Albuquerque The Magazine, March 2021 by Gena Goodson

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

3 MA RC H 202 1 | ISS UE

ACTUAL PATIENT

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A perfect smile makes every day feel less everyday.

Dr. Byron Wall | cosmeticdentistryofnewmexico.com | 505.883.4488 MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

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505-294-1411 • info4030@merrymaids.net www.merrymaids-albuquerque.com

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DEPARTMENTS 20 Publisher’s Note 23 Tapas

P. 32 P. 118

I case you haven’t met her, we introduce you to Marvel Comics’ New Mexico superhero; seeing the need in times of COVID, a retired military vet builds free student desks; and the eternal mystery of Who Is Juan Tabo? is revisited.

32 Bucket List

Ever thought about learning to do a handstand? We haven’t—but we sent a couple of fit readers to give it a shot with the help of a Zoom instructional class from ABQ Circus Arts.

34 Faces and Places 55 Datebook

107 People

108 Albuquerque the Interview

P. 114

UNM cybersecurity expert Fernando Moreu sheds some light on the recent abundance of internet hacking, and how he’s helping future military leaders become prepared for the fight.

114 Personality

At a critical time for small businesses, Alicia Ortega is taking the lead in helping fellow Native entrepreneurs and owners find the funding and resources to stay in the game.

118 Behind the Scenes His dad was a naturalist, so Jason Schaller accordingly grew to love bugs as a kid. As an adult, that love has brought him to oversee the ABQ BioPark’s entomology department.

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PHOTO DIRECTOR

Don James don@abqthemag.com LEAD DESIGNER

Sheridan Young sheridan@abqthemag.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Candice Callado candice@abqthemag.com FOOD EDITOR

Zane Beal zane@abqthemag.com SHOPPING EDITOR

Kelli Trapnell kelli@abqthemag.com DATEBOOK EDITOR

Denise Meyer datebook@abqthemag.com STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Michael Jacobs michael@abqthemag.com EDITORIAL INTERN

Dakota-Lynn McCaffrey dakota@abqthemag.com CONTRIBUTORS

Tristen Critchfield Ashley Biggers Mel Minter

Albuquerque The Magazine (ISSN 1936-4350) is published monthly except January by Albuquerque The Media Corporation, 1550 Mercantile Ave. NE, Top Floor, Albuquerque, NM 87107. Periodicals Postage Paid at Albuquerque, NM 87101, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Albuquerque The Magazine, 1550 Mercantile Ave. NE, Top Floor, Albuquerque, NM 87107.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We welcome letters to the Editor. You may e-mail yours to editor@abqthemag.com, or submit it directly from our website, or via snail mail. EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Our editorial calendar is available online at www.abqthemag.com/MediaKit.pdf. No phone calls, please. Unsolicited manuscripts require a SASE.

form

& function

ORGANIC MODERNISM AT ITS FINEST

DEPARTMENTS 167 Fun

168 ‘Til You Drop

Springtime in ABQ means two things for sure: wind, and the return of plants and leaves—we’ve got you covered on both; a tour of the far-out reaches of a mini comic book world.

174 Paws Button

Humans share quite a bit of commonality with animals, including the very real possiblity of injury, and the need for structured rehab and care.

176 Pet of the Month

This month’s winner: Hank “the Tank” Henton, a goldendoodle who loves attention more than playing fetch.

179 Piece of the Past Long before the vaunted Pit, UNM’s sports teams made their homes at Johnson Gym, which is fresh off a big-money modern facelift.

P. 174

180 Passenger Window A bright cross-section of colors and artistic movement define a beautiful mural in the unlikeliest of places: on the facade of the Cottonwood Mall.

183 Photo Contest

This month’s winner: Winter Sands, by Sue Jimenez

184 25 Things You Didn’t Know The Nuclear Museum uses artifacts

and fun activities to educate on the global impact of nuclear power and energy.

P. 179 18

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MARCH 2021 Volume 17 Number 10 PUBLISHER

Larryl Lynch larryl@abqthemag.com

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Gena Goodson gena@abqthemag.com

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Philip Kjelland philip@abqthemag.com Megan Life megan@abqthemag.com BUSINESS MANAGER

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

think it’s safe to assume that we’ve all just been through the craziest, toughest year of our collective lifetimes. (Take a deep breath, exhale.) This month marks the anniversary of the widespread arrival of the COVID-19 virus that we’ve all tussled with in innumerable ways. For Albuquerqueans, one of the biggest challenges of the pandemic involved our relationship as patients to the physicians we rely on to keep our bodies repaired, restored and healthy. As the virus spread, many states ordered elective or non-urgent procedures to be delayed so resources could be preserved. Later, after hospitals returned to more normal operations, many patients chose to stay home and remain socially distant rather than venture to get needed non-COVID medical care. Through it all, we’ve come to an even greater appreciation for the hard work of our country’s healthcare professionals. Which brings us to a little nod to the city’s physicians: our annual Top Docs of ABQ survey. For the 17th year, this magazine has given every licensed physician in the metro area a chance to vote for peers via our question, “If you were to refer a loved one to a physician other than yourself, to whom would you refer them?” We tallied the votes in each of 44 medical specialties, and then asked the winners some personal questions—their answers are beyond fun. For example, one of the questions was “Who is your celebrity crush?” and three of the docs answered, “Dr. Anthony Fauci.” For more hilarious and intriguing responses that help you get to know our amazing local physicians, turn to page 74. We pride ourselves on introducing readers to the amazing people who quietly make ABQ such an amazing city. One of those persons is Alicia Ortega, who grew up at Santa Clara Pueblo, then earned two MBAs at the University of New Mexico, and now heads an organization that helps Native businesses find working capital. Her story starts on page 114. Another educated person bettering our lives is Jason Schaller, whose Master’s degree in insect science led him to oversee the incredible entomology program at the ABQ BioPark. But better still, he started as a kid who loved and collected butterflies, spiders,

moths, beetles and other bugs. His tale begins on page 118 (alert for the squeamish: giant bug photos ahead). You’ll also meet Michael Burt, a talented musician who fell on hard times in his native Virginia. Four years ago, he moved to Los Alamos, then ABQ, and now his talents have found an appreciative audience—and a starring role in the upcoming “The Harder They Fall,” the Netflix movie shot in New Mexico starring Idris Elba and produced by Jay-Z. Tiempo Editor Mel Minter tells the story on page 126. Food is always a cornerstone of ATM, and this issue is no different. We spotlight some dishes from a few of the city’s incredible food trucks that are serving surprisingly epicurean fare. Check them out in our Bites section beginning on page 144. Also in this issue is a look at The Grill, a down-home ABQ burger spot known for displaying antique artifacts on the walls, and having the city’s only indoor, wood-fired grill. If you go, know two things for sure: first, you’ll find the most incredible deal on their mouth-watering, one-pound ribeye plate, and second, owner Phil Chavez will likely make you an instant friend. His insistence on good customer service, attention to your satisfaction, and genuine persona are a treat. He’s one of the good guys, trust us. We hope you enjoy this issue of ATM; we’re already working on the next one for you! Sincerely,

Larryl Lynch Publisher

CORRECTIONS In our February “Hot Singles of ABQ” cover story, we accidentally misspelled the name of one of our singles, Tory Witt. We sincerely regret the error.

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TINY BITES OF EVERYTHING TO SEE, DO AND BUY IN ALBUQUERQUE

Marvel is everywhere these days—so much so that it seems increasingly difficult to look at a screen for any amount of time without catching a glimpse of their output. Marvel Studios has produced three of the top ten highest grossing films of all time, several streaming and traditional television shows, and a variety of amusement park attractions. Turns out, they also produce a line of highly successful comic books— and have been at it since 1939. Cooler still, they’ve got a hero that hails from the Land of Enchantment. Born Bonita Juarez in Taos, Firebird got her superhero start when a radioactive MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

meteorite smashed into the ground just a few feet from where she was wandering through the deserts outside Albuquerque. Who hasn’t been there? Naturally, this celestial encounter gave Juarez pyrokinetic powers, allowing her to melt steel and propel herself through the air like a missile. First appearing in a 1981 issue of The Incredible Hulk, Firebird was created by writer Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema. Since then, she has appeared in a few different iterations of Marvel superhero adventures—across dozens of comics—fighting alongside other imaginary heroes in superhero collectives the Rangers and the West Coast Avengers.—ZB

PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

CELESTIAL CHICA

START BR A GGING

COURTESY IMAGE

Making the world a little bit better isn’t just a project for political leaders, wellhealed philanthropists, and superheros. Sometimes, all it takes is one person seeing an unfulfilled need and taking action. Case in point: Dennis Miller. Retired from the U.S. military and Sandia National Labs, Miller recognized that many students—suddenly forced to learn at home by the COVID-19 pandemic—didn’t have adequate spaces to learn. His response? Build them desks. Miller launched into the project despite a complete lack of prior woodworking experience, learning and mastering the tools and techniques he would need through trial and error. As of this writing, Miller has given away 112 desks, all completely free of charge. Building the desks on his own dime, Miller advertises them on Craigslist and delivers them himself. His son, Kevin Miller, has set up a gofundme page to help further the efforts, so far raising $2,770 of a $4,000 goal. —ZB

Sport Systems, a local sporting goods supplier located off Montgomery just west of Louisiana, is lending a helping hand to some of the businesses that have been hit hardest by COVID-19: local restaurants. Teaming up with other local businesses and private citizens, Sport Systems aims to generate $100,000 for local eateries through gift card purchases in a program they are calling “Hand Up ABQ.”

In a video announcing the effort, Sports Systems owner Duane Kinsley explained his reasoning: “There have been some winners and losers with COVID. We’re the fortunate ones that have benefited. People want to go outside, use stuff like skis, snowboards, and bikes.” Hands Up ABQ, he says, is designed to help businesses that have struggled to adapt. Qualifying restaurants are locally owned, lack drive-thrus, and have been severely impacted by the pandemic. $10 gift cards from qualifying restaurants are presented in randomly assigned $50 bundles, spreading the benefits and encouraging purchasers to try new restaurants. The proceeds are then used to buy more gift cards, keeping money in the pockets of struggling restaurants and their staff in a potentially endless loop of giving. More information can be found at nmsportsystems.com.—ZB

ABQ

Arlene Espinosa-Armijo

Co-Owner of New Nuevo and Director of Development for UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center “ABQ is one of the best places to collaborate. You don’t have to go far to be greeted with a friendly hello or welcome, which helps me do my job. With so many perspectives and memories, we’re truly a land of enchanting collaboration, community and beauty!” Start Bragging ABQ is a campaign to tell everyone what you love about our city. Got a brag about ABQ? Send it to us at editor@abqthemag.com.

New Mexicans like a night out on the town—particularly one that involves grabbing a bite to eat. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2019, we spent an average of $2,867 per person grabbing dinner from our favorite restaurants.

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START

Charter school

champs In January, Public Charter Schools of New Mexico—an organization built to support and champion charter schools throughout the state—held their annual Public Education Awards ceremony. Held remotely in light of COVID-19 precautions, the awards recognized outstanding performance and accomplishment across five different categories. The 2020 awardees included: Excellence in Leadership: Eric Crites, New Mexico School for the Arts, Santa Fe Charter Champions: Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto, District 15, Albuquerque; Representative Rebecca Dow, District 38, Truth or Consequences Student of the Year: Emese Nagy, Amy Biehl High School, Albuquerque

BR A GGING

ABQ

Charter School of the Year: Roots & Wings Community School, Lama; Albuquerque Charter Academy, Albuquerque Excellence in Governance: Jill Van Nortwick, Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School, Albuquerque; Yasine Armstrong, Sidney Gutierrez Middle School, Roswell “Even though we were not able to celebrate our awardees in person this year, this has still been a very special way for us to recognize excellence in the charter public school community in New Mexico,” Matt Pahl, Executive Director of the Public Charter Schools of New Mexico, said in a press release. “Congratulations to all of our winners! Your hard work has paid off for our students and we look forward to your future accomplishments.” —ZB

Adam Ciepiela

Partner Charles Stephen & Company “I can play nine holes in the afternoon at the Canyon Club, and then enjoy heavenly sunsets and amazing New Mexican food (Sadie’s and Cecilia’s Cafe are the best). The soul of this city cradles you with culture, opportunity and the feeling of community.”

COURTESY IMAGE

A Sonic Reprieve

Sometimes, there’s nothing quite like the healing impact of music—in this case, literally. Preliminary research suggests that the right mix of sound and setting can lower heart rates, reduce stress, and improve moods. With that in mind, Douglas Cardwell— the New Mexico Philharmonic’s master percussionist and principal timpanist—has been offering contact-free sound baths to Duke City residents. Using quartz singing bowls, gongs, and symbols, Cardwell sculpts an immersive and potentially therapeutic sonic experience. Called Lotus Sound Bath, Cardwell’s program is designed to help folks achieve a bit of relief and balance during unusually difficult times.

ATM DEFINITION OF THE MONTH 26

“This past year has been incredibly difficult for all of us, and especially for musicians like me who were unable to perform in traditional ways. And many people are feeling out of balance,” Caldwell said in a press release. “Sounds have extraordinary soothing, contemplative, meditative and healing powers. That’s why I started Lotus Sound Bath—to combine my passion for music and personal wellbeing.” Client testimonials report that the carefully crafted Lotus Sound Bath offers a calming, meditative reprieve from the hustle and bustle of daily living. Find out more by visiting lotussoundbath.com. —ZB

CHIPLOSION (n.)

When an overly pressurized bag of chips explodes upon the first attempt at opening. Ex. - Dang it, I got Cheeto dust all over my shirt from that chiplosion at lunch.

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MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

WORD ON THE

t e e r t S JUAN TABO BOULEVARD

Who is this Juan Tabo guy, anyway? Nobody seems to know the true identity of the man behind the eponymous Northeast Heights boulevard. But we’ve managed to dig up some info from a few published sources. Might the mystery be unveiled? According to the book “Albuquerque: A Narrative History,” the identity of Juan Tabo has not been satisfactorily determined. One legend says that he was a priest who lived nearby, but no such name occurs in early church records. Another story says that he was a sheep herder

who grazed his flocks in Tijeras Canyon, a portion of which is designated as the Juan Tabo Recreation Area. According to “New Mexico Place Names,” on April 5, 1748, a petition designated La Canada de Juan Taboso as west of the Sandia Mountains. The indigenous Toboso people were akin to Apaches that inhabited Texas. The book also suggests that tabo is a Spanish word in the Phillippines meaning “cup made from coconut shell,” and that the name is also listed as one used by members of a ceremonial society at Jemez Pueblo, northwest of the

Juan Tabo Canyon. And from “Atrisco to Zena Loma: a Snappy Survey of Albuquerque Street Names” comes this: “One of Albuquerque’s most mysterious street names is Juan Tabo. Was this a real person? A group of people? A tribe of Indians? A coal miner? A shepherd? A priest? There are many legends, but nothing has turned up in black and white.” Alas, nothing will turn up in these pages, either. The legend of Juan Tabo lives on. —C.W. WORTHING

Snakes,

Suds, & Saints

We hope this won’t come as too much of a surprise, but go ahead and brace yourself anyway: this year, St. Patrick’s Day is going to be a little unusual. We’ll give you a moment to recover. Better? Okay. Rumored snake-banisher and known religion enthusiast Saint Patrick entered the history books back in the 5th century AD, after being captured by Irish pirates and forced to live as a slave in Ireland. Unlike most of the other unlucky souls with similar resumes, Patrick was able to cultivate an impressive enough reputation to earn sainthood—and encourage the rest of us to spend March 17th tipping back

adult beverages in his honor. Thanks to the ongoing pandemic, this St. Patrick’s Day will be a little more muted than it has been in the past, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be opportunities to celebrate. With the return of limited indoor dining to ABQ, consider grabbing a seat for beer and grub at a local Irish pub, like Two Fools Tavern (3211 Central Ave. NE), O’Neill’s Pub (two locations), or Quarter Celtic Brew Pub (1100 San Mateo Blvd. NE, Ste. 500).—ZB

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START BR A GGING

ABQ

Veronica Arzate

beWellnm Project Director Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce “On weekends, the choices for nearby leisure activities abound! I’ve lived in cities with long commutes, but in ABQ, you can ski in the mountains and play tennis—both on the same day. The quality of the lifestyle here is unmatched.” Start Bragging ABQ is a campaign to tell everyone what you love about our city. Got a brag about ABQ? Send it to us at editor@abqthemag.com.

Back in the 19th century, Ireland was gripped by famine. Many fled the country for the United States. Two of them, Patrick and Catherine McCarty, had a son named Henry. The boy lived a short life, but nonetheless managed to write his name in New Mexican history as an outlaw called Billy the Kid.

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IN-PERSON

TWEET BEAT What the Twittersphere is saying about Albuquerque, 280 characters at a time.

MARCH 18 - 19 Parent / Teacher Conference Day Camps

MARCH 22 - 26 Spring Break Day Camps Kelly Franson @KellyFranson Didn’t want to dig out a scarf, but luckily I have lots of masks handy to keep my face warm! or warmish…#snowsquall #abq #NMwx

Grades Pre-K - 7th | 7:30am - 5:30pm

Dan @dan_majewski Just another morning in #ABQ.

Ron Burke @RonKOAT Very different first day on the new job at @koat7news. Quarantining per state and company regulations, so I’m having virtual meetings all week. #albuquerque #covid #newmexico What do you have to say about #abq? Follow us at twitter.com/abqthemag

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Meet The Each month, we go out into the city to observe an activity that perhaps we (or you) have always wanted to try. Then we talk to the people who did it.

DOING A HANDSTAND

Team

TRACI: Mom of three. STRENGTHS: Fit as a fiddle. WEAKNESSES: Uber-competitive. PRIOR EXPERIENCE: Loved doing gymnastics as a kid. KNOWING TRACI, WE TOLD HER: Don’t get so serious that you end up in urgent care today.

JULIANA: Teen cheerleader. STRENGTHS: Thinks she can do anything. WEAKNESSES: Thinks she can do anything. PRIOR EXPERIENCE: Wore gloves to grade school to practice cartwheels KNOWING JULIANA, WE TOLD HER: Don’t spend too much time upside down— the rest of your body needs blood also.

Okay, let’s get serious: how hard is it to do a handstand? “It’s a long process, and requires not just strength but also body awareness,” says Ilana Blankman, an instructor at Circus Arts, which offers trapeze, aerial fabric and other, well, circus arts. “I liken it to watching a baby learning to walk, except a baby works on that all day.” Well, we figured we would start with just one hour, and reached out to the mother and daughter duo of Traci and Juliana Rehn to see about taking a shot at learning to stand on one’s hands. The only catch was, because of social distancing, the lesson would have to be through one of Circus Art’s Zoom classes. Mom Traci did gymnastics as a child, and keeps fit these days by snowboarding and road biking. Juliana is a sophomore at Volcano Vista High School, where she’s on the cheer squad. (Full disclosure: they both have been able to perform a handstand in the past.) With that, they set up the laptop and

cleared some space in their Westside home for the 60-minute session. Initial thoughts? “I was a little skeptical at first of taking a class over Zoom, but she was able to keep us on course,” says Traci. The first thing was for Blankman to assess her students’ skill level, an see where to begin. For Juliana, it meant making sure her hands were in the best position to retain her body’s balance. “She stressed how you have to have a certain form, and that you have to dig your fingertips into the floor to help you stay up,” said Juliana, who began doing cartwheels when she was just four years old. Blankman says the biggest obstacle to doing a handstand is realizing how much strength you need to have in your arms. “Our legs are much bigger than our arms, and can take all of our weight,” she says. “But our arms have to work up to that strength level.” So, a big part of the practice session isn’t necessarily balancing, but rather using a wall to remain upside-down to condition your arms to the

weight. Another big challenge is learning to think clearly with your shoe soles facing the ceiling—it’s not as easy as one may think. “Being upside-down with your head so close to the ground is terrifying for a lot of people,” says Blankman, who used to be a trapeze artist for a tent circus in England. “Especially for adults, that position can be a huge issue to overcome.” Both Traci and Juliana overcame any hesitancy quickly, says Blankman. “They were so ready for the challenge. Since

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PHOTOS BY GENA GOODSON/ATM

Even for the fit among us, doing a handstand is a badge of honor. (Like knowing a cool bar trick that amazes your friends—cooler, of course). So where does one go to learn to defy gravity and get vertical? ABQ Circus Arts can offer a hand in the feat (get it?).

they had already done some of the movements, it was fun to work with them,” she says. For handstand beginners, those movements include learning how to maneuver the pelvis, ribcage, and shoulders, says Blankman, who adds that the biggest key to success is the same as with most other achievements. “It takes patience. It’s not something you can learn in a week or even a month,” she says. “If you were training consistently, you could learn it in a year.”—

JULIANA’S Reaction RECOMMENDATION: “It’s perfect for having some fun—and laughing along the way.” BIGGEST SURPRISE: “That I could do a handstand longer than 10 seconds.” DO IT AGAIN?: “Yes. It’s fun, and a great shoulder workout.”

TRACI’S Reaction RECOMMENDATION: “Do this! Move out of your comfort zone and try new challenges.” BIGGEST SURPRISE: “Completing the course was a high.” DO IT AGAIN?: “For sure! And a different circus arts class next.”

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

NOT LONG AGO

Peace Gala On December 8, The Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice hosted their annual Peace Center Holiday Gala. The event featured the satirical stylings of The Raging Grannies and the music of Las Otras, Wagogo, and Eileen & the In-Betweens. Attendees also took part in a silent auction and enjoyed some homemade New Mexican food. 1. Alice Rodgers, Sally-Alice Thompson, Ellen Rose Robinson, Susan McKinstry 2. Dair Obenshain, Ricardo Magallanes, Ruth Warner, Enrique Cardiel (Lasotras) 3. Sue Schuurman, Eileen Shaughnessy, Samia Assed, Peaches Medina 4. Martha Somerville, Danny Hernandez, Kendall Lovely 5. Summer Begay, Daniel Acosta 6. Gail Baker, Rosemary Ann Blanchard 7. Lisa Lucero, Cinderella Saavedra

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NOT LONG AGO

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The Notah Begay III New Mexico Grand Slam The Twin Warriors Golf Club at Santa Ana Pueblo was packed with golfers on September 20 for the New Mexico Grand Slam, one of the state’s premier golf events hosted by the Notah Begay Foundation. Proceeds went to help numerous charities around the state focused on helping children. Since 2016, this event has raised more than $600,000. 1. Monica Stapleton, Cyanne Lujan, Simona Casiquito 2. Ben Woodward, Robin Herrington, Tony Ary-Turner 3. Erma Trujillo, Dakota Jim, Alva Gachupin 4. Micah Jones, Sasha Smith 5. Miranda Lucero, Clint Begay 6. Nathan Garcia, Jorge Tager 7. Dan Kain, Marvis Vallo, Doug Lords, Todd Albright

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NOT LONG AGO

Rude Boy Brunch and Day Party Albuquerqueans hit Rude Boy’s first ever Wake Up and Reggae Event in late August at Villa Hispana located at Expo NM. Attendees ate some of the cities finest cookies, indulged in an all-you-can-eat-buffet, and hit the full service bar. Proceeds went to benefit the Golden Apple Foundation. 1. Desiree Brehm, Jennifer Chamberlain 2. Anne Bateman, James DeVall 3. Lenaya Montoya, Anne Bruno 4. Gloria Alfero, Lita Sandoval, Nancy Sankovic 5. John Duran, Brian O’Connell 6. Mike Silva, Kristin Dowling 7. Colin Pearman, Jr., Sydney Pearman, Shelly Chevalier, Race Pearman

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Please visit our website for information about actions we are taking to ensure your safety during COVID-19. MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

NOT LONG AGO

6th Annual Silver Soiree Have a wonderful evening at Los Poblanos and help raise money for women-run businesses? Yes, please. The 6th Annual Silver Soiree went to help WESST, one of the nation’s largest incubator programs for women in business. Participants took part in a raffle, auction and partook of plenty of great food and drink in one of the city’s most beautiful spots. 1. Lorena Schott, Mark Gilboard 2. Amanda Davison, James Davison 3. Regina Edwards, Patrick Edwards 4. Emily Howard, Mark Herman 5. Jamie Blosser, Drew Tulchin 6. Agnes Noonan, Darrell DeMotta 7. Mindy Olson, Ann Utterback, Dianne Campbell

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NOT LONG AGO

505.771.7751 BBfabABQ@gmail.com 42

Charlie Five Cowboy Gala Horses, dancing, patriotism, and live music—what could be better? Last November at Bow and Arrow Brewery, Albuquerqueans attended the Charlie 5 Cowboy Gala to help provide veterans services and support equine-assisted therapy programs. 1. Marty Senna, Ruth Sachs, Tim Dwyer, Kyle Curtis 2. Kelly Chittenden, John Paz 3. Bobbie Gutierrez, Kaitlyn Carter 4. Deirdre Allen, Sean Rodden 5. Cami Marlin, Alexa Pohl, Corina Novo 6. Jennifer White, Elisabeth Howells, Tawnya Howells 7. Jameson Ray, Zans Brueninger, Alex Martinez

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AESTHETICS TOP DOC PAID ADVERTISEMENT

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Dr. Nicholas Lam, the medical director of Albuquerque’s very own AlluraDerm MD Med Spa, has been named TOP DOC by Albuquerque The Magazine for the fifth year in a row! Dr. Lam has also been the #1 provider of Botox®, Juvéderm® and Voluma™ in the state for six consecutive years as well as the only physician in the state to be ranked among the Top 50 providers in the country for the past three years. With this many accolades you can trust that you will receive the best possible treatment when you visit him at AlluraDerm. Although AlluraDerm is locally owned and operated, Dr. Lam is a trainer in aesthetics injection and takes part in an advisory committee for the makers of Botox® to aid in decision making for the global brand. Dr. Lam’s passion for empowering people helps to bring out the version of themselves they most want to see! Dr. Lam helps take patients to the next level and feel more confident in themselves and it shows; One patient said, “I had never posted on social media until I met Dr. Lam. He gave me the confidence to do so!” Another patient said “I work out a lot, and Dr. Lam does amazing work to match my face to my body.” When asked what makes him so successful, Dr. Lam replies, “I have an amazing team that has the same drive to provide positivity to my patients and I am extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to bring the same positivity into my patient’s life.” It is no wonder that Dr. Lam is once again the TOP DOC in aesthetic medicine in New Mexico. AlluraDerm MD Med Spa | 9501 Paseo Del Norte NE, Suite B, Albuquerque NM 87122 | (505) 821-9630 | alluraderm.com

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SUCCESS

STORIES

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

Aaron T. Jones, President & CEO

“

There is nothing more gratifying than protecting the life, liberty and freedom of others.

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

International Protective Service, Inc. aaron t. jones, president & ceo

4901 McLeod Road NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109 (505) 897-2420 • IPSGLOBAL.com

Aaron T. Jones has an instinct to protect the little guy. That urge led him into a career in the security industry, followed by a decorated law enforcement career working some of the LAPD’s toughest beats. In 2006, the Four Hills Community sought to start a 24-hour security operation. Jones—then a New Mexico Deputy Sheriff—saw an opportunity to serve his community. International Protective Service, Inc. (IPS) was born. Nothing is more important to IPS than ensuring their clients’ safety and wellbeing. They have built a track record of success rooted in professionalism, quality performance, and dedication. IPS earned its place as an industry leader hiring the best, drawing talent from both the security industry and the ranks of former law enforcement professionals. “We don’t run IPS like a traditional security company,” says Jones. “We run it like a law enforcement agency with really good manners.” Since its founding, IPS has doubled in size nearly every year. Most of this growth has been fueled by efforts to meet the demands of VIP, commercial, and residential clients. With offices in sever-

al states, IPS regularly works extremely high-profile bodyguarding and security details—including for the late Senator John McCain. At IPS, going the extra mile for clients is essential. For residential clients, IPS proactively patrols, responds to alarms or distress calls, and offers comprehensive vacation check-ins. This includes physical and drive-by property checks, mail, paper and package pickup, and even trash service when you are out of town. “You don’t just have to be at home to get our service,” Jones explains. “We will come to you. If you break down, or are out walking and need our help, we will come at a call and make sure you get home safely.” On the commercial front, IPS provides seasoned guards for any professional facility you can imagine (banks, retail stores, churches, theaters, etc.). They also handle threat management or mitigation in situations in which someone may have made a threat against an individual or a business. In the past few years, IPS has grown substantially. Their Los Angeles office—operating from Malibu to Beverly

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

Hills and West Hollywood, and offering the same services available in the Albuquerque area for both residential and commercial clients—has continued to expand over the past several months, adding new clients and several additional officers to meet their demands. This year also saw IPS expand into Florida with an office in Naples, bringing their security standards and expertise to clients in the Sunshine State. Retired military, former law enforcement, and top-notch security personnel continue to join the IPS ranks. Their Special Investigations Division—built to help with private investigations involving anything from missing persons to cold case homicides—has continued to expand, adding several new agents and a special facility dedicated exclusively to their work. IPS has also launched a Critical Response Team. Similar to a SWAT team, the CRT will work with IPS’ existing K-9 Unit (eight dogs trained to detect explosives and narcotics, together with their handler teams) to ensure client safety, regardless of circumstance.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Creator of the Optimum Building MATT FINKELSTeiN

5700 Harper drive ne, suite 410 Albuquerque, NM 87109 (505) 226-0170 • optimumabq.com Matt has become successful by helping people become better versions of themselves. He’s the kind of tireless entrepreneur who challenges traditional thinking—and will inspire you to reshape your ambitions into something bigger, grander, and more meaningful. Simply, he helps people get ‘unstuck’ so they can move forward. Drawing on his experience as CEO of Southwest Women’s Oncology, Matt added a monumental step forward in human potential with his unveiling of the Optimum Building. The facility offers an experience-forward, fully amenitized work and human performance space designed to provide every tool to unlock potential. “Optimum is the first of its kind,” says Matt, who employed a ‘build it and they will come’ philosophy in creating the state-ofthe-art facility. “Our technology is focused on synchronizing to you—whatever you need to thrive is exactly what you get.” The space has curated the best modern solutions for Health, Biohacking, Mindset, Fitness, Recovery and Rejuvenation—and also hosts Southwest Women’s Oncology and Health. Walking through these doors is like entering a launchpad to achieve your personal goals. With stunning views of the Sandia mountains and Albuquerque, the Optimum building also brings the very best in technology and human potential services that make a meaningful difference in each person’s success. Those amenities include cryotherapy chambers, sensory deprivation tanks, a Himalayan salt therapy room, and exercise equipment that tracks your workouts through a custom fitness bracelet, and calculates resistance based on progress. Each of us strives to be at our optimum, and that prosperity only comes from productivity and performance— the kind of environment that like-minded individuals have created at Optimum. “I wanted to create a place with support and tools so people could accomplish the things they really want,” says Matt. “It’s like our guests are artists, and we provide the canvas and brushes so they can create the perfect picture for life.”

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

HaRMONIX TECHnologies, INC.

jack T. vigil, Founder & CEO | Young Millionaires, LLC. 4915 paseo del norte NE, suite a, Albuquerque, NM 87113 (505) 205-1585 • hmxtech.com • youngmillionaires.life Jack T. “The General” Vigil grew up with an entrepreneurial spirit. Over the years, Jack channeled his work ethic and drive to help others into extraordinary entrepreneurial success. In 2005, he founded Harmonix Technologies, Inc., revolutionizing the digital landscape in New Mexico by designing and building IT network architecture for commercial, educational, and governmental agencies at the local and national levels. “We live and breathe our craft,” says Jack, explaining the reasons behind Harmonix Technologies’ success. “We pride ourselves on having a strong internal culture that maintains a major focus on craftsmanship. Our slogan is ‘your vision, delivered.’ We take pride in partnering

with our customers to deliver the highest quality products and services.” With the onset of COVID, Jack has been proud of how his team have come together during a tough time. “2020 afforded us the opportunity to focus on delivering our own vision,” he says. “We took this time to rebuild, literally. We expanded our facilities and redesigned our website, creating our own personal infrastructural masterpiece.” Shortly before the pandemic took hold, Jack launched a podcast. Known as “The Truth Podcast”, the show is broadcast weekly (Tuesdays at 4:00 pm) on the Champions Corner via Facebook Live. It offers Jack a chance to share his expertise with people who have what he refers to as

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

a “Young Millionaire Mindset,” helping anyone who wants to listen and learn how to design their life. That, of course, doesn’t mean he’s all work and no play. Jack believes in maintaining a balanced lifestyle, spending his spare time helping others meet their goals, giving back to the community, and, when possible, racing Lamborghinis for fun. “I would like to dedicate this article to my mother, Mary Vigil, who passed away late last year, just days after celebrating my parents’ 56th year anniversary,” says Jack. “She was a dedicated small business owner and a steward of children and a major influence on who I am today.”

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center of New Mexico

FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): DANIEL DAVIS, M.D, NATALIE MILLS, PA-C, MONICA M. ROMERO, M.D., MEGAN PRIBYL, PA-C. BACK ROW: ROBERT W. WALTERS, M.D., DAVID DAVIS, M.D., MATTHEW THOMPSON, M.D., MICHAEL B. CHANG, M.D.

6200 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 410, Albuquerque, NM 87110 (505) 243-SKIN(7546) • nmdermcenter.com Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center of New Mexico (DSCCNM) is a premier, state-of-the-art facility when it comes to dermatologic treatment, skin cancer detection treatment, and cosmetic services. In addition to the ability to rapidly diagnose problems, the practice has on-site surgical care for the convenience of its patients. DSCCNM has grown immensely from its beginning in 2007, but its vision today is the same as upon its founding. The practice provides a steady level of access to quality care for patients with skin problems, in addition to having an experienced administrative and nursing staff. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and affects

more than two million people every year. As one of the largest dermatology practices in the state, DSCCNM is doing its part to reduce that number, in addition to treating a wide range of other skin disorders. The office sustains a leading-edge laboratory and skin cancer treatment facility, as well as a variety of exceptional dermatologic services. Specialties range from micrographic skin cancer surgery (Mohs surgery), skin cancer detection and treatment, general dermatology, acne treatment, psoriasis, and treatment of other dermatologic skin disorders. The DSCCNM team is especially proud of its great service to patients. Its team can definitively and rapidly treat non-mela-

noma skin cancers, such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, right at the clinic. An in-practice Mohs surgeon has a tissue-preparation lab to rapidly determine clear margins, which allows patients to leave the office with peace of mind. Remaining committed to excellence in patient care and quality of service, Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center of New Mexico features independent, board-certified dermatologists including: David Davis, M.D., M.S., FACMS, FAAD; Matthew Thompson, M.D., FAAD; Monica M. Romero, M.D., FAAD; Robert W. Walters, M.D., Ph.D., FAAD; Daniel Davis, M.D., and Michael B. Chang, M.D., FAAD., Natalie Mills, PA-C, MSPAS and Margaret “Megan” Pribyl, PA-C, MSPAS.

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Esthetic and Family Dentistry Dr. Monica Boehmer, DDS, PC

3309 Juan Tabo NE, Suite A, Albuquerque, NM 87111 (505) 271-8009 • boehmerdds.com Spearheaded by Dr. Monica Boehmer, Monica Boehmer, DDS, PC has provided excellent, personalized, comprehensive dental care to Albuquerque-area patients for more than 25 years. Here, we value our patients’ time and intelligence. Together, we find the best route to achieving their goals for oral health and appearance. The Monica Boehmer, DDS, PC team have implemented protocols to combat COVID-19 and potential aerosols. We limit the number of people in the practice, employ sneeze-guards at the front desk, use HEPA filters throughout the office, and wear face masks and face shields when interacting with patients. As always, we also sterilize our instruments, equipment, and

hard surfaces with medical grade disinfectant in between each patient. At Monica Boehmer, DDS, PC, we enhance our patients’ smiles with oral cancer screenings, soft tissue maintenance, fillings, crowns, implants, veneers, bridges, laser gum re-contouring, teeth whitening, full mouth reconstruction, and more. We adjust our techniques and approaches to meet the specific needs of patients, avoiding diagnoses that promote one-size-fits-all methods and procedures. Furthermore, we take a holistic approach to the entire oral cavity, recognizing that oral health starts at the lips and the health of the oral cavity can impact the entire body.

our team - albuquerque er & hospital

Sanjay Kholwadwala, MD | Derek DeTemple, DO | Victor Sherman, MD | Tim Bajema, MD 9310 Coors blvd nw, Albuquerque, NM 87114 (Paseo Del Norte / Coors) P: (505) 431-1900 F: (505) 431-1902 Billing: (713) 357-2535. info@abqhospital.com• abqhospital.com Albuquerque ER & Hospital brings quick, courteous, and compassionate emergency care to the local community. It’s a simple idea. It’s also revolutionary. With an inclusive, state-of-the-art facility built to provide comprehensive medical care, Albuquerque ER & Hospital treats a wide variety of injuries and ailments. Whether you need imaging for a broken bone or testing for an infection, residents of Albuquerque and surrounding communities can count on Albuquerque ER’s team of expert staff and physicians to deliver the

emergency care you deserve. Albuquerque ER & Hospital was founded by physicians frustrated by the current state of emergency care. They sought to solve the issues typical of large, congested hospitals by crafting a signature brand of inclusive and compassionate emergency care. At Albuquerque ER & Hospital, patients have immediate access to some of the best physicians, nurses, and support staff available—all working together to offer unparalleled care in a calming, upscale setting

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

with a peaceful, welcoming atmosphere. The team of healthcare professionals at Albuquerque ER & Hospital strive to see and treat patients as rapidly as possible, often providing essential care much faster than other hospitals. Meanwhile, patients who require longer stays do so in spacious, comfortable, amenity-filled rooms. BettER. FastER. SmartER. No matter the injury or illness, Albuquerque ER & Hospital is fully equipped to treat you and your loved ones.

Attention

ABQ Dental professionals Voting goes live April 1st and runs through May 1st for the September 2021 Top Dentists Issue. Set a reminder now and visit abqthemag.com to vote for your peers.

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THE BUZZ AROUND ALBUQUERQUE: YOUR GUIDE TO EVERYTHING HAPPENING THIS MONTH

TOP PICK Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation Daffodil Days Pop-Up Shops. Purchase daffodils and bring brightness into your life while supporting a good cause. Safely purchase flowers at a variety of Albuquerque or Rio Rancho pop-up shops. Daffodils Days benefits the new Presbyterian Robert Wertheim Hospice House. Info: phs.org/daffodildays for locations and more information.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

COURTESY IMAGE

friday 19 | 9am–4 pm

monday 8–thursday, april 15

Encompass. This multigenerational art event takes place annually. It features four outdoor installations, one indoor gallery exhibition, an Open Studios shop and online galleries. Our featured artists are Lynnette Haozous, Ade Cruz, Caitlin Carcerano, Viola Arduini, Escuela Del Sol Montessori students and Harwood studio artists. Info: Harwood Art Center, 1114 Seventh Street NW, gallery@ harwoodartcenter.org. Free.

saturday 6 | 10 am–12 noon

The Writing Life. Bestselling and awardwinning author Susan Elizabeth Phillips offers writers priceless tips for finding their own voice, crafting books readers will want to read, and managing their careers. This is a Zoom Live Event. Info: southwestwriters.com/ meetings/. Free.

tuesday 16 | 6:30–8:30 pm

Humor and Heat: How to Write Funny without Sacrificing Sexual Tension. Let USA Today and NY Times Bestselling author Darynda Jones explain how. Her books show that she knows what she is talking about. This is a Zoom Live Event. Info: southwestwriters.com/ meetings/. Free.

tuesday 9 | 4:30 pm

Business Leadership Series. UNM Anderson School of Management presents its Hall of Fame Business Leadership Series, which highlights the amazing contributions of its alumni to industry, its donors to scholarships, and the community it takes to uphold the standard, goals and vision of Anderson. Online event. Also on Tuesday the 23rd at 4:30 pm. Info: UNM Anderson School of Management, mgt. unm.edu/events/hallof-fame/default.asp.

saturday 13 and sunday 14 | saturday 7:30–9 pm, sunday 2–3:30 pm Comedy, comedy, comedy. This virtual presentation offers 4 short one-acts, including “1-800” by Joseph Sorrentino, directed by James Cady, and performed by Matthew Van Wettering and H. K. Phillips. Info: The Adobe Theater, adobetheater.org, 8989222. Tickets: $8 plus fee.

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please note

At the time this listing was produced, many events were being canceled due to the COVID-19 virus. Please be sure to check the status of any event and venue to ensure that the event is still being held as scheduled. Trust us, these are but a few ABQ events YOU CAN'T MISS. 7

monday 1–sunday 28 | wednesdays–sundays 11 am–4 pm

Strong Unrelenting Spirits. This exhibit features Tom Jones’ series of portraits that are rooted in his Ho-Chunk identity. The works extend the boundaries of photography by incorporating beadwork directly onto photographs and cultural depictions. Info: South Gallery, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, 108 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, iaia.edu, 428-5912. Admission $10, $5-students, seniors, NM residents. Reservations required.

wednesday 17 | 1–3 pm

Magical Ireland Live Online. Have Irish ancestry, or wish you did? Drawn to the Emerald Isle, ancient sacred sites, castles, abbeys, pubs with live music? Explore Ireland with Dr. Maya Sutton, from exceptional Neolithic structures, treasures from Celtic times, medieval castles and more. Info: ce.unm. edu, 277-0077 x1. Free with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute membership.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

saturday 20 | 6 pm

Einstein Gala. This prestigious science-party is the Museum’s biggest fundraising event. Virtually, enjoy presentations by guest speakers, a tour of the Museum, science experiments and an online silent auction. The National Award for a significant impact on nuclear issues goes to Cynthia Kelly, President and Founder of the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Gala proceeds support STEM program students and teachers. Info: Tickets and link: nuclearmuseum.org.

tuesday 23 | 5:30-6:30 pm

Cybersecurity and Business Analytics. The MS in Cybersecurity and Business Analytics is an online program that examines issues surrounding the impact of information security and security risks to business and government. Join an information session to see how the program is right for you. Online. Info: UNM Anderson School of Management, RSVP: masters.mgt.unm.edu/visit-us. asp.

Harwood Art Center Exhibition. Harwood’s 14th annual 12”x12” fundraising exhibition presents original artworks by over 100 New Mexican artists on their online store. Funds raised support Harwood’s free community arts education, outreach and professional development programs – multifaceted, immersive offerings shaped by and for participants of all ages, backgrounds, perspectives and identities. Info: harwoodartcenter.org/12x12, 2426367.

monday 1–wednesday 31 | various days and times

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Virtual Tours. The IPCC offers a number of virtual tours such as Tour Tuesdays showing the museum and grounds, Online Mural Tour, View into the Collection, Cultural Dance Program and Stories by the Fireside. Info: indianpueblo.org, 843-7270. Free.

monday 1–tuesday, june 1 |

La Cueva High School Band Virtual Craft Show. This online show features a variety of artists, crafters, and craftsmen with handmade items. Registration fees benefit the La Cueva band program. Info and registration: lacuevabandcraftshow. weebly.com.

the Get off Run! & Couch

monday 1–sunday, july 18 | wednesdays–sundays 11 am–4 pm

tuesday 2–wednesday 3 | 4–5:30 pm

The Moving Land. This exhibition gathers sixty years of (Hopi/Choctaw) Linda Lomahatewa’s art, showing how it has responded to time, place, and new influences. Info: Anne and Loren Kieve Gallery, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, 108 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, iaia.edu, 428-5912. Admission $10, $5-students, seniors, NM residents. Reservations required.

tuesday 2 | 10 am

Albuquerque Newcomers’ Club Welcome Coffee. Come learn of the club’s varied activities. Membership is open to residents of Albuquerque for less than five years or residents experiencing major changes in their lives. The club is not affiliated with the church. Info: Sandia Presbyterian Church, 10704 Paseo del Norte NE, albuquerquenewcomersclub. org, 321-6970.

Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers - Middle Stage. This 2-day webinar addresses questions for caregivers that arise in the middle stages of the disease. Info: Alzheimer’s Association, NM Chapter, nmprograms@alz.org, (800) 272-3900. Free.

thursday 4 | 2–5 pm

Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers Early Stage. This webinar covers helpful information, information on how to prepare for the future, and addresses questions and that arise in the early stages of the Alzheimer’s disease journey. Info: Alzheimer’s Association, NM Chapter, nmprograms@alz.org, (800) 272-3900. Free.

thursday 4–friday 5 | 2–3 pm

Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers Late Stage. This 2-day webinar is designed to address questions that arise in the late stages of the disease journey. Info: Alzheimer’s Association, NM Chapter, nmprograms@alz.org, (800) 272-3900. Free.

GRANDMA’S 1ST

ANNUAL FUN FUND* RUN V

monday 1–wednesday 31 |

Virtual APRIL 18 - 24, 2021

All funds raised with this project will go to Operation School Bell to provide clothing, shoes, books, hygiene kits and food to students of APS Title 1 schools. ®

ERQUE

ALBUQ

Scan This QR Code For More Information

PLEASE DONATE AT ASSISTANCELEAGUEABQ.ORG 58

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saturday 6, 13, 20 and 27 | 12:30-2:30 pm

Romance Every Saturday. SouthWest Writers presents a month of weekly workshops where published romance authors teach others how to write romantic fiction. These workshops are live via Zoom. Info: info@SWWriters.com,8306034. SWW members free; non-members $20 per workshop.

saturday 6 | 2–4 pm

ABQ Graphic Novel Book Club Meeting. The ABQ Graphic Novel Book Club meets virtually to discuss “A Fire Story” on Zoom. Regular meetings would be held at the Lomas-Tramway Public Library, 908 Eastridge Dr. NE. Info: goodreads.com/ group/show/176142-abq-graphic-novelbook-club.

sunday 7 | 11 am–1 pm

Corrales Growers Market. The Corrales Growers’ Market supports the preservation of farmland, the sustainability of family farms, and the local agricultural production of the Village of Corrales and provides access to sustainable sources of locally grown food. COVID protocols will be enforced. Info: 500 Jones Road, Corrales, corralesgrowersmarket.com. Free entry.

wednesday 10 and 24 | 12 noon–1 pm

Rotary Club of Albuquerque Del Norte Meeting via Zoom. Meet members of our friendly club and hear presentations from community members about their vocations, avocations, and service projects. Rotary: where neighbors, friends, and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change. Info and zoom link: rotarydelnorteabq@ gmail.com.

wednesday 10–saturday 13 | tbd

Mountain West Tournament. League play will determine the seeding for the 2021 MW Men’s Basketball Championship. The MW Championship First Round is on Wednesday, Thursday is the Quarterfinals, the Semifinals are on Friday and the Mountain West Championship Game will be on Saturday. Info: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, themw.com.

thursday 11 | 3–4 pm

MBA for Education. The MBA for Professionals in Education develops current educators and administrators into powerful educational leaders. Join an information session to see how the program aligns with your goals. Also on Monday the 22nd from 12 noon to 1 pm. Online. Info: UNM Anderson School of Management, mbaed@unm.edu. RSVP: mbaed.mgt.unm.edu/events/informationsessions.asp.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

friday 12 | 7:30 pm

saturday 13 | 1–3 pm

thursday 18 | 12 noon–1 pm

Drive NE, popejoypresents.com.

cabq.gov. Free.

edu/, cpd@unm.edu.

friday 12 | 7:30 pm

wednesday 17–sunday 21 |

thursday 18 | 2–4 pm

Viva Momix. This performance mixes MOMIX styles of illusion, beauty, magic, fun, and inventiveness and transports audiences to compelling fantasy worlds. Artistic Director Moses Pendleton combines dance, music, outrageous costumes, and inventive props to create an experience that will surprise, enchant and astonish. Info: Popejoy, 203 Cornell

Albuquerque Science Fiction Society Meeting. Our virtual Zoom gathering offers a NM author reading and talk or group discussions, science talks, films and discussions. Our usual location is Activity Room of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 5301 Ponderosa Ave. NE. Info: bubonicon. com, 266-8905. Free to newcomers.

saturday 13 | 10 am–12 noon

Los Ranchos Growers’ Market. Shop for fresh local produce and products, plants, and more. Handicapped accessible. COVID 19 protocols - wear masks, keep social distancing, and no pets. The market received the COVID-Safe Practices Certification - “NM Safe Certified” from the state. Info: 6718 Rio Grande Blvd. NW,

Bultos Restorations Virtual Presentation. Bultos are traditional wooden santo carvings and were an integral part of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Conservators Allison Herrera and Keith Bakker discuss bultos and restoration techniques, referencing objects from the Museum’s collection. Info: Casa San Ysidro Online, 973 Old Church Road, Corrales,

Root & Bloom: A (re)Generative Retreat for New Mexico’s Creatives. This multiday virtual retreat program is intended to serve and support individuals in the bewildering here and now, as well as in visioning and actualizing a just, abundant shared future. Info: harwoodartcenter.org/communityprograms/root-bloom-nm/. Sliding scale pricing, registration required.

Professional Development. UNM’s Anderson School of Management offers professional development and training services to organizations and businesses throughout New Mexico, as well as all working professionals. Join an information session to see how your organization can benefit. Online. Info: UNM Anderson School of Management, mgtcert.mgt.unm.

Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers Late Stage presented in Spanish. Viviendo con alzheimer para los cuidadores consejos para cuidadores de personas en la etapa avanzada. Info: Alzheimer’s Association, NM Chapter, nmprograms@ alz.org , (800) 272-3900. Free.

thursday 18 | 7–8 pm

Las Flores Del Valle–Virtual Third Thursday at the Albuquerque Museum. This livestream concert is presented in conjunction with the Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism exhibit. Info: Online, ampconcerts.org. Tickets: Free.

610-9591. Free admission.

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

friday 19 | 10 am–12 noon

Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers - Late Stage. This webinar addresses questions that arise in various stages of the disease. Info: Alzheimer’s Association, NM Chapter, nmprograms@alz.org, (800) 272-3900. Free.

monday 22 | 5:30–6:30 pm

Become a CPA. The Anderson MACCT prepares students with the skills and analytical thinking to become CPAs and leaders in their field. Join an information session to see how the program is right for you. Info: UNM Anderson School of Management. RSVP: masters.mgt.unm. edu/visit-us.asp.

thursday 25 | 5:30–6:30 pm

Anderson MBA. The Anderson MBA will provide you with a dynamic, educational environment that elevates your leadership skills and translates knowledge into empowerment through outcome-focused, team-based, and practical approaches to business issues. Join an online information session to see how the MBA is right for you. Info: UNM Anderson School of Management. RSVP: masters.mgt.unm. edu/visit-us.asp.

thursday 25 | 6-7 pm

Executive MBA. The Executive MBA is designed for you to earn your MBA in 25 months, network with rising business leaders, and impact your career trajectory. Join an online information session to see how the program will change your life. Also on Friday the 26th from 12 noon to 1 pm. Info: UNM Anderson School of Management, emba@unm.edu. RSVP: emba.mgt.unm.edu/information-sessions. asp.

sunday 28 | 5:30 pm

New Mexico Performing Arts Concert. The New Mexico Performing Arts Society presents the Annual New Mexico Bach Society Concert and the music of J. S. Bach, Caldera and Palestrina. Info: Live streamed from the Immaculate Heart Chapel, Santa Fe. Tickets: $25 per household, nmpas.org, Hold My Ticket 877-466-3404.

At Empower Pilates Studio we believe in providing personalized, challenging and safe Pilates training for clients of all levels. Whether you’re looking to start a brand new health and fitness routine, or want to add Pilates to your current work-out regimen, we will give you the real results you’re looking for. We won’t treat you like just another body in a class; your goals are our goals. Class sizes are limited – maximum 4 clients. Which means more personalized attention and reaching your goals faster. Our studio is located across from Albuquerque Academy - at Burlison and Wyoming. MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

ONGOING: daily | various times

NAMI NM and NAMI Albuquerque. We have many support programs available weekly through zoom, at no charge. We also offer 8-week classes on mental illness that are available at no charge to family members and people with a mental health condition diagnosis. During trying times, stress, anxiety, depression and anger are prevalent. Info: naminewmexico.org, namialbuquerque.org, 260-0154. Free.

daily | various times

Al-Anon Family Groups and Alateen– Meetings. This is an anonymous fellowship of relatives and friends of problem drinkers. Meetings are held on various days and times. We come together to share our experience, strength and hope to recover from the effects of another person’s drinking. Info: Al-Anon Information Service, aisnm.org, 262-2177.

6501 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Suite 120 Albuquerque, NM 87109 Call or TEXT (505) 550-5759

empowerpilatesstudio.com

daily |

Albuquerque Apparel Center and AAC School of Fashion Design. Melissa Lea, president and founder of AAC and awardwinning fashion designer, offers a variety of industry-based fashion design classes, seminars, retreats, and more. Couture, costume, and custom clothing design services, alterations, and patternmaking services are also available. Info: abqapparelcenter.com, 803-6966.

daily |

Agora Crisis Center Volunteers. Are you a compassionate, non-judgmental person who wants to help others? Learn new skills, make friends, earn class credit, and be a part of a rewarding organization. Info: Agora Crisis Center, agoracares.org.

daily |

Animal Humane’s Free Behavioral Helpline. This free service is available to all pet owners who are experiencing behavior problems with their dogs and cats. Animal Humane New Mexico’s trained behavior coaches answer questions and provide tips on everything from housetraining to living with multiple animals. Info: 9387900.

daily |

Donate Blood. Someone needs it every day. Info: 843-6227, unitedbloodservices. org.

daily |

Epilepsy Support and Education Services— Meeting. For meeting time and place, please contact the office at 243-9119 or check the website for more details. Info: epilepsysupportnm.org.

daily |

Rattlesnakes. See different species of live rattlesnakes displayed in recreated natural landscapes. We are dedicated to conservation and preservation through education. Info: American International Rattlesnake Museum, 202 San Felipe Road NW, rattlesnakes.com. Tickets: adults, $6; seniors, military, students, teachers $5; children, $4.

daily |

Roadrunner Food Bank. Volunteers are needed to help prep food for distribution, repack and sort items, and other activities while helping New Mexico’s hungry. The gift of your precious time helps solve hunger for so many people. Volunteers must register in advance. Shifts are available in two-hour increments, Mondays–Saturdays. Info: 5840 Office Blvd. NE, givetime@rrfb.org, 349-5358.

daily |

Ronald McDonald House Charities of New Mexico. We provide a “home-awayfrom-home” for families whose children are in medical treatment. Operating the 30-guest-room Yale House, 20-guestroom Highlands House, and the Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at UNM and Presbyterian Hospitals, volunteers make a vital difference in the lives of the people they serve. Info: Volunteer Coordinator, rmhc-nm.org, 842-8960, volunteer@ rmhc-nm.org.

daily |

Explora. The museum brings out new activities in the “Working Together to Build a Village” exhibit area in its Rotary Pavilion, offering hands-on activities related to construction, architecture, and engineering, and Sketch Aquarium and Curious Bubbles in the Explora Theater. Info: Explora, 1701 Mountain Road NW, explora.us, 224-8300. Cost: Included in admission.

423 4th St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 | (505) 242-4549 | inspiresalon.net

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daily |

“We Are of This Place: The Pueblo Story” Art Exhibit. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center celebrates its 40th anniversary with this permanent museum exhibit that represents all 19 Pueblos and builds upon the IPCC’s 40-year history of telling the story of Pueblo people in their own voices. Hear stories in Pueblo languages from artists and elders, interact with art and artifacts, learn about the Pueblo people’s history of resilience, and experience traditions that have been passed down for generations. Info: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW, indianpueblo.org, 843-7270. Free with museum admission.

daily | 8 am–5 pm

Albuquerque Art App-led Scavenger Hunt. Albuquerque boasts incredible sculptures. On this fun-filled walking scavenger hunt, journey around downtown’s historic buildings, green spaces and meet the locals who built the city. Info: Let’s Roam Scavenger Hunts, starting point - 391 3rd Street NW, letsroam.com, 833-202-7626. $13.

daily | various times

Explora’s STEAM Enrichment Programs. Explora has limited in-person and virtual STEAM enrichment programs happening throughout the fall. Info: explora.us for details. Prices vary.

daily | 9 am–3 pm

Veterans Presentation. Listen to veterans tell about historical events or their personal experience in the service to our country. Speakers represent WWII, Korean, Vietnam, and War on Terror experiences. Also tour the museum, gardens and amphitheater. Info: New Mexico Veterans Memorial Park, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE, 256-2042. Free admission. Donations requested.

daily | 9 am–5 pm

“The Original Instructions: Pueblo Sovereignty and Governance” Exhibit. This Indian Pueblo Cultural Center exhibit reexamines the role and symbolism of the Lincoln canes in the history of Pueblo people, within a larger discussion about sovereignty, governance, and leadership from a Pueblo perspective. Info: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW, indianpueblo.org, 843-7270. Free with museum admission.

daily | 10 am–5 pm

Adopt a Pet. Find your best pet ever. Adopt a dog, cat, puppy or kitten from Animal Humane New Mexico. Adoptions include spay/neuter, vaccinations, and a microchip. Info: 615 Virginia Street SE, 10141 Coors Blvd. NW, animalhumanenm. org.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

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daily | 10 am

Watermelon Mountain Ranch Animal Center. New Mexico’s largest no-kill animal shelter seeks loving homes for rescued dogs and cats. Adoptions are at select Petsmart locations and Watermelon Mountain Ranch on various days from 10 am–8 pm. Donations, fosters, and volunteers are always welcome. Info: wmranch.org, 771-0140, wmranchnm@aol. com.

daily | various times

Explora’s Experiment Bar. Fruit and veggie batteries, thaumatropes, invisible writing, electromagnetics, DNA extraction or spin art? Visit Explora’s website to see which of our hands-on activities are happening. Activities change weekly. Mondays through Saturdays at 10 am and Sundays at noon. Info: Explora, 1701 Mountain Road NW, explora.us, 224-8300. Free with general admission.

mondays | 5–6 pm

Geeks Who Drink. Test your knowledge while enjoying a unique evening’s experience. Free of charge and open to anyone 21 and older. Prizes awarded to winning teams. Only one table allowed per team. Warning: this quiz contains adult themes and adult language. Info: O’Niell’s Heights, 3301 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE, oniells. com, 293-1122.

mondays | 5:30 pm

The Red Bucket Book Club. Join this group and dive into fun-tastic fiction discussing and reading a variety of fabulous books. Info: Barnes & Noble Coronado Center, 6600 Menaul Blvd. NE, bn.com, 883-8200. Free.

every second monday | 6:30 pm

“The Lyin’ Dog” Interactive Game Show. Aux Dog Theatre Nob Hill, in association with Empire Board Game Library, presents “The Lyin’ Dog,” an interactive game show. Three storytellers—two are real, one’s a liar—can the audience tell the difference? Info: Empire Board Game Library, 3503 Central Ave. NE, auxdog.com, 254-7716. Admission: $5 cash, food and beverages also available.

every second monday | 6:30–8 pm

Outcomes Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. Come for discussion and support groups. Info: Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 8600 Academy Road NE, 243-2551 to reserve a space. Free childcare provided. Free.

every third monday | 6–7:30 pm

Outcomes Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. Attend discussion and support groups. Info: West Mesa Community Center, 5500 Glenrio NW, 243-2551 to reserve a space. Free childcare provided. Free.

every fourth monday | 6:30– 8:30 pm

Bead Society of New Mexico Monthly Membership Meeting. The BSNM’s purpose is to promote the members’ and the public education, appreciation, and involvement in the field of beads and bead-related subjects. No meeting in July or December. Info: North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, 7521 Carmel Drive NE, beadsocietynm.org.

mondays–fridays | various times

Ninja Park Obstacle Course Fitness Center. TAK Fit is Ninja Park’s fun and functional fitness style that utilizes calisthenics exercise, dynamic lifts, and obstacles to create a unique and balanced workout that you will not find anywhere else. Join and have fun getting fit. Ages 16 and older. Classes are 6:30 to 7 am, 12:30 am to 1 pm, and 6:30 to 7 pm. Info: ninjaparkabq.com, 883-9203.

mondays–saturdays | 10 am–5 pm

Exquisite Turquoise in the Castle. This extraordinary German-style castle is the museum setting, featuring rare turquoise specimens, lapidary demos, history and geology, a mine tunnel replica, hands-on activities for kids, and silver smithing. Info: The Turquoise Museum, 400 2nd Street SW, turquoisemuseum.com, 433-3684. Tickets: $16, discounts for AAA, over 55 and military.

tuesdays | 12 noon

Kiwanis Club of Albuquerque Zoom Meeting. Come join us every Tuesday for a lunch meeting with interesting speakers to learn how you can help the children of Albuquerque and surrounding communities live better lives. Info: Currently on Zoom, when meeting in person: Embassy Suites Hotel, 1000 Woodward Pl. NE, facebook.com/Kiwanis-Club-ofAlbuquerque-1495809687323742/

tuesdays | 2–3 pm

Caregiver Support Group. Caregiving for a loved one can be overwhelming and isolating. This group provides a compassionate space for caregivers to gain emotional support and information. Facilitated by Erin Tarica, LMSW. Info: Jewish Community Center, 5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE. Preregistration required, call 348-4451. Free.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

tuesdays | 6 pm

ABQ Scrabble Club. We have been playing weekly for over 30 years. Come join us. Info: Chili’s, 6909 Menaul Blvd. NE.

tuesdays | 6:30–9:30 pm

Beginning Square Dance Lessons. Lessons are available for singles, couples, and families. Dress is casual and no experience is required; offered by the Crazy Eights Square Dance Club. Info: Albuquerque Square Dance Center, 4915 Hawkins Street NE, 881-0137, hornytoad@q.com.

tuesdays | 6:30–9:30 pm

Open Drawing with the Model. Info: Harwood Art Studio, 1029 6th Street NW, harwoodartcenter.org. Admission: $10 per session; five sessions for $35.

tuesdays | 7:30–10 pm

Tango Club of Albuquerque’s Weekly Milonga. This is an Argentine Tango social dance party. Info: Lloyd Shaw Dance Center, 5506 Coal Ave. SE, abqtango.org. Guided Practica, 7:30 to 8 pm; Milonga 8 to 10:30 pm. Tickets: $3-$5.

tuesdays–saturdays | 9 am–5 pm

Art and History Exhibitions at Albuquerque Museum. See our website for the current listing of exhibitions. Info: Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road NW, cabq.gov, 243-7255. General Museum admission: $3-$6. $5 exhibition surcharge applies.

tuesdays–saturdays | tuesday–fridays 9:30 am, 1:30 pm, saturdays 10:30 am, 12 noon, 1:30 pm

Casa San Ysidro Tours. Take a tour of this late 19th century building in Corrales filled with an excellent collection of New Mexico vernacular art. Info: Casa San Ysidro, 973 Old Church Road, Corrales, cabq.gov/ casasanysidro, 898-3915.

tuesdays–sundays | 10 am–5 pm

National Hispanic Cultural Center Exhibits. See our website for the current listing of exhibitions. Info: National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 Fourth Street SW, 246-2261, nhccnm.org.

tuesdays, thursdays, fridays, sundays | 11 am

Historic Old Town Tours. Explore historic Old Town on foot with our informative docents who will provide insight into the people and places that shaped our early community. Info: Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road NW, cabq.gov, 2437255. Tour included with paid Museum admission, $4-$6, Sundays free.

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Feb. 1 – March 1 2021

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TOP-NOTCH NURSES HOW TO NOMINATE: If we didn’t already know, 2020 has shown us the true heroism and value of our local nurses.

TOP DENTISTS: FOR DENTISTS ONLY HOW TO VOTE: There are few things more important than proper dental care, and so every year we ask local dentists to vote on those they trust most to care for a loved one.

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May 1 – AUGUST 1 2021

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HOW TO VOTE: It’s your city, so who better than you to tell us the best places to eat, shop, play and spend in ABQ? More than 6 million votes have been cast since Best of the City launched in 2005, and we feature the winners in our huge annual December/ January Double Issue.

ALBUQUERQUE’S HOT SINGLES HOW TO NOMINATE: Upload a photo and a brief description of the eligible single you think would make one of ABQ’s HOTTEST Singles.

TOP DOCS: FOR DOCTORS ONLY HOW TO VOTE: How do you get to know a good healthcare provider? Every year we ask the city’s doctors to vote for their peers, and we publish the list of winners, just for you.

ABOVE & BEYOND TEACHER AWARDS HOW TO NOMINATE: We shine some recognition on the amazing classroom mentors who make sure our students are learning.

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tuesdays, thursdays, and saturdays | various times

Ninja Park Obstacle Course Fitness Center. First place winner of the 2015 Women’s Area Qualifier in the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA) competition, Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor Jessica Lucero teaches fun and challenging back-to-back classes every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: Body Blast, 6 to 7 pm; Obstacle Technique and Efficiency, 7 to 7:30 pm; and Foam Rolling and Stretching, 7 to 7:30. Try one, two, or all three classes for free (firsttime participants only). Info: 883-9203, ninjaparkabq.com.

every first tuesday | 1–2:30 pm

Spanish Language Alzheimer’s Support Group. This meeting is for Spanishspeaking individuals caring for a family member with dementia. Info: Alamosa Community Center, 6900 Gonzales Road SW, Suite C, 363-8499 or (800) 2723900.

every first and fourth tuesday | 10 am–2 pm

Rug Hookers Demonstration. Join the Adobe Wool Arts Guild for a monthly demonstration of rug hooking in the Heritage Farmhouse. Info: ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden, 2601 Central Ave. NW, 848-7180, abqbiopark.com. Tickets: Included with admission.

every second tuesday | 11 am–1 pm

Stitching Group. Knitting, crocheting, embroidering, tatting, spinning, crossstitching and more. Join in the fun, share ideas, patterns, and experiences. All ages and experience levels welcome. Info: Wyoming/Hillerman Library, 8205 Apache Ave. NE, 291-6264.

every second tuesday | 6–7 pm

Outcomes Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. Attend for discussion and support groups. Info: Tijeras-East Mountains, Los Vecinos Community Center, 478 1/2 Old Highway 66, Tijeras, 243-2551 to reserve a space. Free childcare provided. Free.

every fourth tuesday | 7–9 pm

Duke City Story Slam. This monthly storytelling event is where people tell true-life stories, without notes, on that month’s theme. Attendees can reserve a 5-min Open Mic slot between the featured storytellers. A friendly panel of judges scores each story; the winner takes home a prize. Info: Canteen Brewhouse, 2381 Aztec Rd. NE, storytellersofnewmexico.com, facebook. com/newmexicostorytellers.

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

every last tuesday | 6–7 pm

Murderinos Book Club. This free true crime book club meets monthly and Book Club purchasers get 10% discount at Bookworks. Info: Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, bkwrks.com, 344-8139. Free to attend.

wednesdays | 9:30 and 11 am

wednesdays | 6–9 pm

Albuquerque Dance Club. ADC offers social dancing every Wednesday to a variety of music mix including swing, country, Latin, ballroom, and tango. No partner needed, over 21 only, ID required. Info: The Dirty Bourbon, 9800 Montgomery Blvd. NE, 299-3737. $5 cover.

wednesdays | 9 pm

Geeks Who Drink. Join the best Pub Quiz in town. Bring your friends and create a team of up to six people. Info: O’Niell’s Nob Hill, 4310 Central Ave. SE, 256-0564, geekswhodrink.com/blog, oniells.com.

Stories in the Sky: Weekly Story Time. Activities for toddlers and parents include stories about science, flight, geography, the seasons, the environment, astronomy and more. For toddlers through age 6. Info: Balloon Museum, 9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE, 768-6020. Admission is free for the children and an adult.

wednesdays | 10 and 11 am

Japanese Garden Tours. Join docents on the Hanami Flower Tours through the Sasebo Japanese Garden. Learn about the garden’s many varieties of flowering cherries and other blossoms, and the history of Japan’s Hanami celebrations. Info: ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden, 2601 Central Ave. NW, abqbiopark.com, 311.

wednesdays | 10:30 am

Good Morning Storytime with Ms. Dakota. Join us for a story, a snack and a fun activity. For toddlers and preschoolers. Info: Barnes & Noble, Coronado Center, 6600 Menaul Blvd. NE, bn.com, 883-8200. Free.

wednesdays and saturdays | 11 am

Sculpture Garden Tours at Albuquerque Museum. Enjoy a pleasant stroll in our sculpture garden with a friendly docent who will share stories on the artists and their works. Info: Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road NW, cabq.gov, 2437255. Tour included with paid general admission.

wednesdays | 12 noon–1 pm

Kiwanis Club of Sandia. Join in for lunch, listen to interesting speakers, and learn how you, too, can help the children of Albuquerque and surrounding communities live better lives. Info: Wecks, 3913 Louisiana Blvd. NE, facebook.com/ sandiakiwanis.

wednesdays | 12:30 and 1:30 pm

Music in the Sky: Weekly Music Time. Activities for toddlers and parents include music and movements. Info: Balloon Museum, 9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE, 768-6020. Admission is free for the children and an adult.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

every first wednesday | 9 am–5 pm

every second and fourth wednesday | 10 am–2 pm

every second wednesday | 6:30–7:30 pm

every fourth wednesday and thursday | 12 noon–2 pm and 6–8 pm

Free First Wednesday. Start your month off right with free admission to Albuquerque Museum and sculpture garden tour. $5 additional special exhibit surcharge may apply. Info: Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road NE, cabq. gov, 243-7255. Free general admission.

Bookworks Book Club. Bookworks Book Club meets monthly and Book Club purchasers receive a 10% discount at Bookworks. Info: Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, bkwrks.com, 344-8139. Free and open to the public.

every second wednesday | 6:30 pm–8:30 pm

Rio Rancho Art Association (RRAA) Monthly Membership Meeting. RRAA’s mission is the cultural and educational enrichment of the community and surrounding areas by providing opportunities for artists and the public to collectively participate in fine art events and programs. Info: Don Chalmers Ford Community Room, 2500 Rio Rancho Blvd., 301-2009, rraausa.org.

thursdays | 10 am–12 noon

Quilters Demonstration. The New Mexico Quilters will be working on their Botanic Garden quilt and other projects in the Heritage Farmhouse. Info: ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden, 2601 Central Ave. NW, 848-7180, abqbiopark.com. Tickets: Included with admission.

Prehistoric Preschool for Families. Explore the most dynamic dinosaurs that roamed New Mexico. Learn to balance like Seismosaurus, hunt like Coelophysis, and stomp like Tyrannosaurus through imaginative play. Info: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road NW, nmnaturalhistory.org, 841-2848. Tickets: see cost information online.

thursdays | 10:30 am

Polka Dot Powerhouse Albuquerque Monthly Business Connects. Polka Dot Powerhouse is a closely linked family of extraordinary women—a world of fun, business growth, and connection. Learn, network, and be inspired with other area professionals, business owners, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. Guests are invited to attend their first meeting for free. Info: Managing Director Barbra Portzline, bportzline@comcast.net. Register at polkadotpowerhouse.com.

Story Time at the Zoo. Info: ABQ BioPark Zoo, 903 10th Street SW, abqbiopark.com, 764-6200. Included in admission.

thursdays | 3–5 pm

Class with Explora Maker-in-Residence. Explore the science of sound and make a musical instrument with Daveed Korup. Most Thursdays 3-5 pm; call to confirm. Limited places, first-come first-served at class time. Info: Explora, 1701 Mountain Road NW, explora.us, 224-8300. Included with general admission $6-$10.

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MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

every thursday | 6 pm

Stand-up Comedy at The Stage. This is a fun date night. Enjoy great food and drinks, and the nation’s best comics. Seating is first come, first served. Doors open at 6 pm, comedy starts at 7:30 pm. 21 and over. Info: Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel, 54 Jemez Canyon Dam Road, Santa Ana Pueblo, 771-5680. Tickets: $10.

every thursday | 6–9 pm

Dance Club. Albuquerque Dance Club offers social dance classes in two-step, waltz, country western swing and a few other styles to country western music. No partner needed, space is limited. Info: Lloyd Shaw Dance Center, 5506 Coal Ave. SE. Pre-registration is required: glkello@ nmia.com or 299-3737.

thursdays–sundays | 11 am–5 pm

Cat adoptions. Come enjoy some drinks, snacks, and time with adorable adoptable cats at Catopia Cat Cafe. Your visit will support their foster home and keep them company until they find their permanent homes, maybe with you. Info: catopiacatcafe.com, 508-4278.

every first thursday | 9:30 am–12 noon

Colcheras Demonstration. Learn to appreciate this Hispanic art form by watching El Arco Iris: Sociedad de Colcheras members at work in the Heritage Farmhouse. Info: ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden, 2601 Central Ave. NW, 848-7180, abqbiopark.com. Tickets: Included with admission.

every first thursday | 6:30– 8:30 pm

Albuquerque Modern Quilt Guild. Explore modern quilting, charity work and a working modern quilting group. Info: 7001 San Antonio Drive NE, 821-2739, hipstitchabq.com. Cost: membership, $10/ year; guests, may attend one meeting for free, then up to two more meetings for $3 per meeting.

every second thursday | 6–8 pm

Visionary Arts and Crafts Guild Membership Meeting. VACG’s mission is to develop fellowship among craftspeople and facilitate a market for crafts through exhibitions, education, promoting the development and appreciation of craftspeople and their work. Meet monthly except Oct, Nov, Dec. Info: FBCRR Adult Ed Center, 1909 Grande Ave., Rio Rancho, facebook.com/vacgnm, 948-3132.

every fourth thursday | 10 am–2 pm

every first friday |

every thursday, friday and saturday | 6–9:30 pm

every first friday | 1:30 pm

Party in the Fireroom or on the Patio. Pueblo Harvest Café hosts live music in its cozy Fireroom or on the patio. While you listen and dance, enjoy a taco bar, all-youcan-eat horno-baked pizza, handcrafted cocktails, local craft beer, and a creative menu of appetizers from our acclaimed culinary team. Info: Pueblo Harvest Café, 2401 12th Street NW, puebloharvestcafe. com, 724-3510. No cover.

fridays | 10:30 am

Story Time at the Botanic Garden. Info: ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden, 2601 Central Ave. NW, abqbiopark.com or dial 311.

fridays | 12 noon–1:30 pm

Grief and Loss Support Group. Grief is a natural process that can often be eased through sharing with others who have experienced the loss of a loved one or any other significant loss. Info: Jewish Community Center, 5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE. Preregistration required by calling 348-4451. Free.

fridays | 1 pm

Mural Discovery Tour. The IPCC houses 19 murals by Pueblo artists. Our guided tour provides an introduction to the art, traditions, and core values of Pueblo culture, and a who’s who of Pueblo artists, such as Pablita Velarde, Helen Hardin, and Jose Rey Toledo. Reflect upon the murals and uncover layers of meaning in each, with representations of traditional Pueblo life, including dance, the seasons and our connection to animals, as well as the contemporary vision of emerging artists. Tours can be scheduled for groups in advance by calling 212-7052. Info: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW, 843-7270, indianpueblo.org. Free with museum admission.

fridays | 7–10 pm

Dance Party. Learn a new dance and meet new people each week at ABQ’s newest studio, with three beautiful ballrooms and state-of-the-art floating dance floors. Enjoy refreshments and an introductory dance class from 7–8 pm. Info: Holiday Dance Studio, 5200 Eubank Blvd. NE, 5084020, holidaydancestudio.com. $10.

Free Admission Day at Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. Check out this award-winning, world-class facility highlighting the art, culture, history, science and sport of ballooning and other lighter-than-air craft. Info: 9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE (North of Alameda), 768-6020, cabq.gov/ balloon. Tamarind Institute First Friday Tours. See the workshop facility, learn about fine art lithography, the current programs and the history of Tamarind (a division within the College of Fine Arts at UNM), a collaborative process video, and a printing demonstration. Reservations: tamarind. unm.edu. Info: Tamarind Institute, 2500 Central Ave. SE, 453-2159. Free.

every first friday | 8–10 pm

Cristel’s Variety Dance Party. Join us on this large wooden dance floor for social dancing to a variety of music - country, ballroom, Latin, and swing. Singles and couples are welcome. Great wood dance floor, music requests taken. Info: Lloyd Shaw Dance Center, 5506 Coal Ave. SE. $5 cover per person.

every other friday | 7–9 pm

Albuquerque Spanish Meetup. Practice conversational Spanish with a mix of native Spanish speakers and folks learning Spanish. Info: 553-3008, spanish.meetup. com/700/calendar.

every third friday | 7–9 pm

Cactus and Succulent Society of New Mexico. Discuss cacti and succulents; enjoy a program presented on a particular subject relevant to these plants. Program usually involves a slideshow. Not necessary to be a member to attend. Info: Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas Blvd. NE, 296-6020 new-mexico.cactussociety.org.

saturdays | 10:30 am

Story Time at the Aquarium. Info: ABQ BioPark Aquarium, 2601 Central Ave. NW, abqbiopark.com, 768-2000. Included in admission.

saturdays | 12 noon–2 pm

Acting for Writers. Award-winning director and Meisner acting teacher Lois Hall teaches Acting for Writers in a supportive environment. The class is devoted to writers breathing life into their characters by learning the actors’ secrets. Info: 715-2801, actingforwritersloishall. com. RSVP required.

saturdays | 12 noon–3 pm

Class with Explora Maker-in-Residence. See description above on Thursdays 3–5 pm. Most Saturdays. Info: Explora, 1701 Mountain Road NW, explora.us, 224-8300. Included with general admission.

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

saturdays | 1–2:30 pm

Family Art Workshops. Families create a work of art inspired by what they see at Albuquerque Museum. A different project every week. Try your hand working with a variety of art mediums. Info: Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road NW, 243-7255, cabq.gov. Free with Museum admission.

saturdays | 2–5 pm

Art in the Afternoon. Wrap up your shopping in Historic Old Town with free admission into the museum, live local music, and great food and drink specials amid a wealth of cultural and historical artifacts and works of art. Info: Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, 2000 Mountain Road NW, call 311, cabq. gov. Free.

saturdays | 2:30–4:30 pm

Tango Club of Albuquerque’s Weekly Practica. At this Argentine Tango practice no partner is necessary. Info: Lloyd Shaw Dance Center, 5506 Coal Ave. SE, abqtango.org. Tickets: $2.

saturdays | 3:30 pm

Saturday Storytime. Join Miss Caitlen for new and exciting adventures. Fun for young children and those young at heart. Info: Barnes & Noble, Coronado Center, 6600 Menaul Blvd. NE, 883-8200, bn.com. Free.

saturdays | 5–8 pm

Cooking Classes at Cinnamon Sugar and Spice Café. Try a fun and exciting handson cooking class. Enjoy a meal prepared by you in a commercial kitchen with the guidance of a chef, sip wine, and top it off with dessert. Info: 5809 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE, 492-2119, cinnamoncafeabq.com.

saturdays | various times

Prehistoric Preschool for Families. See description on Thursdays 10–12 am. Info: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road NW, 841-2848, nmnaturalhistory.org. Tickets: see cost information online.

every saturday and sunday | 12 noon and 2 pm

Traditional Native Dance Performances. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is the only place in North America to offer traditional Native American dances every week year-round. Performances outdoor or indoor depending on weather. Info: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW, indianpueblo.org, 843-7270. Free with museum admission.

every saturday and sunday | various times

Albuquerque Garden Center. Our events include the Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale, the African Violet Show and Sale, and the Annual Spring Plant Sale, and the Aril and Iris Show. The Shop features local artists all month. Info: Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas Blvd. NE. Free.

every first saturday | 10– 11:30 am

Support Group for women with any GYN cancer plus concurrent group for families/ caregivers. The Gynecological Cancer Awareness Project holds these peerled groups at the People Living Through Cancer Office. Info: 3411 Candelaria Road NE, Suite M, theGCAP.org.

every first saturday | 10 am–12 noon

Military History Lecture. Listen to an interesting presentation of military history events and activities that affected New Mexico. Lectures include the History of the NM National Guard, Bataan Death March, WWII Army Air Corp bases in New Mexico, and others. Info: New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE, 256-2042. Admission: Free. Donations requested.

every first saturday | 12 noon–3 pm

First Saturday of the Month Shot Clinic For Your Dogs And Cats. No appointment needed. Info: 3251 Westphalia Road SE, wmranch.org.

every second saturday | 10–11:30 am

Outcomes Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. Come for discussion and support groups. Info: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 2701 American Road, Rio Rancho, 243-2551 to reserve a space. Free childcare provided. Free.

every second saturday | 10 am–12 noon

Free Fishing Clinic. Instruction available on basic fly-tying methods, fly-rod casting techniques, fishing etiquette, effective catch-and-release practices and enhancement of advanced skills. Equipment and supplies are available free of charge on a first-come-first-served basis for use during the clinic, or you may bring your own. Tingley Outfitters provides basic equipment for purchase inside the train station. Info: Tingley Beach, 1800 Tingley Drive SW, call 311 or 768-2000.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

second saturday | 10 am–12 noon

Los Ranchos Growers’ Market. Fresh local produce and products, plants, and more. COVID 19 protocols - wear masks, keep social distancing, and no pets. Handicapped accessible, family and pet friendly. Info: 6718 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, 610-9591. Free admission.

every second saturday | 1 pm

Read to the Dogs. Registered therapy dogs sit calmly and quietly for a story so children can practice reading out loud without fear of judgment. It’s a great way for children to gain confidence in their reading. Several libraries. Please register in advance. Info: Southwest Canine Corps of Volunteers, 768-5136.

second and fourth saturday | 12 noon–1 pm

Watermelon Mountain Ranch Volunteer Orientation. Come out to the main facility in Northern Rio Rancho to find out all about the volunteer program and the opportunities to work with the animals in our care. Info: Watermelon Mountain Ranch, 3251 Westphalia Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, wmranch.org. Near V. Sue Cleveland Highschool.

every second and fourth saturday | 7–10:30 pm

ABQ Dance Club. This non-profit dance club provides dancing to a variety of music - swing, country, ballroom, Latin. Couples and singles are welcome, no partner or experience needed. Lessons and refreshments included. Info: Albuquerque Square Dance Center, 4915 Hawkins Street NE, asdc.org, 299-3737. Fee $8.

every last saturday | 7–9 pm

Saturday Night Swing. Good listening and dancing music of live tunes from the ’40s and ’50s. Remember to wear your dancing shoes. Info: New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE, 256-2042. Free admission. Donations requested.

sundays | 9 am–1 pm

Free Sunday Mornings at Albuquerque Museum. Admission is free every Sunday morning. View the latest exhibition, try out interactive displays, stroll through the sculpture garden, and stop by the cafe for brunch. Info: Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road NW, cabq.gov, 2437255. Free. $5 exhibition surcharge applies during free days at Albuquerque Museum.

sundays | 9 am–1 pm

Free Admission Day. Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. Check out this award-winning, world-class facility highlighting the art, culture, history, science and sport of ballooning and other lighter-than-air craft. Info: 9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE, 7686020, cabq.gov/balloon.

sundays | 10:30 am

Chatter Sunday. These Sunday morning concerts include readings and refreshments. Info: Las Puertas, 1512 First Street NW, chatterabq.com. Cost: regular, $15; 30 and under and students, $9; children under 13, $5.

sundays | 12 noon–5 pm

Save Lucky Paws Information Table at Lucky Paws Adoption Site. T-shirts and wristbands for sale. Info: Coronado Mall, saveluckypaws.org.

sundays | 1–4 pm

Old San Ysidro Church Tours. See the beauty and learn the history of one of Corrales’ most significant historic buildings. Historical Society Docents are on hand to welcome guests, give tours, and answer questions. Watch the Old Church video, view historical artifacts, and take home souvenirs ranging from local flavor cookbooks to church retablos, jewelry, and more. Info: 966 Old Church Road, Corrales, 890-3846, corraleshistory.org. Free.

sundays | 8 pm

Geeks Who Drink. Join in best Pub Quiz in town. Bring your friends and create a team of up to six people. Info: O’Niell’s Nob Hill, 4310 Central Ave. SE, 256-0564, geekswhodrink.com/blog, oniells.com.

every first, third and fifth sunday | 6–9 pm

Ballroom, Latin and Swing Dancing. Join USA Ballroom Dance. Free beginner lessons start at 5:30 pm. Info: Albuquerque Square Dance Center, 4915 Hawkins Street NE, 288-0313. Cost: members, $5; non-member, $8.

every second and fourth sunday | 2–4 pm

It’s time to CELEBRATE! It’s Spring & it’s our Thrift Shop’s Anniversary

Stitching Group. Knitting, crocheting, embroidering, tatting, spinning, crossstitching and more. Join in the fun, share ideas, patterns, experiences and more. All ages and experience levels welcome. Info: Erna Fergusson Library, 3700 San Mateo Blvd. NE, 888-8100.

various days | various times

Albuquerque Dolls. We have ongoing social events for women, including dinners, dancing, movies, volunteering, crafts and trips, and we are having a blast. We encourage women to join together to support each other and learn more about New Mexico. Join: Meet Ups/Albuquerque. Also, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

please note

25% OFF ENTIRE STORE MARCH 13 & 14

Commemorate our 9 years & shop or donate to make a difference in the lives of cats & dogs in NM

Visit us at 4646 Menaul Blvd NE today! For current shopping & donation hours, go to:

animalhumanenm.org/thrift-shop/

INCLUDE YOUR EVENTS IN THE DATEBOOK! Please send an e-mail with the date, time, and event description to datebook@abqthemag. com. If available, include a high-resolution digital photograph or image. Listing information deadline is the 10th two months prior to publication (e.g.—all MAY events must be submitted by March 10, etc.). All events are subject to change. Please call event organization for final verification on events, times, dates, prices, and ticket availability.

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

Every doctor was a Top Doc in 2020. Congratulations, Top Docs. We’re grateful for everything you do to keep New Mexico healthy in unprecedented times.

phs.org

2021

P O T S C DO

March 2021

abqthemag.com

Before we present our annual survey of the top physicians in Albuquerque, we should pause to acknowledge that health has been on our minds more than ever during the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic that became widespread in March of 2020 went through several cycles in terms of doctor-patient interaction: early last year, only necessary medical visits were allowed, then when restrictions eased, many people chose to avoid hospital visits for social distancing reasons. Through it all, the physicians of Albuquerque carried on, and we are honored to present the 44 doctors chosen atop their field in our 17th annual survey. The voting process remains unchanged: each active physician in the metro ABQ area with a medical license is allowed to vote on our website, and can cast one ballot in each of the 44 specialties by answering the question, “If you were to refer a loved one to a physician other than myself, to whom would you refer them?” On the following pages, the leading vote-getter in each category was kind enough to answer a few fun, personal questions so we can get to know them better. We have also listed every physician receiving at least one vote. We asked one Top Doc honoree, Dr. Rebecca Okun, what

March 2021

it has been like to carry forth during the pandemic with her practice as an obstetrics and gynecology physician. “Just because there’s a pandemic doesn’t mean babies aren’t born, so we still practice obstetrics,” says Dr. Okun, who has been a practicing physician for 30+ years. “When COVID started, some patients were afraid to come to a medical facility, and we did telemedicine (video consultations) with others.” Even after live interactions returned, the wearing of masks has made it challenging to connect with patients, says Okun. But there are some silver linings, too: patients are more careful to wash hands and use hand sanitizer, and some doctors have felt a renewed sense of passion for their practice. “When we couldn’t do elective surgeries and see patients, I had a lot of free time on my hands,” says Dr. Okun. “So, a lot of doctors thought maybe they were ready to retire. But many others realized they weren’t ready to retire at all. I missed seeing patients, and I realized that I didn’t want to stop being a doctor.”

abqthemag.com

HOSPICE MEDICINE

ORTHOPEDICS

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Albuquerque DREAM JOB: Indy car racer—grew up watching the Unsers inspire the city and state AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: 24 (my dad was a physician) CELEB STORY: Saw legendary guitarist Les Paul perform at a small NYC club in 1987 (he talked about touring NM and between sets, he talked with us for 45 minutes) OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Mountain biking COFFEE PREFERENCE: Dark roast made in a French press TV FAVORITE AS A KID: Monday Night Football HIDDEN TALENT: Doing cartwheels KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” in grunge style CELEBRITY CRUSH? Now you’re just trying to get me in trouble with my wife FAVORITE PRO TEAM: New Orleans Saints—I was born there, Archie Manning is a great role model, plus the way they helped the city post-Katrina has been remarkable FIRST CAR: 1974 Pontiac Catalina FIRST CONCERT: The Doobie Brothers, at the Pit STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I am talkative and it often will slow up the clinic A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: The ability to listen attentively and empathetically THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Every time I leave it somewhere the picture magically has changed to the last kid that had their hands on it MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Working in a full-service gas station as a kid SPECIALTY DISH TO COOK: Red Beans and Rice, or Shrimp Creole, but I have to confess it’s been too long (the one that I most often cook now is posole) FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Getting together for the holidays—I have been blessed with a great wife, kids, parents and siblings, and we always have a great time

HOMETOWN: Rome, Italy DREAM JOB AS A KID? Airline pilot AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: I think in my teen years. In Italy, the show “Little House on the Prairie” was very popular, and I wanted to be like the doctor from the show with my black bag on a carriage GUILTY PLEASURE? Facebook CELEB STORY: Chasing the drummer for Toto after a concert and waiting for two hours outside the restaurant where he was eating, just to have an autograph OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Running and biking COFFEE PREFERENCE: Espresso-like, short and quick TV FAVORITE AS A KID: Magnum P.I. HIDDEN TALENT: Playing the drums KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: No amount of singing would spare my life—I am completely out of tune CELEBRITY CRUSH: Zoë Soldana FAVORITE PRO TEAM: A.S. Roma (Italian soccer team) FIRST CAR: Fiat UNO 45 FIRST CONCERT: Genesis, 1987 in Rome STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Keep asking about the same thing over and over A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Empathy THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE IS: My drums MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Windsurf instructor SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: Pasta in bianco (pasta with butter and parmiggiano) FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Christmas Eve, when me and my brothers were young, my dad would take us to the movies, while my mom would set up everything under the tree

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR ORTHOPEDICS

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR HOSPICE MEDICINE

DEANA MERCER, GEHRON TREME

TAMARA GOODMAN, NANCY GUINN

March 2021

abqthemag.com

PULMONOLOGY

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago DREAM JOB AS A KID: Tennis Pro AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: 15, because I wasn’t that good of a tennis player GUILTY PLEASURE: Old black and white war movies CELEB STORY: Once partied with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails in the 90’s OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Cycling COFFEE PREFERENCE: Prefer a Diet Coke in the morning TV FAVORITE AS A KID: M*A*S*H HIDDEN TALENT: Gardening KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: I would rather die CELEBRITY CRUSH? Sandra Bullock FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Chicago Bears FIRST CAR: Blue Toyota Celica FIRST CONCERT: Grateful Dead STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I jump to conclusions too fast A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Being able to listen to the patient THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: None MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: A cook at McDonalds—have not been able to eat a McDonalds burger ever since SPECIALTY DISH TO COOK: A reservation at a restaurant FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Kids calling our parents on Sundays after we moved away from home ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PULMONOLOGY MICHELLE HARKINS, JEFFREY MAZER

NEUROSURGERY HOMETOWN Camarillo, California DREAM JOB AS A KID: Fireman AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: After my freshman year in college, I did research cardiology, and saw the application of basic science to clinical medicine—and loved that GUILTY PLEASURE: Listening to music on Spotify CELEB STORY: Going for a run in Manhattan with my favorite Peloton instructor, Matt Wilpers OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Distance running COFFEE PREFERENCE: My morning latte made from our bean-to-cup espresso machine TV FAVORITE AS A KID: The Jetsons HIDDEN TALENT: Washing dishes and loading the dishwasher KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Stanford Cardinal football FIRST CAR: Mazda B2000 pickup truck FIRST CONCERT: Grateful Dead STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I’m often late to clinic A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Clear communication skills THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My wife and children MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Disc jockey for high school and college parties SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: Anything on my Kamado wood charcoal grill ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR NEUROSURGERY MARK BRYNIARSKI, ANDREW CARLSON

March 2021

abqthemag.com

PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY

DERMATOLOGY

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Albuquerque born and raised DREAM JOB AS A KID: Doctor, for as long as I can remember AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: In Miss Lujan’s 4th grade class, I was always fascinated by our Life Sciences Book and knew then that I wanted to study medicine GUILTY PLEASURE: Reality TV CELEB STORY: While staring at a Salvador Dali painting in Venice, Italy, I overheard the person next to me say “Dude, that is so cool,” so I turned around and saw Tommy Lee saying those words to Pamela Anderson OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Hiking or running COFFEE PREFERENCE: Hot Americano TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Land of the Lost” HIDDEN TALENT: Annoying my family with my constant singing KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Cleveland Indians FIRST CAR: A blue, spray-painted Ford Escort which I bought myself for $500 FIRST CONCERT: Jon Bon Jovi STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I re-measure every patient’s height and weight after they have already been taken A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Compassion THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My kids 10 years ago when we were in New York MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: I worked in advertising for a local real estate agency and designed the company’s for sale sign SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: Salad of all kinds, with my “secret” salad dressings FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Celebrating Hanumas – a combination of Hanukkah and Christmas

HOMETOWN: Thoreau, New Mexico DREAM JOB AS A KID: Any job that would allow me to afford a nifty sports car someday AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A PHYSICIAN: A doctor in ABQ named Alan Altman did surgery to restore the function on my knees when I was in 10th grade—I realized that nothing would make me happier that to also help others with medical problems GUILTY PLEASURE: Netflix (thanks to the pandemic, I finally understand “binge-watching”) CELEB STORY: I once mathematically explained to Gene Hackman at a weight-lifting competition how athletes in different weight classes could still compete against each other (he was really nice) OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Paddle-boarding, boating and weed management (I recently bought a fixer-upper at Conchas Lake) COFFEE PREFERENCE: To drink it copiously and swiftly TV FAVORITE AS A KID: Knight Rider HIDDEN TALENT: Pushing my belly out (for a relatively thin guy, I can push it out shockingly far) KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Ice Ice Baby,” by Vanilla Ice FIRST CAR: Oldsmobile Omega FIRST CONCERT: Willie Nelson at Tingley Coliseum STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I spend way too much time chit-chatting with my patients A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: The ability to shut up and listen THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My 15-year-old son, who has the most unbelievably curly, fluffy head of hair MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: RV windshield washer SPECIALTY DISH TO COOK: UberEats FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Getting a Christmas tree that’s just a few millimeters shy of hitting our ceiling

ALSO IN THE TOP

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR DERMATOLOGY

3 FOR PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY

SURAJ REDDY, AIMEE SMIDT

March 2021

ELLEN KAUFMAN (RETIRED), SUSAN SCOTT

abqthemag.com

SLEEP MEDICINE

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania DREAM JOB AS A KID: A marine biologist, a la Jacque Cousteau AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: As a med student, I was asked to see a patient with gastrointestinal bleeding, and all of a sudden it was real. You don’t really know what a doctor is until you are a doctor GUILTY PLEASURE: Patina and project cars CELEB STORY: Dodging the race car of ‘McDreamy’ (Patrick Dempsey) in the pits at Daytona Speedway OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Fly fishing with my family COFFEE PREFERENCE: Espresso/cappuccino (we roast our own beans, and have an Italian lever-style espresso machine) TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “X-Files” HIDDEN TALENT: Baking KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: I probably wouldn’t be alive CELEB CRUSH: Dr. Fauci FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Turner Motorsport Racing FIRST CAR: The one I still drive, a Jeep Grand Wagoneer FIRST CONCERT: Wynton Marsalis STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Ordering delivery food too often (pre-COVID) A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Empathy—everyone comes from a different background and different values, and a doctor needs to be able to perceive and react accordingly THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Cherry blossoms framed with New Mexico blue skies from one of our trees MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Teaching windsurfing at a YMCA summer camp SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: Key Lime Pie (no green food coloring, LOL) FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Driving up to the Pecos Wilderness in the Jeep to cut down a Christmas tree ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR SLEEP MEDICINE SHANNA DIAZ, FOUAD REDA

MEDICAL GENETICS HOMETOWN: Albuquerque DREAM JOB AS A KID: Fighter Pilot AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: Junior in high school—my love of people and science made becoming a doctor the easy choice GUILTY PLEASURE: A good movie that will make me laugh and cry CELEB STORY: I met Linus Pauling (Nobel Prize-winning chemist) when he dedicated a new science building at my college OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Being with my family with no cell phone service COFFEE PREFERENCE: I must be one of the rare doctors who never liked coffee TV FAVORITE AS A KID: Comedy shows from the late 60s and 70s—clean family entertainment that made me smile and laugh HIDDEN TALENT: Making Fettuccine Alfredo and Spam Fried Rice KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: You should just give me my last rites CELEBRITY CRUSH: Back in the day, Cindy Crawford FIRST CAR: Datsun 260Z 2+2 FIRST CONCERT: Santana at the Albuquerque Sports Stadium STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I explain things in great detail A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Kindness and wisdom THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My family MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB: I repaired dental chairs for one summer in college FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: My wife makes a yearly calendar for the family at Christmas time with memories of the prior year ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR MEDICAL GENETICS TOM CUSHING, ANNETTE FONTAINE

March 2021

abqthemag.com

OPHTHALMOLOGY

FAMILY PRACTICE

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Albuquerque DREAM JOB AS A KID: Doctor AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: When I was 7, I got pretty sick—I admired the doctor who took care of me GUILTY PLEASURE: New York Times Monday Crossword Puzzle CELEB STORY: I interned for Senator Pete Domenici and got to meet him once for two minutes (I still have the picture) OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Skiing, hiking, biking COFFEE PREFERENCE: A bit of cream, no sugar TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Fantasy Island” HIDDEN TALENT: Acoustic guitar KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: Anything by Tom Petty CELEBRITY CRUSH: Norah Jones FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Albuquerque Dukes FIRST CAR: 1972 Dodge Charger FIRST CONCERT: Van Halen at Tingley Coliseum STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Never having a pen and having to constantly borrow one A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Caring more about the person than the disease THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN IS: The Crystal Mill in Colorado MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Selling roses on the corner of Eubank and Constitution during Valentine’s Day weekend SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: Omelets made with green chile, onion, spinach and cheese FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Doing puzzles over the holidays ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR FAMILY PRACTICE

CHILDHOOD: I lived in seven places, including Panama, Hawaii and New Mexico (my father was in the Army) DREAM JOB AS A KID: With my last name, a Major League pitcher AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: My father was a dedicated physician, and I admired his compassion for patients—during college, I felt the same calling into medicine GUILTY PLEASURE: Podcasts—I like them so much I started one for patients who need eye treatment (www.ivipodcast.podbean.com) CELEB STORY: I met Denzel Washington at an awards show, and he had just finished filming in N.M., so I started talking about enchiladas—turns out he doesn’t like cheese OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Tennis COFFEE PREFERENCE: Black, just one cup every morning TV FAVORITE AS A KID: We didn’t have a TV until I was a teenager, so I listened to baseball games on the radio HIDDEN TALENT: Doing tricks with a yo-yo, and sewing KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: Pretty much any Tom Petty or Bon Jovi song FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Green Bay Packers FIRST CONCERT: Goo Goo Dolls at Tingley Coliseum A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening to concerns and expectations—the possibility of losing vision is a scary thing, so they need to know that I am with them every step of the way THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My twin boys and daughter at a Balloon Fiesta mass ascension SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: I’m famous for my grilled shrimp tostadas FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Every birthday in our family starts with homemade Swedish pancakes, using the recipe brought over by my wife’s great grandmother, Ruth ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR OPHTHALMOLOGY

TIMOTHY GRENEMEYER, JENNIFER PHILLIPS

March 2021

KEVIN SITKO, ARTHUR WEINSTEIN

abqthemag.com

PHYSICAL MEDICINE

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Swink, Colorado DREAM JOB AS A KID: Archaeologist, discovering ancient treasures and dinosaurs AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: At Colorado State University—I enjoyed science, and helping people GUILTY PLEASURE: Family movie night CELEB STORY: I met Christopher Reeves at the rehab hospital during my residency OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Snowboarding with family and friends COFFEE PREFERENCE: Espresso, while watching the sunrise TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not,” with Jack Palance HIDDEN TALENT: Cake decorating for my family’s birthdays KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: Piano Man, by Billy Joel CELEBRITY CRUSH? Princess Leia from Star Wars FAVORITE PRO TEAM: U.S. Snowboarding Team FIRST CAR: 1988 Acura Integra FIRST CONCERT: Jane’s Addiction with Primus at the Mammoth Events Center in Denver STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Not saying “No” A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: To listen to their patients THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Family picture of my wife and two kids together on the ski lift MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Planting cactus on top of the adobe fence at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site SPECIALTY DISH TO COOK: Spaghetti dinner with Dad’s famous garlic bread FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Every year we buy a living Christmas tree, and after the holidays, plant it in our yard ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PHYSICAL MEDICINE REBECCA DUTTON, CHRISTOPHER PATTON

PAIN MEDICINE HOMETOWN: Portland, Oregon DREAM JOB AS A KID: Pro basketball player (but I actually interviewed an anesthesiologist for a 6th grade project about what I wanted to be when I grew up) AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: I made the final decision to become a doctor during my sophomore year of college (I was initially majoring in engineering but was drawn more to the field of medicine) GUILTY PLEASURE: TV OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Boating or Golf COFFEE PREFERENCE: With cream and Splenda, or occasionally a mocha TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “The Six Million Dollar Man” HIDDEN TALENT: I wish that I had one KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Margaritaville” FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Portland Trailblazers FIRST CAR: Datsun 210 FIRST CONCERT: Portland Jam ’78, featuring Heart, Little River Band, Bob Welch STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: That I talk too much with my patients A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening to the patient’s concerns THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My wife and I at a reunion in Ruidoso MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Houseboy at a sorority SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: Pad Thai FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: We watch the movie “Die Hard” every Christmas Eve ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PAIN MEDICINE DIEGO GONZALEZ, EUGENE KOSHKIN

March 2021

abqthemag.com

PEDIATRIC SURGERY

PATHOLOGY

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Albuquerque DREAM JOB AS A KID: NBA player or gas station owner AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: I always thought it was a possibility growing up in a home where my father was an ER doc. I could see he made such a difference in people’s lives when they needed it most. I ultimately decided for myself in college, when I discovered that looking at tiny cells is awesome! GUILTY PLEASURE: Viking shows CELEB STORY: Trying to talk to DeAngelo Hall in the Atlanta airport about his most recent NFL game. He was not interested. OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Battling gophers in my backyard COFFEE PREFERENCE: Black TV FAVORITE AS A KID: X-Men HIDDEN TALENT: Impersonations (don’t ask, I’m retired) KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees CELEBRITY CRUSH? My wife is pretty famous FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Washington Football Team FIRST CAR: Chevy Cavalier FIRST CONCERT: DC Talk STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Eternally playing 1960s music in my office A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Not treating a person like a tissue slide—genuine empathy THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Earth MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Maintenance at an apartment complex SPECIALTY DISH I COOK: I am master of the microwave—my wife can actually cook FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Beach vacations

HOMETOWN: Prosser, Washington DREAM JOB AS A KID: Fireman AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: 22 (I thought it would be interesting, and it was either med school or grad school) GUILTY PLEASURE: Television CELEB STORY: I met Meadowlark Lemon (of the Harlem Globetrotters) at a spring training baseball game OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Fly fishing COFFEE PREFERENCE: Black TV FAVORITE AS A KID: When I was young it was “Huckleberry Hound,” and when I was older it was “Bonanza” HIDDEN TALENT: I don’t have one KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Put Another Log on the Fire” CELEBRITY CRUSH? I don’t really have one FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Seattle Mariners FIRST CAR: 1967 Datsun 2000 Roadster FIRST CONCERT: Chicago STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I mumble A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: To listen THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My chocolate lab, who died 6 years ago MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Driving a combine during wheat harvest SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: Grilled Cheese FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Making and putting up 250 luminaries on Christmas Eve

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PATHOLOGY

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PEDIATRIC SURGERY

NANCY JOSTE, ARAND PIERCE

JASON MCKEE, WOLFGANG STEHR

March 2021

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PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY CHILDHOOD: Born in India, but grew up in Carlsbad DREAM JOB AS A KID: Air Force Pilot AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: My dad had significant heart disease, and when I was young I was able to view some of his chest X-rays and angiograms—and I just fell in love with the field of cardiology and the science GUILTY PLEASURE: Marvel movies (especially “Black Panther”) and Christopher Nolan movies (“Batman Begins” is my all-time favorite) CELEB STORY: During my fellowship in Miami, the Miami Heat basketball team with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Alonzo Mourning came to visit the kids during the holidays OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Golf COFFEE PREFERENCE: I will drink it any way possible TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Gilligan’s Island” reruns HIDDEN TALENT: I am pretty good at the video game “Just Dance 2020” (I think I’m pretty good—I can hang with my kids, at least) KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “The Love Boat” theme song CELEBRITY CRUSH: Aubrey Plaza (she’s hilarious) FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Chicago Bears FIRST CAR: 1983 Datsun Maxima FIRST CONCERT: OutKast, with special guest Ludacris STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Eating too many chocolate treats A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Being an excellent listener THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: A picture of the night sky showing the stars and the Milky Way MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Assistant activity coordinator in a nursing home (I helped coordinate calisthenics, lunch outings, trivia and Bingo games) SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Grilled Salmon FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: We love to decorate our home inside and out for virtually every holiday, including Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day, to name a few ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

2021

TO P DOCS

ANNE GREENE, MICHELLE GRENIER

CARDIOLOGY CHILDHOOD: I grew up in the jungles and plantations of Malaysia without electricity, then went to high school and medical school in Ireland before coming to the U.S. in 1996 DREAM JOB AS A KID: Astronaut AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: I told my parents I would study either law, business or medicine, depending on where they sent me for college; they chose to keep me in Dublin, Ireland, and I studied medicine (turned out to be a great decision) GUILTY PLEASURE: Computer strategy games CELEB STORY: While getting coffee at Heathrow Airport in London, I never realized I was standing behind Glenn Close until someone told me OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Golf (and, in these pandemic times, eating) COFFEE PREFERENCE: Extra hot TV FAVORITE AS A KID: When we finally got two hours of electricity a day as a teenager, we watched Yankees, Lakers and Cowboys games HIDDEN TALENT: Palm reading CELEBRITY CRUSH: Gru from “Despicable Me” FAVORITE PRO TEAM? New York Yankees FIRST CAR: A very old Volkswagen Passat FIRST CONCERT: Tina Turner STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I order chicken almost every day for everyone, and they’re all sick of chicken A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: To listen to the patient THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Mother Earth MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: I once applied for a summer job picking up trash at the Grand Canyon (I was rejected) SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Salmon FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: My father, who was also my mentor, passed in July of 2015, and my family comes together in Singapore every year on the anniversary of his passing to pay respects ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR CARDIOLOGY BRENDAN CAVANAUGH, MARK SHELDON

March 2021

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ANESTHESIOLOGY

RHEUMATOLOGY

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Montreal, Canada DREAM JOB AS A KID: Paleontologist AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: When I was 12, I sustained 3rd-degree burns to my hand, and had to visit the hospital every day for wound dressing—the care and knowledge of the nurses and doctors inspired me to pursue medicine GUILTY PLEASURE: “The Bachelor” CELEB STORY: I once took my mom to Bobby Flay’s restaurant for her birthday dinner, and she was so delighted to meet him OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Exploring the Bosque with my kids, Evie and Jude, and snowboarding COFFEE PREFERENCE: Two cups a day, black TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Kids in the Hall” and “Saturday Night Live” (still my favorite) HIDDEN TALENT: Texas Hold ‘Em poker KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Psycho Killer,” by Talking Heads CELEBRITY CRUSH: Gal Gadot FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Montreal Canadiens FIRST CAR: 1998 Chevy Blazer twodoor FIRST CONCERT: ZZ Top and George Thorogood STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Making too many Dad jokes A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening and communication skills THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My son reading a book MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Working on a documentary film where many scenes were shot in underground caves (the film, titled “No Place On Earth,” is about my family and aired on the History Channel) SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Kale Caesar Salad FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: On Saturday mornings, we like to make pancakes and have a dance party ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR RHEUMATOLOGY

HOME STATE: Minnesota DREAM JOB AS A KID: Fireman AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: As a high school freshman, I visited the medical school in Duluth, Minnesota and became enthralled with medicine GUILTY PLEASURE: News (New York Times, Wall Street Journal) CELEB STORY: I once met Robert Redford at the University of Colorado OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Hiking COFFEE PREFERENCE: Latte (don’t hold the fat) TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “I Dream of Jeannie” HIDDEN TALENT: Coastal navigation KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Minnesota Twins FIRST CAR: Acura Integra FIRST CONCERT: Boston A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: A desire to listen THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: An aspen forest in the Pecos Wilderness MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Working in the local meat department SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Bananas Foster FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Staying home for a traditional Thanksgiving ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR ANESTHESIOLOGY

JAMES STEIER, NICOLE SUZANNE EMIL

March 2021

NEILS CHAPMAN, DAVID LEACHMAN

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OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Washington, D.C. DREAM JOB AS A KID: Being an OB/GYN AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: When I was 6 or 7 years old, I went to a gynecological appointment with my Mom and remember thinking that her physician was an elderly man, and what did he know about women GUILTY PLEASURE: Opera CELEB STORY: On my birthday in New York City, my daughter Nina (who was Vera Wang’s personal assistant) arranged for me to go backstage to meet one of my opera idols, Renee Fleming OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: A summer night at the Santa Fe Opera COFFEE PREFERENCE: A latté at La Maison du Macaron on 23rd Street in Manhattan TV FAVORITE AS A KID: M*A*S*H HIDDEN TALENT: I’m a classical singer KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen CELEBRITY CRUSH? German opera singer Diana Damrau FAVORITE SPECTATOR SPORTS: Winter Olympics ice skating and Summer Olympic gymnastics FIRST CAR: Red Volkswagen Beetle (his name was Chug) FIRST CONCERT: National Symphony at the Kennedy Center STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: That I ask, “What time do we start tomorrow?” A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: The ability to connect with patients, truly listen and meet them where they’re at THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My two lovely granddaughters MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: I spent a summer working at my Dad’s office figuring out the optimal distance to place mines in the ocean to destroy submarines SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Split Pea and Ham Soup FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Giving a Christmas ornament to my daughters and granddaughters ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY EVE ESPEY, KATHLEEN KENNEDY

EMERGENCY MEDICINE HOMETOWN: Born in Surat, India, but moved to Albuquerque in middle school DREAM JOB AS A KID: I didn’t think about it much (I played outside as a kid in India, and after I came to the U.S. I was too busy adapting to think about my dream job) AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: In college, I did a rotation in the emergency room of a hospital—it was as if I stepped into my future and I knew that this was it GUILTY PLEASURE: “Star Trek” (from the originals to the new J.J. Abrams version) CELEB STORY: During an ER shift, I put a splint on the finger of one of the Breaking Bad actors (he was a funny and wonderful guy) OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Hiking and driving in the mountains COFFEE PREFERENCE: Some milk, no sugar, largest possible cup TV FAVORITE AS A KID: Does “Star Trek” count? HIDDEN TALENT: It must be pretty well hidden, I’ve yet to find it KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: Probably not a good idea for others (you know, Hippocratic Oath and do no harm and such) CELEBRITY CRUSH: Nicole Kidman FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Seattle Seahawks FIRST CAR: Mazda 323 hatchback FIRST CONCERT: Imagine Dragons (I didn’t grow up going to concerts, so my first one was with my two kids) STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I like to keep the work space very brightly lit A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Compassion—treat every patient like they’re family THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: A Porsche (sorry, kids) MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Dishwasher and handyman SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Shrimp Stir-Fry FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Traveling together ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR EMERGENCY MEDICINE JERE DISNEY, JON FLEMING

March 2021

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INTERNAL MEDICINE

PODIATRY

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Albuquerque DREAM JOB AS A KID: Physician AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: In undergraduate school in Colorado (the allure of the science of the human body was intriguing to me) GUILTY PLEASURES: Podcasts, and anything pertaining to sports CELEB STORY: I once played golf with Dan Marino at Doonbeg Golf Club in Ireland OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Trail running, hiking, golf COFFEE PREFERENCE: With a small amount of steamed soy TV FAVORITES AS A KID: “Rawhide” and “The Untouchables” HIDDEN TALENT: Bartending KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: I’d probably die CELEBRITY CRUSH: Mel Gibson in “Braveheart” FAVORITE PRO TEAMS? Pittsburgh’s Pirates, Steelers and Penguins FIRST CAR: 1944 Willys Jeep FIRST CONCERT: The Beach Boys STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I’m a habitual prankster A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Compassion, and the ability to listen THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My wife Terry and I with our four grandchildren on Lake Michigan MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Garbage collector SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Mac & Cheese for the grandchildren FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Dinner at Sadie’s the night before Thanksgiving, and Telluride with the entire family for the 4th of July

CHILDHOOD HOMES: El Monte and Covina (both in California) DREAM JOB AS A KID: Fireman AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: 13 GUILTY PLEASURE: Photography OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Bicycling COFFEE PREFERENCE: Hot, with lots of cream and sugar TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Mickey Mouse Club” HIDDEN TALENT: Handling show dogs KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “D’yer Mak’er” by Led Zeppelin CELEBRITY CRUSH: Ann-Margret FAVORITE PRO TEAM? L.A. Lakers FIRST CAR: 1960 Ford Fairlane with a 3-speed stick shift FIRST CONCERT: Simon & Garfunkel STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Eating lots of donuts A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: The ability to listen THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Starry sky MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Dental assistant SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Omelets FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Morning coffee and pastry around the breakfast table when I visit family in Los Angeles

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PODIATRY

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR INTERNAL MEDICINE

GAY GUSTAFSON, GEORGE OCHS

WILLIAM BERLIN, MEGAN MOLLECK

March 2021

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ALLERGY & IMMUNOLOGY

2021

GREW UP: In Los Angeles and Atlanta (but I feel like I’m still “growing up”) DREAM JOB AS A KID: Medical Doctor AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: I was about 9 years old, and saw the actor Richard Boone play Dr. Konrad Styner on the TV show “Medic” and decided that was what I wanted to do GUILTY PLEASURE: Movies in a theater (can’t wait) CELEB STORY: In 1976 at the San Francisco airport, a lovely gentleman commented on how cute our baby daughter Rachel was, and with our permission, he leaned over to her and puffed out his huge cheeks, which was amazing and startling to us—it was Dizzy Gillespie OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Skiing and golf COFFEE PREFERENCE: With a little cream TV FAVORITES AS A KID: “Have Gun, Will Travel” and “Rawhide” HIDDEN TALENT: Sewing KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: I can’t sing to save my life (my 4th grade teacher once told me during group singing that I ‘didn’t have to sing’ because I was so off-key) CELEBRITY CRUSH: Angelina Jolie FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM? UNM Lobos FIRST CAR: 1940 DeSoto (with a handbrake that didn’t work!) FIRST CONCERT: Leonard Bernstein THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My grandchildren MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Bellhop and waiter at a hotel SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Potato Salad (a comfort food recipe handed down from my Dad) FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Celebrating life events with dinners

TO P DOCS

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR ALLERGY & IMMUNOLOGY OSMAN DOKMECI, SHANZE WANG

COLON & RECTAL SURGERY HOMETOWN: Bangalore, India DREAM JOB AS A KID: Store cashier AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: I was about 15 when I decided that I wanted to become a surgeon (this was after I needed surgery on my hand and was able to be awake to watch the surgery as I was given a wrist block) GUILTY PLEASURE: Political drama shows, like “Scandal,” “Madam Secretary” and “The Crown” OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Hiking COFFEE PREFERENCE: Medium roast, with cream and sugar HIDDEN TALENT: I’m a really good baker! KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Rewrite The Stars” from “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack CELEBRITY CRUSH: Tony Goldwyn FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Chelsea F.C. STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Going off on a tangent and talking to my patients A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Empathy THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My three children SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: Spicy Dijon Lamb Chops FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: The very first cookie we make every Christmas is Gingerbread, with a cookie cutter that has been in the family for four generations ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR COLON & RECTAL SURGERY MARIO LEYBA, VINAY RAI

March 2021

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OPTOMETRY

GASTROENTEROLOGY

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Albuquerque DREAM JOB AS A KID: Fireman AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: Mid-20s (I decided being fireman was too hard) GUILTY PLEASURE: Netflix CELEB STORY: I once shared a brief elevator ride with Gene Simmons OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Cycling COFFEE PREFERENCE: Black, and often TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Hill Street Blues” HIDDEN TALENT: Juggling KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Happy Birthday” CELEBRITY CRUSH: Dr. Anthony Fauci FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Chicago Blackhawks FIRST CAR: 1980 Honda Accord FIRST CONCERT: Rush STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I keep a messy desk A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Stock photo from Apple MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Cleaning dog kennels SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Korean BBQ

HOMETOWN: Idaho Falls, Idaho DREAM JOB AS A KID: Playing basketball in the NBA AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: I’m not sure when I made the decision (I have foggy memories of studying through my 20s, and when I woke up they said I could now prescribe medications) GUILTY PLEASURE: Netflix CELEB STORY: I once thought I saw Guy Fieri from “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” but turns out it’s just some biker guy with bleached hair OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Any sport COFFEE PREFERENCE: I’m Latter-day Saint, so I don’t drink coffee (but if I did, it would be from a cup) TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “24” HIDDEN TALENT: Playing the tuba KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Let It Go” from “Frozen” FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Utah Jazz FIRST CAR: An old farm truck FIRST CONCERT: Probably some concerto I had to play on the tuba STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I’m a notorious pen thief A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Being genuine and not taking themselves too seriously THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Whatever the default is SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Italian Nachos FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Every Friday night with our young children, we watch a movie, during which my wife and I sleep for the first time all week

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR GASTROENTEROLOGY

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR OPTOMETRY

NINA NANDY, ANGELINA VILLAS-ADAMS

DAVID BABINGTON, CARA MORRIS

March 2021

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VASCULAR MEDICINE BORN IN: India DREAM JOB AS A KID: To be a surgeon AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: 16 GUILTY PLEASURE: Music OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Tennis COFFEE PREFERENCE: Black TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “All In The Family” HIDDEN TALENT: I’m very good at listening KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: I’m not a good singer CELEBRITY CRUSH: Tennis pro Chris Evert FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Boston Red Sox FIRST CAR: Chevy Malibu FIRST CONCERT: Engelbert Humperdinck STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: That I’m restless A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My grandchildren SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Omelets FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: We always get together for Thanksgiving and other holidays and birthdays ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR VASCULAR MEDICINE KARL DITTRICH, CARLOS RUEDA

2021

TO P DOCS PREVENTIVE MEDICINE HOME STATE: Michigan DREAM JOB AS A KID: Architect AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: During college, I recognized that a career as a physician best suited my personality GUILTY PLEASURE: Books CELEB STORY: I once enjoyed a long airplane ride sitting with Alice Cooper OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Skiing COFFEE PREFERENCE: Black (of course) TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Bonanza” HIDDEN TALENT: Dancing KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “The Impossible Dream” CELEBRITY CRUSH: Glenn Close (that was a long time ago) FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Detroit Red Wings (the Gordie Howe years) FIRST CAR: 1963 Pontiac Catalina with a Tri-Power engine FIRST CONCERT: Little Feat, in 1971 STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Changing my mind A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Showing concern—for real MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Physician for the Indian Health Service SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Oatmeal Pancakes on the grill with bacon FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Summer trips “out west” ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AARON KAUFMAN, BRIDGET LYNCH

March 2021

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PLASTIC SURGERY

ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES & METABOLISM

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Minnewaukan, North Dakota (my high school class had 12 students) DREAM JOB AS A KID: Doctor AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: As a child, I greatly admired my father, who was a general practice doctor, and I liked the study of life science (I also thought it would suit me to work with people) GUILTY PLEASURE: Watching “Masterpiece” (formerly known as Masterpiece Theatre) on PBS CELEB STORY: I met one of the discoverers of insulin, Dr. Charles Best, in 1976 when he came to speak at my medical school in Chicago OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Walking COFFEE PREFERENCE: Black TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling HIDDEN TALENT: I play classical piano KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “We Are The World” (but very badly, and only to save my life) CELEBRITY CRUSH: It is/was Sean Connery FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Minnesota Twins FIRST CAR: Toyota Celica (it was bright orange) FIRST CONCERT: The Guess Who STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I repeatedly check to see if something was completed at the office A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Dishwasher in a biochemistry lab—each beaker had to be washed 10 times in plain water, then 10 times in distilled water, then 10 times in deionized water (needless to say, I’m still a fast dishwasher) SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Sichenyky (Ukrainian meat patties) FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: We put out more than 200 luminarias every Christmas Eve

ORIGINALLY FROM: Taiwan DREAM JOB AS A KID: Rocket scientist GUILTY PLEASURE: Listening to spy novels on audio OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Racetrack driving COFFEE PREFERENCE: Black TV FAVORITE AS A KID: Tom & Jerry cartoons KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Do-Re-Mi” from “The Sound of Music” FIRST CAR: When I was 3 years old, I got a “Flintstones”-style red Jeep A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening to the patients MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Movie theater usher SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Oxtail Soup ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PLASTIC SURGERY

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR

JENNIFER CHAN

ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES & METABOLISM

LUIS CUADROS

MANSI MEHTA, IVAN PINON

March 2021

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ONCOLOGY / HEMATOLOGY HOMETOWN: Grants, New Mexico (the Uranium Capital of the World) DREAM JOB AS A KID: Pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: 12 (I had a great family doctor and role model who inspired me to be of service) GUILTY PLEASURE: “Cobra Kai” on Netflix CELEB STORY: I once met famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson with my kids at White Sands OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Skiing with my family COFFEE PREFERENCE: With creamer TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Full House” HIDDEN TALENT: I like to dance KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Volver, Volver” by Vicente Fernandez CELEBRITY CRUSH: Jessica Alba FAVORITE PRO TEAM? L.A. Dodgers FIRST CAR: 1985 red Ford pickup FIRST CONCERT: Marc Anthony STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Overbooking my schedule A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Compassion, and being present THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My kids MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: DJ at a nightclub SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Grilled ribeye steak FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Every year we have a Christmas Posada (traditional Mexican celebration) with food and music ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR ONCOLOGY/HEMATOLOGY 2021

BERNARD AGBEMADZO, MALCOLM PURDY

TO P DOCS ROBOTIC SURGERY HOMETOWN: Isleta Pueblo DREAM JOB AS A KID: Doctor AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: 10 (my parents are healthcare providers, and growing up hearing stories about the care they provided for our community was inspiring) GUILTY PLEASURES: Netflix, and music on vinyl CELEB STORY: At a music festival in California, Nicholas Petricca (the lead singer of Walk the Moon) brushed against my arm, so we said hello, took a selfie, and rocked out OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Running COFFEE PREFERENCE: Dark roast, splash of cream, Splenda TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Webster” HIDDEN TALENT: I can do a scream worthy of a haunted house KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Get The Party Started” by Pink CELEBRITY CRUSH: Pro surfer Kelly Slater FAVORITE PRO TEAM? San Antonio Spurs FIRST CAR: Ford Ranger FIRST CONCERT: Boyz II Men STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Leaving stacks of papers and medical journals everywhere A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening and compassion THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Yellow and green blobs (stock photo from iPhone) MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Lifeguard SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Fresh fruit popsicles FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: We finish a 1,000-piece puzzle on New Year’s Eve ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR ROBOTIC SURGERY KAREN FINKELSTEIN, STEVEN GOUGH

March 2021

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PSYCHIATRY / PSYCHOLOGY

PEDIATRICIAN

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Walnut Creek, California DREAM JOB AS A KID: Doctor AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: 8 (followed by some key realizations, people and experiences that cemented that desire) GUILTY PLEASURE: Bruce Willis and Clint Eastwood movies CELEB STORY: When I was younger, I spent half a day trying to find “Mission Impossible” star Peter Graves, who was rumored to be on the same ski slope (I never found him, but had fun trying) OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Hiking COFFEE PREFERENCE: Hot, strong and black TV FAVORITES AS A KID: “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.” HIDDEN TALENT: Singing KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables FAVORITE PRO TEAMS? Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers FIRST CAR: Volkswagen Karmann Ghia FIRST CONCERT: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in Houston, Texas STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Trying to squeeze just one more patient into my schedule without considering the work involved for others A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: The ability to connect with and listen to people of all kinds THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My husband and I hiking at Glacier National Park MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Research assistant at the Texas Medical Center (part of my job was ‘harvesting chickens’ for science) SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Raisin Nut Bread (from an old recipe passed down to me from my grandmother) FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Christmas morning brunch (as the kids came of age, we started including mimosas)

HOMETOWN: Omaha, Nebraska DREAM JOB AS A KID: Who thought of a job as a child? AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: In college, after I went through psychotherapy (I wanted to do for others what my psychiatrist did for me) GUILTY PLEASURE: Finger painting CELEB STORY: I met Michael Keaton at a wedding before he became famous (we talked to me for an hour and a half, wanting to know what medical training was like) OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Beach combing, surfing, snorkeling, boating COFFEE PREFERENCE: Latté TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Spanky and Our Gang” HIDDEN TALENT: I have perfect pitch (but I’m not really a musician) KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Limbo” by Daddy Yankee CELEBRITY CRUSH: Meryl Streep FAVORITE PRO TEAM? San Diego Chargers FIRST CAR: 1962 Dodge Dart FIRST CONCERT: Fleetwood Mac STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I’m a bit forgetful A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: A sense of humor THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Me and my daughter MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Maître de at a restaurant SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Hamburgers over an open campfire FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: As a kid, every year around the holidays my family would take blind children bowling through the Salvation Army ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PSYCHIATRY/PSYCHOLOGY

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PEDIATRICIAN

ANA KUNY, SHANNON STROMBERG

SYLVIA CRAGO, ALWYN KOIL

March 2021

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REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE DREAM JOB AS A KID: I always wanted to be a doctor AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: It was inevitable that I go into medicine—my father was a family practitioner, my Mom was a nurse, and my sister is also a doctor (however, my brother couldn’t stand being around sick people, so he became a lawyer) OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: I love to 4-wheel off-road in my Jeep FIRST CONCERT: The Zombies DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Empathy and understanding (enjoying the practice of medicine makes it easy to be empathetic) ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE LEE CAPERTON, LISA HOFLER 2021

TO P DOCS GENERAL SURGERY- NON-ROBOTIC HOMETOWN: Westfield, New Jersey DREAM JOB AS A KID: For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to become a physician CAREER INFLUENCE: My father was a hometown general practice doctor and loved by the community—I had a great role model GUILTY PLEASURE: Historical fiction by authors like Tom Clancy CELEB STORY: I had the good fortune to meet and get a photo with the great Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears, who was visiting a children’s hospital OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Cutting and splitting firewood at my cabin in Angel Fire COFFEE PREFERENCE: I don’t usually drink coffee, but the best is from a pot six hours old at 3 a.m. just before an emergency case TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “The Mickey Mouse Club” every day at 4 p.m. HIDDEN TALENT: I can wiggle my ears KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Lucille” by Kenny Rogers CELEBRITY CRUSH: Betty White FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Kansas City Chiefs FIRST CAR: 1950 DeSoto station wagon (a “Woody” flathead 8-cyclinder with tiptoe shift) FIRST CONCERT: The Doors, 1967 at Colgate University STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I interrupt a lot A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Empathy for a patient THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My grandchildren MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Freezer guy at a mortuary SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Roast leg of lamb, with oven-roasted potatoes FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: We sit for dinner as a family every night when at home, and say grace before eating ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR GENERAL SURGERY – NON-ROBOTIC DAVID HOANG, MARIO LEYBA

March 2021

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RADIOLOGY

NEUROLOGY

2021

TO P DOCS

GREW UP IN: Pittsburgh and Los Alamos DREAM JOB AS A KID: Ballerina AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: At 32, I was incorrectly diagnosed as having had a brain tumor, so I decided that—since I was about to die anyway—there were only three things worth doing in life: energy, the environment, and medicine (I chose medicine) GUILTY PLEASURE: Streaming video while using exercise equipment CELEB STORY: I once met former Poland President Lech Walesa on a boat in the Baltic Sea OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Hiking COFFEE PREFERENCE: Latté TV FAVORITE AS A KID: Anything I was allowed to watch HIDDEN TALENT: Sharrisart.com KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”—it’s the only thing I can sing CELEBRITY CRUSH: Lassie FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: The Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet TV FIRST CAR: 1969 Dodge Dart FIRST CONCERT: The Eagles MY STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I frequently change procedures because I think there is a better way to do everything A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: An ocean wave MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: I taught computer science at Front Range Community College in Denver SPECIALTY DISH THAT I COOK: Green Posole FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: A new tradition is that me and my six siblings ZOOM chat every Sunday

HOMETOWN: Minneola, Kansas DREAM JOB AS A KID: Cowboy on a ranch AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: I was working part-time as an orderly in a hospital when I was 19—and I enjoyed patient care GUILTY PLEASURE: Movies CELEB STORY: I lived next door to Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf for two years OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Beach walking COFFEE PREFERENCE: Cappuccino TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Gunsmoke” HIDDEN TALENT: Disco dancing KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “You’ve Got A Friend” by James Taylor CELEBRITY CRUSH: Salma Hayek FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Kansas City Chiefs FIRST CAR: Hudson Hornet FIRST CONCERT: Fleetwood Mac STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Bringing in fattening food and treats A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Listening and understanding the patient’s fears and concerns THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: An Alaskan iceberg (pic was taken from a small boat) MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Private aide to a multi-millionaire SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: All kinds of gourmet dishes from France FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Yearly trip to Hawaii

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR NEUROLOGY

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR RADIOLOGY

AMANDA DELIGTISCH, DANIEL SHIBUYA

BRAD CUSHNYR, GARY MLADY

March 2021

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PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY

2021

HOMETOWN: Albuquerque DREAM JOB AS A KID: Teacher or doctor AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: My undergraduate major was in Biomedical Engineering, and I was a lab tech for one of my professors, who was developing an implantable glucose sensor (I really enjoyed the science, but I also enjoyed interacting with people—being a doctor lets me do both!) GUILTY PLEASURE: Facebook CELEB STORY: I met Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham at a luncheon when she was serving in Congress OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Gardening COFFEE PREFERENCE: With cinnamon and little milk TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “Happy Days” HIDDEN TALENT: Making different versions of Chex Mix KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: The A-B-C song ;) FAVORITE ATHLETE TO WATCH: Rafael Nadal FIRST CAR: Volkswagen Rabbit FIRST CONCERT: The Beach Boys STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Taking too long to make decisions A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: To be a good listener THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My cat, Gillie MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Babysitting (always an adventure!) SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Chicken Burrito Bowl FAVE FAMILY TRADITIONS: Every member of our family gets a glass Christmas tree ornament every year that represents him or her (such as a hobby, character, favorite food, etc.)

TO P DOCS

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY LEA DAVIES, ELIF DOKMECI

OTOLARYNGOLOGY - ENT HOMETOWN: Bayard, N.M. DREAM JOB AS A KID: Biomedical engineer AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: After I came to UNM, I decided to apply to the School of Medicine, and got accepted (I first wanted to be a cardiologist, but after I rotated through ENT, I fell in love with this specialty) GUILTY PLEASURE: Netflix CELEB STORY: I’ve examined many celebrities, including Mariah Carey (she’s sincere and friendly) and Ozzy Osbourne (he takes Vitamin B-12 injections before his concerts) OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Running and hiking in the Sandia Mountains, and riding my BMW motorcycle CELEBRITY CRUSH: Shania Twain FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Minnesota Vikings FIRST CAR: 1967 Pontiac GTO FIRST CONCERT: Santana A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Empathy for the patient, and the ability to listen MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Being a flight surgeon for the U.S. Navy’s VP-50 Patrol Squadron as we hunted for Russian submarines in the North Pacific ocean between Alaska and Japan (flying 300 feet above the water for 14 hours could be challenging at times, but certainly never boring) ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR OTOLARYNGOLOGY-ENT MICHAEL CRIDDLE, JASON MUDD

March 2021

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UROLOGY

GERIATRICS

2021

TO P DOCS

HOMETOWN: Albuquerque, born and raised DREAM JOB AS A KID: Whatever it was, I wanted to be in charge (I was the oldest child) GUILTY PLEASURE: Watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race” CELEB STORY: I was working out at hotel gym right next to Lionel Messi, and didn’t even recognize him (my soccer-loving fans will never let me live this down) OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Soccer (for 25 years until I gave it up because of injuries) COFFEE PREFERENCE: Piping hot (and as much as possible) TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “This Old House” on Saturday mornings with my Dad HIDDEN TALENT: Matchmaker (two marriages so far) KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: I think I would rather die than sing in public CELEBRITY CRUSH: Dr. Anthony Fauci FAVORITE PRO TEAMS? Boston Celtics and U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team FIRST CAR: 1979 Pontiac Grand LeMans STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Telling dumb jokes and bad puns A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Acting as a coach and not an executive (make sure the patient stays in control) THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My late dog, Wyatt (I should update it, but I miss him too much to change it) MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Being an intern at the Aspen Institute, a policy think-tank CULINARY SPECIALTY: Working the grill in the summertime FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: Making apple cider at my aunt’s farm in Michigan every year

HOMETOWN: Indianapolis, Indiana DREAM JOB AS A KID: Actually, being a doctor AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: When I was a junior in high school, I started directing my efforts and studies toward this career GUILTY PLEASURE: Dance music OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Skiing and gardening COFFEE PREFERENCE: With heavy whipping cream (but don’t tell anyone) TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “I Love Lucy” HIDDEN TALENT: Raising llamas (I used to own a llama farm) KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “Hotel California” by the Eagles FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Denver Broncos FIRST CAR: Ford Gran Torino FIRST CONCERT: Mick Jagger at the University of Colorado STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Repeating myself A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: To bring out the words no one wants to say THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Beautiful people MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Filling jelly donuts SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Poteca (Slovenian pastry) FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: That’s easy—arguing

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR GERIATRICS

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR UROLOGY

DAVID SCRASE, JULIE SILVERHART

JONATHON LACKNER, JULIE RILEY

March 2021

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INFECTIOUS DISEASE HOMETOWN: Baltimore, Maryland DREAM JOB AS A KID: Doctor (my father was a doctor) AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: 19, when I decided computer science wasn’t for me and I wanted to do something to help others GUILTY PLEASURE: ESPN CELEB STORY: I trained at the National Institutes of Health with Dr. Anthony Fauci OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Running COFFEE PREFERENCE: Cream, no sugar TV FAVORITE AS A KID: “M*A*S*H” HIDDEN TALENT: The ability to get by on very little sleep (between working late, and getting up early to go running) KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: “The Times They Are A-Changin’” by Bob Dylan CELEBRITY CRUSH: Sam Shepard (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actor and husband of Jessica Lange) FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Baltimore Ravens FIRST CAR: 1974 Mercury Cougar FIRST CONCERT: Fleetwood Mac at Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: Running behind A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Actually caring for your patient THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: Earth from space MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Chocolate Chip Pancakes for my kids

2021

TO P DOCS

ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE MEGHAN BRETT, THOMAS ROBERTS

PEDIATRIC SPECIALIST - NEPHROLOGY HOMETOWN: Portland, Oregon (before it became cool) DREAM JOB AS A KID: Getting a job wasn’t on my radar (I liked being a kid) AGE WHEN I DECIDED TO BECOME A DOCTOR: High school (my best friend’s dad was a pediatrician, and he was a great guy) GUILTY PLEASURE: Old school kung fu and martial arts movies OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Running COFFEE PREFERENCE: Straight up (the stronger, the better) TV FAVORITE AS A KID: Saturday morning cartoons HIDDEN TALENT: Drawing KARAOKE SONG I WOULD SING TO SAVE MY LIFE: You can just kill me now CELEBRITY CRUSH: Sophia Vergara FAVORITE PRO TEAM? Portland Trailblazers FIRST CAR: 1967 Chrysler K series FIRST CONCERT: Doobie Brothers STAFF SAYS MY MOST ANNOYING HABIT IS: I keep a cluttered desk (you can Google “Einstein’s Desk” to get an idea) A DOCTOR’S MOST IMPORTANT BEDSIDE MANNER IS: Clear communication with your patient THE PIC ON MY CELL PHONE HOME SCREEN: My family in front of the UNM duck pond MY MOST UNUSUAL JOB WAS: Doing inventory at a nuts and bolts factory SPECIALTY DISH THAT I MAKE: Steak on the grill FAVE FAMILY TRADITION: We take a drive every Christmas Eve to see the luminarias in Old Town ALSO IN THE TOP 3 FOR PEDIATRIC SPECIALIST-OTHER ABBY KUNZ, JESSICA MING

March 2021

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2021

TO P S C O D ALLERGY & IMMUNOLOGY

Katherine Abernathy Carver Pamela Daffern Elif Dokmeci Bruce Feldman Jack Ghably Michael Keslin Mark Schuyler Gurdeep Singh James Sussman Valerie Tausch ANESTHESIOLOGY

Elizabeth Baker Daniel Berson Mary Billstrand Nichole Bordegaray Bryan Brindeiro Douglas Brown Scott Brown Emily Bui Cameron Burrup William Chapman Anita Delgado Ashleigh Dixon Ricardo Falcon Matthew Fisher Hilary Ford Sally Fortner Alvin Garcia Brian Gebhardt Neal Gerstein Tamara Gleason Radhika Grande Anna Hoard Joseph Jaros

Lindsay Jinkins Melinda King Hugh Martin Suzanne Numan John Rask Randy Rosett Codruta Soneru Brian Starr Chris Stasny Dale Steele Phillip Styka Eva Szabo Eli Torgeson Firoz Vagh Sally Vender Sanjiv Vig Tony Yen CARDIOLOGY

Abinash Achrekar Yaw Adjei-Poku Kathleen Allen Ruby Bendersky Michael Bestawros Mark Bienairz Steven Brown Mihaela Bujoi Phillip Camp Luis Constantin Richard Converse Jennifer Davenport Alyce Dechant Nancy Duhigg Kayvan Ellini Armin Foghi Daniel Friedman

March 2021

Mark Garcia Anne Greene Sharif Halim Pamela Hsu Charles Kim Melissa Klein Geoffrey Kunz Leonardo Macias Guilherme Marin Vanessa Marin Sean Mazer Nestor Mercado Barry Ramo Aamer Rehman Anthony Sandoval Jane Schauer Oleksandr Schevchuck Hirak Sen Neal Shadoff Karen Sopko T. Craig Timm Stewart Walther Michael West Harvey White Jerome Yatskowitz COLON & RECTAL SURGERY

Lisa Balduf William Brown Calvin Dudley Bridget Fahy Itzhak Nir Sarah Popek Chitra Sambasivan Lorene Valdez-Boyle

DERMATOLOGY

Emily Altman Naiara Barbosa William Chapman David Davis John Durkin Barbara Einhorn Heidi Fleischmann Amanda Harper Therese Holguin Michaela Jacobs Karel Jill Ortiz Yasmin Qaseem Shilpa Reddy Deeptej Singh Matthew Thompson Robert Walters William Willis EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Brian Abbott Justin Baca Timothy Barrett Fernando Bayardo John Bigelow Carolyn Bryan Eleni Bucuvalas James Cotton Joy Crook Cash Davis Glen Delaney Michael Deprest Todd Dettmer Cathy Drake Ian Duchen Rebecca Fox

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Lawrence Gernon Christopher Guest Edith Gurrola Patrick Harvey Virginia Harvey Christopher Hawthorn Robert Henry Michael Hsu Natasha James Andrew Kalishman Ashley Keiler-Greene Natasha Kolb Courtney Lapham-Simpson Ted Lee John Lissoway Christopher Loucks Jonathan Marinaro Jason Ian McIsaac Steven McLaughlin Robb McLean Fernando Monreal Brian Moore Tatsuya Norii Stephen Pilon Diane Rimple Amber Rollstin Tony Salazar Robert Sapien Dusadee Sarangarm Mark Sauerman Joseph Sheets George Skarbek-Borowski Hank Taliaferro Isaac Tawil Matthew Tennison Janet Veesart Elizabeth Whitacre Matthew Wilks Lance Wilson ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES & METABOLISM

Alan Adolphe Deborah Allen Matthew Bouchonville Mark Burge Robert Christensen Deborah Dennis Richard Dorin Lisa Ereifej Jeremy Gleeson Ellen Kaufman Christina Lovato Lisa McGuire Erwin Ong May Reyes

FAMILY PRACTICE

Angela Romero Angela Sanchez Adesina Sanni Amy Schmidt Brian Solan Stacey Smith Linda Smoker Anti Soto-Hernandez Aissa Steiner Laura Stern Linda Stogner John Stuart Daniel Stulberg Vidya Subramanian Robert Surawski Alyson Thal Jeffrey Thomas Lisa Torres Louis Trost James Tryon Gary Vaughn Nicole Yonke

Joseph Aragon Meredith Barlow Jesse Barnes Joseph Bergsten Thomas Betjeman John Bettler Elena Bissell Rachel Chamberlain Leena Cherukuri Caitlin Chestnut Andrew Clarkinson Fredie Diaz Karen Evans Santana Fontana Carl Friedrichs Ximena Galarza-Rios Rosa Galvez Melissa Garcia Eleni Gianacakes Roger Gildersleeve Kevin Goodluck Jack Greenberg Thomas Gross Sharareh Hazini Kevin Henry Marcus Higi Veneta Ianakieva Jerica Johnson Teresa Jones Roberto Jordan Kerri Kustra Rachel Larivee David Leech Mary Lemon Thomas Longley Mai Luu Bridget Lynch Melissa Martinez Ronica Martinez Preston Matthews Kate McCalmont Molly McClain Martha McGrew Christopher McIlwain Jason Mitchell Janelle Montoya Steven Ogas Kira Paisley Gabriel Palley Toby Palley Nancy Pahndi Elaine Papafrangos Lilia Pedrego Donald Pichler Sandra Qaseem David Rakel Rachel Rankin Patrick Rivera Felisha Rojan-Minjares

March 2021

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Gabrielle Adams Vijay Agerwal Sanjeev Arora Michael Bay Frank Czul-Gurdian Julie Farrer Howard Gogel George Holman Antoine Jakiche Archana Kaza Martin Kistin James Martinez Richard Ming Fazia Mir Vipin Mittal Deepshikha Nag Chowdhury Nina Nandy Gulshan Parasher Nikki Parker-Ray Natalie Pavelock Tahir Qaseem Thomas Riley Praveen Roy Tarun Rustagi Mitchal Schreiner Lance Trent Taylor Lindsay Uribe Greg Valenzuela Pankaj Vohra GENERAL SURGERY - NON-ROBOTIC

Lisa Balduf Michael Blea Jeffrey Brown Sean Coston

Charlie Michael Doss Peter Driscoll Kareem Eid Stephanie Fine Gregory Garcia Brian Holt Kevin Hudenko Samuel Márquez Erica McBride Jason McKee Richard Miskimins Ann Morrison Michael Nelson Pavel Nockel Ahmad Othman Jeanne (Ping) Pan Jasmeet Paul David Pitcher Gopal Reddy Calvin Ridgeway John Russell Patricia Souchon Sanchez Linda Smith William Syme Ryan Tyner Walter Voigt Julie Wesp Sonlee West GERIATRICS

Christina Bungo Leandro Centenera Andrea Demeter Gabriella Good Frederick Hashimoto Carla Herman Lisa Noya Don Pearsall Suzanne Pinon Sandra Qaseem Richard Roche Russell Schultz Kirsten Silvey Francesco Standoli Laura Wylie HOSPICE MEDICINE

Scott Brown Devang Butani Bridget Fahy Esme Finlay Erin Fitzgerald Julie Harrigan Jairon Johnson Stephen Lunderman Lisa Marr Kathy Morsea Gerard Muraida Margaret Nolan Rachel Rankin Kendall Rogers

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Diane Sansonetti INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Christine Boehringer Thomas Byrd Felix Cerna Walter Dehority Andrea Demeter Joseph Gorvetzian Diedre Hofinger Leslie Olivia Hopkins Michelle Iandiorio Susan Kellie Martha Muller Natalie Miriam Salas Cathy Petty Michael Radetsky Brannon Raney Thomas Roberts Nestor Sosa Laura Shevy David Stryker Ryan Urich Eleana Zamora INTERNAL MEDICINE

Allen Aldolphe Cynthia Arndell Lara Barkoff Christopher Bartlett Beth Begay Mario Benavidez Husayn Bin-Bilal Janet Blanchard Comfort Bonu Heather Brislen Patricia Bryant Radu Butuc Patricia Carbajo Carolyn Castillo Lucas Casul Shan Shan Chen Leena Cherukuri Michael Coquia George Comerci Francis Comunas Fredie Diaz Jeremy Durling Edward Fancovic Jessica Favis Dana Fotieo Taylor Goot Haroon Haque Michelle Harkins Andrew Hemmen Stuart Hochron Jennifer Jernigan Christopher Jones Fernando Jumalon Julia Keating Mary Lacy

Jens Langsjoen Mathew Ley Bridget Lynch Tahir Mahmood Mohammad Malik Jeffrey Miller Pradeep Mitta Adrian Moretti Ann Morrison Patricia Morrow Torre Near Jessica Nguyen-Binder Gerard Nyase Alisha Parada Ishan Patel Laura Probst Corina Procell Sandra Qaseem Christopher Quintana Deepti Rao Soumya Reddy Alberto Aguayo Rico Edmee Rodriguez Kendall Rogers Henry Roybal Russell Schultz Gurdeep Singh Richard Todd Joseph Tran Louis Trost Jay Tseng Mark Unruh Raghu Vanama Norah Walsh Mahmood Zamanian MEDICAL GENETICS

Carol Clericuzio Randall Heidenreich Amer Mahmoud Michael Marble Lisa Mohler Kathy Morris John Pederson Linda Smith NEUROLOGY

Kader AbdeleRahman John Adair Douglas Barrett Mark Berger Elizabeth Bryniarski Flor Caballar-Gonzaga Christopher Calder Sharon Cooperman Wei Wei Dai Alan Dobson Elaine Edmonds Corey Ford Nishiena Gandhi Tarun Girotra

March 2021

Diana Greene-Chandos Madeleine Grigg-Damberger Manuel Gurule Clotilde Hainline Janice Knoefel Jayant Kumar Abby Kunz Timothy Ownbey Sarah Pirio Richardson Tanuj Saaraswat Baljinder Sandhu Krystian Solis Monika Krzesniak Swinarska John Tanner Huy Tran Alfred Van Baak Kathy Wolfe NEUROSURGERY

James Botros Christian Bowers Chad Cole Javed Khader Eliyas Mark Erasmus Jose Santos Meic Schmidt Gregory Sherr Danielle Sorte OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

Nicholas Andrews Bethany Barrow Jacquelyn Blackstone Bruno Caridi Consuelo Carmona Molly Carroll Conrad Chao Kristina Chongsiriwatana Carl Connors Valeria Contreras-Crowley Meredith Cox Mary Cunnane Tushar Dandade Maxine Dorin Kelly Drescher Gena Dunivan Gileen Elder Jaclyn Estes Edison Virgil Etsitty Karen Finkelstein Mary Gallegos Samantha Gallegos-Gollihugh Amy Garcia Victoria Garcia Jennifer Coffey Gill Jesus Gonzalez-Aller Erin Gordon Steven Gough Kara Gwin

100

Claire Herrick Lisa Hofler Elizabeth Hume Joses Jain Nitasha Jain Vivek Reddy Katukuri Samara Knight Brook McFadden Maria Montoya Seddah Moya Carolyn Muller Kate Musello Elisabeth Obenauf Helen Oquendo Del Toro Regan Riley Julian Rowe Lori Saiz Katherine Schwarz Paul Shelburne Erika Solis-Gilmore Jody Stonehocker Kelly Stuart Naomi Swanson Carrie Swartz Betsy Taylor Joel Teicher Jeanine Valdez Melissa Valdez Julie Van Someren Rebecca Vasilion Dhyana Velasco Joel Webb Alana Williams James Wurzel ONCOLOGY / HEMATOLOGY

Shirley Abraham Amyn Alidina Leslie Andritsos Beeling Armijo Ethan Binder Paul Brittain Ursa Brown-Glaberman Linda Butros Kathryn Chan Ateefa Chaudhury Douglas Clark Zoneddy Dayao Matthew Fero Esme Finlay Annette Fontaine Xiaxin Li Barbara McAneny Shiva Kumar Mukkamalla Dulcinea Quintana Ian Rabinowitz Shantan Reddy Teresa Rutledge Neda Hashemi Sadraei

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Kenneth Smith Muhammad Tarakji Andrea Teague Jessica Valdez Victor Vigil Benjamin Wagenman Yang Wang Yubao Wang Emrullah Yilmaz OPHTHALMOLOGY

Kenneth Adams Robert Avery Rebekah Allen Patrick Chan Mark Chiu Arup Das Alexander Davis Rachel Davis Michael DiMonaco Todd Goldblum Amar Joshi Mark Lesher Frank Mares Robert Melendez Gregory Ogawa Yousuf Qaseem Robert Quick Ashok Reddy Molly Ritsema Sean Rivera Christopher Roybal Nathaniel Roybal Paul Sanchez Michael Seligson John Teahan Craig Vroman Frank Wyant OPTOMETRY

Alice Baumstark Ellen Beebe Lauren Byington Craig Clatanoff Michelle Cohen Jamie Dunn David Magnus Tasneem Tina Mamdani Tiffany Martinez Nicholas Ritz Roy-Daniel Sanchez Kent Schauer Seth Taylor Randi Thompson David Vise Arthur Weinstein Richard Zobel ORTHOPEDICS

Douglas Allen Alan Altman

Mark Anderson Michael Archibeck Kari Babinski Eric Benson Joshua Carothers David Chafey Horim Choi Timothy Choi James Clark Michael Decker John Franco Patrick Gilligan Carl Jan Gilmore Christopher Hanosh Steven Jones Daniel Junick Donnie Lujan Samuel McArthur Matthew McKinley Elizabeth Mikola Richard Miller Urvij Modhia Nathan Morrell Patrick Dale Mulkey George Ochs Ernesto Otero-Lopez Justin O’Guinn Anthony Pachelli Andrew Paterson Lindsey Patman Matthew Patton Suki Pierce Ian Power Dustin Richter Damen Sacoma Robert Schenck Selina Silva Samuel Tabet Krishna Tripuraneni Andrew Veitch Dan Wascher Mark Werner

Allyson Ray Liat Shama Michael Spafford Noah Syme Ajit Tipirneni

OTOLARYNGOLOGY - ENT

PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

Erica Bennett Nathan Boyd Tara Brennan Andrew Cowan Christine Fordham David Gallegos Roland Gerencer Karen Hawley Benjamin Holley Karl Horn Brian Husen Tania Kraai Selena Liao Raymond Matteucci Duncan Meicklejohn Garth Olson Joseph Onyia

Jennifer Davenport Mary Beth Goens Jon Love Siddharth Patel Jeffrey Schuster William Stein

March 2021

PAIN MEDICINE

Nicholas Andrews Matthew Bergsten Ben Daitz Daniel Duhigg Radhika Grandhe Stephen Lunderman Athanasios Manole Julie Muche Eliezer Pangan Joshu Raiten Craig Rumbaugh Denise Taylor Matthew Valeriano Thomas Whalen David Woog PATHOLOGY

Cory Broehm Kendall Crookston David Czuchlewski Lauren Decker Lauren Dvorscak Edgar Fischer Robyn Gaffney Jospeh Griggs Joshua Hanson Matthew Luke Amer Mahmoud Sandra Mueller Aaron Pritchard Jay Raval Marian Rollins-Raval Cordelia Sever Shelly Stepenaskie Whitney Winham

PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY

Sarah Laurenzano Marta Terlecki Johanna Viau Colindres Michael Yao

101

PEDIATRIC SPECIALIST - OTHER

Shirley Abraham Razan Alkhouri John Brandt Emmett Broxson Jeffrey Bullard-Berent Linda Butros Walter Dehority Rajmohan Dharmaraj Elif Dokmeci Anna Duran Christine Fordham Jacqueline Fridge Stephanie Gehres Senan Hadid Maria Heubeck Sheila Hickey Robert Miller Brian Moore Martha Muller Helen Oquendo Del Toro Jennifer Rael James Reese Allyson Richards Jeremy Snyder Justin Sommer Sally Vender Pankaj Vohra Ann Winegardner PEDIATRIC SURGERY

Jessica Ming Lena Perger Anthony Savo PEDIATRICIAN

David Allison Janelle Aragon Teresa Anderson Dorsey Beggs Joel Berger Albert Bourbon James Bruce Bethany Carvajal Diane Clawson Loretta Cordova De Ortega Kathleen D’Arrigo Anna Duran Laura Finley David Gallegos Monique Garcia John Good Andrew Hsi Aaron Jacobs Gregory Jochems Melissa Jongco Sanchez Eric Keller Judy Lui Brittnay Lyons

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Melissa Mason Kristel Montano John Pederson Stephanie Pendergrass Heather Pratt-Chavez Joseph Ramirez Joel Saland Janet Samorodin-McIlwain Emilie Sebesta Gretchen Seelinger Justin Sommer Ibuki Suga Carl Tapia Maria Tapia Saurman Denise Taylor Chandler Todd Chris Torrez Yolanda Tso Teresa Vigil Leslie Ward Mariska Wensink PHYSICAL MEDICINE

Carlos Esparza Larry Horn Athanasios Manole Joshu Raiten William Evan Rivers John Sloan Denise Taylor PLASTIC SURGERY

Gregory Borah Ronald Escudero Karl Hapcic William Loutfy Jeffrey Morehouse Anil Shetty Gladys Tsao-Wu Jeffrey Wu PODIATRY

Ian Burtenshaw Haywan Chiu Uchenna Chukwurah Matthew Cobb Richmond Kilpatrick Eric Lew Mark Margiotta John Panek Stephanie Parks Tommy Roe David Sotelo Steve Wrege PREVENTIVE MEDICINE

Leslie Hopkins Denece Kesler Judy Lui

PSYCHIATRY /

RADIOLOGY

ROBOTIC SURGERY

PSYCHOLOGY

Shaya Ansari Matthew Bordegaray Adam Delu Steven Eberhardt Timothy Erwin Anna Fabre Joanna Fair Kirk Giesbrandt Blaine Hart Jeffrey Hebert Loren Ketai Jimmy Leung Duncan Lill Kathleen Lopez Samuel Martinez Douglas Meek Anthony Miller Eric Munoz Lara Patriquin Jonathan Revels Allyson Richards Rachel Runde Jennifer Saline Michael Conor Simmons Martha Terrazas Paul Vantine Brett Weitzel Jennifer Weaver Jessica Williams

Bruno Caridi Tushar Dandade Kareem Eid Bridget Fahy Aaron Geswaldo Andrew Grollman Mario Leyba Heidi Miller James Wurzel

Christopher Abbott Swala Abrams Pamela Arenella Jennifer Bernard Snehal Bhatt Jonathan Bolton Kimothi Cain Marita Campos-Melady Thomas Carey Scott Carroll John Courtney Mario Cruz Raven Cuellaer Betsy Davis Deborah Dellmore Daniel Duhigg Jeffrey Dunn Laura Elder Joseph Flippo Nina Gonzales Yvonne Hall Mohamad Khafaja Cynthia King Lorian Kostranchuk Nancy Martin Kara Martinez Christopher Morris Jolynn Muraida Thai Nguyen Tonya Oliver Kyle Owen Elizabeth Penland Michelle Pent Davin Quinn Elizabeth Romero Rhonda Ross Amy Rouse Sofya Rubinchik John Schooley Kristina Sowar Mauricio Tohen Daniel Williams PULMONOLOGY

Lee Brown Denise Gonzales Lucie Griffin Theresa Heynekamp Cory Hicks Gary Iwamoto Craig Jensen Paras Malhotra Lana Melendres-Groves Matthew Montoya Miguel Pellerano Archie Sanchez Vesta Sandoval Akshay Sood

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REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE

Jacquelyn Blackstone Eve Espey Luis Izquierdo RHEUMATOLOGY

Chandrahasa Annem Eddie Benge Juliet Coquia Jacqueline Dean Salvador Garcia Ioannis Kalampokis Konstantin Konstantinova Vijayalakshmi Kumar Timothy Moore Sharon Nunez Frank O’Sullivan Leroy Pacheco Andres Peisajovich Kimberly Reiter Peter Rosandich Monica Snowden James Steier Scott Stoerner Jaren Trost Jorge Uribe Sabeen Yaqub

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SLEEP MEDICINE

Melissa Begay Lee Brown Madeleine Grigg-Damberger Michelle Harkin Dessislava Ianakieva Joe Kern Barry Krakow Frank Ralls Lana Wagner Kathy Wolfe UROLOGY

Frances Alba Jay Bishop Hannah Choate Kerr Michael Davis Maxx Gallegos Aaron Geswaldo Andrew Grollman Stefan Gutow Jane Alison Hanson Peter Headley Damara Kaplan Wayne Kuang Laura Mihalko Jessica Ming Vincent Ortolano Satyan Shah Jason Wilson VASCULAR MEDICINE

Robert Cutcheon Tarun Girotra Sundeep Guliani Michael Harding Esteban Henao Mark Langsfeld John Marek Robert Moskowitz Ole Peloso Trent Proffitt Kristina Sanchez Harvey White Richard Wilkerson

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TO P DOCS Gustavo Espino - Renal Medicine Anna Fabre - Interventional Radiology Bridget Fahy - Surgical Oncology Karen Finkelstein - Gynecologic Oncology Kirby Gabrys - Nephrology Kavitha Ganta - Nephrology Amit Garg - Radiation Oncology Tamara Goodman - Palliative Medicine Susan Guo - Radiation Oncology Brian Holt - Bariatrics Sergio Huerta - Addiction Medicine Joses Jain - Maternal & Fetal Medicine Sara Jordan - Gynecologic Oncology Ashish Kataria - Nephrology Vivek Katukuri - Maternal & Fetal Medicine Tessa Krantz - Urogynecology Mike Lewicki - Osteoporosis Mathew Ley - Hospitalist Mohammed Lodhi - Hospitalist Judy Lui - Medical Aesthetics Eric Magana - Intensive Care Ryan Mals - Addiction Psychiatry Nancy Martin - Emergency Psychiatry

Sarah Adams - Gynecologic Oncology Shozab Ahmed - Critical Care Eduardo Alas - Nephrology Christos Argyropoulos - Nephrology Beeling Armijo - Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology Alfonso Belmonte - Hospitalist Snehal Bhatt - Addictions Lisa Blacklock - Nuclear Medicine Jacquelyn Blackstone - Maternal & Fetal Medicine Benoit Blondeau - Trauma Surgery Matthew Bordegaray - Interventional Radiology Mary Kara Bucci - Radiation Oncology David Calhoun - Hospitalist Carolyn Castillo - Hospitalist Raghu Chakravarthy Vanama- Hospitalist Biju Cherian - Nephrology Amanda Derylo - Breast Imaging Ian Duchan - Urgent Care Daniel Duhigg - Addiction Medicine Jamie Elifritz - Mammography

Brook McFadden - Urogynecology Doug McPherson - Urgent Care Carolyn Muller - Gynecologic Oncology Itzhak Nir - Hepatobiliary Pavel Nockel - Endocrine Surgery Garth Olson - Head & Neck Cancer Kyle Owen - Consult Psychiatry Surya Pierce - Integrative Medicine Kevin Richardson - Cardiac Surgery Calvin Ridgeway - Oncological Surgery Paul Romo - Addiction Medicine Lizabeth Rosenbaum - Blood Center Nils Rosenbaum - APD Behavioral Sciences Director Teresa Rutledge - Gynecologic Oncology Dusadee Sarangarm - Clinical Informatics Michael Conner Simmons - Emergency Radiology Usha Venkatraj - Oncology Darlene Vigil - Nephrology Craig Vroman - Oculoplastics Aimee Wendelsdorf - Critical Care Ali Abou Yassine - Critical Care

BALLOTS oct. 1 – nov. 1 2021

TOP DOCS: FOR DOCTORS ONLY HOW TO VOTE: How do you get to know a good healthcare provider? Every year we ask the city’s doctors to vote for their peers.

Doctors: Mark your calendars now

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ABQ THE INTERVIEW P. 108 | PERSONALITY P. 114 | BEHIND THE SCENES P. 118

HOW ‘BOUT A HAND FOR THE BUGS? When he was a tyke, Jason Schaller kept habitats for butterflies, moths and other critters and insects. Fast-forward a few years, and he’s the Curator of Entomology for the Albuquerque BioPark (p. 118).

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

STORIES BEHIND INDIVIDUALS WHO MAKE ALBUQUERQUE GREAT

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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH OUR LEADERS AND DIFFERENCE-MAKERS

Fernando Moreu Prepping UNM’s future military leaders on ways to handle the ever-increasing problems of cyber threats and computer hacking

R PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

eading all of Fernando Moreu’s titles is going to require that you take a deep breath. Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at UNM. Director of the Smart Management of Infrastructure Laboratory (an operation he founded). Cross-appointed to the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. And, most recently, principal investigator (PI) of a program called “Engaging University of New Mexico ROTC Cadets in Cybersecurity Research.” Sponsored by the United States Navy, the program aims to give ROTC cadets and undergraduate students at UNM hands-on training in one of the most pressing areas of domestic and international security. Working with his co-PI, Francesco Sorrentino, Moreu is shaping a multidisciplinary program that will equip students with skills pertinent not only to cybersecurity, but infrastructure monitoring and maintenance as well. ATM: About how many cadets do you have enrolled in the program? FERNANDO MOREU: I think we have

four cadets and five civilians this year— so we have nine. The plan is to have nine every year. This is an unusually large number because typically, my group, I have one undergraduate at a time because un-

dergraduates require more training. ATM: That’s key to the mandate for the program? Training more cadets and students? So in this grant, they say,

“Well, we want to train more because the research needs to be in multiple areas because we are doing drones, we are doing sensors, we are doing augmented reality, we are doing computer vision, vulnera-

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

bility, agility.” So we are doing multiple things and every one of [the students] is doing one thing, and it’s very intense. One thing that was shocking to me is that when you give freedom to the students to choose an area of cybersecurity, they love research and they are very self-motivated. So maybe the topic is very good, I’m not sure. ATM: It sounds like a complex field, but it also sounds like you have some cool training and teaching techniques. How does the program work in practice? FM: So, this is my experience: Learning is

a difficult field. When you want to learn something that you don’t know, especially if you are young, you want to learn, but you sit in a laboratory where graduate students work, that look much older. [Students] think we are super old, right.

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A 20 year old sees a 25 year old as an old person, right? I talked with the program manager [and] I told him, “I’m going to teach them to build sensors, attach sensors, improve sensors, put sensors in the field, and protect that data”. And it has worked in the past, and it is working with them even more. When they need to create a secure sensor, it’s like creating a Frankenstein. They self-learn, they buy the things on the videos, they program the sensor. ATM: Is this a hands-on, experiencebased program then?

and they program the software and that’s their own machine that they need to secure. And then it becomes their mission. It’s not a task, it’s not a research, it’s not a job. They have it in their house, it is something that they have made, and they are testing it. One cadet, when he was doing this said, “Well, my presentation for doing this is that my sensor was secure for cybersecu-

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PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

FM: [The students] build the hardware

ABQ

rity but not for cats.” Because at night the cat saw the LED light, he broke it [chuckles]. Because, see, he put it on the window, typically we would put it on the driveway. He put it on the window for the solar panel to see if the sensor can last—sun conditions, the battery gets charged, and in the meantime, the data is getting transmitted from the sensor to the computer. In an open network, in a local network, et cetera. So that was his set. And he was testing things, he wasn’t testing cat attacks.

FM: They have a program on national security. One of my cadets is a student in that program. That has been, I don’t know how many years, but it is relatively new, but it’s much older than my program. ATM: How does your program differ from UNM’s? FM: Oh, that is a degree. They give you a

degree. They have homework, exams. My program is kind of an internship where I

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

ATM: Has UNM ever done anything like this before? Cybersecurity training?

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lead the students. It’s more personal. The other program is students taking courses. National security—that is one that I know. I think because of the national labs, we have a culture of awareness of national security. ATM: As an expert, how do you see cyber threats and cybersecurity painting our future in terms of conflict or even in building a secure society? FM: The problem is not a future problem,

it’s a past problem that we are trying to get up to speed on. Yes, it’s a national security issue. The government has to do more and we believe they are. But I think as a society, instead of thinking, “it’s a nice topic for the future,” it’s actually from the past 5 to 10 years. It’s very serious, in terms of, we don’t even know how bad it is today. So we are trying to get caught up, but we are late. It’s not a potential problem—it’s too much data, too fast, too accessible. And now the data is being used. I mean, the contamination, the attacks, the consequences—we are late, they are happening

TriCore is honored

already. ATM: Is there a strategy in place for catching up to these kinds of security threats?

Lab. The lab is finding ways to make more resilient structures using design rather than changing the concrete used? Is that anywhere close to the idea?

FM: We don’t know how to stop, say,

FM: In civil engineering, we talk about

“Well, let’s stop the wound,” right? That’s what we are doing. I want to scare you a little bit, we are late on cybersecurity preparation. The good news is that the skills, now, are prioritized. It’s not a PhD. We are going to do it with the undergrads in their sophomore year, and their freshman year.

Just today, I was interviewing one cadet for next year, so we are going to get renewed, we have applied for renewal, we are very confident we will get the second year, the third year. I was saying that the good news is that the students are now studying when they are very young. I give them books that typically they would never see, and now they are reading about this for the [holiday] break, et cetera. ATM: Let’s pivot to the Infrastructure

infrastructure as a big problem. The future—and the problem with civil infrastructure—is that it’s getting old. It’s relatively new, maybe 50, 75 years. But it’s getting old and we don’t know what to do with old structures. As I mentioned [with cybersecurity], we are coming late to that too, because we continue to build in the same way that we built in the past. So the reason that I [focus on] structure is because we use sensing technology—sensing technology that collects data or can assess the condition of your infrastructure intelligently.

ATM: How does sensing technology help civil engineers better understand and assess the condition of structures? FM: It could be cameras, computer vision,

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ABQ

The very cool thing that we are using now is augmented reality where the inspectors put the goggles and they can see the cracks in real time. We are also measuring the movements in real time that you multiply by 1000. So if it’s vibrating a needle, your eye will not see it. But if you augment it, you could see little movements. It’s a little broken, go fix it. ATM: How did the lab get started? FM: Well, I joined UNM in 2015. I used

to work as a bridge engineer in Illinois. I built and designed and inspected railroad bridges there. I was worried about old bridges, and I learned about sensing technology in my job. I knew that sensors were the future, but if I even built them, I couldn’t control them. So, I left my job

and I went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne for the PhD. When I was finishing the PhD, the job at UNM opened up in 2015, and I had to come out with the laboratories, right, because I was leaving my contacts in Illinois and my laboratories there. ATM: So there was already a civil engineering component to your work? FM: The problem that I think is important

for civil [engineering] is the smart management of infrastructure, so I created a combination of structural health monitoring—which is what we do in monitoring the health of structures—and structural dynamics, because dynamics tell you the condition of the structure. It could be that you see that this building is old, but it’s in perfect condition because it doesn’t move with the wind or something like that. And a brand new building, the wind comes and blows it away. So we measure with sensors the vibrations of structures.

—TAYLOR HOOD

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

it could be algorithms, it could be wireless sensing technology collected by drones, UAVs. It could also be machine learning techniques where we build robots that go and climb the structure and tap it and listen to the sound, and if they don’t like it they tell you that this is wrong. No need [for a human] to climb the structure.

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A LOOK AT THE LIFE & WORK OF ALBUQUERQUEANS WHO DESERVE A TOAST

Growing the Circle Inspired by her mom, Alicia Ortega has become a leader in finding ways to bring much-needed capital to Native businesses

In May of 2017, Native American businesswomen gathered in Albuquerque to present a dynamic panel on mentorship at a Women’s Economic Forum event. The only problem? No one attended the panel.

Instead of succumbing to disappointment, the panelists began talking among themselves and others in their network. Informal conversations became a trend, and soon they were launching an annual Native Women’s Business Summit and Native Women Lead, a non-profit, to empower Native American businesswomen and entrepreneurs. Alicia Ortega was among the organization’s founders.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL JACOBS

“We came to the realization that we needed to just start being there for ourselves, supporting ourselves, and creating a space where we could do that for each other and for all of the other women that we knew had probably experienced some of the same things attending other events, meetings or gatherings,” Ortega says. “This was a breaking point that led to our building point where we were compelled to begin co-creating space for us by us.” Ortega, who shares Santa Clara and Pojoaque Pueblo heritage, grew up on Santa Clara Pueblo, where her mother was her first example of a powerful Native woman. “My mother has always been the person who I look to,” Ortega says. “She plays a motherly figure not to just me but to a lot of people. She’s informed, inspired, and guided my life and passions. She’s fierce!” After five years at that organization, in mid-2020, Ortega felt inspired to pour

more of her time into Native Women Lead, which had been operating informally since 2017. “I was really shaken up by the movement surrounding George Floyd’s death,” she says. “That event spurred movements among all communities of color. A lot of folks have been trying to function within systems that are difficult and not necessarily built for us. At Native Women Lead, it’s time for us to start doing more in that arena—with ra-

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

cial justice and equity.” The 33-year-old holds a bachelor’s degree from University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management, where she also earned not one but two MBAs in marketing and management of technology in 2012. She went on to serve as executive director for the All Pueblo Council of Governors, which brings together leaders from New Mexico’s 19 sovereign pueblos, as well as one satellite Pueblo in Texas. The organization has existed in some form for more than 500 years and serves as a strong political voice for Pueblos— and tribes in general—at the federal, state, and Pueblo level. In October 2020, Ortega became the organization’s co-director. The title doesn’t suggest the presence of another person in the role of director. Instead, it represents the organization and Ortega’s view that everything should be collaborative. “For us, part of our goal is to revolutionize systems,” she says. “Our whole notion is that everything is 100% co-created.” Ortega’s view of leadership bears this out. “At the All Pueblo Council of Gov-

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ernors, I tried to find commonalities. I tried to not just hear people, but to listen. When people feel valued, they feel invested, and you can build momentum in community,” she says. Even in its short history, Native Women Lead has created a tradition of inclusivity. At its first two Native Women’s Business Summits, for example, the organization provided childcare, which allowed mothers to attend without worrying about their children. “We advocate for women not to have to choose between being the breadwinner and being a mother,” she says. In matrilineal Native American communities, women have numerous cultural leadership roles, and the organization acknowledges them as the backbone of the community. However, it also highlights other paths to leadership, including through entrepreneurship. “A lot of women are makers, bakers, sewers, and growers,” Ortega says. “Our communities greatly contribute to the creative community in New Mexico. Tourism is a billion-dollar industry, and a lot of that is

due to our Native communities and to the women in particular. Uplifting the women in our communities is essentially uplifting and empowering our communities overall. And it amplifies out to the community at large.” The novel coronavirus pandemic put a stopper on many of the group’s and Ortega’s plans for 2020. However, these businesswomen are masters of pivoting. Last year, they introduced several programs via social media and digital platforms, including Transformation Thursdays Virtual Retreats on Zoom. More than 300 women, from 32 different tribal nations across U.S. and Canada, attended the sessions on entrepreneurship. These attendees were also eligible to receive care packages bursting with products from nine Native businesses. Native Women Lead invested $12,500 in these businesses to create the care packages. The organization has also worked to get funds into the hands of people who need it. “A huge underlying issue across Indian Country in general is access to capital,”

The New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force

Thanks &

ACKNOWLEDGES all doctors, lactation and healthcare professionals who support breastfeeding mothers!

Visit BreastFeedingNM.org to get a 2021 breastfeeding images calendar

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family planning, and breastfeeding advocacy.

NMBTF recognizes

Dr. Sophie Peterson

as a TOP DOC!

Dr. Peterson is an obstetrician and gynecologist at Presbyterian providing routine gynecological care, prenatal care, and minimally invasive surgery. Her practice has been influenced by time she spent in the Philippines and Guatemala working with underserved and indigenous women. She continues to pursue interests in public health, including teen pregnancy prevention,

As Board Chair from 2018 to 2020, Dr. Peterson led NMBTF with creativity and resiliency, fostering collaboration with community partners, and inspiring the shared dedication of the board, members, and staff. Her visionary leadership resulted in the Breastfeeding Friendly Clinic Initiative and research into a lactation professional hotline. She created a Boardlevel Medical Advisory Committee and NMBTF’s COVID-19 resource page. Her incredible passion, dedication, and advocacy have guided NMBTF, particularly during the challenges of 2020.

THANK YOU

Dr. Peterson for your dedication to all New Mexico families!

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Ortega explains. Most banks and lending institutions tend not to extend loans to Native Americans working on reservations because many can’t provide collateral in the traditional sense and/or they haven’t built their credit. Native Women Lead created two funding streams: The Matriarch Response Loan Fund and the Give Together Fund. With the Matriarch Response Loan Fund, the organization (along with partners Nusenda Credit Union, New Mexico Community Capital, and NDN Collective) lent 35 loans totaling $150,000 based on character. These funds could be applied to anything business related—including food, shelter, and utility bills to keep the entrepreneur afloat so she could continue her business. The participants can receive loan forgiveness once they pay off half of their small loans (which can be up to $5,000). “It’s a stepping-stone to demonstrate to lending institutions that this is something we need to address,” Ortega says. Another $66,000 went to 132 New Mexico Native American families in

$500 grants to provide COVID-19 relief. “This is work that’s long overdue,” Ortega says. She looks for silver linings, even in the tumult of 2020. “The pandemic is unfortunate. At the same time, there’s so much to be learned from it,” she says. “It has brought out a lot of underlying issues on a multitude of levels—socially, racially, environmentally. The tragedy of George Floyd also really made us all take a hard look at ourselves and realize that change needs to happen. It’s not easy, it’s not going to happen overnight. I hope we can take 2020 as a year of understanding things need to change and begin address these issues.” —ASHLEY M. BIGGERS

The Grove is here for you... healthy, delicious curbside service online ordering heated patio seating

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BEHIND SCENES THE

YOUR SNEAK PEEK AT JOBS THAT FLY BELOW THE RADAR

For The Love of Bugs Jason Schaller’s childhood obsession with beetles, ants and spiders has led to a role caring for the insects at the ABQ BioPark

or as long as he can remember, Jason Schaller has been a bit of a bug guy.

PHOTOS BY DON JAMES/ATM

“It’s been a lifelong interest of mine,” he says. “It started when I was very much a toddler. My dad was a naturalist. He had a shell collection and a dried insect collection. He always got me and my sister involved. From a young age I’ve been heavily into insects and the natural world in general. As a kid I got into rearing different types of butterflies, moths, beetles, and all sorts of arachnids and arthropods. I kind of fell into it as a career.”

In 2016, Schaller accepted a position as the Curator of Entomology at the Albuquerque BioPark. This came on the heels of two years spent honing his bug-guy chops by raising parasitoid wasps for an Arizona-based pest control outfit, preceded by graduate studies at the University of Arizona, where he earned a Master of Science degree in entomology and insect science. Today, Schaller is tasked with obtaining, breeding, feeding, and generally caring for approximately 120 species of arthropods—from beetles to ants, tarantulas to walking sticks to katydids—at the BioPark’s BUGarium. Quantifying the amount of total living creatures inside the

3,500-foot facility is a little more difficult. According to Schaller, when including the roach colonies and the leafcutter ant colonies, that number is somewhere in the six-figure range. “When people ask numbers—it’s just a lot,” he says. “It’s kind of an arbitrary number.” The BUGarium’s impressive collection took almost a decade to build since the 2006 launch of the Arthropod Rearing Lab, which is not located on the exhibit (which had its grand opening in February 2016). Most of the bugs came from within the United States, drawing from a variety of insect zoos, breeders, and specialty pet dealers. Today, though, the BioPark is

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

responsible for most of its own stock. “For some things that we don’t breed ourselves or we haven’t established yet, we’ll occasionally trade with another insect zoo some of our things that we’re good at growing to get those,” Schaller says. “Some things will be available from an arthropod pet dealer. We have some contracts with people that make a living selling various aquatic insects. We’ll make a purchase of them for things that we can’t breed ourselves. “But the majority of it is continously bred in-house. It’s almost like agriculture. A big part of our jobs is to keep these colonies going. It’s a lot of constant maintenance, feeding, and record keeping. It’s a lot of work.” The breeding process tends to vary greatly from species to species. Each one requires the right mix of ventilation, humidity, food, and structure. Population monitoring is also a focal point. Overall, it’s something that keeps Schaller and his staff of five constantly on their toes.

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THE

BEHIND SCENES

“It’s always keeping an eye on things because if the airflow changes a little bit, the humidity one day is different in the lab, it’s constant tweaking for different species,” Schaller says. “It gets kind of tedious and just constant.” When the BioPark does need to obtain a new supply of bugs, it’s significantly less expensive than the cost for a mammal, reptile or marine creature. For example, Schaller says the BUGarium might order a package of a couple dozen insects of various species for $150 to $300 total. A more exotic species of beetle, however, might run as much as $250. One major purchase on the horizon is an update for the leaf cutter ant colony, which is currently about as old as the exhibit itself. A replacement ant colony, which must be picked up by a staff member from out of state, will likely be as much as $2,000. It’s a worthwhile pur-

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chase: Visitors enjoy seeing the leaf cutter ants carry leaves over their heads from the front of the BUGarium and across around 70 feet of vine to the upper level of the exhibit. As an interesting side note, the leaf cutter ant exhibit intertwines with that of the naked mole rats, a burrowing rodent native to East Africa. It’s an unlikely pairing that works surprisingly well together. “Even though they’re not bugs, they live very similar to ants in that they have a queen and different worker castes that have different jobs,” Schaller says. “That combination of leaf cutter ants and naked mole rats is hugely popular…That’s kind of the main attraction.” When it comes to feeding the exhibit’s population, there’s no such thing as a one-stop shopping destination. A large majority of the produce—lettuce, apples, zucchini, carrots, corn, melons or various food pellets—is ordered by the same de-

partment that supplies food for the entire zoo. Other items, like rotting composts and mulches, are produced in house. Bluebottle flies, which feed praying mantises, are grown in-house, while crickets are shipped in weekly. Even the BUGarium’s roach colonies are also used as food sources for larger tarantulas, scorpions, and centipedes. Thanks to diverse populations and an ever-evolving environment that requires constant observation, there’s no such thing as a boring day at the BUGarium. Schaller wouldn’t have it any other way. “There’s constant fires to put out and things to figure out to make exhibits look better, function better, have better accessibility,” he says. “The constant improving of techniques and rearing of everything —it’s more art than science for a lot of it. That’s the part I like: the creative problem solving.” —TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

CREATIVES P. 122 | SHELFLIFE P. 124 | TIEMPO P. 126

CULTURE

FINDING THE RIGHT TUNE Musician Michael Burt gave a re-boot to his bass-playing career by moving from Virginia to New Mexico a few years ago, proving that sometimes all you need is an audience that appreciates the artist for the music (p. 126).

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

A PULSE CHECK ON ALBUQUERQUE’S ART, MUSIC AND THEATER SCENE

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A BRUSH WITH GREATNESS

Noël Dalton teaches the next generation of make-up artists

east heights, where Dalton’s grandmother still does hair today. Dalton’s true inspiration, however, came from her mother. “She was the makeup obsessed person in my family. My family has always been very artistic and that was her medium. She is the bronzer queen,” Dalton says. When Dalton graduated from high school, she entered the University of New Mexico. However, it wasn’t a fit. “I was creatively driven and hand’s on. I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny,” she says. Although she worried about making a go of it in the Albuquerque makeup industry —“We didn’t even have a Sephora at the time!” she laughs—she cobbled together a beginner’s resume based on experience she’d gained in her grandparents’ salon. She landed a job as the artist in residence at the Chanel makeup counter in Dillard’s after her first interview. After a short stint at the counter, Dalton continued to feel

the pull of independence. She launched The Vanity makeup studio, through which she’s done wedding and event makeup ever since. Teaching others her craft wasn’t something she ever expected to do—or to love. “It was just another thing I fell into. That’s the story of my career and my path, I just stumble into things,” she says. “Some people might think that’s annoying, but I was just open to whatever was out there for me. When you open yourself up, the opportunities come.” She happened upon an opening at a local beauty school to teach an airbrush class and applied. She’d only airbrushed once before, but she landed the gig. “I was so determined to establish myself and burst in the door wherever I applied,” she says. When fellow makeup artist Ashlynne Padilla had to leave the school to take her first TV/film gig, Dalton took over all her

hether they want to perfect a look for a smoldering lead actor or create a special effect look for an extra turned zombie, aspiring film and TV makeup artists in the Duke City now have a place to learn top techniques. The Southwest Makeup Institute is the only 200-hour makeup artist program in the state, and graduates earn 10 union days toward their International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 480 membership, which opens the door to the film industry. Noël Dalton, 33, is the makeup maven behind the school’s creation and curriculum. The native Albuquerquean grew up in the beauty biz. Her grandparents founded Stockton Hair Artists salon in the north-

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PHOTO BY MICHAEL JACOBS/ATM

DIP INTO THE PERFECTLY MIXED PALETTE OF ABQ’S ART AND ARTISTS

PHOTO BY MICHAEL JACOBS/ATM

classes. (Padilla is now a well-established film industry makeup artist in New Mexico and has previously been featured in the pages of ATM.) “I absolutely found my niche and what I love when that happened,” Dalton says. She had been teaching makeup classes through her own studio, The Vanity, for a decade when, in 2018, she heard then City of Albuquerque Director of the Office of Film & Television Alicia J. Keyes speaking on the radio about the need for professional training in the film industry. After an encouraging meeting with Keyes, Dalton moved forward with her idea for an industry-specific training program. Her first cohort of the Southwest Makeup Institute began their training in March of 2019. A year later, she found herself in another meeting with Keyes—and two unexpected representatives from the IATSE Local 480. “I suddenly had to do this Shark Tank–style pitch of the program,” she remembers. After reviewing her curriculum, they agreed to grant the institute’s graduates union days, which can

sometimes take potential members years to accrue and are required for top gigs. Dalton has a grand vision for the program beyond the day-to-day classes. “My intention is to create and establish respect for makeup and the career path in my home state—a place I love and feel loyal to,” she says. Dalton has experienced Hollywood professionals complaining that New Mexico hires are inexperienced or unprofessional. “We’re creating the net of who enters the industry. …We’re making sure that movie sets and Netflix sets are staffed with the best-of-the-best in terms of safety, artistry, and personality,” she says. The program has graduated 13 people, with another six on track to graduate as long as they completed their shadowing hours (where they learn from a mentor in the field, including Padilla) in the fall of 2020. Eight additional students were slated to begin their training in February 2021. Courses cover everything from fundamentals, such as brush use and proper workstation set up, through beautify ap-

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

plications for bridal, fashion, and editorial events, to production knowhow such as industry ethics and special effects applications. The program balances theory with practical experience, something that often doesn’t happen for beauty school grads until after they’ve passed their exams. “We have pretty rigorous expectations. It’s definitely more militant than people expect,” Dalton says. “We’ve failed people and dropped people because we take extremely seriously the opportunities we offer them.” She says the hardest part of her job is cutting people who don’t share her passion for the industry or suggesting they find another career to pursue. After 15 years in makeup artistry, she still works with a deep sense of passion and drive. “I have an innate hustle that I was just born with that doesn’t leave me, even when I want it to,” she says. “I’ve been able to work hard and not give up and have things happen for me. It keeps me inspired because you wonder what else is out there if you just keep on the path of focus and execution.” —ASHLEY M. BIGGERS

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SHELFLIFE A UNIQUE VIEW OF O’KEEFFE R TURN A PAGE WITH OUR LOCAL AUTHORS

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE, A LIFE WELL LIVED By Malcolm Varon University of New Mexico Press 112 pages $32.99

COURTESY IMAGES

enowned artist Georgia O’Keeffe had strong ties to the Land of Enchantment, whether it was through her paintings of New Mexican landscapes or spending a significant portion of her life in Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu. New York-based photographer Malcolm Varon built a strong relationship with O’Keeffe in the later portion of her life, becoming the only person allowed to photograph her and her surroundings in color. In Georgia O’Keeffe: A Live Well Lived, Varon captures a more accessible side of the artist—one rarely seen by the public in her earlier days. ATM: Before you knew her personally, what drew you to Georgia O’Keeffe? MV: I was actually in graduate school get-

ting a degree in philosophy when a family member got ill and I had to become a caretaker. I had to drop out of graduate school even though I had a full four-year or three-year fellowship that paid all my expenses. At that point, I was the only one of my friends that had a camera. A lot of my friends were artists because I lived in the lower East Side (of New York). I started taking pictures of their art just at cost to do them a favor. I thought maybe I could earn a living doing this to give myself flexible hours to be a caretaker. I did that, and I actually taught myself how to do photography. I read a lot of books, made a lot of mistakes. It was at that point, in 1967 or 1968, that O’Keeffe had seen my photo credit on a painting in some book, and her manager called me to come up to her apartment and photograph a few paintings. At that point I’d never heard of O’Keeffe, because that was not my thing. When I gave [her manager] the transparency of that painting a week later, she immediately said it was the best rendition of an O’Keeffe painting that she had so far been able to get. They immediately hired me to go to Abiquiu to photograph a painting O’Keeffe had just finished. That was in 1968 and that painting was “Sky Above Clouds IV”, which now hangs in the Chicago Art Institute. But then it was hang-

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ing in the two-car garage at Ghost Ranch. That’s where I photographed it. ATM: While past photographers were allowed to photograph O’Keeffe and her work, only you were chosen to do so in color. MV: O’Keeffe trusted me as a photogra-

pher because I did more than half of the painting reproductions in her catalogue resume. I did all of the painting reproductions in the first book ever published solely of her paintings—to which she wrote a kind of biographical text. She had a lot of faith in my ability to photograph her paintings to get the color right. ATM: You captured a different side of O’Keeffe. How were you able to achieve this? MV: It was something about our relation-

ship, because she felt very comfortable with me. We had very informal conversations. But also, she was trying to create a certain image of herself, which was as an austere person, as a minimal kind of person. And also as a person getting away from the initial introduction of her to the art world by Alfred Stieglitz, her husband, who presented her to the world not only as an artist, but in a way as a sex object

because he included nude photographs of her that he’d taken in the same exhibition as her paintings. So she became a celebrity overnight because of that juxtaposition. She tried the rest of her life, really, to get away from that image, to make an image of herself as an artist in her own right having nothing to do with the sexualized persona. So all of her photographs are very austere. None of them are smiling. I was able to photograph her in the situation where she was able to smile, because she did smile a lot in her private life. I was able to get some of those pictures. Also photographing her in her surroundings at her house, it did make her more accessible as a human being. ATM: What do you hope O’Keeffe fans will take from your book? MV: As I said in my dedication, I hope

what they take away is an inspiration that they also can become their own person and overcome obstacles that get put in their way with perseverance and a belief in themselves, as O’Keeffe did. I hope that’s what they get from this book—to see that it could be done and to see this woman who did it. —TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD

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SHELFLIFE

A TALE OF CRIME AND HISTORY N THE SCORPION’S TAIL

By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child Grand Central Publishing 416 pages $29.00

COURTESY IMAGES

ew Mexico is a land of deep history and wild legends—ripe and plentiful inspiration for storytellers of all stripes. Little surprise, then, that seasoned storytellers Douglas Preston—who has lived in New Mexico for decades—and Lincoln Child eventually set one of their thrillers here. The action in their most recent release, The Scorpion’s Tail, takes place in New Mexico, with plenty centered in Albuquerque itself. It’s a thrilling story, steeped in parts of our state history that are variously widely known and fascinatingly arcane. Preston (left) sat down to tell us a bit about it.

ATM: What inspired you to set this book in New Mexico? DOUGLAS PRESTON: Well, it started

back in 1995. My wife is a professional photographer, and she used to work for New Mexico magazine. And we did a story on the 50th anniversary of the Trinity test for [them]. And the military, the White Sands Missile Range was very, very cooperative. We spent three or four days in the missile range, we got to see the Trinity site with nobody there. We saw McDonald farmhouse. I mean, it’s an incredible landscape. And ever since then, I thought this would make a great setting for a thriller. You know, this military reservation, it’s been closed now for 75 years. ATM: So it was that history that inspired you set the story here? DP: It’s extraordinary, the history of it is

remarkable. It isn’t just the Trinity test, but it’s the history of the people who were there, how they were evicted. Also, the story of the Victorio Peak treasure plays a major role in the novel, and Victorio Peak is on the White Sands Missile Range. It’s off limits, and that’s been a problem for many years. Treasure hunters are not allowed to just wander around looking for treasure. And so there’s been a lot of a lot of controversy about that between treasure hunters and the military and the White Sands Missile Range command. So all that figures in the novel and it’s all you know, based on the truth, on how things really are. Of course, we add our fictional

twist into it. But by and large, the background is all nonfiction.

as well as some really interesting and distressing criminal cases for her.

ATM: One of the book’s central characters, Cory Swanson, was first introduced in your 2003 book, Still Life With Crows. Did you have a sense then that this was a character you’d like to revisit?

ATM: Your experience in New Mexico inspired you to situate her at the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office? DP: Yeah, it [did]. I’ve lived in New Mex-

DP: Not at all. It is kind of a strange thing. It’s like your characters audition for the parts. You know, it isn’t us plucking the characters out, it’s sort of the characters themselves auditioning for a bigger role in the books. And Cory, you know, she started out as a kind of a goth teenager with purple hair and in trouble, in high school and, you know, kind of a rebel.

She’s now a rookie FBI agent, and her first posting was in Albuquerque. And she’s not been to New Mexico before, so she really doesn’t know much about the state. She’s got a lot of misapprehensions about New Mexico—which a lot of people do, who haven’t been here. And so she’s getting to know the state and she’s falling in love with it, realizing that it’s not the backwater she thought. But in fact, this is really an interesting posting. And there’s tremendous history and legends, and great archaeological sites to explore,

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

ico since 1986. Most of the time—there’s some gaps in there. And I love the state. I’ve written many books about New Mexico, including nonfiction books, and it’s a fantastic setting for this series. You know, the series is not just Cory Swanson as an FBI agent, she also has a background in forensic anthropology. And so she is able to look at bones that have been recovered and is able to figure out not only how they died, or the pathologies they might have experienced, but also put a face on a skeleton. She knows how to take a skull and actually create a face on it so that you can recreate who that person was. That’s her specialty, and she teams up with Nora Kelly, who is an archaeologist at the [fictional] Santa Fe Institute of Archaeology, who has been an archaeologist in our books for for many years. And so they make a great team. I mean, Nora sort of digs up the bodies and Corey figures out what happened to them.—ZB

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by mel minter

ABQ’S THRIVING LOCAL MUSIC SCENE

WHERE IT’S AT

o be healthy and productive, plants need the right environment, the optimum combination of soil, temperature, moisture, sun. Bassist/ songwriter/vocalist/ actor Michael Burt, a native of Virginia, is the living proof that people are much the same. Arriving in New Mexico about four years ago, Burt is now enjoying an artistic flowering that he could not force back east in his native Virginia, where he was down so long it looked like up. “I come from a place where I was treated with very little dignity. To come to a place that not only gives me dignity but gives me authority and autonomy even—how can I not be happy?” says Burt, a big smile lighting up his face. “And I feel like I have the green light to be as excellent as I can be.” Burt’s mom insisted her children take up a string instrument in fourth grade, and Burt chose the acoustic bass. By his late teens, he was finding regular employment on cruise and resort bands, playing both acoustic and electric bass, and later on the national tours of Broadway shows. Meanwhile, he was teaching himself guitar and piano. At age 26, on what was supposed to be a brief return home, Burt’s encounter with what he describes as “an aggressive and biased police force” resulted in the loss of his driver’s license. Stranded in Virginia, he ended up living in his mom’s basement for the next 10 years. With little support from his family or congregation, who had no regard for his musical accomplishments, Burt languished in depression, working odd jobs, estranged from music. “It’s like your bloodstream being cut off,” he says, “and I had a heart attack.” One member of his congregation, Ryan McHargue, however, “noticed that I was being perceived incorrectly,” says Burt. McHargue and his wife told him that they wanted him to accompany them to Los

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Alamos, New Mexico, where they were moving, for a fresh start. With his mom having passed on, Burt made the leap of faith. Burt was playing in a jam session, working off some of the rust, when he caught the ear of Ryan Finn, trombonist, music educator, and conductor of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony. “I honestly utterly adore him from the heart,” says Burt. No wonder. Finn got him involved in teaching, giving lessons, and playing in the Los Alamos Symphony. That in turn connected him to architect Sally Baca. “I started teaching her bass lessons, with no bass,” he says, laughing. Enlisting Burt’s help in finding a bass for herself, Baca purchased a high-quality instrument—against his advice. He tried to steer her to a less expensive model more suited to her novice status. Baca—“hands down the best student I’ve ever had”—ul-

timately found the bass too demanding physically, and when she decided to stop playing, she gifted Burt with the instrument, which he calls Sally Junior. “Once I had that instrument in my hands, it was like nothing could stop me,” he says. Before long Burt connected with drummer/producer John Trentacosta, who booked him on gigs and worked with him to strengthen his jazz chops. He started playing with the who’s who of New Mexico musicians before getting T-boned on Highway 14 in January 2020. That set him back a bit, but it’s hard to keep him down. In December, cast as a musician, he spent over three weeks filming The Harder They Fall, a movie produced by Jay-Z to be released this year on Netflix. The encouragement he received on the set for his music has lit a fire, and he’s been working on writing and recording songs for an album. Burt moved to Albuquerque in January

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

PHOTO BY MICHAEL JACOBS/ATM

Bassist Michael Burt has found a receptive audience in New Mexico

BLOOMING IN THE DESERT

COMING TOGETHER The three members of the Long Shot Trio—saxophonist Alex Murzyn, a native of Honolulu; bassist Terry Burns, a native of Clovis; and drummer Cal Haines, a native of Canton, Ohio—can hardly believe their good luck. The three came together in Albuquerque when Haines, who had been playing with Murzyn in the Friday afternoon jams at trumpeter Bobby Shew’s studio, met Burns on a gig with trumpeter Christine Fawson. The first words out of Haines’ mouth were “I can tell by the way you walk you’re a bass player,” and the ice was broken. Haines brought the three of them together at a jam in February 2020, and given the de-

cades of experience these guys have, it was immediately clear to them that they had found a special connection. Murzyn had worked steadily in Hawaii but headed to the mainland in search of bigger challenges, ultimately settling in San Francisco. There, during a 30-year stay, he played and/or recorded with everyone from Santana to Miles Davis. In 2018, he retired to New Mexico, where his daughter lives, “prepared to do nothing,” he says. But he made the acquaintance of the late drummer Bryan Lewis, who introduced Murzyn to the New Mexico scene. Burns, who studied with the great Rufus Reid and has played and/or recorded with the likes of Art Farmer and Jane Monheit, bounced around the country before settling in Minneapolis, where he served as head of the bass department for 18 years at McNally Smith College of Music. He returned to Clovis in 2014 to care for his mother, and after her passing, he moved to Rio Rancho in 2019, finding his way into the local scene. Haines has been an in-demand drum-

The Long Shot Trio celebrates a year of playing together

mer and educator in New Mexico for the last 15 years. A familiar presence on local stages, he’s performed in and copresented, with Victoria Rogers, more than 60 concerts, including events with the award-winning Tribute Trio (with pianist John Rangel and bassist Michael Glynn) and Supersax New Mexico. He, too, has shared the stage with jazz luminaries, such as Bobby Shew and Mulgrew Miller. “I remember the first time we played”— Murzyn starts—“we all agreed we were just going to keep doing it that way,” finishes Burns, with Haines punctuating, “Yeah, yeah.” They began meeting every Thursday. “So Cal would bring in tunes. Alex would bring in tunes. I’d bring in tunes, ” says Burns. Before long, they had a book of 60 tunes that they had arranged. One of the first things you notice in their playing is their willingness to let the music breathe. They don’t force anything. They give the music space to bloom. “Space is like the fourth member,” says Haines. “It was pretty much effortless playing with Cal. It was from the first time,” says Burns. That gives Murzyn a solid foundation to blow over, and it frees all of them to just let the music happen. “That’s the way it should be, effortless,” says Burns. “Out of body experience,” says Haines. “I love those moments,” says Murzyn. “That’s what you live for as musician, really.” Unable to gig because of the pandemic, the trio videoed live performances of several tunes in July, and then, in August, live and alone at the Outpost, they recorded their excellent debut album, Llano, which features eight covers, two Burns originals, including the title track, and one original from Murzyn. One track features trumpeter Bobby Shew, who calls the guys “sterling, stunning musicians.” So with a continually growing book of tunes, videos, and an album, the trio will be ready to go when live music is once again possible. Meanwhile, you can head over to their website, longshottrio.com, to check out the videos, buy the album, and contact them for future bookings—or call 505-920-4600. Be sure to check out Musically Speaking, Mel’s online music journal, at www.melminter.com. If you’d like to share something with “¡tiempo!” readers, e-mail tiempo@abqthemag.com.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

PHOTO BY MICHAEL JACOBS/ATM

2021 and is playing piano at the National Dance Institute. You can expect to see collaborations with puppeteer Devon Ludlow, vocalist Sina Soul, and poet/actor/ cultural advocate Hakim Bellamy. You can keep up with him via Instagram (michael_burt_music) or reach him directly at mburtjr@gmail.com.

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EATS P. 130 | EATS, ETC. P. 134 | FROM THE VINE P. 136 | MY FAVORITE RECIPE P. 142 | BITES P. 144

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SEOUL FOOD Eunjin and Jason Seo left their native South Korea two decades ago to move to the U.S. The result of their journey can be found in the authentic decadence of the dishes at their North ABQ restaurant, Asian Pear (p. 134).

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

A TASTE OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN ABQ’S WORLD OF WINE, SPIRITS, AND CULINARY DELIGHTS

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Eats

PHOTOS BY DON JAMES/ATM

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THE GRILL

A carnivore's paradise, The Grill specializes in mesquite-cooked meats.

ooking a good steak can be a tricky business. At a glance, it’s simple enough: beef, seasoning, and heat. But deep down, it’s far more nuanced and complex. Cooking a good steak, it’s easy to argue, is a matter of high art. And on that front, the team working The Grill has mastered the craft. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they cook those steaks on a custom, mesquite fired grill—a hulking mass of blackened metal with a cooking surface about the size of a twin bed. “My dad and I made a [smaller one] 35, 40 years ago that I still have in my backyard,” says Phil Chavez, who co-owns and co-operates the eatery with his wife,

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Donna, son Johnny Chavez and daughter Mary Jayne Chavez. “We packed in so many [customers] before COVID, we had tickets going all the way across [the service window], place packed, booming. That grill became too small, so I had a bigger grill made. My neighbor and I made it.” That, in a way, is a distillation of the driving philosophy behind the Grill— one part indomitable vision, one part can-do work ethic, and a hearty helping of deceptively simple American-style eats. Steaks, burgers, chicken, and hot dogs populate the menu, alongside classic diner sides like French fries and onion rings. It’s not about breaking the mold or revo-

lutionizing the game. It’s about stripping away all the excess and just delivering quality food, done right. Chavez got his start in the food business decades ago, fresh off a stint in the Navy where he had spent a few years stationed at places like San Diego and San Francisco. “Back in 1988, I had a restaurant called Mex Express in Gallup,” recalls Chavez. “My dad was in the auto business. He bought his own property and he built a five bay auto repair shop with an office and store room behind it. When I got out of the Navy, he gave me the office and the storeroom and a bay to open [my] restaurant.”

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

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PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

Co-owners Johnny Chavez (top), Phil Chavez and Donna Chavez

A FEAST FOR THE EYES Normally, it’s considered good form to keep your attention on your food and company while enjoying dinner. But the walls at the The Grill are so heavy with curiosities that it would be a mistake to ignore them. In fact, Chavez has even toyed with the idea of turning the business into a part-time antique shop.

DINING & BROADCASTING The Grill maintains an inhouse podcast studio. Local entrepreneur Jack T. Vigil broadcasts his show from the spot weekly.

BUILD YOUR OWN BURGER BAR The condiment bar has fresh fixings and toppings, including chips & salsa.

FRIED FINGER FOOD Mesquite cooked meat is the star of the show at The Grill, but it would be a mistake to pass up on their fried sides: zucchini, mushrooms, onions rings, and mozzarella sticks.

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The Grill 3300 San Mateo Blvd NE #B2 872-9772

PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

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After that venture, Chavez spent around a decade selling cars in Flagstaff before moving back to New Mexico—this time, Shiprock—to open another restaurant. He moved that restaurant to Farmington and experienced a period of tremendous success before the road got a little rocky. Then, sometime around 2009, he opened a restaurant in ABQ, on the corner of 98th and Central. Add a move to Menaul and another to the current spot on San Mateo and you’ve got the canned history of The Grill. “We have a unique service here,” says Chavez. “When you walk in that door, you’re greeted. ‘Hi, welcome to The Grill!’ When you leave, you’re thanked. If you leave a tip, we ring a bell and everybody says ‘thank you.’ We put a glass in front of our grill because we have nothing to hide. We want people to see and look through

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and watch.” If you’ve done any home cooking, you may have noticed that active kitchens tend to get messy and the action therein can get heated. But at The Grill, things work a little differently, and not just because the grill dominates the operations. Thanks to his time in the Navy, Chavez runs a tight ship, making sure all the surfaces shine and all of his staff can take pride and pleasure in their work. “This is now my ship,” he says. “I’m now captain of my ship. So I’ve got to keep the morale up with my workers, keep them happy. When they’re happy, the customer is happy.” In many ways, The Grill is an entirely singular experience within the larger context of the Albuquerque food scene. Here, Chavez and his team deliver the jubilant, friendly charm of a small town diner. Cu-

rious knick-knacks, antiques, and sports memorabilia cover the walls. Cheery staff treat you almost like family. They’re just doing it in a metropolitan area with nearly a million people living in it. —ZB

FEATURED DISHES PAPA BURGER, $8.60 AL LA CARTE, $11.75 COMBO Beef burger cooked to order on the mesquite grill

16OZ RIB EYE STEAK, $23.50

A borderline monstrous cut of marbled meat, cooked to order over mesquite and served with your choice of baked potato, fries, beans and tortilla, or veggies—add sauteed mushrooms and grilled onion for an extra buck

CHICKEN BREAST PLATTER, $9.95

Chicken breast served with your choice of fries or beans and tortillas

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FIGHTING FOR YOUR BEST INTEREST

We provide legal services to our local community. Our lawfirm seeks justice and the best possible outcome for clients and their families.

(505) 433-4953 714 Tijeras Ave NW, Albuquerque NM

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Eats, Etc.

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

eef short ribs. You won’t find them on the menu at Asian Pear, but you’d be remiss not to ask about them next time you call or stop by for a bite. Offered strictly in accordance with availability—turns out the right kind of ribs, relatively thin and not too fatty, aren’t all that easy to come by in Albuquerque—they are tangy, savory delights. “[They] marinate for two, three days in the refrigerator,” says Jason Seo, husband of chef and owner Eunjin Kim Seo, describing the marinade as a combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, orange slices, and green onions. Eunjin (often called Kim by customers) and Jason moved to the United States from Seoul as freshly hitched international students just over 20 years ago. “A week before we came here, we were married,”

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PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

Asian Pear’s Korean vegetable pancakes deliver a surprising explosion of flavor in a crisp, bite-sized package.

recalls Jason. It wasn’t until 2015 that the Seo family launched Asian Pear. There, Eunjin was able to put her culinary skills—cultivated under the tutelage of her mother and honed at culinary school in South Korea—to work, building a menu of approachable Korean dishes that offer Duke City residents a taste of a cuisine they might otherwise overlook. About the size of Kentucky in terms of total land area, South Korea is home to over 51 million people. That makes it one of the most people-dense places on the planet, with around 1300 humans per square mile—all of them (at some point or other) hungry. No wonder the country has spawned such rich and tasty foods. “In Korea, everybody has a chili pepper sauce, but the proportion of how much

soy sauce, how much vinegar, and how much chili pepper, that’s all different,” says Jason. “You won’t find [our] chili paste anywhere else.” That chile paste provides the perfect complement to one of the star players on Asian Pear’s regular menu: Korean vegetable pancakes. These confections—crisp and golden brown on the outside, soft and loaded with veggies on the inside—present a thrilling departure from the standard American breakfast staple. —ZB

ASIAN PEAR 8101 San Pedro Dr NE Ste D 766-9405 asianpearabq.com

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lar selection of burritos, all fully loaded with fresh, local ingredients, wrapped in locally made tortillas. For breakfast (served until 2 pm), choose between bacon, sausage, and chorizo, wrapped up with potatoes, eggs, cheese, and green chile. For lunch or dinner, options include carne adovada, paired with potatoes and cheese; chicharrones, with beans, cheese, and green chile; and beef steak with potatoes and cheese. If none of that quite meets your fancy, feel free to build your own, mixing and matching ingredients like chicken, ground beef, red and green chile, fresh jalapeno, and

Torta Way puts the classic sandwich front and center, alongside a selection of homemade ice cream treats.

n the United States, tacos are all but synonymous with Mexican-style eats. They capture droves of attention—and rightly so—but risk overshadowing other excellent, Mexican-inspired dishes. Examples are plentiful, but here, we’re thinking specifically about the torta. Tortas, you’ll surely be shocked to learn, are the signature dish at Westside eatery Torta Way. That makes Torta Way something of a sandwich shop, but there’s also a sense in which “sandwich shop” is a misleading description. While tortas

are technically sandwiches, insofar as that word conjures visions of shredded iceberg lettuce and cold cuts, it affords a poor impression of the glory and grandeur of the torta. Torta Way serves their sandwiches armala como quieras, stacked with options like carne asada, al pastor, beans and cheese, or pork chops, among a wide variety of other options. They even serve a Torta Monster for the indecisive, loaded for bear with pork, ham, and steak. Folks with a hankering for heat will

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

pico de gallo. Though marked by pain and tragedy, Burritos Alinstante is a remarkable local success story—one for which Mary Ellen is reluctant to take all the credit. “The only reason this restaurant has grown to be what it is [today] is I have a great team of ladies who have been with us for twenty years,” she says. —ZB

BURRITOS ALINSTANTE 2101 Broadway Blvd SE (5 other locations) 242-0966 | burritosalinstante.com want to check out the recently added asada with green chile. “A lot of people underestimate how hot the green chile is,” chuckles Mark Galarza, who runs Torta Way with his father, saying he sometimes has to remind regulars not to request too much of the fiery, locally-grown chile. In addition to tortas, Torta Way also serves tacos, burritos, gorditas, and quesadillas. But, alongside tortas, top-billing definitely belongs to their homemade ice cream and paletas. These frozen treats formed the early foundation of Torta Way, back when Galarza and his father sold ice cream out of a catering truck at baseball and soccer games on the weekends. “We’ve basically been making our own paletas since we opened the restaurant,” says Galarza. With crowd-pleasing flavors like mango, piña colada, pistachio, and oreo, it’s hardly a surprise that these sweets have remained a menu staple since the beginning. —ZB

TORTA WAY 400 Dolores Dr. NW 319-2844 torta-way.poi.place

PHOTO BYMICHAEL JACOBS/ATM

Burritos Alinstante takes hand-held meals to soaring new heights.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL JACOBS/ATM

urritos Alinstante traces its roots back nearly 32 years to a humble storefront in Belen. The building itself, built by Ernest Chavez and operated for years as Ernest’s New & Used Furniture, is practically a local landmark. After Ernest passed away in 1984, his daughter-in-law, Shirley, started formulating a new plan for the furniture store’s future. Originally launched as Chavez Tortillas, the business model evolved over time as the prospects of making homemade tortillas at a reasonable price became untenable. By 1989, the business had morphed into a full blown restaurant, and Burritos Alinstante was born. Sadly, Shirley passed away in 1997 in a tragic auto accident while travelling home from church. In the aftermath of the sudden loss, her daughter Mary Ellen—who had never wanted to run a restaurant— decided to reconsider. “When I lost her and I saw all the work she put into [the restaurant], I couldn’t let it go,” recalls Mary Ellen. Today, Burritos Alinstante operates out of a half dozen locations strung out along the Rio Grande from Belen to Albuquerque. There, customers are treated to a stel-

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN ABQ’S BEER, WINE, AND SPIRITS SCENE

Head distiller Nick Falter-Hahn stirs the wort at Hollow Spirits.

JUST DON’T CALL IT “TEQUILA”

Taste it. It’s a familiar flavor. Probably, you’ll know precisely what to call it. A liquor with that balance of mild sweetness and fragrant earthiness could only be a tequila. These, however, are not tequilas. Instead, we’re talking about agave spirits. “Tequilas are blue agave,” says Frank Holloway, founder and owner of Hollow Spirits Distillery. “Agave spirits, you could use a different kind of agave, but if you’re going to stay with the tequila theme, you’re gonna go blue agave and then it has to be at least 51 percent blue agave. You can mix the rest with sugar or some kind of substitute, but we do 100 percent blue agave.” Here in the Land of Enchantment, local distillers at Hollow Spirits, La

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Reforma, and Tractor Brewing/Troubled Minds craft their agave spirits from the same ingredients—blue agave—and using many of the same methods as tequila producers. But, since those spirits are made in Albuquerque, they need to travel under a pseudonym. Thing is, “tequila” only applies to a subset of the liquors distilled from the blue agave plant. As defined by Mexican law and various bilateral trade agreements, tequila refers exclusively to spirits produced in a handful of states and municipalities within Mexico. Much the same is true of Scotch whisky. You can make a booze with the same methods and ingredients, but if it’s not made in the right part of Scotland, it ain’t Scotch. “We purchase 100 percent blue agave nectar from Mexico,” says La Reforma’s John Goziginian, laying out the foundational step in the small-batch process

that yields their 80 proof Blanco and 94 proof Reposado agave spirits. “We do a 50-gallon wash—what you call wort in the distilling business—and that has your sugar.” The magic of fermentation—playing out over the course of five to ten days—happens as all that sugar turns into ethanol and CO2. By the time the process is done, the amount of liquid has reduced substantially. After distilling, La Reforma is left with three to five gallons of the good stuff. Of course, the same is true at other operations. The details vary. Folks have differently sized containers for fermentation, use differently sized stills, and source their agave from different spots. But in every case, it’s a matter of concentrating all the goodness contained in large amounts of agave nectar— compressing it, if you will—down into something tasty and intoxicating.

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PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

AGAVE, DISTILLED

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La Reforma bottled their first agave spirits in 2019.

“We receive the juice here. In the field, they cut it back to the heart and then they roast it,” says David Hargis, co-owner of and chief distiller at Tractor Brewing and Troubled Minds Distilling. He’s describing the early stages of agave spirit production. Farmers— called jimadors—cut the giant, bladed leaves of the agave plant away, leaving a pineapple-esque core, called the piña. The piña is shredded and cooked, yielding a sweet nectar. “That juice winds up making a wine,” explains Hargis, referring to the aforementioned bit of magic when sugar turns into ethanol. “Once you have the agave wine, you distill it. 450 to 500 gallons give you 80ish [gallons].” At Hollow Spirits, fermentation stops when that wort—the sugary, booze-producing liquid—reaches roughly the density of water, an indication that much of the sugar in the nec-

COURTESY IMAGE

Hollow Spirts does a blanco, along with an oak-barrel aged reposado.

tar has turned into alcohol. “Once fermentation is done, we’ll move over to the still,” says Nick Falter-Hahn, Hollow Spirits’ distiller. “Each distillation run takes us around 12 hours.” “It’ll probably come off the still anywhere from 150 to 180 proof,” adds Holloway. “We’ll proof some of that down to anywhere from 105 to 115 and put that in barrels. And the rest of it, we’ll just proof it down, filter it, and throw it in bottles at 80 proof for the silver.” Silver—or blanco, depending on who you ask—is the designation for unaged agave spirits. It’s liquor that hasn’t been messed with beyond distilling and filtering. All of the local outfits producing agave spirits here in the Duke City bottle and sell some version of a blanco or silver. But for many aficionados, the real action is in the reposados and anejos—agave spirits that

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

have been barrel aged. To date, none of the local distillers has produced an anejo. And that, to a considerable degree, is just a matter of time: an anejo needs to spend anywhere from one to three years aging. Reposados, on the other hand, can be aged between 60 and 364 days. That has given Tractor Brewing/Troubled Minds, La Reforma, and Hollow Spirits ample time to produce their own rich, nuanced takes on agave reposado. “I think it turned out really well,” David Hargis says of the reposado he and the Tractor Brewing/Troubled Minds crew released in October 2020. “You get a bit of oak, a bit of vanilla, and a little bit of chocolate.” La Reforma produced their first batch of reposado—aged in oak bourbon barrels—in the fall of 2019. Hollow Spirits, meanwhile, currently has a fresh batch of agave reposado in

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Jennifer Veith (left) and Nicole Kapnison, the women behind Nikle Co.

production, with gallons and gallons of agave spirits gradually picking up intriguing notes of oakey goodness as we speak.

A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO SPIRITS It’s fair to consider Nicole Kapnison as a leader in ABQ’s hospitality and dining industry. Now, she’s adding distilled spirits to her resume. After selling Nob Hill Bar & Grill in 2019, Kapnison put all her efforts into Nikle Co., a local spirits company where she serves as founder and CEO. The company’s recent release of vodka and gin is already on shelves at more than a dozen retailers around town. “The vodka is dangerously smooth,” says Kapnison. “It almost tastes like water.” That ease on the palette comes from six distillations, plus water from the Santa Fe aquifer. Kapnison, who previously operated Yanni’s Modern Mediterranean restaurant and Lemoni Lounge, said she wanted her product to avoid the harsh flavor profile of many micro-distilled vodkas. “I wanted to create something that I would be proud to use in my

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cocktails,” she said. “Our spirits are additive free, chemical free, and have no sugar added.” Kapnison is also proud of the fact that Nikle Co. is one of the country’s few entirely women-founded, women-operated distillers; the company’s Head of Operations and Sales is Jennifer Vieth. The mark on the label represents Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, and all components of the venture—bottles, equipment, grain— are made in the U.S., says Kapnison.

PICKLE BEER JOINS BOSQUE’S PERMANENT LINEUP Trickle-down economics is the harebrained economic theory that the best

way to stimulate growth and prosperity in a society is to make sure wealthy people don’t have to pay much in taxes. Pickle Down Economics, on the other hand, is far more shrewd and insightful. It posits nothing more than this: a beer with a nice kick of pickle flavor would be mighty pleasant to drink. Well, consider that hypothesis verified. Bosque Brewing Co. first released Pickle Down Economics on a Thursday in late May 2020. By Friday, it was all gone, drunk-up or packed away in the refrigerators of some of Albuquerque’s fastest acting beer connoisseurs. Making a beer as screamingly popular as Pickle Down Economic is no mean feat, and the Bosque team spent plenty of time tinkering with the recipe to dial in on just the right flavor profile. “We made our first batch back in 2019, and

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

COURTESY PHOTOS

Nikle Co. promises a “dangerously smooth” drinking experience.

ONE COMMUNITY... ONE FAMILLY... THANK YOU ALBUQUERQUE!

wall to wall flatscreens bold burgers STONE BAKED pizzas ice cold beer at 33° 33°

Bosque adds Pickle Down Economics to their regular lineup.

it took a lot of experimenting to dial in the pickle juice flavor,” says Bosque Brewing Chief Production Officer John Bullard. “We use three gallons of pickle juice to every barrel of beer. A barrel is 31 gallons. We also throw in a big addition of dill to the kettle at the end of the boil. This helps push the dill pickle flavor and adds more complexity.” With a beer popular enough to sell out over the course of twenty-four hours, folks at Bosque decided it would be a mistake to just let it disappear into the history books as a limited release. As a result, Bosque Brewing has added Pickle Down Economics to their regular lineup, producing it year round and offering it for sale in six packs at Bosque taprooms and retail outlets. Pickle Down Economics is a gose (pronounced like it’s spelled, just with an extra “uh” at the end—so, “goesuh”), a complex, malty style of brew with roots in 13th century Germany. “In a nutshell, gose is a salty German sour beer that utlizes lactobacillus—a healthy bacteria—to produce lactic acid, which gives the beer a tart character,” explains Bullard. “Traditional pickles are made by fermenting cucumbers in a salt brine with naturally occurring lactobacillus, [so] gose and pickles were made for each other. The sourness from [each] plays perfectly with one another.”

4861 Pan American Freeway NE Albuquerque,, NM 87109 Albuquerque 505.. 344 505 344.. 7427

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

www.. bubbas33 www bubbas33.. com

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wild card

SPIRIT SPOTLIGHT sweet & sour

tequila

frozen

SWIRL

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PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

SWIRL, $7.75 Tomasita’s Albuquerque 4949 Pan American Fwy NE 344-1204, tomasitas.com

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PHOTO BY REECE MARTINEZ/ATM

Sometimes the best recipes have mysterious origins. And so it is at Tomasita’s, where the SWIRL margarita has earned something of a reputation—you might even call it acclaim— as a cocktail treat so good it’s almost dangerous. “Nobody remembers who invented it,” laughs Tomasita’s owner George Gundrey. “It was just there one day.” Fair enough. Origins aside, this is a margarita well worth your time and attention. “We do it with a reposado tequila, triple sec, and house made sweet and sour,” says Gundrey, describing the icy mix that is prepped and frozen in advance of serving. From there, the mix is dispensed from something not far removed from an ice-cream machine into a 12-ounce glass, where a touch of sangria sits waiting at the bottom. Moving the glass around as the margarita mix pours gives the drink its signature swirl.—ZB

DISH

Favorite

with Lindsey Kay

his isn’t usually a breaking news sort of magazine, but here, we’ve got a real scoop: apparently, there are problems in the world. Now, most people take notice of these problems and think, “huh, somebody really ought to do something about that.” Other people—people like Paws and Stripes founder Lindsey Kay—look at the same problems and think, “huh, maybe I’ll do something about that.” It’s an impressive attitude—one that has proved absolutely pivotal to the establishment and continued success of Paws and Stripes, an organization Lindsey founded to help veterans struggling with injury or trauma as a result of their service. “In 2010, I moved here and was working as a veterinary assistant,” recalls Lindsey. “I was here for five months and I had a family member that had been medically discharged and was dealing with kind of reintegrating as a civilian with a brain injury, post traumatic stress, among a lot of other medical issues and really struggling.” Recognizing the depth and complexity of the problem, Lindsey started looking for ways to help. Eventually, her search turned toward the unconventional. Whereas many might focus their attention on traditional medical approaches—doctor consults, trained counselors, and the like—Lindsey decided to look elsewhere. “I started researching ways to train a dog to be a service dog specifically for post traumatic stress and for brain injuries,” she says. “What I discovered is that programs that were training service dogs just didn’t really train for these specific

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issues. Furthermore, typically, you would have to pay tens and tens and tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket, which was just not something that was accessible. So, fast forward to May, I had the bright idea to just try and do it myself. I contacted some dog trainers and initially put together a model to train service dogs for veterans with these disabilities.” Paws and Stripes officially launched in 2010. With ten years under their belt (and counting), the program has proven a remarkable success, pairing trained rescue dogs with veterans—and helping to build better lives for both in the process. The program is all about finding solutions that work for the particular needs of both the veteran and their canine companion. And, while dogs trained to perform these kinds of services can cost anywhere between $10,000 and $60,000, Paws and Stripes offers their services at no cost to the veterans themselves. “The reality is that there were so many veterans that needed help in New Mexico that, as soon as the slightest word got out about this kind of fledgling model, there were just so many veterans that were contacting me,” says Lindsey. The program, she explains, is well suited to individuals who are dealing with psychological challenges above and beyond what most people experience. “When we talk about anxiety in the scope of post traumatic stress disorder, we’re talking about basically fight or flight, right?” she says. “It’s not stress around a test or stress that you’re going to be late for work— we’re talking about, like feeling you’re in a life or death situation.” The dogs are trained to diffuse and

de-escalate what might otherwise turn into overwhelming psychological events. “If we have a client who’s really experiencing the beginnings of an episode, where their anxiety is really peaking, and one of the things that they tend to do when that happens is they jiggle their leg pretty aggressively, you can train a dog to basically put their paws up on your leg when you start jiggling it,” she explains. “You call attention to that behavior and it helps redirect and it interrupts that spinning in that behavior to try to stop the cycle from happening.” Always a skilled hand in the kitchen, like a lot of other people, Lindsey used her lockdown time to explore fresh culinary frontiers. “I’ve been making sourdough everything...I definitely jumped on the bandwagon,” she says. In highlighting her work at Paws and Stripes, she decided to share with us a recipe for blueberry lemon sourdough scones. Color us intrigued. And hungry. —ZB

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PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

Founder and CEO, Paws and Stripes

DISH

Blueberry Lemon Sourdough Scones Ingredients

Directions

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour zest from one lemon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup frozen butter- sliced into 8 pieces 1 cup sourdough starter 1/3 cup milk or cream

Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment (a silicone baking mat also works, if you’re using a baking pan). In a food processor, pulse flour, lemon zest, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Pulse in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse sand. In a small bowl mix milk and sourdough starter together. Add the starter mixture to the food processor and pulse until it just forms a ball (just a few times) adding a little more milk only if necessary. Dough should be heavy and thick. Don’t overwork it. Spread the dough into a ½ to ¾ inch thick circular shape with your hands. Cut into wedges. Press frozen or fresh blueberries into the top of the scones (you can also gently mix them into the dough with your hands before forming it). Place the baking pan or cake pan with formed scones in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F. Remove dough from the refrigerator. Brush more heavy cream over the top, then sprinkle sugar and lemon zest as desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

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BITES

OUR EATS ALUMNI, CONDENSED INTO PERFECTLY SIZED SNACKS TO TAKE WITH YOU ON THE GO

ALQUDS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL & GROCERY

previously in the “Eats” department of the

5555 Montgomery Blvd. NE, 888-2921 Owner Mohamad Abdel Jalil and his sons run this all-in-one operation—a small grocery store and Middle East restaurant—seven days a week. This family team makes fresh pita bread every day and serves platefuls of their delicious hummus. It’s a great spot for lunch on-the-go.

magazine. Restaurants may or may not

AL’S BIG DIPPER

POLICY: “Bites” is a guide to Albuquerque-area eating establishments compiled by Albuquerque The Magazine’s editorial staff. These restaurants have been featured

501 Copper Ave. NW, 314-1118, alsbigdipper.com From the beginning, Al’s Big Dipper has been a family affair. Every sandwich is named after a family member, and the owners test every soup they make. Try the 505 Lunch Deal—a cup of soup, a grilled cheese sandwich and a homemade cookie for only $5.05.

accept reservations or major credit cards, so call before visiting.

CORRECTIONS: Please send corrections and suggestions to bites@abqthemag.com.

5 STAR BURGERS

5901 Wyoming Blvd. NE, 821-1909, 5starburgers.com From bison, salmon, turkey and crab to lamb, chicken and Black Angus beef, burger addicts will love Five Star’s 100 percent natural meat. Handformed patties or vegetarian options paired with wine from St. Clair Winery or beer from Marble Brewery are a match made in heaven.

66 DINER

1405 Central Ave. NE, 247-1421, 66diner.com This blast from the past specializes in burgers, chicken fried steak, liver and onions, and blue-plate specials, including the Pile Up: a mound of pan-fried potatoes, chopped bacon, green chile, two eggs, cheddar cheese, and red or green chile sauce on top.

ABC CAKE SHOP

1830 San Pedro Drive NE, 255-5080, abccakeshop.com Specializing in custom cakes and cakes for all occasions, this bakery focuses on freshness and flavor. Everything is made from scratch, including the cupcakes, cookies, pies, Danishes, pastries, and other desserts.

THE ACRE

4410 Wyoming Blvd NE, 299-6973, theacrerestaurant.com The Acre Restaurant specializes in comfort vegetarian cuisine with a goal to challenge meateaters and question what vegetarian food is, all while creating healthy, sustainable dishes.

ABUELITA’S NEW MEXICAN KITCHEN $

6083 Isleta Blvd. SW, 877-5700 Kathy Martinez’s brother, Chris Romero, opened Abuelita’s New Mexican Kitchen in Bernalillo 26 years ago. Since then, nothing has changed. The Huevos Rancheros are a best seller, as is the Kitchen’s signature dish, the Tacopilla.

AJIACO COLOMBIAN BISTRO

3216 Silver Ave. SE, 266-2305, ajiacobistro.com Inside the intimate space, you’ll find combination plates, arroz con pollo, arepas, plantains, and of course, a great cup of Colombian coffee. The dishes at Ajiaco combine indigenous Colombian, Spanish, African, and Arab flavors for a truly thrilling experience.

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ANATOLIA TURKISH MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

2132 Central Ave SE Suite C, 242-6718 The specialty is the Doner Kebab, seasoned meat in the shape of an inverted cone, slow-cooked to perfection rotisserie style, and always freshly prepared. Whether you choose the Adana Spicy Ground Lamb or the ‘Burque Kebab, try the “baklove-ah” for dessert.

AN HY QUAN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

1450 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE, 332-8565 This vegetarian Vietnamese spot is also veganfriendly. Pho fans don’t fret; Thai and wonton soup will satisfy any meat eater.

ALDO’S NEW YORK STYLE PIZZERIA $

ANNAPURNA’S WORLD VEGETARIAN CAFÉ

Two Locations, aldosalbuquerque.com With handmade lasagna and pizza dough, among other items, Aldo’s New York Style Pizzeria shares family recipes with its customers. From the buttermilk ranch dressing to the Eggplant and Chicken Parmigianas, homemade cooking is not too far away.

Various locations, chaishoppe.com Annapurna offers some of the most enlightened, health-conscious vegetarian and vegan plates in the city, with plenty of options for people suffering from food allergies or Celiac disease. And the menu is world-class, with options from virtually every continent.

ALICEA’S NY BAGELS & SUBS

ANNIE’S SOUP KITCHEN

1009 Golf Course Road SE, Suite 103, 896-4555 This East Coast–style deli on ABQ’s Westside is serving up 20 different sandwiches to Rio Rancho’s hungriest diners, using fresh-baked New York–style bagels and meats prepared in house for the likes of its Philly Steak and Cheese or the Cuban. Come hungry, because Alicea’s portions are not for the faint of heart. Can’t get out? Delivery options in Rio Rancho and parts of ABQ are also available when that hunger pang strikes.

AMADEO’S PIZZA AND SUBS

Three locations, amadeospizza.com This family-run pizza place believes that there truly are a million different ways to make a pizza. Using fresh, high quality ingredients, they specialize in pizzas, subs, pasta, and fresh salads.

3107 Eubank Blvd. NE, 296-8601, anniessoupkitchen.com With four homemade soups made fresh every day, and home-style favorites such as avocado and bacon omelets and piles of potatoes topped with melted cheese, chile and eggs, Annie’s specializes in comfort.

ANTIQUITY RESTAURANT

$$$$

112 Romero St. NW, 247-3545, antiquityrestaurant.com Antiquity Restaurant is located just off historic Old Town Plaza. Antiquity holds the distinction of being the only restaurant in Albuquerque to serve the Henry IV—a bacon-wrapped filet mignon placed on a bed of artichoke leaves, topped with an artichoke heart and covered with béarnaise sauce.

ARTICHOKE CAFÉ

$$$

800 3rd St. NW, 247.1619 / 246-1615 amerasia-sumosushi.net Dim sum—which means “small piece of your heart” in Chinese—takes on a bigger meaning at AmerAsia, where everything is made from scratch daily. Try the fried beef and garlic dumplings, pork and ginger potstickers, or scallion pancakes.

424 Central Ave. SE, 243-0200, artichokecafe.com This EDo fine-dining spot boasts a Wine Spectator “Award of Excellence,” and for good reason. A veteran of the Duke City’s fine dining scene, Artichoke Café remains the best bet for a great evening out. Innovative dishes and European aperitifs served by staff that takes ownership of the experience, the location is also an ideal launchpad for downtown adventures.

AMORE NEAPOLITAN PIZZERIA

ASIAN NOODLE BAR

AMERASIA/SUMO SUSHI

Two locations, amoreabq.com After relocating to Albuquerque from Naples, Italy, Gabriel and Kimberly Amador missed Neapolitan pizza. The husband and wife team, certified by the Association of Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli (APN), opened Amore, bringing a slice of Italy to Albuquerque. A Neapolitan brick oven fires delicious pizzas, such as the Margherita and the Zia, for 60 to 90 seconds at 905 degrees Fahrenheit. Local beer and wine compliment the pies perfectly.

318 Central Ave. SW, 224-9119, asiannoodlebar.com Every kind of noodle awaits at this Downtown eatery, from spicy sesame udon noodles to chicken pho with cilantro, jalapeños, and lime. Slurping has never been so tasty.

ASIAN PEAR

8101 San Pedro Dr NE Ste D 766-9405 asianpearabq.com Specializing in healthy, authentic, Korean-style eats, this shop pleases the palate with delicious takes on BBQ chicken, kimchi pancakes, and flavorful bowls.

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

BITES

THE EMERALD MEETS THE DUKE

You know you’ve got the right truck when you see the words “From Seattle with Love” set in big, green, block letters over the service window. That’s where Big Boss HotLinks owner James Wilkinson hails from, and that’s the spirit with which he makes and presents his food. Big Boss’ title attraction—the hot link—stems from Wilkinson’s desire to bring a little bit of Emerald City flavor to Duke City palates. “The hot links that I have actually come down from Seattle, something I grew up with,” he explains. “I couldn’t find what I wanted down here so I took those and incorporated them into my menu and ran with it.” The menu at Big Boss HotLinks deploys thoses sausages to all manner of delightfully savory ends. The Columbia Tower stacks a link atop two Angus beef patties layered with cheese and a fried egg, while the Pike Street Tacos come stuffed with a mix of links, grilled sirloin, green chile, and onions

Big Boss HotLinks 737-2122 bigbossfoodtruck.com

AZUMA SUSHI & TEPPAN

Columbia Tower, $10

Two locations, azuma-sushi-teppan-abq.com From flame-flipped teppan grill items to a substantial sushi selection, the menus at Azuma Sushi & Teppan have something for everyone. The green chile-infused New Mexico Roll and Filet Mignon Steak please palates daily and are perfect when washed down with an imported Japanese sake, soda, or beer.

B2B BISTRONOMY

3118 Central Ave. SE, 262-2222, bistronomyb2b.com Highlighting all-local ingredients (including New Mexico beef and Hatch green chile), B2B serves up a wide variety of tasty burgers—including plenty of veggie options.

BACKSTREET GRILL

COURTESY PHOTOS

Wilkinson’s passion for cooking, he explains, is entirely home grown. “Home cooking is what I’ve been doing all of my life. My mom taught me. That’s where the ‘big boss’ comes from—that’s my mom.” —ZB

BASIL LEAF VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT $$

1225 Eubank Blvd. NE, 323-2594, basilleaf.us Sure, Albuquerque offers a variety of Vietnamese eateries, but Basil Leaf elevates the everyday with healthy and fragrant versions of traditional noodle and soup selections. They’ll even modify for any dietary desire. Celiacs and vegans, rejoice!

BEN MICHAEL’S RESTAURANT

2404 Pueblo Bonito Court NW, 267-6827 The food at Ben Michael’s is fresh, preservative-free and takes its roots from the owner’s family’s New Mexican recipes. Try the salmon or the steak served with a side of calabacitas, papas, and sautéed mushrooms.

BENNY’S MEXICAN KITCHEN

1919 Old Town Road NW 842-5434, backstreetgrillot.com/home Originally a test outlet for local palates in a tourist mecca (Old Town), word spread fast about the Baja-inspired tacos and creative New Mexicanpeppered dishes (check out the gumbo). This locale is expansive, great for families, and the patio hosts music and dancing on weekends.

1675 Bosque Farms Blvd., Bosque Farms, 869-2210 Since 1972, Benny’s has obliged countless stomachs with delicious New Mexican treats, which include red-chile smothered enchiladas and deep-fried burritos. Don’t let the Benny Burger—a doublemeat, double-cheese beauty—intimidate you. And, don’t forget to save room for that vanilla ice-cream shake.

BARELAS COFFEE HOUSE

BLACK BIRD SALOON

1502 4th St. SW, 843-7577 This legendary neighborhood restaurant serves New Mexican dishes from the Gonzales family cookbook: menudo, posole, chicharrone burritos, huevos rancheros, all smothered with its famous red or green chile.

28 Main St., Los Cerrillos, NM 438-1821, blackbirdsaloon.com Black Bird Saloon is not just a popular Northern New Mexico eatery (located in Cerillos, NM), it’s also a time warp back through the building’s long and varied history. Items like the Miner’s Hand Warmer Breakfast Burrito or the Tumbleweed Salad stick out like a turquoise on a tourist.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

BLACK MESA COFFEE COMPANY

Albuquerque International Sunport, 220 Sunport Blvd. SE, 842-4305, With two Sunport locations, flight delays are easier when you’re close to Black Mesa. The house coffee and vanilla latte are sure to perk you up pre-flight. The made-to-order turkey sandwich will fill you up far more reliably than the bag of pretzels you’ll get on the plane. Baked goods, including the popular banana bread, are made in-house daily. Five menu items, including brownies and cookies, are glutenfree.

BLADES’ BISTRO

$$$

221 NM Highway 165, Suite L, Placitas, 771-0695, bladesbistro.com Owner and chef Kevin Bladergroen’s restaurant offers a culinary journey from his 30-plus years of experience in restaurants across the country and Europe, serving up steak and seafood with a twist.

BLAKE’S LOTABURGER

BLEU CAFÉ

Various locations, lotaburger.com Blake’s became an Albuquerque establishment more than 30 years ago, and almost immediately garnered kudos for its out-of-this-world green chile cheeseburgers (the restaurant has since scored spots on National Geographic’s “top hamburgers in the nation” list and Albuquerque The Magazine’s Best of the City list). Everything is made from scratch as soon as it’s ordered—and not a second before. At Del Norte Sports and Wellness, 7120 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Suite 8B This in-gym café offers fresh food from scratch— paninis, burgers, wraps, burritos, protein shakes–to both gym-goers and the general public. Healthy and tasty? Check!

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BITES BOCADILLOS $

200 Lomas Blvd. NW, Suite 110, 243-3995, bocadillos505.com Slow-roasted meats are the highlight of the Food Network “Chopped” winner, Marie Yniguez. Open for breakfast, lunch, or dinner on Wednesdays– Saturdays, pop in for a burrito or sandwich filled to the brim with pork, chicken, turkey or corned beef.

BOSQUE BREWING CO.

Various locations, bosquebrewing.com Another favorite on the ever-growing ABQ brewery scene, Bosque Brewing Co. is the product of three NMSU grads’ love for brew. With 10-12 of Bosque’s own sudsy creations on tap every day, the brewery is teeming with options to pair with seasoned fries, daily specials, or an array of other appetizers, soups, salads, and sandwiches.

BRICKYARD PIZZA

2216 Central Ave. SE, 262-2216, brickyardpizza.com Three very important pizza points rule supreme here: quantity, quality, and value. Enjoy handtossed, homemade pizza with fresh sauce in a spicand-span, laid-back atmosphere.

BRIXENS $$$

400 Central Ave. SW 242-2400, brixens.com A creative spin on American bar fare inspired by New Mexican culture, the restaurant serves 99 bottles of beer, literally on the wall, and a range of food items. Brixens has many unique qualities, but a couple notable qualities include their all-day happy hour on Sundays and 3-6pm daily.

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BUDAI GOURMET CHINESE

6300 San Mateo Blvd. NE, Suite H-1, 797-7898, budaigourmet.com The menu features specialties from different regions of China and Taiwan, all painstakingly prepared by chef Hsia Fang. The Crispy Flounder Filet is sure to please diners from both the East and the West. The Mini Steamed Pork Buns shouldn’t be missed.

BURGER BOY

12023 New Mexico 14, Cedar Crest, 281-3949, burgerboynm.com Everything in this tried-and-true staple is made from scratch: enchiladas, breakfast burritos, tacos and burgers (of course!). Fans are especially enamored with the green chile cheeseburger.

THE BURRITO LADY

938 Eubank Blvd. NE, 271-2268 The Burrito Lady—otherwise known as Consuelo Flores—cooks every one of her huge burritos herself, made-to-order. That means you should be prepared to wait (the line here can often go out the door). It’s worth it—ask for your burrito smothered if you want to really heat things up.

BURRITOS ALINSTANTE

CAFE 6855

6855 4th St NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque 890-9150, cafe6855.com A sister restaurant to Vernon’s Speakeasy, Café 6855 has gourmet dishes, expertly prepared and served in an elegant atmosphere. The menu is populated with gourmet sandwiches, salads, and cafe specialties that redeploy Vernon’s ingredients to thrilling effect.

CAFÉ BELLA COFFEE

2115 Golf Course Road SE, Rio Rancho 306-6974, cafebellacoffee.com With made-to-order panini and tasty salads filled with the freshest seasonal ingredients, this restaurant’s farm-to-table concept is a smart—and delicious—one.

CAFÉ CUBANO

At Laru Ni Hati Salon, 3413 Central Ave. NE, 255-1575, larunihati.com Who would guess that an upscale hair salon such as Laru Ni Hati would also be home to delicious Cuban food—platanos, Cuban sandwiches, dirty rice, and even espresso and hand-rolled cigars?

2101 Broadway Blvd SE (plus 5 other locations) 242-0966, burritosalinstante.com A paradise for anyone who loves wrapping tasty things (chicharrones, carne adovada, bacon, cheese, potatoes—you get the picture) up inside of locally made tortillas, this operation maintains a half dozen storefronts between Belen and Albuquerque.

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

BITES CAFÉ LAUREL

1433 Central Ave. NW, 259-2331, cafe-laurel.weebly.com The casual American café, open for breakfast and lunch, serves soups, sandwiches, burgers, salads, New Mexican favorites, and breakfast items in a bright airy atmosphere complete with local beers on tap. Peruse the daily selection of sweets and the full coffee bar for dessert (or breakfast).

CAFÉ LUSH

700 Tijeras Ave. NW, 508-0164, cafelushabq.com Located on a quiet neighborhood corner, this café is perfect for a nice brunch or lunch and your wallet will not be hurt after your visit. The menu is glutenconscious, vegetarian-friendly and has some of the best gluten-free red chile in town.

LA BAREN RESTAURANT

230 Louisiana Blvd. SE Suite A, 232-6764, labarenrestaurant.com The pho and spring rolls have a die-hard following of Kirtland Airforce Base employees. Located across the parking lot from Talin Market, experience an extensive menu of traditional Vietnamese cuisine inside this dine-in and takeout eatery.

CAKE FETISH

2665 Louisiana Blvd. NE, 883-0670, cakefetish.com Cake Fetish specializes in baker’s cups filled with heaven, such as the Sleepless in Albuquerque (chocolate cake with mocha French buttercream frosting) and the Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake (coconut and pecans and crowned with chocolate French buttercream).

CAMPO AT LOS POBLANOS

$$$

4803 Rio Grande Blvd NW 344-9297, lospoblanos.com Beautifully situated in the heart of Los Ranchos, Campo is the newly renovated and reimagined fine dining establishment at Los Poblanos. A top-of-theline menu mixes with fresh ingredients from the Los Poblanos Farm and a quiet, rustic atmosphere to make for one of the city’s best dining experiences.

CANVAS ARTISTRY

3120 Central Ave. SE, 639-5214, canvas-artistry.com Specializing in international street food with a local twist, expect seasonally rotating artsy fare made with local produce, daily and weekly specials, and art to boot. A great late-night spot with live spinning DJs featuring different genres each night.

CASA DE BENAVIDEZ

8032 4th St. NW, 898-3311, casadebenavidez.com One of the original New Mexican eateries in the North Valley, this expansive property boasts a lush patio, fabled margaritas and authentic eats, including a trademark on the sopaipilla burger.

CASA TACO

2 locations casa-taco.com Both Casa Taco locations offer a window into owner John Pecherski’s signature take on the U.S. Southwest—a strange place where you could picture a classic John Wayne character lingering over a plate of Jamaican jerk chicken and Yucatan pork tacos. Casa Taco defies expectations.

CECILIA’S CAFÉ

CHURCH STREET CAFÉ

CENTRAL GRILL & COFFEE HOUSE

CINNAMON SUGAR & SPICE CAFÉ

COCINA AZUL

CODA BAKERY

CONCHITA’S CAFÉ

230 6th St. SW,243-7070 Recognized on the Food Network’s “Diners, DriveIns & Dives,” and ranked No. 45 on the Travel Channel’s “101 Tastiest Places to Chow Down,” Cecilia’s Café offers tasty New Mexican treats, such as their Fireman’s Burrito or homemade chicharrones in a cozy atmosphere. 2056 Central Ave. SW, 554-1424, centralgrillandcoffeehouse.com This local favorite on Route 66, adjacent to Old Town, offers a bevy of breakfast and lunch options that will comfort your belly and your wallet. Here, you’ll find traditional New Mexican favorites, serious sammies, and solid caffeine with a staff famous for their classic Southwestern hospitality.

CERVANTES NEW MEXICAN RESTAURANT $$

5801 Gibson Blvd. SE, 262-2253, cervantesabq.com Old-world style meets traditional New Mexican fare at this family-owned restaurant. Go for the madefrom-scratch chile rellenos, tamales, and carne adovada.

CESAR’S MEXICAN & GREEK

5300 Lomas Blvd. NE, 256-8017, cesarsmexicanandgreek.com Both the drive-thru and the dining room at Cesar’s are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On the Mexican menu, try the No. 15, a chile rellenos plate. Popular Greek items include the No. 64 Gyros sandwich and the No. 78 Chicken pita sandwich.

CHEBA HUT

Two locations, chebahut.com Located next to UNM, Cheba Hut serves up toasted subs made from quality ingredients. Try sandwiches loaded with everything from guacamole, olives, mushrooms, cheeses, meats and much more.

CHEESE AND COFFEE

Two locations, cheeseandcoffee.com There’s more than just cheese and coffee here— think homemade soups, sandwiches, salads and specials. At lunch, the line often goes out the door, so it’s worth getting there early.

CHEZ AXEL

$$$

6209 Montgomery Blvd. NE, 881-8104, chezaxelrestaurant.com At Chez Axel, classical music is played at dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and the food has a decidedly French twist: cassoulet, trout amandine, chocolate mousse, and authentic French onion soup. Reservations are recommended.

CHOCGLITZ & CREAM

CHRISTY MAE’S RESTAURANT

10660 Unser Blvd. NW, 898-4589, chocglitzandcream.com Certified fair-trade chocolate and a chocolatier with 45 years of experience means you’ll find some of the best sweet-tooth satisfying offerings (including ice cream flavors such as raspberry red chile and Mexican coffee). 1400 San Pedro Drive NE, 255-4740, christymaes.com “Hearty” and “homestyle” are the key words here, a hands-down favorite of early-dinner lovers. Oldfashioned staples are the standards, so look for chicken salad, potpies, country-fried steak with homemade mashed potatoes, and beef stew.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

2111 Church St. NW, 247-8522, churchstreetcafe.com Calling the oldest residence in Albuquerque its home, this café serves up favorites ranging from natillas to margaritas. They also sell their own bottled salsa and cookbooks with recipes from the restaurant. Two locations, cinnamoncafeabq.com Featuring breakfast and lunch options, endless baked goodies, friendly staff and regular cooking classes, this place puts the “everything nice” in the well-worn phrase. Three locations, cocinaazul.com The newest location of the Old Town favorite serves up the same tried and true home-cooked recipes you’ve come to love. Don’t miss location specific specials and local brews amid New Mexican staples. 230 Louisiana Blvd. SE, Suite C 232-0085 Wrap your hands around one of Coda Bakery’s unique, Vietnamese-inspired sandwiches. Beyond its popular lineup of sammies, Coda Bakery also puts a distinctive twist on Vietnamese street food, using from-scratch recipes, including the bread, its deli meats, and its desserts. 400 Gold Ave. SW, Suite 119 339-6774, conchitascafe.com What began as the food truck, Conchita’s Creations became a downtown café with breakfast, sandwiches, and salads. New Mexican favorites shine here, just like abuela made them—including tacos, Frito pie, and burritos.

CORN MAIDEN

$$$

1300 Tuyuna Trail, Santa Ana Pueblo, 771-6060, tamaya.hyatt.com For a special dinner or celebration, look no further. Boasting a view of the Sandia Mountains, this restaurant will leave you breathless as you enjoy three-course meals with sweet potato granny smith apple soup, lavender salted shrimp or the classic crème brulee.

CORRALES BISTRO BREWERY

4908 Corrales Road NW, Corrales, 897-1036, cbbistro.com Brews from all over the region make this Corrales bistro a must-visit for the affordable fare, killer atmosphere, and music seven days a week.

THE COUNTY LINE BBQ

CRACKIN’ CRAB

9600 Tramway Blvd. NE, 856-7477, countyline.com It doesn’t take long for the barbecue to arrive at your dinner table, whether it’s wood-burning oven cooked and slow-roasted brisket, ribs, or sausage. Throw in the Rib King Platter, green-chile stuffed pork loin, live music, and two stepping, and at The County Line, everybody wins. Three locations, crackincrababq.com Their headline seafood boils are super customizable, allowing you to choose from a trio of house combinations or mix and match your own selection of crab, lobster, mussels, scallops, clams, or shrimp by the pound.

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BITES

FROM BELGIUM WITH LOVE

Specializing in creative, endlessly Instagrammable takes on one of America’s favorite breakfast treats, With Love Waffles is a food truck worth watching for. “My waffle batter is a vanilla cake batter, and we top it different ways—cookies and cream, maple bacon, chocolate covered strawberries—like you would see on a cupcake, but [it’s] our version of a hot-and-ready, dessert-on-the-go type thing,” say owner Megan Will. Will launched With Love Waffles around five years ago, pivoting away from a call center job and building out a trailer—plumbing, electricity, the works—in a fully functional kitchen with the help of her husband.

PHOTOS BY ZANE BEAL/ATM

“Our top top seller for our sweet waffles is definitely our chocolate covered strawberries,” says will. “It’s a vanilla cake waffle with fresh cut strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate ganache on top.” Those on the hunt for something savory are also in luck at With Love Waffles. They serve a variety of waffle-pressed, panini-style sandwiches, like the Albuquerque Turkey, loaded with smoked turkey, pepper jack cheese, and green chile aioli. —ZB With Love Waffles 933-0424

CRAVIN’ COOKIES AND MORE

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Lover, $7.50

10420 4th St. NW, 298-2597, cravincookiesandmore.com Serving up specialty cookies, muffins, breads, pies, and pretty much any dessert you can dream of, Cravin’ Cookies and More offers dine-in and to go orders to satisfy any sweet tooth, with coffee and hot tea to match.

CRAZY FISH SUSHI BAR AND RESTAURANT

3015 Central Ave. NE, 232-3474, crazyfishabq.com Tasty, fresh sushi and sashimi await you in this sleek Central Avenue restaurant, along with kitchenmade favorites such as tempura and crispy chicken.

THE CROWN ROOM

$$$$

145 Louisiana Blvd. NE, 767-7171, abqdowns.com/crown-room Perhaps Albuquerque’s best-kept fine dining secret, this gem is tucked away in the newly remodeled Downs Casino. With an incredible selection of liquors and wines, gourmet dishes, tableside Bananas Foster, and Dom Pérignon palate cleansers, this special occasion hideout is hard to beat, anywhere in the 505.

CURRY LEAF

6910-C Montgomery Blvd NE 881-3663, curryleafrestaurant.us Curry Leaf is the only restaurant in New Mexico to offer both North and South India cuisine. This means that, while you can get familiar favorites like tandoori chicken, you can also explore the world of chicken chettinad and dosas—a type of crepe made with fermented lentil and rice flour, filled with stuffing like potato, spiced vegetables, or ground lamb.

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THE DAILY GRIND

DELICIAS CAFÉ

4360a Cutler Ave. NE, 883-8310, dailygrindabq.net This family-friendly restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, including huevos rancheros and a huge assortment of baked goods. On Friday and Saturday, look for spontaneous specials, such as stuffed French toast or steak and eggs.

DION’S $

Various locations, dionspizza.com Launched in 1978, Dion’s aims to keep your wallet and tummy full with build-your-own pizzas, gourmet pizzas, slices, salads, and subs. The ranch and Greek dressings are homemade from secret recipes, and everything on the menu is tried and true.

DOG HOUSE DRIVE IN

6001 San Mateo Blvd. NE, 830-6561 Named after the city in Chihuahua, Mexico, Delicias delivers traditional fare of the region, like caldo de res (beef stew), gorditas, carnitas, flautas, and horchata.

1216 Central Ave. SW, 243-1019 An ABQ landmark since the 1940s, the eat-inyour-car Dog House serves grilled footlongs and halflongs topped with red chile, cheese, onions, and more. Enjoy your dog with a side of chili-cheese fries and a thick shake.

DG’S DELI

DONUT MART

1418 Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. NE, 247-3354, dgsdeli.com With 31 cold sandwich options and a wide variety of grilled hot sandwiches—ranging in size from mini to jumbo—there’s something for everyone here. Try the Green Chile Philly or the Lobo Club.

D.H. LESCOMBES WINERY & BISTRO $$

901 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, 243-9916, lescombeswinery.com With generations of experience in winemaking coursing through this North Valley staple’s doors, D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro specializes in pairing wine with its expertly crafted and entirely house-made menu, with a local twist. Themed events and giving back to its community are big parts of this eatery’s success, not to mention popular dishes such as its Chicken Picado, Mac and Cheese Bites, and Ghirardelli Port Brownie.

Various locations, donutmartusa.com Multiple locations sprinkled around town means a donut lover can always get a sweet fix. Find apple strudels, piñon coffee, green chile bialys, croissants, muffins, and even a Peanut Butter and Jelly donut.

DOWN N DIRTY SEAFOOD BOIL

6100 4th Street NW, 345-0595 Southern transplants who make their way to ABQ have a new spot for traditional seafood boil. From dry rub to a spicy, buttery fusion sauce, your tastebuds will dance with delight when you feast on this eatery’s collection of crawfish, rock shrimp, crab legs, and more.

DUGGAN’S $

227 Lead Ave. SE, 312-7257, dugganscoffeeshop.com This breakfast and lunch spot serves up newsthemed entrees like the Journalist Salad and Fact Checker Green Chile Chicken Soup in an intimate setting. Cups are filled with locally roasted Trifecta coffee.

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

DURAN’S CENTRAL PHARMACY

1815 Central Ave. NW, 247-4141, duransrx.com Where in the city can you get amazing huevos, kitschy printed dish towels, an emergency rubber chicken in a box, and a flu shot? There is only one answer, Duran’s Central Pharmacy.

EAST OCEAN CHINESE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT $$

3601 Carlisle Blvd. NE, 889-9315, eastoceanalbq.com East Ocean Chinese Seafood Restaurant was the first of its kind in Albuquerque. Most dishes are served family style and are made fresh to order. Those looking for traditional Chinese dishes should try the Roast Duck. Seafood eaters will enjoy the Honey Crispy Walnut Shrimp.

EL BRUNO’S RESTAURANTE Y CANTINA

8806 4th St. NW, 897-0444, elbrunos.com El Bruno’s got its start in Cuba, NM, in 1975. At the Albuquerque location, the tried-and-true family recipes are still the focus of the menu. The Ceviche, Pollo Adovo, and the Deep Fried Spinach are a few items guests can look forward to.

EL CAMINO DINING ROOM

6800 4th St NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, 344-0448 Those with a bottomless appetite might meet their match with any of El Camino’s breakfast burrito options. These plate-sized behemoths are filled with eggs, hashbrowns or home-fries, and your choice of meat, then smothered in red or green chile.

EL COTORRO

142 Harvard Drive SE, 268-4245, elpatioabq.com A UNM favorite since 1977, this family-owned restaurant uses local ingredients and makes everything fresh daily in small batches. The #10 Green Chicken Enchiladas have won rave reviews for years, as have the tasty salsa and pillow-soft sopaipillas.

EL PATRON

ALBUQUERQUE 1311 CUESTA ABAJO CT NE UNIT A ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87113

PHONE: (888) 784-3494 | WWW.SOS-NM.COM

Thank You Albuquerque

for voting our Green Chile Stew the Best in the City!

Kitchen

Two locations, elpatronabq.com A customer favorite, El Patron’s menu includes dishes such as mouthwatering tacos, enchiladas, chile rellenos, and housemade chips. Wash them down with a tasty margarita.

EL PINTO

Safely serving you since 1975!

$$$

10500 4th St. NW, 898-1771, elpinto.com Food and atmosphere go hand-in-hand at this Duke City staple, ensuring an unforgettable experience. Enjoy fresh salsa, enchiladas, burritos, carne adovada, and many more New Mexican dishes while sipping a margarita on one of the many beautiful patios. Reservations are recommended.

EL SABOR DE JUAREZ

LOS ALAMOS 1789 CENTRAL AVE #4 LOS ALAMOS, NM 87544

111 Carlisle Blvd. NE, 503-6202, elcotorroabq.com Made to order gourmet tacos are on full display among classic Mexican street food like elotes and ceviche. A full salsa bar lets you spice up your meat, fish, vegetarian, or vegan tacos. Taco Tuesdays feature $2 tacos and bottled Mexican beers.

EL PATIO DE ALBUQUERQUE

WE ARE A LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS HELPING OTHER COMPANIES LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO BOOST WORKER PRODUCTIVITY AND MINIMIZE COST.

3527 Gibson Blvd. SE, 265-3338 Its name means “the flavor of Juarez,” and since 1980, this restaurant has served just that. Try the family recipes for menudo and carne desebrada (shredded roast beef sautéed with jalapeño, tomato, and onions).

We treat you and your guests like family! Visit our Newest Location 6390 Coors NW

505•242•1199 | GarciasKitchen.com

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

Catering

6 Albuquerque locations to serve you!

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BITES EL SARAPE

3248 Isleta Blvd, elsarapeabq.com Specializing in authentic food from all regions of Mexico, you can count on dishes such as nopalitos (cactus sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and garlic), fresh salsa, burritos, chile rellenos, and seafood specials with shrimp, oysters, calamari, and fish.

ELOY’S NEW MEXICAN RESTAURANT $

1508 Wyoming Blvd. NE, 293-6018 Opening 36 years ago, Eloy’s New Mexican Restaurant’s claim to fame is their consistent food and service, offering the same recipes that made them famous all those years ago. Try the No. 1 Eloy’s Deluxe Dinner, with a little bit of everything.

EMBER’S STEAK & SEAFOOD

$$$

11000 Broadway Blvd. SE 244-8288, isleta.com Whether you are dining inside or al fresco on the rooftop patio, Ember’s boasts some of Albuquerque’s most beautiful 180-degree views of the Bosque, making for the perfect setting to catch the sunset next to the warmth of the glowing fire pits.

FANO BREAD COMPANY

4605 McLeod Road NE, 884-5555, fanobread.com For more than 16 years, Fano has made the freshest bread in the city. Whether it’s the rustic loaf, the green chile cheese bread or raisin cinnamon bread, you’ll think you’re touring the streets of Italy with each bite.

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FAN TANG

FARM & TABLE

$$$

FAREAST FUZION SUSHI BAR & LOUNGE

5901 Central Ave. NE, 255-2910 The sushi is served aplenty, but those who shy from raw fish can flirt with some Thai or Chinese cuisine. This might be one of the only places where a “Heart-Attack”—a sushi roll with deep-fried spicy tuna, jalapeños, mushrooms, and cream cheese—is a good thing.

THE FARMACY

FARINA ALTO PIZZERIA & WINE BAR $$

FIESTA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT AND CANTINA

FLAMEZ BISTRO

3523 Central Ave. NE, 266-3566, fan-tang.com With authentic family recipes that include coffee chicken (rubbed in Satellite coffee, then stir-fried with flavorful sauce) and creative additions like soul dumplings (made with tofu, kimchi, and cashew pesto), this spot is sure to satisfy.

10721 Montgomery Blvd. NE, 298-0035, farinaalto.com The Northeast Heights version of Farina offers the same urban atmosphere as the East Downtown (EDo) Farina, minus the elbow-to-elbow seating. Alto offers every pizza on the EDo menu, such as the Formaggio di Capra and the Carne, but includes unique dishes—Eggplant Parmesan Napoleon and Oven-Roasted Chicken Wings. Alto’s wine room is stocked with more than 300 bottles of wine.

FARINA PIZZERIA

510 Central Ave. SE, 243-0130, farinapizzeria.com Whether you like yours bianco or covered in carne, you’ll get a pie cooked to perfection at this relaxedbut-hip urban eatery.

8917 4th St. NW, 503-7124, farmandtablenm.com This North Valley eatery’s ever-changing menu features seasonal produce, which often comes from the restaurant’s own farm. If the produce doesn’t come from the farm, it’s sourced from a slew of local vendors. Enjoy grass-and-alfalfa-fed steaks and produce-focused dishes that use local kale, chard, okra, chile, and tomatoes. 3718 Central Ave SE, 227-0330 The Farmacy takes the idea of organic and local ingredients, and presents them in a way that tastes like comfort. The Farmacy provides a tasty menu of eight breakfast items, as well as eight sandwiches for lunch.

4400 Carlisle Blvd. NE, 881-0478 Fiesta’s Restaurant & Cantina has been familyowned and operated since 1986, making it an Albuquerque go-to for quality New Mexican cuisine. With its family dining area, outdoor patio, lively bar and banquet room, Fiesta’s has something for everyone. 9821 Montgomery Blvd. NE, 275-0522, flamezabq.com There’s a lot more to this burger joint than the beef. High-end, artistically inspired bistro fare, delightful appetizers, and burger bowls (with greens, sans buns) are only some of the fun finds at this neighborhood fave. Buffalo, salmon, turkey, lamb, get your protein boost here.

WWW.ABQTHEMAG.COM | MARCH 2021

BITES

CULINARY COLD WAR CONTENDERS It doesn’t quite make sense to call it a cold war, given the obvious heat involved, but there has been a deceptively quiet struggle raging in the culinary world. The prize: bragging rights, earned by way of producing the best spicy chicken sandwich out there. Enter local mobile food operation Tikka Spice, crafters of one of the Duke City’s most powerful contenders. Like any serious armsrace secret, the precise recipe for the Spicy Chicken Tikka Sandwich is closely guarded, built around the spicy, savory explosion of crispy chicken marinated in a proprietary spice blend and buttermilk. From there, the sandwich is piled with green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, sweet and spicy pickles, doused with Tikka’s signature sauce, and placed between a fresh brioche bun.

Tikka Spice 221-6901 tikkaspiceabq.com

FLIX BREWHOUSE

Spicy Chicken Tikka Sandwich, $13

3258 La Orilla Rd NW B-1 445-8500, flixbrewhouse.com Flix is a one-of-a-kind concept; a movie theater that serves full meals and an in-house brewed beer menu in its stadium-seating “dining rooms.” The dream is real, Albuquerque–you can catch the latest blockbuster in theaters while knocking back a pint and having dinner brought to you.

FLYING STAR CAFÉ

Various locations, flyingstarcafe.com With handmade desserts to die for, artisan breads, and a menu filled with everything from eggs to enchiladas, the Flying Star offers plenty of options for every meal (and snack time) of the day.

FORQUE KITCHEN AND BAR

330 Tijeras Ave. NW, 842-1234, albuquerque.hyatt.com Forque’s multi-level, tastefully decorated dining room features floor-to-ceiling windows and makes it easy to forget you’re dining at a Downtown hotel. The elegant presentation extends to the regional cuisine, which is prepared in the restaurant’s open kitchen by executive chef Eli White and his staff.

FORK & FIG

6904 Menaul Blvd. NE, Suite C, 881-5293, forkfig.com Upscale, but surprisingly down-home, Fork & Fig dishes offer up a streamlined menu of favorites, including burgers, sandwiches, and salads, with surprising artistry along the way. Sweet potato tots, anyone?

FOURTH AND ROMA CAFÉ

COURTESY PHOTOS

A family operation, Tikka Spice delivers an entirely unique fusion of culinary cultures, bringing flavors from across the globe together in an arsenal of stellar eats. Check their website for their next location. —ZB

500 4th St. NW, #106, 245-7662 Delicious chai, coffee, sandwiches, salads, and occasional East-Indian specials conveniently located in the old Bank of America building downtown.

FRANK’S FAMOUS CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

400 Washington St. SE, 712-5109, franksfamouschickenandwaffles.com Owner and former Lobo basketball player Frank Willis wanted to give Albuquerque the soul food he had while growing up in Los Angeles. He fiddled with flavors, making sure they were perfect, before opening his restaurant to dish out favorites like chicken and waffles, fried pickles, mac ‘n cheese, and collard greens.

FRENCHISH $$$

3509 Central Ave NE, 433-5911, frenchish.co Envisioned as a casual neighborhood restaurant, frenchish’s menu draws inspiration from an eclectic mix of French and Midwestern US cuisines, with an active focus on clean, simple foods.

FRIENDS COFFEE & SANDWICH SHOP $

200 3rd St. NW, 243-4801, fcass.com Every cup of coffee served at Friends Coffee & Sandwich Shop is from New Mexico Coffee Company, and a different flavor is showcased each day of the week. Local favorites such as the quesadilla and the Taco Burger are dependable lunch choices.

FRONTIER RESTAURANT

2400 Central Ave. SE, 266-0550, frontierrestaurant.com Famous for its legendary Frontier Rolls, hot-offthe-iron tortillas, burgers, New Mexican favorites, hash browns, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and more, the Frontier is Albuquerque’s melting pot— it’s a guarantee you’ll see someone you know there.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

FU YUANG KOREAN & CHINESE RESTAURANT $

3107 Eubank Blvd. NE, Suite 16, 298-8989 Fu Yuang breaks away from tradition with its take on Korean and Chinese cuisine, but keeps it simple. Freshly made with high-quality meats, you’ll get perfectly-portioned dishes made without MSG, less oil, and all natural ingredients.

GARCIA’S KITCHEN

Various locations, garciaskitchen.com This Albuquerque institution serves up classic New Mexican dishes, from freshly made tortillas to an extensive burrito list. You’ll leave one of the multiple locations with a full belly and content heart.

GARDUÑO’S OF MEXICO RESTAURANT AND CANTINA $$ Various Locations, gardunosrestaurants.com

Garduño’s consistently earns enthusiastic kudos for its mouthwatering enchiladas, burritos, salsa, and knockyour-socks-off margaritas. And, with three locations around town, you’re always near a fiesta.

GECKO’S BAR AND TAPAS

Two locations, geckosbar.com Plenty of tasty tapas—including Southwestern Krab Taquitos and Red Molé Grilled Sirloin Tacos—and hearty salads and sandwiches, too.

GINO’S NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA

Two locations, ginosnystylepizza.com With handmade lasagna and pizza dough, among other items, Gino’s New York Style Pizza shares family recipes with its customers. From the buttermilk ranch dressing to the Eggplant and Chicken Parmigianas, homemade cooking is not too far away.

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BITES GIOVANNI’S PIZZERIA

921 San Pedro Drive SE, 255-1233, giovannispizzaalbuquerque.com Giovanni’s isn’t easy to spot at first, but once you’ve had a big slice of fold-in-half New York-style pie, you’ll never miss it again. Whether you like it covered in spinach, pesto and tomatoes, cheeseonly, no cheese at all, or plain pepperoni, you’re sure to find your pizza match.

GOLDEN CROWN PANADERIA

THE GRILL ON SAN MATEO

3300 San Mateo Blvd. NE, 872-9772 A choice of mesquite-grilled chicken, rib eye, hot dogs, and burgers (beef and garden) accompany bottomless house-made chips and salsa, complete with sides like classic fries and fried zucchini, and fresh fixings are on a build-your-own basis offering a completely customizable burger.

THE GROVE CAFÉ AND MARKET

1103 Mountain Road NW, 243-2424, goldencrown.biz Golden Crown Panaderia is known for taking creativity in baking to the next level. Try the original biscochitos or cappuccino, chocolate and sugarfree versions. Don’t miss out on homemade green chile bread, pizza, and creative bread sculptures.

600 Central Ave. SE, Suite A, 248-9800, thegrovecafemarket.com The brunch and lunch favorite is well-known for its exceptional dishes made from local and organic ingredients, and it now offers a newly expanded menu, with additions such as the French Ham & Cheese with d’affinois cheese, mostarda, and caper mustard sauce.

GRASSBURGER $

GYROS MEDITERRANEAN

Two locations, eatgrassburger.com There’s a lot that sets the burger joint apart— including their community involvement, their vegan and gluten-free burger options, and their commitment to a no-corn syrup menu.

GREENSIDE CAFÉ

$$$

12165 North Highway 14, Cedar Crest, 286-2684, greenside.cafe This Cedar Crest café offers a casual family atmosphere with large portions of gourmet-quality food: French toast made with orange and vanilla batter, Turquoise Trail Trout, rich homemade ice cream, Monte Cristo sandwich with green chile.

106 Cornell Drive SE, 255-4401, egyros.com Tried-and-true Greek recipes, such as traditional Kota Reganato (oven-roasted chicken with oregano, garlic and lemon), fresh Greek salads, Patates, and, of course, sweet baklava, served in a friendly, laidback collegial atmosphere.

HADLEY’S TEA

7600 Jefferson St. NE, Suite 9, 821-4832 With about 200 different teas—half of them available in loose-leaf form—Hadley’s Tea is a tea lover’s oasis. Every tea that lines Hadley’s shelves is made with all-natural ingredients. A cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, otherwise known as the “tea sandwich,” is the perfect companion for your Lady Londonderry or strawberry green tea.

HANNAH & NATE’S MARKET CAFÉ

HARTFORD SQUARE

4512 Corrales Road, plus 1 other metro location, 898-2370 Offering breakfast and lunch, Hannah & Nate’s is all about flavor—whether it’s the flavor of traditional New Mexican cuisine, cuisines from throughout the world or the family recipes served. 218 Gold Ave. SW, 265-4933, hartfordsq.com Perhaps the only Albuquerque establishment that changes the menu weekly based on local produce options, this is a clean, smart, urban café that feeds suits and millennials in droves. Also serving up local coffees from Michael Thomas roasters, dine anytime and support the farm-to-table movement.

HELLO DELI

HIBACHI ONE

7600 Jefferson St. NE, 797-3354, hellodeliabq.com Home to one of the most delicious breakfast burritos around, Hello Deli serves sandwiches and even Frontier’s sweet rolls. 3230 Coors Blvd NE 839-0808, hibachioneabq.com In addition to their tableside teppanyaki service, Hibachi One visitors can take advantage of private rooms. Hibachi options like shrimp, scallops, and filet mignon are available wherever you’re sitting in the house, as is a full menu of sushi, sashimi, and rolls.

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BITES HIGH POINT GRILL

9780 Coors Blvd NW 312-8519, highpointgrill.com Those perpetually on the hunt for the perfect burger will find plenty to love at High Point. With a foundation of 100-percent Akaushi, American Prime Wagyu beef, the burgers at High Point Grill are some of the city’s most popular. Their Southwest burger, for instance, features a red chile crusted patty, extra hot local green chile and cheddar cheese.

HIGH NOON RESTAURANT AND SALOON

INDIGO CROW CAFÉ

$$$

4515 Corrales Road, Corrales, 898-7000, indigocrowcafe.net This café is cozy, thanks to the fact that it’s housed in an old adobe building. When it’s cold, patrons warm up by the indoor fireplace; when it’s warm, they enjoy meals such as lobster ravioli, tarragon chicken salad, and New Mexico chicken fried steak under the stars on the outdoor patio. Reservations are recommended.

IRONWOOD KITCHEN

5740 Night Whisper Road NW, Suite 250, 890-4488, ironwoodkitchen.com This family operation’s goal: to serve meals made with whole foods at affordable prices. Try the green chile cheeseburger, with freshly-ground chuck, topped with fresh vegetables and roasted green chile.

$$$

425 San Felipe St. NW, 765-1455, highnoonrestaurant.com Located in a 300-year-old house in the heart of Old Town, High Noon has a menu stocked with New Mexican fare such as burritos and enchiladas, but you can also find baked brie and buffalo burgers here. Reservations are recommended.

HOLY BURGER

700 Central Ave. SE, 242-2991, holyburgernm.com Originally a Route 66 diner with a carport, and later Bob’s Fish and Chips, Holy Burger now boasts some of the juiciest burgers in town, as well as one of the breeziest and most boppin’ patios in the city.

HORSE AND ANGEL TAVERN

HOT PINK THAI

HOT TAMALES

HURRICANE’S CAFE

I SCREAM ICE CREAM

5809 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE, 299-0225 Whether you want a simple sandwich for lunch, appetizers and a beer in the afternoon, or steak and enchiladas at midnight, this Heights tavern is the place to be any time of the day. 2626 San Pedro Drive NE, 872-2296 For dine in or takeout, at lunchtime, you’ll get $1.50 off dishes over $10 and a free vegetable egg roll. Favorites include pumpkin curry, pad thai, and drunken noodles. Most dishes are customized with your choice of protein and spice level, from no chili at all to Thai hot. 1520 Rio Rancho Blvd. SE 962-0123, hottamalesnmrestaurant.com This Rio Rancho restaurant serves bona fide New Mexican with hand-blended red chile and fireroasted green chile: Green Chile Stew Omelet, Hot Tamale Bowl, and Fajitas are just a few of the spicy dishes. 4330 Lomas Blvd. NE, 255-4248 With Route 66 serving as the city’s heart, it’s always good to hop over to a good ol’ fashioned diner. Pick out a classic dish, such as pancakes or omelets from the lengthy breakfast menu, or chow down on a burger, enchilada, or chicken fried steak. Of course, you can take a stab at the hearty Disaster Burrito, but you’d better make plenty of room if that’s on your agenda. 2000 Carlisle Blvd. NE, 268-0139 The cozy dessert shop is filled with toys, gadgets, board games, and—oh yeah—34 flavors of ice cream and 28 different toppings. Each scoop comes with a free mix-in, and there are fresh mini doughnuts available on weekends.

IL VICINO

Various locations, ilvicino.com Using wood ovens to bake its thin-crust pizzas, Il Vicino (which means “The Neighbor”) also offers hearty calzones and award-winning brews from its own brewery.

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BITES JAPANESE KITCHEN

$$$

Two Locations, japanesekitchen.com Entertainment is the main course at this teppanyaki grill restaurant. The cooks, who are at your table, can be caught tossing shrimp into their pockets and creating to-die-for dishes from the classic teriyaki chicken, to seafood or steak, and everything in between.

JAVA JOE’S

906 Park Ave. SW, 765-1514, downtownjavajoes.com You’ll find all walks of life at this relaxing Downtown joint, enjoying freshly made sandwiches, breakfast burritos, green chile chicken melts, coffee drinks and more.

JC’S NEW YORK PIZZA DEPARTMENT $$

215 Central Ave. NW, Suite B, 766-6973, jcnypd.com New York-style pizza, pasta, salads, and fully loaded pasta and calzone dishes, all in a laid-back lounge. During lunch hour, the line goes out the door.

JIMMY’S CAFÉ ON JEFFERSON

7007 Jefferson St. NE, 341-2546, jimmyscafeonjefferson.com The menu here lists more than 100 items, most of them mouthwatering comfort foods: sandwiches, burgers, New Mexican dishes, handmade pizza, and breakfast served all day long.

JINJA BAR AND BISTRO

Various locations, jinjabistro.com Evoking a vintage ambiance, Jinja serves inspired and mouthwatering pan-Asian cuisine, such as Kung Pow Chicken (a Thai version of the Chinese favorite) and Home-Style Chicken Udon Wok Bowl.

JOE’S PASTA HOUSE

3201 Southern Blvd. SE, 892-3333, joespastahouse.com A neighborhood Italian-American joint with an incredible dose of warmth and personality, Joe’s offers a terrific lunch buffet and an expansive dinner menu to please every palate in la mia famiglia: steaks, pasta, and some of the best cannelloni and tiramisu anywhere.

KABAB HOUSE: AUTHENTIC PERSIAN CUISINE $

301 Cornell Drive SE, 312-8949 Authentic, made-to-order Persian food is constantly sizzling on the grill here. The koobideh kabab is made with minced ground beef or ground chicken, onion, and house spices. Each dish is a healthy size and comes with soup, salad, and rice. Top everything off with a glass of delicious banana milk, or majoun, which is banana milk with almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and honey.

KAKTUS BREWING CO.

471 South Hill Road, Bernalillo, 818-7285 kaktusbrewery.com Tucked away from it all, Kaktus specializes in European-style pints, and a menu featuring pizzas and apps uniquely topped with game meats like elk, boar, bison, and duck. Special events on weekends abound.

KATHY’S CARRY OUT

823 Isleta Blvd. SW, 873-3472 This carry out has been a South Valley favorite for 38 years. Look for the chicharron burrito with egg, fresh hand-cut fries, and the daily special—you just might land on a seems-too-good-to-be-true deal, such as three tacos for $3.

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KATRINAH’S EAST MOUNTAIN GRILL $$

THE LAST CALL

KIMO’S HAWAIIAN BBQ

LAVA ROCK BREWING COMPANY $$

150 State Road 344, Edgewood, 281-9111, eastmountaingrill.com This contemporary diner specializes in homemade dishes, such as gyros, hand-cut steaks and burgers, and the best-selling Southern Salad (with fried green beans, bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, and fried or grilled chicken or steak).

3239 Girard Blvd. NE kimosabq.com, 582-2797 Hawaii comes home. What began as a food truck is now a brick-and-mortar location also. Try freshfrom-the-isles Kalua Pork and Huli Huli Chicken plates served with sides like steamed cabbage, rice, and macaroni salad.

KOLACHE FACTORY

8001 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Suite B3 856-3430, locations.kolachefactory.com The Kolache Factory franchise out of Texas focuses on Czech style Kolaches that were traditionally a warm, semi-sweet pastry filled with sausage, cheese, or fruit and originated in Eastern Europe dating as far back as the 1700s.

LA OJA RESTAURANT

201 Marquette Ave. NW, inside DoubleTree Hotel, 247-3344 La Oja Restaurant blends New Mexico and California cuisines, resulting in unique tastes that combine fresh seafood with local flavor. It’s MexiCali cuisine with a twist.

LA QUICHE PARISIENNE BISTRO

Various locations, lastcallabq.com This late-night eatery specializes in freshly-made Baja Mexican street cuisine (think: carne asada fries). If you’re lucky, you just might run into the “Taco Box” while out on the town: a mobile extension of the restaurant that brings the food to you.

2220 Unser Blvd. NE 836-1022, lavarockbrewpub.com

The casual brewpub on Unser currently has 7 of their own beers available on tap, with several other local guest taps as well. Standard bar fare gets gussied up here, like the housemade hot sauces on the wings and the fries loaded with green chile and queso.

LAZY LIZARD GRILL

12480 North Highway 14, Sandia Park 281-9122, lazylizardgrill.com From the King Cobra Pizza and made-fromscratch Jalapeño Poppers to their impressive selection of microbrews, the Lazy Lizard Grill has customers always coming back for more— and has the food and atmosphere to back it up.

LE BISTRO VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

1313 San Pedro Dr. NE, 266-6118 Le Bistro Vietnamese Restaurant is just as much a bakery as it is a restaurant, specializing in traditional Vietnamese cuisine.

LE CHANTILLY FINE PASTRIES

5850 Eubank Blvd. NE, Suite 17, 242-2808, laquicheparisiennebistro.com Long considered an authentic French staple of downtown ABQ, La Quiche has comfortably settled into the Heights and the baked goods will comfort your lazy weekend brunch cravings with true Parisian cuisine from the mainland.

8216 Menaul Blvd. NE, 293-7057, lechantillybakery.com This French-style bakery features breakfast pastries, muffins, strudel, cookies, and tarts—not to mention delicious quiche, croissants, sandwiches and cakes. Try homemade soups such as creamy chicken and artichoke, then satisfy your sweet tooth with a tower of chocolate decadence.

LA REFORMA

LE TROQUET

8900 San Mateo Blvd NE, Suite I 717-1361, lareformabrewery.com On the taco front, La Reforma is virtually unimpeachable, offering options like braised pork shoulder carnitas, tempura-battered white fish pescado, and rotisserie-broiled al pastor for carnivores, along with tempura-battered avocado (aguacate) for those looking for something plantbased.

LA SALITA

1950 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE, 299-9968, lasalita.com The name may mean “little room,” but this New Mexican restaurant always has a full house. The chile rellenos, chile con queso, sopaipillas, and shredded beef burrito (a Wednesday special) have earned loyal customers for 37 years.

LAGUNA BURGER

Various locations, thelagunaburger.com Every half-pound burger is made fresh upon ordering, topped with Hatch green chile, and slipped on a butter-toasted bun made specifically for Laguna Burger by Sara Lee. Also on the menu: freshly-cut fries, foot-long chile cheese dogs, and zingy breakfast burritos.

LAS RISTRAS

228 Gold Ave. SW 508-1166, www.abqfrenchrestaurant.com The Parisian bistro, open for lunch or dinner, offers classically simple French dishes made by Chef Jean Pierre Gozard. From Boeuf Bourguignon to quiche and delectable desserts, expect a tres bien atmosphere with a comprehensive wine list.

LEVEL 5 AT HOTEL CHACO

$$$

THE LIBRARY BAR & GRILL

2000 Bellamah Ave. NW 318-3998, hotelchaco.com The food here needs be good, because first and foremost, it competes with the view. Like the name implies, Level 5 sits on the 5th floor of Hotel Chaco and offers a near-360 degree view of the city. 312 Central Ave. SW, 242-2992, library-abq.com Featuring more than a great party, the Library offers drink specials and half-priced appetizers during happy hour, as well as salads, hamburgers, sandwiches, wraps, and specialty items.

$$$

4940 Corrales Rd. #400, Corrales 433-4192, lasristras.com Though New Mexican fare is a huge part of Las Ristras’ menu–all the usual suspects from tacos and chile rellenos to burritos and bowls of fresh posole are in evidence–they are joined by some of the most dynamic steaks on the Rio Grande.

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BITES LIMONATA ITALIAN STREET CAFÉ

3222 Silver Av SE, 266-0607, limonatanobhill.com Channel your inner Italian at this street foodinspired café, where the breakfast and lunch menus feature perfect pastries, craveable cappuccino and trattoria-inspired lunches. The chef makes every dish from scratch and insists that everything about the restaurant, from the menu to the atmosphere, be done just as it would in Italy.

LINDY’S DINER

500 Central Ave SW, 242-2582, lindysdinerabq.com Lindy’s is a neighborhood joint, through and through. The sort of place where, even if they don’t know your name, you’ll feel like they do anyway. The owners recommend the Ultimate Burger for that classic American diner experience.

LITTLE BEAR COFFEE

2632 Pennsylvania St. NE 917-8902, littlebearcoffeeco.com Located near Uptown, Little Bear is not just serving up quality brew, but also providing an outpost for the neighborhood and coffee community.

LOS COMPADRES RESTAURANT

2437 Central Ave. NW 452-8091, compadresabq.com Family recipes like the No. 16 Taco Plate, tacos with carne y papas (beef and potatoes) and the restaurant’s Menudo, have kept locals coming back for more than 15 years.

LOS CUATES

MAC’S STEAK IN THE ROUGH

LOYOLA’S FAMILY RESTAURANT

MAGOKORO $$

Various locations loscuatesrestaurants.com Popular since it opened over 25 years ago, Los Cuates serves its own ancho-chile salsa and tons of delicious New Mexican dishes in humongous portions. 4500 Central Ave. SE, 268-6478 loyolasfamilyrestaurant.com You’ll find both American and New Mexican goodies here, from fried chicken, roast beef and sandwiches to tasty local favorites such as burritos and posole.

LUIGI’S RISTORANTE AND PIZZERIA $$

6225 4th St. NW, 343-0466, luigisitalianfood.com Enjoy more than 250 made-from-scratch Italian dishes, including pizza, chicken Florentine, spaghetti and meatballs, and green chile chicken lasagna.

M’TUCCI’S ITALIAN

Three locations, mtuccis.com The menu at the Westside’s authentic Italian staple features refined comfort food classics, from meatball marinara to pot roast. Other menu items are crafted from choice Berkshire pigs that the eatery imports from northern Iowa and southern Minnesota farms. In fact, a unique pork dish is incorporated into a featured dinner special every night. Wash down your pasta, pizza, or salad with a carefully crafted cocktail from the bar.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

Two locations, macsnm.com Taquitas, onion rings, guacamole salad, and an original “steak in the rough”—slivers of beef served with French fries, coleslaw, a roll, catsup, and a fresh green scallion… these are just a few of the reasons Mac’s has been in business for so many years. 5614 Menaul Blvd NE 830-2061, Magokoroabq.com

Magakoro pushes well beyond the bounds of ramen and sushi, treating visitors to a thrilling selection of flavors. They’ve also cultivated a reputation for elevating the bento box—commonly available at Japanese-inspired restaurants throughout Albuquerque—into a sensorial cultural experience.

MANZANO GRILLE AT THE CANYON CLUB AT FOUR HILLS $$ 911 Four Hills Road SE, 299-9555, canyonclubgolf.com

This newly remodeled property was rejuvenated thanks to its own club members, and now boasts modern décor, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. Members can enjoy creative dishes like Pork Alexander, New Mexico Eggs Benedict with green chile Hollandaise sauce, or the Turkey Lurkey, including green chile and Pepper Jack cheese in the dining room or al fresco on its large, shaded patio overlooking the mountain vistas. Dining-only memberships available.

MARIO’S PIZZA

Various locations, mariospizzaabq.com Gourmet pizzas, big bowls of pasta, custom calzones and New York-style sandwiches are the norm at this tasty Italian eatery.

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BITES

TACO TRUCK ARTISANS Just picture it. It’s dark out. Maybe you’ve just enjoyed a cocktail or two. Hungry, you survey your surroundings. Then, like a religious vision, your eyes fall on it: The taco truck. A minute later, you’re queued up, asphalt beneath your feet, street lamps glowing overhead, the holy aroma of cooked meat and hot tortillas ahead of you. Five minutes after that, you’re enjoying a steaming plate of tacos.

PHOTOS BY MAX ROYBAL/ATM

That’s the experience Sanchez Tacos delivers as a matter of course. Their menu boasts staples like asada, barbacoa, and al pastor—conveyed via taco, burrito, torta, or quesadillas—alongside more adventurous options like lengua, tripas, and buche. All of them are delicious, but it’s worth giving heavy consideration to those rich, flavorful organ meats when deciding what to order. You can’t get them everywhere, and it’s quite possible they represent the pinnacle of the taco arts. With a dozen trucks operating between Los Lunas and Santa Fe, Sanchez Tacos is something of a colossus on the Middle Rio Grande Valley culinary scene. Wherever you are, you’re likely not far from a Sanchez Taco truck. —ZB Sanchez Tacos 489-7194 sancheztacosnm.com

Tacos Asada (Grilled Beef), $10

MARISCOS ALTAMAR

MARY & TITO’S CAFÉ

Two locations, mariscosaltamarabq.com With live music on the weekends, colorful murals, and authentic Mexican seafood dishes such as tostada de ceviche with shrimp, fish, and snow crab, dining at Mariscos Altamar is well worth the trip. 2711 4th St. NW, 344-6266, maryandtitos.com From their famous carne adovada to their authentic New Mexican chips and salsa, Mary & Tito’s Café makes sure guests leave full and happy. This homey café also became the only Albuquerque restaurant to win a James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Award in 2010.

MATANZA CRAFT BEER KITCHEN

3225 Central Ave. NE, 312-7305, matanzanm.com The New Mexican classic feast gets a sophisticated touch at the eatery serving up favorites such as carne adovada, to a wide range of salads, flatbreads and a cult-favorite brunch. One hundred taps feature local beer and wine.

MAY CAFÉ

111 Louisiana Blvd. SE, 265-4448, maycafenm.com Traditional Vietnamese cuisine is easily customizable, fresh and healthy. The café’s spring rolls, made fresh to order, are popular with diners new and old. Try the pho or the bún.

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MAZAYA CAFÉ

120 Harvard Dr. SE 582-2447, mazayacafe.com Mazaya Café is dedicated to adding an authentic Mediterranean dining experience to the medley of options in the Nob Hill area–without breaking the bank for its diners. If you are looking to fill up, freshgrilled kebabs, a half-dozen wraps, shawarma, and three kinds of fried or steamed dumpling plates headline the restaurant’s entrée menu.

MICHAEL THOMAS COFFEE ROASTERS $

Two locations, michaelthomascoffee.com Michael Thomas’ fresh-roasted coffees can be purchased in bulk or by the cup. Favorites include the Banda Bear Blend and the Duke’s Runners’ Blend. If you prefer to let them make your cup of Joe, try an espresso-based drink such as a Double Espresso, a Macchiato, or a Cubano.

MICK’S CHILE FIX

3351 Candelaira Rd NE Suite A, 881-2233, mickschilefix.com One of the city’s true spots for getting something hot: try The Shocker (an eight-pound breakfast burrito), huevos rancheros, or the Frito pie, all with homemade red or green chile.

MILLY’S $

Two locations, millysrestaurants.com If you’re not sure what to eat, have a little of everything with an American-New Mexican–Greek menu. This breakfast and lunch spot melds salads and sandwiches with traditional New Mexican and Greek entrees.

MIMMO’S RISTORANTE & PIZZERIA $$

3301 Coors Blvd. NW 831-4191, mimmosabq.com Mimmo’s serves authentic Italian food in a casual family atmosphere, with everything made on premise: the sauces, pizza dough, lasagna, noodles and meatballs. An all-you-can-eat lunch buffet is offered every day of the week.

MONICA’S EL PORTAL RESTAURANT

MONROE’S RESTAURANT

321 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, 247-9625 Traditional New Mexican favorites make up the menu at this Old Town staple that has been around for 34 years. Monica’s roasts their own green chile, makes biscochitos from scratch and offers red chile straight from the pod. Two locations, monroeschile.com More than 50 years after they opened their doors south of Old Town, Monroe’s continues to serve reliable New Mexican favorites to a local fan base, and service around here is a team effort, so no glass goes unfilled.

MONTE CARLO STEAKHOUSE

$$$

3916 Central Ave. SW, 836-9886 The iconic steakhouse meets liquor store has been featured on the Food Network and boasts some of the best steaks in the city. Since 1971, locals always come back for hand-cut steaks, house-made Greek salad dressing, freshly cut fries, and a mean green chile cheeseburger.

MONTE VISTA FIRE STATION 3201 Central Ave. NE, 255-2424

Once an actual working fire station, this second-floor restaurant now offers traditional bar food, wings, and nightly specials. Choose from tasty chicken wings and burgers, or order from the restaurant downstairs— they’ll bring your steak to you.

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BITES MR. TOKYO

11200 Montgomery Blvd. NE, 292-4728 Soak up the cool Zen-like atmosphere while enjoying six versions of fried rice, sushi, sashimi, tempura, hibachi, grilled udon, soups, and teriyaki spiced with fiery Thai chili peppers.

MUSTANG CAFÉ

OHANA HUT

5740 Night Whisper Rd NW, 508-4439, ohanahut.com Family owned and operated Ohana Hut means “Family Hut”. It specializes in Hawaiian, Japanese, and Korean flavors to create an Asian fusion menu with a New Mexican twist.

8601 Lomas Blvd. NE, 275-4477 Perfect for anyone shopping at the Rich Ford car dealership—or anyone at all—is this auto-themed restaurant, which serves up homemade breakfast burritos, papitas, enchiladas, rellenos, tamales, and the Dennis Snyder Favorite: a 16-oz. sirloin patty with cheese and chile.

OLD TOWN PIZZA PARLOR

NAGOMI RESTAURANT

3339 Central Ave. NE, Suite C, 718-4656, oloyogurt.com Nothing is as sweet as a guilt-free treat. In the same building as Staples in Nob Hill, Olo features a Candyland-esque interior, complete with 10 flavor choices and a salad-bar-sized toppings bar.

2400 Juan Tabo Blvd NE 298-3081, nagomirestaurantabq.com The Nagomi menu is virtually overrun with Japanese culinary classics. Nagomi is also one of the few places in Albuquerque where you can go to indulge in shabu-shabu, a Japanese-style hot pot

NAMASTE

Two locations, namastenm.net Offering authentic Nepalese and Indian dishes— including chicken tikka masala and lamb curry— Namaste also serves traditional food with a New Mexico twist, such as the green chile chicken curry.

NARUTO $

2110 Central Ave. SE 369-1039, narutonoodle.com Who knew Ramen noodles could be so creative, so diverse, and so darn good. Naruto is reinventing the Ramen noodle with specialized dishes that can’t be found anywhere else in the city.

NEXUS BREWERY

Two locations, nexusbrewery.com If the made-to-order fried chicken and waffles and mac and cheese has you drooling, reach for one of Nexus’ brewed in-house beers.

NICK AND AND BAR

JIMMY’S

RESTAURANT $$

5021 Pan American Freeway NE, 344-9169, nickandjimmysrestaurant.com Nick and Jimmy’s vision was a comfortable atmosphere with comfortable food. They blend traditional foods with new twists and serve everything from enchiladas to green chile meatloaf.

NOB HILL BAR AND GRILL

$$$

3128 Central Ave. SE, 266-4455, upscalejoint.com This restaurant manages to be simultaneously upscale and laid back, gourmet and down-home, visionary and traditional. Not to mention delicious: the Buffalo Calamari, Dirty “Kobe” Burger, Pineapple Chipotle BBQ Baby Back Ribs, and a slew of amazing cocktails make every visit exceptional.

NOMAD’S BBQ FOOD TRUCK 206-7654

Authentic, smoky goodness, Nomad’s BBQ sammies— including pulled pork and hotlink varieties—are succulent and feature its homemade sauce. This roving BBQ hut definitely knows how to do a quality turkey leg and rib tips, too.

OAK TREE CAFÉ

4545 Alameda Blvd. NE, 830-2233, cafeoaktree.com

$$$

108 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, 999-1949, oldtownpizzaabq.com This comfy, funky, family-owned restaurant serves tasty pies, huge calzones, and portions of pasta that won’t ever leave you hungry.

OLO YOGURT STUDIO IN NOB HILL

O’HARE’S GRILLE & PUB

4100 Southern Blvd. SE, 896-0123, oharesgrillepub.com With a menu that is centered around the idea that variety is the key to success, O’Hare’s offers pub fare in a family-friendly atmosphere. Try the Corned Beef and Cabbage special, O’Hare’s Double Decker Reuben, or the staple Fish and Chips, for a truly Irish experience.

O’NIELL’S PUB

Two locations, oniells.com O’Niell’s boasts the same neighborhood feeling, many of the same staffers, and virtually the same menu (including the “weird sandwich,” the “burger in paradise,” and homemade fish and chips). Added: an outdoor patio and more beer choices.

O RAMEN

2114 Central Ave. SE, 508-1897 Yes, the Duke City has the real thing. O Ramen’s Tonkotsu (pork bone broth) spends 18 hours on the stovetop before it blesses your bowl; expect plenty of options for vegetarians and Japanese curry lovers, to boot.

ORCHID THAI CUISINE

4300 Central Ave. SE, 265-4047, orchidabq.com Orchid Thai has been serving hungry Albuquerqueans traditional dishes like Pad Thai at its Nob Hill location for more than a decade. But this award-winning eatery goes beyond the traditional with unique dishes like deep-fried sesame duck, green tea curry, and Szechwan eggplant, all made from scratch.

THE OWL CAFÉ

800 Eubank Blvd. NE, 291-4900, owlcafealbuquerque.com World-famous green chile cheeseburgers, milkshakes, fajitas, quesadillas, meatloaf, burritos, fries… the list of drool-worthy dishes goes on and on.

P’TIT LOUIS BISTRO NOB HILL

3218 Silver Ave. SE, 314-1110, ptitlouisbistro.com The quaint French bistro features a small patio, yellow umbrellas, and white tablecloths—it’s pure Paris fashion, circa 1920, with the authentic French cuisine to match it.

This hometown café has served a lot of locales over the past 30 years, and the current venue on Alameda is great at the basics, including burgers, sandwiches, and salads, made fresh, in-house every day.

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PACIFIC PARADISE TROPICAL GRILL AND SUSHI BAR $$

3000 San Pedro Drive NE, 881-0999, pacificparadise-restaurant-abq.com Faux palms and tiki huts frame a menu filled with more than 100 options: salads, soups, stir-fry, seafood, fried rice, noodles, sushi, and dessert menu. Try the Seafood Rice Pizza or Rock ‘n’ Roll Sushi.

PADILLA’S MEXICAN KITCHEN

1510 Girard Blvd. NE, 262-0115 It might not get any more New Mexican than it does at Padilla’s—from huevos rancheros and tamales to chile rellenos and egg-topped blue corn enchiladas. You may have to shake your head after a taste of the chile just to remind yourself you’re not in your grandmother’s kitchen. A sopaipilla dripping with honey will seal the deal for your traditional meal.

PAISANO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT

1935 Eubank Blvd. NE, 298-7541, paisanosabq.com Family recipes have kept Paisano’s going for more than 35 years, but the hand-rolled pasta, handstuffed ravioli, homemade sausage and marinara haven’t hurt business, either. It’s also the only place in town to get wheat-free pizza and pasta.

THE PALETA BAR

Various locations, thepaletabar.com A hidden Albuquerque gem, The Paleta Bar has taken a tried-and-true, frozen Mexican dessert to new heights. Since 2017, this paleta wonderland has been slinging refreshing Mexican popsicles in endless combinations of flavors.

PAPA FELIPE’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT $$

9800 Menaul Blvd. NE, 292-8877, papafelipes.com Papa Felipe’s exceeds expectations by offering traditional New Mexican cuisine (enchiladas, stuffed sopaipillas, tacos) as well as simple twists on favorite dishes (green chile carne adovada, Tampico Tacos, Green Tamale Pie).

PAPA NACHOS

PARS CUISINE

7648 Louisiana Blvd. NE, 821-4900, papanachosfood.com Great, homemade Mexican food based on triedand-true family recipes is the specialty here: burritos, fish tacos, and the namesake nachos will all make your panza happy. 4320 The 25 Way NE, Ste 100, 345-5156, parscuisine.us For more than 20 years, Pars has served Persian and Mediterranean menu items in a unique atmosphere. Choose to sit on the floor under a large tent, and enjoy the talents of belly dancers, and enjoy tasty kebabs, gyros and more.

PELICAN’S RESTAURANT

$$$

Two locations, pelicansabq.com For 30 years, customers have fallen for Pelican’s— hook, line and sinker. Favorite entrées include Alaskan king crab, Australian lobster tail, and prime rib.

PEREA’S TIJUANA BAR

4590 Corrales Road, Corrales, 898-2442 Open for lunch only, the family-owned and -operated business specializes in real, home-cooked New Mexican food that’s consistently earned kudos from customers who can’t say “no” to the Frito pie, carne adovada, and green chile cheeseburgers.

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BITES PERICO’S $

Various locations, pericosmexicanrestaurant.com Serving delicious New Mexican food at affordable prices made Perico’s instantly popular, and the “home of the ½ lb burrito” is now an Albuquerque institution with three locations, catering services, and 22 different burritos.

PHO LINH

9100 Central Ave. SE, 266-3368, pholinhabq.com Authentic Vietnamese cuisine is the name of the game at this restaurant. Look for pad thai, special noodles (with grilled barbecue shrimp), spring rolls, curry, and papaya salad.

PIATANZI $$

1403 Girard Blvd NE, 792-1700, piatanzi.com A neighborhood Italian eatery with artisan flair, Piatanzi serves up big bites on smallish plates that please families and adventurous foodies alike, in a venue that scores big points.

PIZZA 9

Various locations, pizzanine.com Chicago-style pizza at 10 locations around the city, along with the option of gluten-free crust—that’s what Pizza 9 brings to the, er, table. Don’t forget the wings, salads, breadsticks and calzones to complement any meal.

PIZZERIA LUCA

8850 Holly Ave. NE 797-8086, pizzerialuca.com With imported Italian flour, cheese, and pepperoni, Pizzeria Luca offers authentic Italian cuisine. The restaurant has a subway-inspired interior and features delicious and affordable lunch specials.

PLANTY SWEET

2506 Washington St. NE 433-7111, plantysweet.weebly.com Planty Sweet is the city’s first 100% vegan and gluten-free bakery and dessert shop and the quality of the products available is hard to deny. Not only do their artisanal baked goods taste fantastic, they are impeccably presented, each crafted to please the eye as much as the taste buds.

POKI POKI CEVICHERIA

Two locations, pokipokinm.com Think deconstructed sushi if you’ve never had the traditionally Hawaiian poké. Completely customizable bowls with Latin and Asian fusion are the specialty here. Seven types of fish, twelve sauces, and 22 toppings make for endless combinations atop rice, chips, or a salad.

POLLITO CON PAPAS

Two Locations, pollitoconpapas.com Get ready for a punch of Peruvian cuisine. The menu is dotted with combinations of chicken, potatoes, and cilantro rice. The chicken is brined in vinegar and cumin for about 10 hours, then fired on a spit. The traditional drink, chicha, makes the perfect complement to any dish. The southeast part of town just inched a bit closer to South America.

PONDEROSA BREWING CO.

1761 Bellamah Ave. NW, 639-5941, ponderosabrewing.net A sister brew pub to Pints Brewing in Portland, Oregon, Ponderosa features a wide selection of American and German standard beers, with a classic menu of burgers, salads, and innovative appetizers.

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POP FIZZ

Two locations, pop-fizz.net Made in-house from all natural ingredients, kids can’t miss the Mexican paletas (popsicles) and ice cream tacos. For adults, boozy pops, shakes, and beer compliment the small but substantial menu of sandwiches, burritos, and the coveted carne asada fries. Located at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the patio is dog-friendly, and you might see its ice cream truck around the city at summer events.

PRAIRIE STAR RESTAURANT

288 Prairie Star Road, Santa Ana Pueblo, 867-3327, mynewmexicogolf.com Taking a drive past Bernalillo is a pleasure when you know the visit will include amazing made-fromscratch dishes such as herb-grilled ribeye with chipotle cheddar gratin and New Mexico bisonraised tenderloin. Reservations are recommended.

PRISMATIC COFFEE

1761 Bellamah Ave. NW, 205-1590, prismatic.coffee This third-wave coffee shop in the sawmill district features a small menu of expertly crafted coffee and the perfect coffee companion, stroopwafels. Beans are roasted and sold in-house with a rotating selection of stroopwafel fillings made fresh.

PUEBLO HARVEST CAFÉ AND BAKERY

$$$

2401 12th St. NW, 724-3510, puebloharvestcafe.com The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is the perfect backdrop for the Native American-inspired cuisine prepared in the café, serving traditional and innovative dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reservations are recommended.

PUPUSERIA Y RESTAURANTE SALVADOREÑO $

1701 Bridge Blvd. SW, 243-8194 In El Salvador, pupusas (stuffed corn tortillas) are found on every street corner. In Albuquerque, they can only be found in the South Valley, stuffed with shrimp, calabacitas, cheese, beans, or guacamole and served with a side of fresh salsa and curtidos (a spicy cabbage salad garnish).

QUARTER CELTIC BREWPUB

QUARTERS BBQ

Two locations, quartercelticbrewpub.com Irish brews like the Crimson Lass and Rye’t Side of Dublin are paired nicely with Celtic pub fare with a New Mexico twist. Must-tries include the classic fish and chips, ruben, shepherd’s pie, and poutine with green chile. 801 Yale Blvd. SE, 843-6949, thequartersonyaleblvd.com Feeling hungry? How about 187,000 pounds of ribs and 15,000 pounds of Alaskan King Crab a year, an attached packaged liquor store, a secret sauce recipe, and customers hungry for more? Try the pork spare ribs or hot links.

RANCHERS CLUB OF NEW MEXICO $$$

1901 University Blvd. NE, 889-8071, theranchersclubofnm.com With more fine dining awards on their wall than years they’re been in business, the Ranchers Club of New Mexico inside the Crowne Plaza Albuquerque is a meat lovers’ paradise and wine connoisseurs’ promised land. Reservations are recommended.

THE RANGE CAFÉ

Three locations, rangecafe.com Locals flock to The Range Café when they’re in search of good, made-from-scratch comfort food, including meatloaf sandwiches, huevos rancheros, enchiladas, ice cream, and the gooey Life by Chocolate dessert.

REBEL DONUT

Two locations, rebeldonut.com Not only can you find their set flavors, including their raised glazed, chocolate cake glazed, rebel red velvet, birthday cake, and toasted coconut, but you can also order custom-made donuts or choose to experiment with their daily creations.

RELISH GOURMET SANDWICHES

8019 Menaul Blvd. NE 299-0001, relishsandwichesabq.com It’s no wonder this sandwich shop has been voted “best” by publications throughout Albuquerque— it serves only the best Boar’s Head meats and all of their dishes are accompanied by homemade sides or soups. Try the Cubano. You won’t be disappointed.

RESTORATION PIZZA

5161 Lang Ave NE, Suite A 582-2720, Restorationpizza.com Here, good food and positive works—delivered simultaneously—is in the very nature of the business. The idea is to provide patrons with top-notch pies and first-rate beers while giving traditionally underemployed individuals work opportunities they would otherwise miss.

RICHARD’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT $$

3301 Menaul Blvd. NE, 881-1039 Mexican favorites—such as carne adovada, relleño, tacos, and green chile enchiladas—cooked in the healthiest, most nutritious, yummiest way possible. Open for breakfast and lunch.

RICHIE B’S PIZZA

7200 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Suite A-2 312-8579, richiebsabq.com New York-style pizza has come home to roost in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights. Whether by the slice or by the pie—some of which measure 25 inches in diameter—you’ll need every bit of your appetite when you visit Richie B’s. Not in the mood for pizza? Wrap your hands around a turkey, cheesesteak, or Italian sandwich, topped with its signature Viper sauce, or tempt your sweet tooth with traditional cannoli or New York-style cheesecake

RIO BRAVO BREWING COMPANY

ROCKIN’ TACO

ROMA BAKERY & DELI

1912 2nd St. NW, 900-3909, riobravobrewing.com The pub and grill is bright and airy with high ceilings and a modern industrial style, mixed with the cozy rustic feel of a neighborhood bar, with 32 taps, including their award winning La Luz Lager. 3600 Cutler Ave NE, 401-1000, greenjeansfarmery.org Rockin’ Taco is housed inside of Albuquerque’s premier indoor/outdoor gathering place, Green Jeans Farmery. With a food truck vibe and an East Coast flare, this hidden gem is elevating the street taco. 501 Roma Ave. NW, 843-9418, romabakeryanddeli.com You’ll find more than fresh-baked cookies and pastries at this bakery—feast your eyes (and taste buds) on grilled sandwiches and eight fresh deli salads and soups.

ROSEMARY $$

4565 San Mateo Blvd. NE, Suite A 361-1842, rosemaryabq.com This plant-forward restaurant offers a soothing atmosphere, creative menu, and amazing food. Any menu item can be adapted to meet personal preferences and dietary restrictions.

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BITES

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BB FAB We can powdercoat your world! Motorcycle Parts

RUDY’S COUNTRY STORE AND BAR-B-Q

RUSTIC BUBBLE TEA CAFE

RUSTIC ON THE GREEN

RUTILIO’S NEW MEXICAN FOODS

840 Juan Tabo Blvd Suite B, 505-1813, rusticbubbleteacafe.com Rustic Bubble Tea Café has all of the fundamentals of a bubble tea shop down, of course–the hint is in the name, after all–but what sets the independent Albuquerque startup apart is the Vietnameseinspired menu that accompanies their decadent beverages. 3600 Cutler Ave NE 315-1148, rusticburger505.com Rustic simplicity is the key for this burger joint at Green Jeans Farmery, serving up five equallycraveable burger options and two different kinds of fries from its minimalist menu. Don’t let the simplicity fool you: this unique eatery does gourmet burgers that has fans coming back for more, including its Day of the Dead burger with a secret “Diablo” puree and the Divine Intervention, topped with bleu cheese and caramelized onions. 455 N. Main St., Belen, 864-0093 Belen Mayor Rudy Jaramillo’s carne adovada is what put Rutilio’s on the map. This hangout serves their perfect pork with rice and beans, stuffed inside burritos and sopaipillas, and layered inside enchiladas and quesadillas. Add Rutilio’s breakfast burritos and classic New Mexican combos, and guests are sure to find something worth campaigning for.

SADIE’S OF NEW MEXICO

505.771.7751 BBfabABQ@gmail.com

Two locations, rudys.com Texas-style slow cooking over oak is what makes Rudy’s brisket, ribs and sausage so mouthwatering—not to mention the “sause.” Every serving comes with paper towels, unlimited sliced onions and pickles, and bread to mop up the leftover BBQ.

Various locations, sadiesofnewmexico.com A staple in New Mexican cuisine, Sadie’s features enchiladas, carne adovada ribs, tacos, burritos, and of course, world-famous chips and salsa. Reservations are recommended.

SAHARA MIDDLE EASTERN EATERY

SAIGON RESTAURANT

2622 Central Ave. SE, 255-5400, saharamiddleeasterneatery.com Delectable Middle Eastern plates served up Manhattan-deli style. The chicken shawarma plate, complete with greens, pita, hummus, and awardwinning tabbouleh, is always a good bet. Complete with beer and wine, and belly dancing on weekends, this is a fave of students, locals, and out-of-towners alike. Two locations, saigonrestaurantnm.com Vicky Truong’s secret to 12 years of success has been consistency. Truong maintains an extensive menu that caters to every type of eater. From summer dishes such as noodle bowls to winter mainstays like beef noodle soup, Truong will make sure you find your favorites.

SAKURA SUSHI & GRILL

6241 Riverside Plaza NW 890-2838, abqsakurasushingrill.com Favorites at Sakura are the Stone Pot Bibimbap (which is cooked at the table in a stone pot), the Tiger Roll, the Short Rib, the Baked Lobster Roll, the Sushi Tacos, and the impressive list of sake imported from Japan.

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BITES SALATHAI $

3619 Copper Ave. NE, 265-9330 Made-from-scratch, fresh, ingredients and keeping it simple are owner Pitak Pitakkan’s rules to cook by. Pitakkan cooks every menu item himself so don’t go to Salathai in a hurry. Pitakkan’s grandmother taught him to make curry and his curries are a longtime customer favorite.

THE SALT YARD

Two locations, thesaltyardnm.com A multi-concept bar and restaurant, The Salt Yard is

equipped with games, dozens of televisions, great food, drinks, and plenty of space to stretch your legs. This unique location is a great place for parties, trying the newest beer and tequila (Blue Agave Republic is now a part of it), or just watching the game.

SAMURAI GRILL AND SUSHI BAR

SERGIO’S LA DOLCE VITA

SHARK REEF CAFÉ

2740 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Suite 8, 554-2602 Fresh, made-from-scratch cookies, donuts, breads, pastries, cakes, and cannoli are on the mouthwatering menu at this Italian bakery. 2601 Central Ave. NW, 848-7182 To conclude your tour of the Albuquerque Aquarium, grab a seat at this full-service restaurant whose dining room features a view of the oceanic reef exhibit. Catering to visitors, families, and daytime dates, the menu offers simple, fun options. Call ahead for special events, like themed dinners and holiday celebrations.

SHARKY’S FISH & SHRIMP

5420 Central Ave. SW, 831-8905 Slip on your flip-flops and enjoy some Baja–inspired seafood, tacos, and carefree beach house ambiance in this roadside outdoor eatery. Sharky’s won acclaim as the little food truck that could, and this brick-and-mortar locale delivers the goods.

$$$

9500 Montgomery Blvd. NE, 275-6601, abqsamurai.com What’s your pleasure, sushi or teppan? Here, you can have either expertly crafted right in front of you. It’s also where you can get fresh sushi favorites such as the California roll, the dragon roll, and a veggies-and-sushi “Viagra salad” special.

SANTA FE BITE-ABQ

3407 Central Ave NE 369-1621, santafebite-abq.com

At Santa Fe Bite-ABQ, the green chile cheeseburger is treated with the reverence it deserves, presenting a precision crafted recipe. The details, in fact, are so carefully crafted that even the grilling surface needs to meet certain criteria. Absent a turn on the surface of a custom cast iron grill, it’s just not a Santa Fe Bite burger.

SANTIAGO’S NEW MEXICAN GRILL

1911 Eubank Blvd. NE, 292-8226 It’s in the sauce—Papa Jim’s Taco Sauce, at least— which comes with items such as burritos, tacos, and salsa. This Santiago Scramble—a pile of scrambled eggs, cheese, corn tortillas, chorizo, and hash browns—is great morning fuel. The tamale and enchilada take-and-bake casseroles will please any partygoer. And take a jar of that taco sauce home— after all, you can.

SAVOY BAR & GRILL

$$$

10601 Montgomery Blvd. NE 294-9463, savoyabq.com Resembling a California wine-country bistro, Savoy Bar & Grill is one of Albuquerque’s premier finedining establishments. Specializing in food and wine pairing, Savoy’s menu is a toast to the art of balance of food and wine.

SCARPAS BRICK OVEN PIZZA

Two locations, scarpaspizza.com That brick oven is cornerstone to this neighborhood favorite, producing pizzas such as the shrimp pesto, the Greek, and the chipotle chicken. But Scarpas also knows pasta, including red chile cream pasta and pasta sorento with oak-roasted chicken.

SEARED $$

119 San Pasquale Ave SW 999-8414, searedabq.com During the day, the space is Cheese & Coffee, but at night, it gets a makeover and becomes Seared, a fine dining establishment serving up steak, pork loin, and Atlantic Salmon among other things.

SEASONS ROTISSERIE AND GRILL $$$

2031 Mountain Road NW 766-5100, seasonsabq.com As the name suggests, Seasons varies its menu in accordance with what’s going on throughout the year, using the finest, freshest ingredients. Depending on what time of year you venture in, you’ll find butternut squash ravioli, grilled Atlantic salmon, and bleu cheese-crusted beef filet. Reservations are recommended.

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BITES SHOGUN JAPANESE RESTAURANT

3310 Central Ave. SE, 265-9166 When your order of sushi comes around the bend on its floating wooden boat, you couldn’t be happier, whether you’ve ordered the “Super Crunch” (shrimp tempura roll), or the “TNT Roll” (fish, zucchini and onion, baked with spicy mayo and smothered on a California roll).

THE SHOP BREAKFAST & LUNCH

2933 Monte Vista Blvd. NE, 433-2795 Breakfast and lunch at The Shop guarantees a plethora of flavors and textures that are tough to find in the Duke City. Combining down-home Southern staples with Mexican and New Mexican traditions, you’re bound to discover a new appreciation for bacon and eggs.

SIAM CAFÉ

5500 San Mateo Blvd. NE, Suite 101, 883-7334, siamcafeabq.com With its array of freshly-made curries—all made with coconut milk and a wide variety of luscious spices—this restaurant scores high marks with Albuquerqueans who love Thai food.

SIXTY-SIX ACRES

2400 12th St. NW 243-2230, sixtysixacres.com If you had to boil Sixty-Six Acres down to two words, they would be “casual” and “classy.” Featuring craft cocktails and a wealth of locally sourced, globallyinspired dishes, Sixty-Six Acres is the ideal spot to grab a relaxed, refined meal.

SLAPFISH $$

SOO BAK

SPINN’S BURGER & BEER

SQUEEZED JUICE BAR

Various locations, squeezedjuicebars.com

STEEL BENDER BREWYARD

STARR BROS. BREWING

515 Slate Ave. NW 243-2210, slatestreetcafe.com Slate Street Cafe is a sleek, contemporary eatery that combines big city ambience with inspired, modern cuisine. From the smoked salmon frittata to build-your-own bruschetta to mouthwatering Ahi tuna, their culinary flair will tantalize and delight from breakfast through dinner.

SLICE AND DICE PIZZERIA

5720 McMahon Blvd, Suite B, 261-2058, sliceanddicepizzeria.com With both a sweeping library of board games and full menu of hot pies and subs, Slice and Dice is a venue for everyone from seasoned players to wideeyed beginners (or people just hungry for some pizza). They provide a space where you can gather with a few friends and take in the twin delights of pizza and board games.

SLICE PARLOR

Two locations, sliceparlor.com Made-from-scratch pizza dough that is hand stretched daily and cooked on a pizza stone. Have a slice of the old faithful pepperoni pizza; try the Pesto Pizza or the House Calzone. Don’t forget to enjoy the local artwork hanging on the walls.

8305 2nd St. NW 433-3537, steelbenderbrewyard.com The 275-seat brewery has an industrial vibe with cozy undertones. But the Los Ranchos brewery stands apart from competitors based on its wide selection of house made beers and its gourmet menu.

SLATE STREET BILLIARDS

SLATE STREET CAFÉ

Incredibly innovative, modern mixed juices, smoothies, and other healthy delights for people on the move and looking for exercise recovery. Three to five pounds of fruit are squeezed into every drink, and it’s all extract, no fillers, and sure to brighten your day.

ST. JAMES TEAROOM

4411 Montaño Road NW, 899-6180, spinnsrestaurant.com Every burger served at Spinn’s is made with never-frozen, fresh-ground Angus beef. Try the restaurant’s signature Armadillo Burger. Spinn’s fries are cut and fried when you order them.

Two locations, slapfishrestaurant.com Have you ever had fish so fresh that it jumped up and tail slapped you in the face? Well, that’s the joke behind the very popular eatery, Slapfish, located in Holly Square. This fast casual gem has gained a great reputation for efficiency, service, flavor combos, and the freshness of their seafood. 2003 Southern Blvd SE #139, Rio Rancho 994-0363, slatestreetbilliards.com Come for the pool, stay for the nachos, and the burgers, and the wings. Rio Rancho’s favorite pool hall also offers has great Happy Hour pricing and plenty of special events.

111 Hermosa Dr. SE 268-0017, soobakfoods.com Serving up a style of food known as “koi fusion”, Soo Bak offers a wide variety of delicious entrees including eight different varieties of kimichi. Try the Soy Crunch Kimichi, which comes with pickled chayote squash, onions, some jalapenos, and fish sauce, apple juice, soy sauce, and vinegar.

$$$

320 Osuna Road NE, Suite D, 242-3752, stjamestearoom.com Albuquerque’s long-standing, go-to teahouse, this enveloping, intricately detailed, and authentically British tearoom provides old-fashioned conversation and honest service.

5700 San Antonio Dr. NE, Suite B1 492-2752, starrbrothersbrewing.com With dishes ranging from American favorites to Southern fare, Starr Bros. Brewing is more than an award-winning brewery. It’s turned heads with Poutine Burqueño, a New Mexican take on the Canadian, greasy-spoon classic. The house burger, with high-quality beef and homemade green chile aioli, is a customer favorite.

STEVE’S ICE CREAM AND JAVA

323 Romero St. NW # 16, 242-8445 In addition to a dozen ice cream flavors and an array of sherbets, the ‘chill’ side of the menu boasts delightfully smooth malts and fountain drinks. For those looking for a good cup of Joe, Steve’s also delivers–offering a broad selection of coffees and a full set of espressos.

STICKY RICE

7600 Jefferson St. SE, Suite 5, 797-1288 Likely the only authentic Laotian sticky rice to be found anywhere in ABQ, this simple menu offers moist, slow roasted chicken and a few frills at prices you can’t beat with a chopstick. The family meal is a steal.

STORMING CRAB

5001 San Mateo Blvd NE 407-2032, albuquerque.stormingcrab.us Specializing in large, customizable seafood boils rich in Cajun and Atlantic coast flavor, Storming Crab’s selection of dinner combos are encouraged to build their own. Black and green mussels, shrimp, crawfish, white clams, and crab legs can be ordered by the pound.

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STRAIGHT UP PIZZA

2801 Eubank Blvd. NE, Suite G, 796-9343, straightuppizza.com Offering New York style pizza with a New Mexican edge, Straight Up Pizza serves the Northeast Heights with specialty pizzas, unique toppings, and a plethora of options for any pizza connoisseur.

STUFYS $

Three locations, stufys.com Tasty stuffed sopaipillas are on the menu of this customer favorite, which has been around since 1968. Each sopaipilla is made with a custom machine invented by the owners, then stuffed with savory fillings.

SUSHI & SAKE

SUSHI KING

SUSHI XUAN

4214 Central Ave. SE 797-8000, abqsushiandsake.com With specialty sushi rolls, select Korean favorites, and a family-friendly atmosphere, Sushi & Sake specializes in Asian food with a Korean flair. Also look for non-sushi options, such as teriyaki chicken. Various locations, sushikingnm.com With three locations around Albuquerque, Sushi King proves day-after-day that it is king of the sea, boasting a large variety of specialty sushi rolls, Japanese curry dishes, and monthly menu revisions to keep the options fresh and appealing. Reservations are recommended. 417 Tramway Blvd NE #3 200-2477, sushixuannm.com

You’ll find more than tasty sushi here. Diners dig into Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai dishes, too. Sushi Xuan has multiple shipments of fresh fish during the week, and only uses Japanese Kokoro rice, and organic veggies whenever possible.

SUSHIYA $$

2906 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE, Suite D, 275-4777, nmsushiya.com This family-owned and operated restaurant strives to serve up sushi the way you’d find it on the southern California coast. A clean and comfortable atmosphere pairs well with friendly service and some of the thickest cuts of sashimi in the city.

SWISS ALPS BAKERY

TAAJ PALACE

TACO SAL

3000 San Pedro Drive NE 881-3063, swissalpsbakery.com Desserts rule, but the sandwiches hit it out of the park. Endless flavors of pastries, tiramisu, and over a dozen cookies line the bakery case. Everything is scratch made including the many varieties of bread and authentic Bavarian style pretzels available on Saturdays. Paninis, grilled, and cold sandwiches round out the sweets with a full espresso bar. 1435 Eubank Blvd NE 296-0109, taajpalacenm.com Taaj Palace is a multifaceted field of flavor and texture, built around the fiery core of the tandoor oven, that serves up a variety of delicious curries, including the widely popular chicken makhani (butter chicken), where tandoori chicken is presented swimming in a creamy tomato sauce. 9621 Menaul Blvd. NE, 298-2210 This family-owned and operated restaurant offers tasty, traditional New Mexican (burritos, chile rellenos, enchiladas, tacos, huevos rancheros and more) with its very own chunky salsa, made with real green chile.

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BITES TAJ MAHAL CUISINE OF INDIA

THAI VEGAN

TALKING DRUMS

THEOBROMA CHOCOLATIER

1430 Carlisle Blvd. NE 255-1994, tajmahalabq.com Taj Mahal is filled with all of your Indian favorites, from fresh naan (try the garlic version) to tasty saag paneer. The line goes out the door for the popular lunch buffet. 1606 Central Ave. SE 792-3221, talkingdrumsabq.com Talking Drums restaurant is serving up some unique African and Caribbean fair inspired by a form of communication expressed through specific drumbeats. Though most of the items are traditional, keep an eye out for some New Mexican flare.

TASTE OF INDIA

1605 Juan Tabo Blvd NE 294-6342, tasteofindiaabq.com Family recipes modified for American tastes; Taste of India typically dials back the spice a bit. But it’s no misnomer to think of Taste of India as just what the name advertises: a taste of regional flavors, conveyed by people who grew up with them

TEOFILOS $$

144 Main St. NW, Los Lunas, 865-5511, teofilos.com The restaurant’s generations-old made-fromscratch recipes will draw you to Los Lunas, along with the warm chips, chile rellenos, crème cake, enchiladas, and more, all handmade from scratch.

THAI BORAN

3236 La Orilla Rd. NW 492-2244, thaiborannm.com Steeped in spicy tradition, Thai Boran has quickly gained traction as one of the top Thai restaurants Albuquerque has to offer. Thai Boran, which means “Old Thai”, features 53 items on its menu, including five soups, six curries, and five unique dishes off the “Chef’s Collection” section.

THAI CUISINE 2

4201 Central Ave. NE 232-3200, thaicuisinenm.com thaicuisinenm.com/home2 Housed in perhaps the most curious A-frame along Route 66, this is the second-coming of a muchbeloved Westside Thai staple, and judging by the fandom, it’s simply better. Be wary of the heat in these dishes, and if you’re vegan/vegetarian, be very, very thankful.

THAI KITCHEN

10701 Corrales Road NW 890-0059, thaikitchenabq.com Art Xaiyasiha is one of two siblings who crafted one of the Duke City’s first great Thai restaurants, Siam Café. Thai Kitchen is his very own venture, featuring his takes on authentic dishes that taste “just like they do back home.”

THAI SPICE

7441 Paseo Del Norte NE 503-1521, thaispiceabq.com An extensive menu features authentic Thai favorites like Pad Thai or Thai fried rice. Lunch special includes an egg roll, entrée, and coconut milk tapioca pudding punctuated with an origami rose–topped straw.

THAI TIP RESTAURANT

1512 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Suite E, 323-7447 The folks at Thai Tip make grocery store runs three times a day to ensure they have enough fresh ingredients for their delicious rice, Thai-style noodle dishes, stir-fries, and salads.

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Two locations, thaivegannm.com Utilizing local organic produce, you’ll get some of the healthiest food around, all without sacrificing taste. This non-vegan favorite has hearty offerings and a soy chicken that satisfies even the pickiest of meat eaters.

12611 Montgomery Blvd. NE 293-6545, theobromachocolatier.com More than 20 years of experience goes into every morsel of European–inspired chocolate and sweet treat at this 505 sweet-tooth savior. Streamlined and polished, Theobroma has the look of a franchise, but everything is hand-crafted and produced on-site.

THUNDER ROAD STEAKHOUSE AND CANTINA AT ROUTE 66 CASINO HOTEL

14500 Central Ave. SW, Laguna Pueblo 352-7888, rt66casino.com Nestled inside this busy casino, you’ll find dishes that are a confluence of cultures at Thunder Road: made-from-scratch salsas, fresh tortillas, Pastel de Tres Leches Cake, Yucatan Tacos, Smoked Baby Back Pork Ribs, and much more.

TIA BETTY BLUE’S

1248 San Mateo Blvd. SE, 268-1955, tiabettyblues.com 1940s influence is sprinkled throughout this gem, from the décor to the food. The chile, red or green, is nice and spicy, just like your grandma made it. New Mexican breakfast and lunch items dot the menu (including many gluten-free and vegetarian options), but often have a unique twist, like ranchero blue corn waffles piled high with eggs, carne adovada, and chile. The coffee is fresh, and numerous specialty beverages are poured up daily.

TIA B’S LA WAFFLERIA

3710 Campus Blvd. NE 492-2007, lawaffleriaabq.com You’ve never experienced waffles of this magnitude. A residential home-turned-restaurant, anticipate artisan flare (lavender whipped cream, goat cheese, and caramel apple toppings) and plenty of goods for vegans and celiacs.

TIA JUANITA’S

Albuquerque International Sunport 2200 Sunport Blvd. SE 842-4280, fresquezcompanies.com Headed on a flight out of ABQ? Stop here for your New Mexican food fix: breakfast burritos, green chile chicken enchiladas, carne adovada. You can even take your green chile to go with the restaurant’s special “thermal bags” for travel.

TINGLEY BEACH CAFÉ

1800 Tingley Drive SW 248-8524, cabq.gov For runners and bikers along the Bosque Trail, or for the fishermen that frequent Tingley Beach lakes, the Tingley Beach Café is a well-kept secret for snack seekers, offering fare such as hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, pickles, and more.

TIO DAVID’S

3409 Central Ave NE 433-4438, tiodavids.com The food on offer on Tio David’s shares notes of similarity with other cuisines, but is an altogether fresh and distinctive entry to the Albuquerque food scene. On the more familiar side of things, they do a first rate Ceviche de Pescado—a dish popular across the globe that originated in Peru.

TOLTEC BREWING

10250 Cottonwood Park NW 890-1455, toltecbrewing.com Culinary duties at Toltec fall to Executive Chef Emma Gibson, who brings her own sophisticated flare to the rich world of pub grub. Regardless of food cravings, be sure to pair your order with a brew. The Cactus Warrior is brewed with agave nectar for a smooth, easy to drink, endlessly approachable pint.

TOMASITA’S $$

4949 Pan American Fwy NE 344-1204, tomasitas.com Serving family recipes and making traditional dishes with local ingredients, Tomasita’s has been one of the state’s most popular local spots since Georgia Maryol opened it in Santa Fe in 1974.

TOMATO CAFÉ

7900 San Pedro NE 821-9300, tomatocafe.com A buffet-style, all-you-can-eat, sit-down restaurant where you create the menu: thin-crust pizzas, pastas, meatballs, steamed broccoli, and Italian green beans cooked over an open flame are just some of the treats.

TORTA WAY

400 Dolores Dr NW 319-2844, torta-way.edan.io The name tells you most of what you need to know. In particular, that this ought to be your go-to spot for Mexican-style sandwiches loaded with options like al pastor, carne asada, or jamon. As if that weren’t enough, they also do house-made ice cream and paletas, with flavors like mango, piña colada, pistachio, and oreo.

TROMBINO’S BISTRO ITALIANO 5415 Academy Road NE 821-5974, bistroitaliano.com

The former Trattoria Trombino cooks up Italiano autentico, with huge dishes of pasta with homemade sauces, grilled meats and fish, and veal marsala. The cool atmosphere lends relaxation, turning any meal into a vacation. Reservations are recommended.

TSAI’S CHINESE BISTRO

TULLY’S ITALIAN DELI

2325 San Pedro Drive NE, Ste 1E 508-2925, tsaischinese.com Tsai’s offerings range wide across the traditional (diners especially recommend favorites like the Shrimp Kung Pao or Orange Beef) but those looking for something new to try should make for the Chef’s Specials. 1425 San Mateo Blvd. NE 255-5370, tullysdeli.com This Italian deli serves two-dozen subs for dine-in or pick-up lunch. A fully stocked market features Italian pantry goods from pasta to olive oil. Don’t forget a box of pastries, cookies, biscotti, cake, or a famous cannoli on your way out.

TURTLE MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY $$

905 36th Place SE, Rio Rancho 994-9497, turtlemountainbrewing.com turtlemountainbrewing.com Known for its handcrafted ales and lagers, which are brewed on the premises, this is more than just a place to enjoy a few drinks. It’s also a great place to enjoy wood-fired pizzas and calzones in a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere.

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BITES TWO BOYS DONUTS

VINAIGRETTE $$

Getting in touch with your “green” side has never been as hip as it is at Albuquerque’s newest go-to salad bistro. Vinaigrette offers a menu full of unique salads made with fresh produce from owner Erin Wade’s farm in Nambè. Items like The Nutty Pear-Fessor and the Asian Chopped Salad don’t sacrifice deliciousness just because they’re healthy. Expect one of 17 vinaigrette dressings to be perfectly paired with your salad.

6400 Holly Ave NE, Ste H 302-0102, twoboysdonuts.com Regularly stocking more than 30 flavors of donut, Two Boys has particular favorites—like their blueberry cake donut with maple icing and cinnamon sugar—and also brews up Villa Myriam coffee, giving you everything you need for a fullcourse wake-up.

TWO FOOLS TAVERN

3211 Central Ave. NE 265-7447, 2foolstavern.com A taste of the Emerald Isle: fish and chips, bangers and mash, bread pudding, Guinness on tap, and live Celtic music on Sunday afternoons.

UPTOWN SPORTS BAR

6601 Uptown Blvd. NE 884-4714, uptown-sportsbar.com A huge sports venue with wall-to-wall televisions and all the extras—solid American fare alongside a wide selection of local and national beers.

URBAN HOTDOG COMPANY

10250 Cottonwood Park NW, Ste. 440 898-5671, urbanhotdogcompany.com With about 20 choices—and even a vegetarian option—this restaurant has become a dog-lover’s go-to. Look for Chicago and NYC classics, plus adventurous temptations like the Crafty Dog (topped with mac ‘n’ cheese and bacon).

VERNON’S HIDDEN VALLEY STEAKHOUSE $$$

6855 4th St. NW 341-0831, thehiddensteakhouse.com This unmarked restaurant requires a secret password to gain entrance. Once inside, you’ll discover a world of perfect steaks and gourmet seafood, paired with an unbeatable loungey atmosphere. Reservations are recommended.

VIC’S DAILY CAFÉ

3600 Osuna Road NE 341-9710, vicsdailycafe.com With a full range of breakfast items, New Mexican favorites, and comfort food, this is a one-stop shop for tasty options like breakfast burritos, meatloaf, and coconut cream pie.

VICK’S VITTLES COUNTRY KITCHEN

8810 Central Ave. SE 298-5143, vicksvittles.com Rustle up your posse and head to Vick’s for heaping helpings of Texas-New Mexico fusion and breakfast served all day. Country comfort meets southwestern flair in an environment that welcomes suits and cowboys alike. Prepare to be stuffed.

VIET TASTE

5721 Menaul Blvd. NE, 888-0101 pwbportal.us/viet-taste-abq With more than 100 menu options—noodle and rice dishes, eight varieties of Pho, coconut shakes, and many more—this restaurant is true to its name, offering a real taste of Vietnamese cuisine.

VIET PHO

4208 Menaul Blvd. NE, 717-2359 This Vietnamese-based cuisine restaurant offers a homey feel and Southeast Asian comfort food. Try the popular Beef Pho Soup or go for a lighter dish like the Shrimp Spring Rolls.

VILLAGE PIZZA

Two locations, villagepizzanm.com Family owned and operated, Village Pizza offers salads, nachos, calzones, pasta, and of course, signature pizzas, along with an all-you-can-eat buffet.

1828 Central Ave. SW 842-5507, vinaigretteonline.com

VINTAGE 423

8000 Paseo Del Norte Blvd. NE 821-1918, vintage-423.com

Decorated with plush booths, black and white photos of vintage cars, a glass wine cellar wall, and an outdoor patio with couches and fireplaces, Vintage 423 is a goto location for good eats and happy hour—all year long.

ZINC WINE BAR AND BISTRO

$$$

3009 Central Ave. NE 254-9462, zincabq.com Imaginative, gourmet cuisine (think: duck confit eggrolls, chicken skewer salad, and pine nut spanakopita) and an out-of-this-world wine list meets a friendly, laid-back atmosphere at this Nob Hill favorite. Reservations are recommended.

ZORBA’S FINE GREEK CUISINE

11225 Montgomery Blvd. NE 323-2695, zorbasabq.com The family behind University area favorite, Olympia Café, have relocated their tasty homemade Greek food to the Northeast Heights. Try the Southwestern Gyros or the enduring customer favorite, the pork, chicken, or lamb kebob.

WECK’S $$

Various locations, wecksinc.com For nearly 20 years, Weck’s has served up huge, tasty portions of breakfast and lunch. Examples: The Original comes with one pound of potatoes mixed with eggs, cheese, and chile; the “Scratch Made” Buttermilk Pancakes are more than seven inches wide.

WESTERN VIEW

6411 Central Ave NW 836-2200 With a cozy diner feel and a long history, Western View is turning out plates of diner classics and New Mexican staples—finely seasoned with a sprinkling of Greek options—for diners hungry for both hearty home cooked meals and classic countertop service.

WHICH WICH

Various locations, whichwich.com A national brand with local twists, list your favorites on the bag and await a sammie that edges the competition. The UNM location is a student mainstay.

WHOLE HOG CAFÉ

We talk about food. Alot.

Two locations, wholehogcafenm.com Get award-winning Memphis-style barbecue in a family-friendly atmosphere. Can’t-miss items include the pulled pork, potato salad, and the homemade banana pudding.

YANNI’S MODERN MEDITERRANEAN $$

3109 Central Ave. SE 268-9250, yannisabq.com Impeccable Mediterranean cuisine paired with a fresh atmosphere that whisks you away to Grecian shores, you can always count on Yanni’s for savory spanakopita, perfect pasta, and other delicious treats. Reservations are recommended.

YASMINE’S CAFÉ

THE YELLER SUB

1600 Central Ave. SE, 242-1980 Yasmine’s is one of the few places in Albuquerque with shawarma—pitas filled with marinated chicken or beef that’s been pressed, stacked and cooked slowly on a rotisserie. Also try lamb and beef shish kababs, baba ghanoush, fatah, and four varieties of baklava. 7200 Montgomery Blvd. NE 888-9784, yellersub.com Owner Mark Roerick has been perfecting his sandwiches since 1979 and the customer favorite, Steak & Grilled Onions Sub proves it. The potato chips, fries, and onion rings made from scratch the old-fashioned way sure won’t let you down.

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

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‘TIL YOU DROP P. 168 | THE PAWS BUTTON P.174 | PASSENGER WINDOW P. 180 | PHOTO CONTEST P. 183 | 25 THINGS P. 184

FUN, FISSION AND FUSION Exploring everything from the history of the Manhattan Project to the modern frontiers of nuclear energy, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is a singular Albuquerque institution (p. 184).

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

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OUT AND ABOUT: YOUR GUIDE TO SHOPPING IN THE DUKE CITY

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Look good Feel good

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YOUR INSIDER’S GUIDE TO ABQ’S SHOPPING SCENE

Tips to be a better you...

“I LOVE LIVING IN ALBUQUERQUE, BUT CAN’T STAND OUR SPRING WINDS. HOW DO I KEEP MY HAIR LOOKING GOOD WHEN I GO OUTSIDE?”

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Joe Abeyta, Owner EDo’s Barbershop 521 Central Ave. NE

Chris Valdez, Owner/Stylist Inspire Salon Two locations, inspiresalon.net

“In March it’s a little bit colder, too, with the wind chill. So your hair gets to be a little bit drier. With dry hair comes frizz, right? A good way to prevent that is to use an anti-frizz serum in your hair before you leave the house. And even though it’s cold, you still need an SPF—a lot of people don’t think about using SPF in their hair, but it’s important to protect your hair from the sun too. The sun not only damages your skin, but can also be really bad for your hair if it’s unprotected. A lot of products contain SPF, but check and make sure. A little money-saving secret: you can always spray your regular SPF into your hair, especially if you have it in a braid already, or a bun. Also, your hair frizzes up when you go from warm to cold (the same way things from the clothes dryer can have static). So try not to run out of the house right after you dry or curl your hair. Then there are always cute clips, too. Also, ask your salon to put a gloss treatment on your hair, which seals your hair and helps protect against split ends.”

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“There is no best way to keep the wind out of your hair, especially in early spring here in Albuquerque. At some level, you just gotta embrace it! But wind can cause all kinds of damage to your hair. Have you ever tried to wear a comb-over hairstyle while walking around outside in ABQ in mid-March? A mess. I would recommend a short, choppy hairstyle if you’re concerned about the wind messing up your hairdo. Messy hairstyles are totally in right now. You can also never go wrong with a fade! If you have long hair, and you’re not willing to try a new style to deal with the wind, you can wear it tied back to prevent tangles. This even works for guys—man buns are trendy right now and can easily be put up and held in place with a little bit of product or hair spray.”

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David Gatt, Owner/ Stylist Hellafresh Hair 1005 Luna Cir NW

“I think really the best thing to do is to either wrap it up in a scarf, or put it in a bun or ponytail or something when you’re going to be outside. Then of course you’ll want to up your moisture during this time of the year. Especially before summer, you need to prep your hair before it gets warm and you’re going to be wearing your hair down more. If you have a style that can be worn kind of loose and tousled, then the wind is not that big of a deal. You would probably want to make sure that you don’t use a ton of hairspray—people think hairspray is going to hold everything in place, but it actually just makes it look rough when it gets windy. Just keeping it wrapped as usually a better bet. As a touch up, anytime you’re wearing a scarf or a beanie, you’ll want to use a spray in dry shampoo, or a dry conditioner. I think that being able to improvise and throw your hair up into a little bun or something, an alternate style, and having the products on hand just so that you can you can quickly touch it up, is the best way to be prepared for the wind we get in spring.”

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Want to look good and feel good? Send us your questions, and we’ll ask the city’s experts, lookgoodfeelgood@abqthemag.com

MARCH 2021 | ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE

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We Find It FOR YOU QUESTION

ANSWER

I’m so excited to give my garden a refresh! What can I use to make sure it comes in beautifully?

We’ve got options for wherever you plan to grow!

Spring can be so promising—new blooms, a garden filled with color—or, if you’re not quite a greenthumb, it can be disheartening. Never fear! The team of flower pros over at Osuna Nursery offers custom garden landscaping that can make your springtime dreams a reality. During a consultation, the design consultant and the team of landscapers will assess your yard, and offer suggestions about which plants would do well based on your access to sun or shade, and how often you plan to water. More than anything, Osuna Nursery believes in providing design services that reflect the clients’ unique character and preferences while creating a landscape appropriate to the architecture, conditions, budget, and maintenance objectives. Then, once you choose which plants you like, they’ll come and plant for you. All you have to do is stay the course, and you’ll have a gorgeous garden all season long. Even if you’re not quite such a nursery novice, Osuna has plenty of bulbs, perennials, veggies, succulents, or even seedlings to choose from. Custom garden landscaping services, Osuna Nursery, typically $350 and up 501 Osuna Rd NE, 345-6644 osunanursery.com

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FOR THE OUTDOOR GARDENER WHO CAN’T STOP KILLING THEIR PLANTS

‘TIL YOU DROP FOR THE WATER GARDENER While water isn’t something the Land of Enchantment has in abundance, we’re of the opinion that it’s what you do with it that counts. Many Albuquerqueans opt for a water garden, or a pond garden, instead of having to deal with the hassle of maintaining a big yard. But water gardening can be a tricky beast, and if you’re new to the practice, it can be a big help to have the experts at the Albuquerque Water Gardens on your side. With over 50 years of combined nursery experience, the staff there offers help from the top down, including pond conception, construction, and installation, all while offering great insight about how to adjust your pond to the challenges of each season. If you’re just getting started on your water garden, the staff at the Albuquerque Water Gardens recommends coming in for a consultation, but you can’t steer yourself too wrong with a pond classic: the water lily. Oh, and you’ll want to make sure you snag a hardy goldfish or two to get your pond’s ecosystem started. Water lilies, from $30-$50 depending on size and color; pond-raised goldfish, $4.99 each Albuquerque Water Gardens 1800 Candelaria Rd, albuquerquewatergardens.com 246-8278

FOR THE MEDICINAL GARDENER New Mexico allows doctor-certified medical marijuana patients to grow their own cannibis plants for medicinal purposes. For those worried about having the space to cultivate a crop, locally-owned TC Supply Store has solutions. Originally founded by native New Mexicans Hannah Reiter and Alex Howell as a one-stop shop for supplies meant to help those growing their own medicinal plants, the shop offers a full range of custom blended soils, grow lights, and sustainable, top-grade pots in which to grow anything green. Your best bet is to go with their playfully named “Homegrown Kit,” which includes everything you need to get growing—an easy to assemble nifty grow tent (pictured), your choice of HID or LED grow lights, six 5-gallon felt bags, two bags of their signature “Potting Mix” soil, and a digital hygrometer/thermometer. Hannah says that if you’re not planning on growing, you know, that plant, the kit works great for other high-sun, finicky plants like tomatoes or roses, or for starting any kind of seedlings. Homegrown Kit for Indoor, TC Supply Store, $379.00 Tcsupplystore.com

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Red Planet Books & Comics 1002 Park Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 505-361-1182 redplanetbooksncomics.com

umans are instinctive lumpers. We do it with practically everything. Music, movies, food, you name it—we sniff out points of similarity and lump like with like. It’s a good trick for simplifying and making sense of a complex world. Unfortunately, we also have a habit of doing it with people. This has the effect of disguising the true diversity of the human experience, leading us to occasionally forget the richness of the individual lives people lead. Red Planet Books and Comics—along with the associated publishing outfit, Native Realities Press—works to remedy this habit, shedding light on the diversity and dynamism of America’s Indigenous peoples. It’s an essential corrective, and one a long time coming. “What we wanted to show was the realities, but there’s a multiverse of realities,” says Red Planet and Native Realities

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Shop Talk

With a vision beyond just selling books and comics, this shop helps push the world of genre fiction into fresh territory. founder and owner, Dr. Lee Francis IV. “What we know from pop culture is that there’s only one reality. This is what Native people look like—they have horses, they have headdresses and war bonnets and they have war paint and they hoop and holler. And that’s what we see.” That stereotypical impression of Native peoples is distressingly common, and has far more to do with lazy Hollywood filmmaking and racist propaganda than with the realities of Native life and culture, past or present. “What we wanted to do was create the realities,” says Francis, explaining his efforts to detach depictions of America’s Indigenous peoples from popular stereotypes. “These are the realities of what it’s like, what it is to be Indigenous—something that is dynamic, something that’s evolving, something that’s changing, something that’s creative, artistic, [and] brilliant. You know, 600

plus different communities and peoples and nations and societies and languages all exist in the space. So yeah, it’s a multiverse.” Francis, a member of the Laguna Pueblo, launched Native Realities Press in 2015. Two years later, he launched Red Planet Books and Comics as a public and commercial face of the same efforts— working to engage and amplify diverse voices, with specific attention on the lively and expansive world of genre fiction. “I was a big fan early on of Dragon Lance,” recalls Francis. “That was one of my big reads when I was a kid. And then, you know, pretty much the sci-fi standards in the house. You’re looking at Dune, you’re looking at Arthur Clarke, you’re looking at Tolkien, H.G. Wells—all of that stuff came early on because we had just shelves of it.” Turns out, consuming genre fiction by

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the shelfload was something of a tradition in the Francis household. “My dad would find a new science fiction book and read it in like two days. He would just pour through them. That was his way of escaping. I’ve carried on that tradition in the shop. It was really built into me.” Francis’ desire to see Indigeous life and culture portrayed with greater nuance and sophistication—and, critically, more authenticity—sets the governing ethos for curating the Red Planet inventory. Naturally, those aspirations bleed into other domains, and Red Planet’s selection reflects that—stocking graphic novels and books that put the untold stories of marginalized people from a variety of backgrounds front and center. And, of course, Red Planet is also a place for every possible permutation of genre enthusiast—stocking options like Alan Moore’s classic Watchmen series; Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, and Stephen King’s American Vampire; graphic novel adaptations of Frank Herbert’s Dune. It is, in short, a store for everyone— albeit with a very focused, socially-conscious mission. “I think that love of all those [genre] things when I was growing up really became the impetus,” says Francis. “Those worlds were fictional, but they were fun and they were interesting and they brought up philosophical questions. As I began to think about it, it was a way in which we didn’t have to have Indigenous people that were constantly represented in this historical fashion, but in a way that could be dynamic. They should be all of these explorations of indigeneity and Native existence.” Genre fiction has always been an ideal playground for exploring the bounds of the possible. For Francis—operating both Red Planet Books and Comics and Native Realites Press—that’s what makes it such an powerful tool for building fresh perspectives on Indigenous experiences. “There’s always room for extra stories,” he says. “It’s not just one story that has to exist. If we say, ‘Hey, why don’t we tell some different stories,’ it doesn’t mean that [old] story has to go away, like I’m taking it away from you like a toy, right? There’s some other really cool stories about Native people and their multiculturalism and multiple identities. That’s what I look at when we’re trying to tell stories and we’re trying to put stuff into the world. There’s so many great stories to tell.” —ZB

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KEEPING TABS ON ABQ’S FURRY FRIENDS

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nless you’re really lucky or really young, you’ve probably experienced some unpleasant sensations somewhere in your bones or muscles. Sometimes it’s a product of repeated stress or sudden injury. Others, a result of simple wear and tear. But regardless of cause, these kinds of problems can often benefit from expert treatment. Pets, too, can develop these kinds of musculoskeletal issues. And, like humans, they can gain a lot from the services of someone well-trained in the art and science of physical rehabilitation. It just takes a special kind of eye to assess and treat the needs of patients who can’t actually tell anyone where it hurts. That’s where Dr. Ana Esquivel and the team at Ace of Paws Veterinary Physical Rehabilitation come in. Operating out of a former church (turned law office), Ace of Paws is a state of the art facility. The only outfit of its kind in the greater Albuquerque metropolitan area, they focus the brunt of their efforts on making the lives of our fury companions as healthy and comfortable as possible. Sometimes that’s a matter of carefully calibrated and rigorously executed exercise. Others, it involves cutting-edge tech like therapeutic laser and ultrasound machines, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, and other fancy mouthfuls of borderline sci-fi medical jargon. For Dr. Esquivel, a desire to help animals along these lines is a natural outgrowth of her interest in veterinary medicine. “I originally started doing what we call complementary medicine back in vet school,” says Dr. Esquivel. “I took an acupuncture course when I was in my senior year.” Things got a little more focused on the rehabilitation front when one of Dr. Esquivel’s own dogs developed orthopedic issues. She had gone through a couple surgeries and wasn’t recovering along the expected timeline. After working for a time with a local vet—one of the few offering the right kinds of rehabilitation services—Dr. Esquivel started looking into options for furthering her own education and acquiring the right mix of skills and expertise to perform physical rehabilitation with canine companions. “I started looking into it and looking into the different programs, and there’s

not many out there,” recalls Dr. Esquivel. “I did a certification class, and at that point, when I started the class, we started looking at, ‘how do we make a business out of it?’” Of course, when it comes to opening a business, “easier said than done” might be one of the most glaring understatements in the English language—especially when that business involves offering physical rehabilitation services to beloved pets. “It basically took two years to get from start to finish,” says Dr. Esquivel, explaining that she and her husband, John, started the process in December 2017. After haggling and negotiating with a variety of potential landlords in an effort to find a setting well-suited to the demands of animal physical rehabilitation, Ace of Paws officially opened their doors on September 23, 2019.

For new patients, the rehabilitation process usually starts with a period of acclimation, during which time Dr. Esquivel and her team carefully observe movement and behavior for signs of pain and distress. “A lot of times when the dogs come it, they’re excited or they’re scared or they think its another practice where they’re going to get poked or prodded,” explains Dr. Esquivel. “So we have to take the time to overcome that fear from a lot of dogs and kind of just let the dog explore the space and try to do a lot of positive reinforcement.” Once the dogs have grown a little more comfortable, Dr. Esquivel and company are able to look for signs of limited motion or distress, however subtle they might be. “We also take video as part of our initial exam,” she says, using slow motion to pick out problems that might be undetectable

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with the unaided eye. “I use that as a tool to help me just try to see, are they putting their foot down this way? Or how are they sitting? Are they putting one leg out? Are they not using that leg?” Of course, Dr. Esquivel’s work is made a little easier when dogs arrive with diagnoses and referrals from other veterinarians. “I would say, half the cases, we actually have a diagnosis like, ‘this is definitely an orthopedic issue’ or ‘this is a neurological issue’ or simply an aging issue that we’re just trying to help with the dog’s quality of life.” From there, it’s a matter of designing the right treatment regimen for each individual dog. A wide variety of exercises help dogs strengthen muscles, improve range of motion, and gain flexibility, including walks spent partially submerged on a treadmill for low-impact resistance training. Other treatments—like acupuncture, therapeutic laser and ultrasound systems, and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy—aid in pain management, help reduce inflammation, and boost tissue regeneration. “It’s very rewarding to be able to help some of these dogs,” says Dr. Esquivel. “Especially the dogs that are not walking. We’ve had several patients that we didn’t know if they would walk again, and they are actually able to move around on their own [now] and actually walk. It might not be the prettiest walk, but it’s functional. So, it’s rewarding to see those cases where, you know, the dog might not be 100 percent, but the dog is able to be a dog again.” —ZB

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PET OF T H E MONTH

PET OF THE MONTH ATM readers’ furry, fuzzy, feathered, or scaly best friends. This month's winner: Hank.

ank “the Tank” Henton aint your average pooch. He is, in point of fact, a goldendoodle—a super confection of golden retriever and standard poodle crafted by mad scientists (read: dog breeders) sometime during the 1960s. A super-powered hybrid, these critters combine the kind, friendly demeanor of retrievers with the intelligence and energy of poodles. The Henton family brought Hank home from a breeder outside of Nashville, Tennessee. “It was fun to go on an adventure, make sure the breeder was as represented, and pick up our little dude,” recalls pet-parent Annemarie Henton. Two years old as of the day after Christmas, Hank has built a reputation as perhaps the sweetest dog ever. Of course, we can’t vouch for that claim here at the Magazine, but every indication is that it is 100 percent true and accurate. “He’s such a lover and is happiest when our pack is altogether in one place,” says Henton. “He also happens to have the worst FOMO. He’s rowdy, loves walks and car rides, and could basically care less about playing fetch.” A big fan of a good game of chase, Hank likes to pal around with his best friend Mister (another canine), and carry around his stuffed animal, Lamb Chop, in between bouts of napping on the couch. “We are really active, so he ends up going on a lot of adventures!” says Henton. “He’s a pain in the butt to camp with—

because he’s such a baby he has to be up in the tent with us. He loves fishing and when we get a fish in the net, he goes crazy for it and tries to help us get it out.”

Taker of naps. Fisher of fish. Player of chase. Hank the Tank is a real renaissance dog—and a perfect Pet of the Month. —ZB

Is your pet ATM’s next Pet of the Month? Send a photo and short story about why you think your pet belongs in these pages to petofthemonth@abqthemag.com.

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We're looking to shine a light on Albuquerque's amazing young people.

Know some good ones? Let us know! Send your nominations and detailed info to us at incrediblekids@abqthemag.com for our upcoming new feature

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020

R E N WIN ID

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PIECE OF T H E PAST

JOHNSON CENTER

oy W. Johnson arrived on the University of New Mexico campus after a stellar athletic career at the University of Michigan and a stint serving in the military. His initial hope was that the Land of Enchantment’s arid climate would help him recover from respiratory issues he acquired after being exposed to poisonous gas during World War I. It was somewhat ironic, then, that Johnson would become, according to Sports Illustrated, the school’s “one-man physical education department.” The son of Swedish immigrants, Johnson’s diligent work in building an athletic department at a school with a student body population of 227 and no football field earned him the moniker “Old Ironhead”, due to his rugged determination. In addition to serving as the UNM athletic director from 1920 to 1949, at one time or another, Johnson was the Lobos coach in football, basketball, track, and tennis. His dedication—which also included hands-on efforts helping to build Carlisle Gymnasium and Zimmerman Field—prompted UNM regents to name the university’s new gymnasium in his honor in 1957.

The initially-dubbed Johnson Gymnasium was a 170,000 square foot structure with 314 rooms that included a swimming pool, a smaller gymnasium, handball courts, and offices. The main gym, which hosted UNM basketball and volleyball games, had a capacity of up to 8,250 spectators. According to the UNM website, “it was a beast of a building”—fitting for its namesake. When construction on The Pit was completed in 1967, Johnson Gym was no longer needed for UNM basketball home games. Over time, a parking lot in front of the venue became an entrance with a twoway passage, and visitors now park in a garage. As the university’s athletic program expanded, Johnson Gym became Johnson Center: a place primarily designated for students and staff rather than a figurehead for the school’s athletic department. The facility underwent a major facelift beginning in June 2018—a $35 million project that began with a partial demolition followed by a 50,000 square foot expansion. Once completed, the amenities for one of the oldest buildings on campus included the following: expanded space for weight and cardio equipment; in-

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door running and walking track; indoor cycling studio; new spaces for the Outdoor Adventures & Bike Shop; new east entrance with lobby and social spaces; renovated South Gym; upgraded heating and air conditioning systems; additional bathrooms and the remodeling of existing ones; new laundry room; functional training rooms. While the upgrades are nice, the renovation also included a nod to the history of the facility, as it maintained the original facade from 1957. Overall, it’s an ideal merging of the past and present. “It creates a sense of pride among the students that currently go to UNM,” Director of Recreational Services Jim Todd recently told local news station KRQE. After an extended closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson Center reopened—with safety-related protocols in place—to UNM students, staff, and faculty this past October. Even operating with limited hours and restrictions, the upgraded facility shows how far UNM has come since its humble beginnings. It’s something that would surely make Roy W. Johnson himself proud. —TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD

PHOTO BY MICHAEL JACOBS/ATM

UNM’s predecessor to The Pit is ready for its close-up after a $35 million upgrade

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THE

PASSENGER WINDOW

WESTSIDE BEDAZZLER Artist Nazario Sandoval’s work adds a lively splash of color and energy to the Cottonwood Mall facade

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eventually landed him the Cottonwood gig. “I applied—you know, they had a bunch of other artists go in and they went and had walkthroughs—and I kind of just went and met with [mall management] and gave them my ideas of what I say, so they gave me complete artistic freedom,” explains Sandoval. Though the mural looks a little like a stencilled palimpsest, it was in fact done entirely freehand. “And then on cinder block, too,” says Sandoval. “You have to do a lot of moving around to kind of get the whole 3D type of brick.”

The Cottonwood Mall project, he stresses, had a lot more behind it than just prettying up an otherwise unremarkable wall. Mall management wanted to revitalize the community through art. “They’ve been gracious hosts,” says Sandoval. “They’ve given a lot more other artists that I know platforms to do artwork there, too. They’re really helping out the community [by] helping out a lot of local businesses that are in there, you know, trying to stay afloat. Through art, they’re trying to revitalize the Westside.” —ZB

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PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

assenger window, here, is a bit of a misnomer. This is a piece of public art that can’t be easily spotted from the street, which makes it a little tricky to see if you’re...you know, a passenger. Tucked away in an asphalt and cinderblock cove near the Cottonwood Mall’s north entrance, Nazario Sandoval’s mural brings a vibrant wall of color—something a little like what you might experience if you were shrunk down and trapped inside a kaleidoscope—to an otherwise ordinary suburban mall exterior. “I would start with one color and go all the way through, get my next color and go all the way through, end to end, so it would have the same consistency in the color base,” say Nazario Sandoval, the artist behind the 3000 square foot mural bringing a splash of florid energy to the Cottonwood Mall. “Once I got through all the colors, then I just started doing it section by section.” Sandoval’s artistic journey started out humbly enough. “It started out with the streets,” he recalls. “You know, like people start tagging words on paper and then just keep evolving styles.” Eventually, life got in the way of Sandoval’s artistic aspirations, and he took a step back to concentrate on building a career and pulling down an income. But the creative impulse ultimately proved inescapable, eventually drawing him back into the world of artistic expression. “About four years ago, I got back into it and just started doing little murals here and there for different projects,” recalls Sandoval, who worked on projects in Denver’s Rino art district before moving to Albuquerque about a year ago. “I’ve taken it a little more seriously [since] I’ve come to Albuquerque and it has just taken off,” says Sandoval. “I’m at like 79 murals for the year, which is just phenomenal.” Here in the Duke City, he got involved in the local art walk, and it was there he made the connection that

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ADVERTISING REGISTRY 3 Advertising........................................................................................................34 Albuquerque ER & Hospital...............................................................................51 Albuquerque Florist.......................................................................................... 161 Albuquerque Laser Lipo.................................................................................... 181 Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling......................................................41 AlluraDerm Med Spa..........................................................................................43 Coyote 102.5.......................................................................................................60 Animal Humane New Mexico........................................................................... 72 Assistance League............................................................................................... 58 Ben E. Keith Foods............................................................................................ 8,9 Blue Rose Photography......................................................................................29 Bubba's 33...........................................................................................................139 BumbleBee Fab & Powder Coating....................................................................42 California Closets................................................................................................54 Comfortable Dentistry 4U............................................................................... 169 Cosmetic Dentistry of New Mexico - Dr. Byron Wall, DDS.............................2,3 CPR Cell Phone Repair.......................................................................................29 Crystal Springs.............................................................................................111,155 Dental House - Dr. Rachel Park, DDS...............................................................69 Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center of New Mexico........................................50 Dr. Monica Boehmer, DDS.................................................................................51 Duke City Software........................................................................................... 173 Duke City Urgent Care Clinic.............................................................................21 Empower Pilates Studio......................................................................................61 Ethan Allen Furniture.........................................................................................15 Exhibit Solutions of New Mexico......................................................................17

Floorscapes.........................................................................................................64 Flying Star Cafe.................................................................................................139 Fuego 102.9.......................................................................................................110 Inn of the Mountain Gods................................................................................. 44 Garcia's Kitchen.................................................................................................149 Glam Nail Bar & Spa...........................................................................................36 Graphic Connection........................................................................................... 59 Hand Up ABQ..............................................................................................38,40 Harmonix Technologies.....................................................................................49 Houston Wholesale Cars, LLC..........................................................................4,5 100.3 The Peak..................................................................................................175 Inspire Salon......................................................................................................62 International Protective Service....................................................................46,47 Jericho Nursery.................................................................................................. 112 Kubota Tractor Inc....................................................................Inside Back Cover Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry....................................................................Back Cover Merry Maids...................................................................................................... 6,7 Mesa Tractor........................................................................................................63 Mike’s Hard Lemonade Seltzer.........................................................................128 Mix 105.1............................................................................................................150 Mrs. Clean...........................................................................................................19 National Museum of Nuclear Science and History........................................... 31 New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force............................................................. 116 New Mexico Orthopaedic Surgery Center........................................................22 New Mexico Sports & Wellness ......................................................................162 Paixao Nail & Beauty Bar................................................................................. 166

Plastic Surgery Institute of New Mexico............................................................35 Presbyterian Healthcare......................................................................................73 Radiology Associates of Albuquerque................................................................39 Route 66 Cleaners............................................................................................... 31 Sciarza Social Digital.......................................................................................... 30 Slate Street Billiards..........................................................................................152 Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits...............................................................141,153 Southwest Office Solutions..............................................................................149 Southwest Women's Oncology........................................................................... 13 Optimum.............................................................................................. 48,104,105 Southwestern HR Consulting........................................................................... 67 Sport Systems.....................................................................................................40 Tamashi..............................................................................................................146 The Fertility Center of NM, LLC........................................................................60 The Grove Cafe & Market..................................................................................117 The Juliette Eye Institute.....................................................................................27 The Law Offices of Adam Oakey.......................................................................133 Truly Iced Tea Hard Seltzer...............................................................................159 TriCore Reference Laboratories.........................................................................112 University of New Mexico Athletic Department.............................................106 UNM Health ......................................................................................................37 Vara Wines.......................................................................................................10,11 WisePies............................................................................................................178 Women's Specialists of New Mexico................................................................. 25

WE’RE LOOKING TO SHINE A LIGHT ON ALBUQUERQUE’S AMAZING YOUNG PEOPLE. Know some good ones? Let us know! Send your nominations and detailed info to us at incrediblekids@abqthemag.com for our upcoming new feature

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PHOTO CONTEST

WINTER SANDS By Sue Jimenez

his month, we’re bringing you something of an anachronism—a photograph that was originally etched not in the zeros-and-ones memory of a digital camera, but on the physical medium of film. Sue Jimenez took this one on Fujichrome slide film at White Sands National Monument (now White Sands National Park) in 1997, capturing the variously stitched and winding tracks of desert critters passing over those famously porcelain-colored sands. “You can see the snake tracks in the sand, which intrigued me,” says Jimenez. “I was exploring New Mexico and the southwest, having only arrived here from Toronto, Canada in mid-1994,” recalls Jimenez. “At the time, I was operating Innovative Imagery as a sole proprietor. However, competition was stiff and I had to find a ‘regular’ job.” White Sands, for the unfamiliar, is a 145,762 acre national park, famed for the massive fields of white sand dunes— made from gypsum crystals—that cover much of the park’s surface area. Located in the Tularosa Basin, the park can be accessed via an entrance about 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo. “I still take photographs infrequently, but most everything has moved to digital and, although I have a couple of digital cameras, I’m not really thrilled with them,” says Jimenez. “My good old Pentax Spotmatic was used to take this photo and I still have the camera sitting in a camera bag in the back of a closet. One of these days, I’ll drag it out and take ‘real’ film pictures, even though film and film processing facilities are slowly going the way of the dinosaur.” —ZB

Enter ATM’s photo contest and see your photo featured in our PHOTO OF THE MONTH! Submissions should include one high-resolution digital file sent by email. All photos sent to ATM will be property of the magazine and will not be mailed back to sender. All entries should include your name and phone number. Please include a bio and a brief description of how the photo was taken. Email entries to: photocontest@abqthemag.com

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20. Many of the 300 volunteers here are retired STEM professionals already familiar with the collection.

21.

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History New Mexico is forever connected to our country’s global role in developing nuclear weapons. Our rural isolation was part of the cover used to establish a scientific base in Los Alamos, where the secret Manhattan Project produced the nuclear weapons deployed in World War II. The fascination has always begged more answers and information about nuclear power and energy, which led to the 1969 Albuquerque opening of what is now known as the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. Beyond the bombs, the museum tells the story of nuclear technology and our advancement throughout the nuclear age. The facility’s nifty outdoor park also houses dozens of display aircraft and missles, making the space a one-stop spot to learn about how humanity—and New Mexico—harnessed the power that brought us to today’s world. Here’s a few interesting factoids about NMNSH. —STEVE FALKEN

1. The museum has the largest collection of unclassified nuclear weapons artifacts in the world. 2. It’s affiliated with the Smithsonian Instititute.

3. When 9/11 happened, the museum was forced to permanently relocate, due to security measures. 4. You can purchase a personalized brick to have placed in the museum’s Heritage Park. 5. The park is home to seven jets and bombers, which you can walk right up to.

10. The museum owns a collection of 600

12.

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You can see the casings from two ‘broken arrow’ nuclear bombs that were accidentally dropped over Spain.

25. The facility can be rented for dinner parties and receptions (though until COVID eases, groups are limited to 10).

13. There’s an extensive collection of ‘medical quackery’—products promising radioactivity as a cure.

15. The museum hosts three to four new

course) “Back To The Future” DeLorean is showcased.

On display is one of the infamous 664 uranium cubes Nazi scientists aimed to use for an atomic bomb.

7. The B-52B bomber here is the only 8. The nuclear bomb casings on display are historically accurate in size.

24. A nuclear-powered (fictionally, of

11. You can browse fun household items from the Atomic Pop Culture age.

14. There’s info here about nuclear medi-

one in existence that has dropped an actual bomb.

23. On display is the world’s only replica of Trinity Tower, which held the first atomic bomb at White Sands Missile Range.

oral histories on the Manhattan Project.

6. One of the 17 remaining B-29 Su-

perfortress aircraft is on exhibit.

22. The museum has an email newsletter with updates on exhibits and events.

cine and carbon-free nuclear energy. special exhibits each year.

16. School kids can attend camps here to learn about nuclear science. 17. Many of the facility’s cultural and family events are still being held virtually. 18. More than 1,500 visitors see the museum every week in non-COVID times. 19. 75 percent of those visitors are from out of state.

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PHOTO BY DON JAMES/ATM

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