One Small Step

Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM

Posted by LC on February 6, 2008 at 1:20pm

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For whatever reason, I'm still irritated by the whole Jessica Alba comment. So I'm hoping this post will help put my frustrations at ease.

Back in the day, when I was much younger :), my choices of dining out included places like Chili's, Applebees, Bennigans, you know, the regular chains where servers have pieces of flare. Hell, my first job was at Black Eyed Pea and the second was at Applebees. So I've spent a good many years supporting chain restaurants, but now I say no more of that my friend.

It's not like I have to make a conscious effort not to eat at these places now because after getting out there, I have found that Albuquerque has a lot to offer, non-chain. You just have to be cool enough to go out there and explore these establishments and have an open mind/stomach. Plus, watching Anthony Bourdain's show has made me push my limits when trying a new place. Whenever I feel a wave of uncertainty at some hole-in-the-wall, I ask myself 'what would Bourdain do?' Well, he'd say 'I'm sure I'll pay for this tomorrow morning, but what the hell, you only live once.'

Here's where my headline One Small Step comes in. Today, my dad and I went to lunch. My parents tend to stick to their NE Heights and their chain restaurants. So, of course, when I asked my dad if he wanted to go to lunch this week, he immediately mentioned his old stand-by Le Peep. I've got nothing against Le Peep, but I wanted to take my dad out of his comfort zone and, of course, I'm on this whole I can't stand chain restaurant kick after the Alba comment. So I countered his Le Peep suggestion by taking an entirely different route. I suggested Lee's Bakery (Louisiana and Central - near the Talin Market).

I've become obsessed with Lee's. It's so good, so cheap and so not a chain. It's one of those places that you feel proud to know about and want to share it with others to show it off. So that's what I did today. Instead of chicken salad sandwich from Le Peep, my dad got a Vietnamese grilled pork sandwich on fresh bread, stuffed with cilantro and other flavorful veggies. Oh and I made him get a sesame ball too. A sweet, fried dough experience that stays with you well after you've devoured it all.

My dad's review: he really liked it and that's one small step for me when it comes to spreading the gospel of great Albuquerque spots. He's not a man of many words, but I think eating that sandwich in Lee's Bakery, surrounded by other interesting tidbits, made him giddy enough to stay for awhile and talk about politics, work stuff, the dog and other great places there are to eat in Albuquerque. Mission accomplished.

Comment by Alfredo on February 6, 2008 at 2:01pm: This is definitely a surprisingly good town when it comes to restaurant options. Sure it doesn't have EVERYTHING you can find in a major metropolis, but with some mild effort you can find some great meals, created with genuine care. It's such a treat to discover a new place like Lee's or Duran's Central Pharmacy or El Modelo, etc., etc.

Comment by Rachael on February 6, 2008 at 2:11pm: Great post! I'm excited to know of a new place to try--I'd never heard of Lee's and it sounds yummy.

Your post reminded me of the first time I went to Europe, in 2001. I was with a tour group of women from New York City (long story), and we were in Paris. I wanted to eat in real French restaurants, where the menus were in French, where the locals ate--this freaked them out, they wanted nothing to do with that, and ended up eating several times at a TGI Fridays that happened to be near our hotel. Being timid at first, I went with them to that TGI Fridays, which, predictably, sucked. Finally I got the guts to go exploring on foot by myself one afternoon and found an amazing Moroccan restaurant, where nothing was in English. When I rhapsodized about it to some of the tour members later, they looked at me like I was the weirdest thing they'd ever seen. But then, I think I was already the weirdest thing they'd ever seen, so... :-)

Comment by Psychomom on February 6, 2008 at 2:18pm: 'what would Bourdain do?' Hey that's a very good way to approach the dining experience, no fear. Although Tony comes with a "viewer discretion advised" warning.

Gotta love a dining show that comes with a warning.

Comment by Patricia on February 6, 2008 at 3:14pm: I'll have to try Lee's sometime! Thanks for sharing.

PS- I, like you, frequented Applebee's and the like constantly when I was younger... maybe its the flare that attracts teenagers and young adults?

Comment by Neonnoodle on February 6, 2008 at 3:45pm: Lee's Bakery you say? I think we just might have to try it. We ate a May's Cafe the other day and really liked it, which I believe right across the street from Lee's (still getting my bearings in this town). Nice post and thanks for the tip. And yeah, Bourdain's pretty entertaining. I'm not sure if I can handle the "snout to tail" philosophy yet, but I can respect it.

Comment by chantal on February 6, 2008 at 3:50pm: Noodle, when at May Cafe, did you stop at Talin market across the street? Now *that's* a place to check out. Great whole fish, international food fixins, and vietnamese sweets.

Comment by CB on February 6, 2008 at 3:54pm: Rachael,

My sister had the same experience in Italy and like you ventured out on her own and was never sorry. What a waste being in France and eating at TGIF!!!!!

Comment by Alfredo on February 6, 2008 at 4:10pm: EFP, I think Lauren just meant that she's made conscious effort to venture out of the neighborhood where she grew up and to get her parents out of their comfort zone. If she'd grown up downtown, she'd probably need to get up into the heights and check out what they have to offer, which can be quite good as well!

Few of us are so hardened that we refuse to eat at a national chain under any circumstances, but when I have the option of getting a Vietnamese pork sandwich on fresh baked 10" French bread for $3.25 and getting a 6" cold cut combo at Subway for $4...it's almost a no brainer.

And yes, I'm a huge fan of Tony Bourdain and his local, simple cuisine affinity...bring on the nasty bits!

Comment by Brendan on February 6, 2008 at 4:50pm: Can anybody compare Lee's to Viet Taste? I've had a couple great sandwiches from Lee's (and some awesome beef and venison jerky), but not made it to Viet Taste yet. Based on the description of Viet Taste, it sounds like they might be similar.

Comment by Mary Schmidt on February 6, 2008 at 5:11pm: I admit, cranky ol' NM native that I am, I was irked by Ms. Alba's comment. but, it may well have been taken out of context and the quote will soon die. (I also read Perez Hilton, but avoid the comments. Those make me feel like I need a shower. Who are these angry, obscene people? Yikes!)

As for travel: I've always made it a policy to check out "Mexican food" wherever I go. It was surprisingly good in Karlsruhe Germany (But that could have been because of the three mango margaritas on top of let lag ;-) Half the fun of travel is also tasting the local cuisine. I can't, however, go as far as Bourdain. My gag reflex would kick in.

As for Ms. Alba - she did eat at Artichoke Cafe which is also one of my favorites. Too bad she didn't also check out Slate Street Cafe...and shopping in Nob Hill. (and at Tai Lin for that matter.) And what about The Range out in Bernalillo? That would have been a good trek for her.

I love Lee's sesame balls! Yummmm. Somehow those little seeds make me think I'm eating healthy ;-)

Oh, and there are "cool" places in the NE Heights. Kim's Vietnamese, Relish, Krung Thai...to name just a few. I do my best to experience all of Albuquerque, since everything (with the exception of the far reaches of the west side) is only about 20 minutes drive max from my house.