Albuquerque + Sopapillas=New Mexican Mexican

Pat and I recently drove across the country from Las Vegas to PA.  On our way we stopped at some of our favorite restaurants along the way.  So the next couple blog entries will be about some of our favorite places on the drive.

The first place was El Pinto in Albuquerque, NM.  This was a restaurant that I first went to when I drove out last summer to Las Vegas.  I went there on the recommendation of the desk clerk at the hotel I was staying at.  So when Pat and I planned to visit the Petrified Forest in AZ we decided we would make that a shorter day(only 8/9 hours....I did say shorter) and stay in Albuquerque. 

So the hotel I stayed at my first trip out was really nice AND I thought I had remembered which one it was but I didn't.  Luckily I DID remember El Pinto.  One of the things I have learned driving across the country is that Mexican food is really different depending where you get it.  The Mexican we were used to in the East is different than the Mexican in NM, which are both different than the Mexican we get in Las Vegas.  One of the things I like the best about New Mexican Mexican is the sopapillas.  Sopapillas are these puffed pockets of dough.  I've had them before in the east but always as a dessert.  They've been served drenched in a caramel sauce with ice cream.  In New Mexico they aren't sweet.  They are served like bread is and most restaurants also have honey to put on them.  El Pinto has a local honey that is delicious.  The sopapillas and the green sauce at El Pinto are what I remembered the most after my first visit.

So Pat and I stopped together this time.  He admitted after I didn't remember which hotel I stayed in that he was skeptical I had remembered the correct Mexican place and was hoping it would stand up to the hype that I had given it.  I'm pleased to report it didn't disappoint.  It was just as good as I remembered.  Pat had the Carne Adovada plate.  It is pork marinated in red chili on top of a tortilla.  It was really good.  I had the stuffed sopapillas which were sopapillas stuffed with green chiles, chicken, and pinto beans and topped with lettuce tomatoes and cheese.  Both dishes were really good.

So if you are ever in Albuquerque you should stop by El Pinto.  It lives up to the hype and won't disappoint.