious B.I.G., for example.

“The one thing I always tell people is it’s not your regular Chili’s or Applebees.

You’ve got music in the far distance and you’ve got bright lights and stuff everywhere,” he says. “It’s an intimate setting that has energy. Our music is gonna be a little louder. You’re gonna have to speak up a little bit to talk over it. It’s gonna be a little bit (more fun), a little bit faster paced.” —TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD

DAMACIOS BAR & TAPAS 722 Central Ave. SW (505) 595-7383 damacios.com

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PHOTOS BY DON JAMES/ATM

W

hen the opportunity to take over the downtown location formerly occupied by Italian restaurant Villa da Capo presented itself in mid-2021, Gerald Zamora didn’t waste any time.

He and his wife, Bianca Johnston, both of whom are lifers in the restaurant business, had long coveted the property thanks to its ample patio space and upper-level terrace. By mid-September, Damacios Bar & Tapas, which is coowned by Zamora and Johnston, was offering outdoor service.

“Those outdoor spaces are just amazing — they’re hidden gems,” Zamora says.

With the new venture, Zamora is hoping to fuse Spanish tapas — and the culture that accompanies it — with New Mexican fare.

“We didn’t necessarily want the traditional eating space or the traditional dinner space. We wanted something that