Friday night:
Nate and my first stop on our anniversary date list was Apothecary Lounge located on the rooftop of Hotel Parq Central, 806 Central Ave, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102. Now besides the fact that Apothecary Lounge has beautiful views of the city and wonderfully creative specialty cocktails, Hotel Parq Central is where Nate and I got married a year ago (cue the "awwww").
decor: excellent, the hotel and bar both have 1920s elegance with modern flares.
food (and drink) taste: good, we ordered a plate of calamari for a snack. It was crispy, crunchy and served with a red pepper flake marinara sauce and a lemon aioli (yum). The drinks were also delicious! The menu has both seasonal selections and classic standbys. Nate and I ordered two drinks each: one seasonal and one classic. For our first drinks off the seasonal menu, I ordered a Pamplemusse (house-infused ruby red grapefruit vodka, St. Germain, Sauvignon Blanc, and hibiscus syrup) it was fruity and refreshing, Nate ordered The Surrealist (absinthe, cucumber and lime) it had a great fennel flavor. Off the classic menu, I ordered a La Llarona Margarita (house-infused green chili tequila, blood orange liqueur, agave nectar, lime juice, orange juice and grenadine) it was fruity, refreshing and had a nice heat from the chile tequila! I will definitely order it again (and make my own green chile tequila). For Nate's classic drink he drank a Boulevardier (bourbon, Campari, sweet vermouth and Orange peel) it was similar to a Manhattan in flavor.
food (and drink) appearance: excellent, pretty sure these pictures say it all.
cleanliness: excellent; the tables, bathroom and everything else were clean and turned over quickly.
service: excellent, it was busy (6:00 PM on a Friday night) and the staff were quick and efficient
Total: 14/15
If you're ever in Albuquerque, readers please head over to Apothecary Lounge for beautiful drinks and even better views of the city.
Dog House
If you are a fan of the show Breaking Bad you've seen the Dog House. It is located at 1216 Central Ave, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102.
decor: poor, there is no decor to speak of and the building looks run down and if you've seen Breaking Bad, a little bit sketchy.
food taste: excellent, despite the fact the outward appearance left much to be desired, the food taste is where it's at. The menu is limited: hot dogs, corn dogs, chile dogs, chile fries, onion rings, hamburgers and shakes. Nate and I each got footlong chili cheese dogs and we shared onion rings and a strawberry shake! It was all absolutely sublime and frankly I am disappointed in myself for waiting 20 years to try it.
food appearance: poor, no attention is paid to appearance. Food is served in plastic baskets, wrapped in wax paper and the silverware and cups are plastic.
cleanliness: good, the tables were clean.
service: excellent; you can be served at in your car or sit inside and order. The service is speedy and accurate.
total: 10/15
So the decor and building leave much to be desired but don't let that stop you from going to this multiple Albuquerque Best of the City winner for best dive. Be aware though that it is cash only.
Saturday night:
For our special anniversary dinner we decided to go to the Luna Mansion located at 110 Main St SW, Los Lunas, New Mexico 87031.
The Luna Mansion is a historic mansion that was converted into a restaurant in the 1970s and is now known as the best steakhouse in Los Lunas.
decor: excellent, the current owners have done a great job restoring the mansion to its former glory. Clean white walls, heavy velvet drapes, and paintings in the classic Mexican style. It is very "old-school steakhouse" with white tablecloths and wait staff in button-downs and ties.
food taste: excellent! We began with the oysters Rockefeller (which neither Nate nor myself have ever had before) but they were rich and delicious and we ate all of them. I ordered the salmon with wild rice and Nate ordered the steak special (steak with 1/2 pound crab claw and Yukon gold whipped potatoes). The salmon was cooked to a perfect medium and the rice was a beautiful al dente. The steak was rare, the crab was sweet and succulent and the potaoes were so creamy they melted in your mouth. Since we were celebrating the restaurant gave us a free slice of Mansion Mud Pie. It was an Oreo crust with chocolate ice cream and topped with chocolate ganache, it was heaven to say the least.
food appearance: excellent, the staff definitely paid attention to detail.
cleanliness: excellent, everything was clean and inviting.
service: excellent, our waitress made sure our meal was delicious and we had everything we needed.
total: 15/15
Los Lunas is only about 35 minutes south of Albuquerque and the Luna Mansion is definitely worth the drive! The food is excellent, the location is picturesque and the staff is dedicated to good service.
Well readers, I hope you enjoyed my gushy, ode to my magnificent husband and our first year together as a married couple!
Yes, I did enjoy it.
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