My favorite breakfast of all times in Huevos Rancheros. A couple of friends and I have decided to begin our “Quest for the Best!” to find the best Huevos Rancheros in Albuquerque. We are in the early planning stages at this point while we wait for Jeff to return from France. I wonder how the Huevos Rancheros are in Paris? We are compiling an initial list of locations to try and some basic criteria to judge on.

Everyone likes their Huevos Rancheros differently; some like it on flour tortillas while other prefer corn. Everyone likes his or her eggs differently as well. Some places serve whole pintos, others refried beans, and still other black beans.

For me the best Huevos Rancheros are:

• Scrambled eggs
• Pinto beans
• Fried potatoes or hash browns
• Smothered in green chile (the hotter the better)
• Topped with cheese

I hope to post our initial list of locations as well as our criteria in the near future. Soon to follow after than, hopefully on a weekly basis, will be the results of each experience. Hopefully the “Quest for the Best!” will continue on to other topics as well.

I was poking around today and noticed some new events in the RSS Feed for Savoy Bar & Grill. The Grand Opening event is finally scheduled for March 3 and it sounds like it will be a great time. Additionally they are starting wine tastings every other Saturday. The two they currently have scheduled are both priced at $15 per person for multiple tastings and light fair. The tasting events are going to be from 3pm to 5pm. It looks like I will have something to do on my lazy Saturday afternoons.

Anyway… on to my main point. It was about lunchtime and my buddy Jeff and I decided to shoot up the heights for lunch at Savoy. Granted it’s a trek and traffic was a bear in some spots we made it across town. We started off with the Classic Marguerita Flatbread (basil, tomato, house made mozzarella) as an appetizer. It was delicious and very fresh; the thick tomatoes had a wonderful taste and texture. Jeff and I both order the Classic Angus Burger. Granted it’s just a hamburger, we wanted to try it out.

Ok… I’m really going to talk about the dessert now. We were done eating and I decided I would look at the dessert menu to refresh my memory. Unfortunately some of the desserts looked to good to pass up on. With the trusty advice of my Savoy friends Lynn and Nicolette I decided to try the Chocolate Mousse Torte.

OH… MY… GOD!!!

This was the best dessert I have ever had. Seems Savoy has hired them self a winning pastry chef. Darci Boucher was previously a pastry chef at The Wynn Resort, Le Cirque and Picasso. Darci comes to Savoy from Vegas and brings what looks to be a top-notch talent for satisfying my sweet tooth. I tried to order 6 more to go, but Jeff wrestled me out the door. I recommend you get to Savoy right this minute and have yourself some dessert.

Keep an eye on the special events at Savoy… one of the upcoming events is an Amazing Champagne, Cheese and Dessert Tasting. Make your reservation now to see wonderful treats Darci has cooked up for this event.

Our friends at Zinc have quietly opened their new restaurant.  Savoy Bar & Grill is located on Montgomery between Juan Tabo and Eubank.  While I hope this doesn’t become the way people describe it location, it is located in the spot where YesterDave’s was many moons ago.  I had the privilege of dining at Savoy last weekend.  My friend Jeff and I showed up for an early dinner and later joined some friends from Zinc for a long night of drinking in the corner room.  This quiet opening was organized to help them fine tune the menu and getting things running smooth so that the first experience at Savoy is amazing. Let’s talk food…

Appetizers:

We started off with the Wood Oven Fired Shrimp Flatbread.  This was a tasty treat, but I was a little disappointed with the weak pesto flavor.  The flavor seemed to be over powered by the lemon used in the dish.  We provided our feedback so I hope to try a new and improved version on my next visit.

We also tried the Ahi Tuna & Hamachi Sashimi.  I have to admit that the only fish I eat is sushi and while the name of this item implies my favorite fishy friends it was a let down.  The Hamachi didn’t melt in my mouth like I have come to expect from a good cut of Yellow Tail.  Many people liked this but I will likely pass next time.

Entrees:

I had a hard time deciding what to get for my entrée.  So many choices to choose form, all of which sound amazing.  I finally decide on the Truffle Roasted Flatiron Steak.  I was certainly not disappointed in this choice.  The steak was amazing and the sides complimented it perfectly.  The fire-roasted vegetables had a spicy flavor and the potatoes where crisp and flavorful.

Jeff selected the Pork Porterhouse, henceforth referred to as the Porkerhouse.  I kept thinking it was a cut of beef and had to look at the menu three or four times before I could get that it was pork in my head.  The Porkerhouse was a huge cut of meat, at least an inch and half thick.  I have always found a piece of pork this big hard to cook without drying it out or leaving it pink in the middle.  The wonderful Chefs and Savoy had absolutely no problem with this.  The cut of meat was cooked to perfection and had a wonder flavor.  The white bean & bacon ragu served that accompanied this entrée was delicious as well.
When we joined our other friends later in the evening we had the pleasure of watching them eat.  Some of the favorites that came from their table included the Bone in Filet and the New York Steak.  The reactions as they passed bites around between the bottles of wine were priceless.  Based purely on one person’s taste of the New York Steak, it will be my next order at Savoy.

Desserts:

No meal is complete with out a dessert and I selected the Crème Brule.  I was certainly not let down.  The dessert was rich and creamy and had a nice thick glazed crust on top.  Jeff opted for the Pain Perdu with vanilla bean ice cream.  The poached pears had a nice sweet taste from the Riesling.  I’ve never had this dessert before so it looked like a scoop of ice cream on French toast to me.  Regardless both desserts were wonderful.

The night concluded with several drinks and great conversation, and that’s what a good meal is all about.  I certainly plan to return to Savoy and look forward to the Lounge and Patio areas opening.  The Lunch menu also looks amazing.  I’ve always thought Zinc has the best fries in town, but the Parmesan fries sound tasty.

Every few months Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro unveils a new dessert menu. My buddy Jeff and I have it a tradition to go in during the first few days of the new menu and sample every dessert. Typically this results in the two of us over indulging in five desserts. While I am not the most articulate at describing foods and my experiences with them I thought it might be fun to write something up about this latest dessert filled evening. Our evening consists of warming up with a few beers or other beverages depending on our mood and a simple appetizer to get us started. When we get ready to attack the army of desserts we are sure to ask for extra forks and spoons. We like to share our experience with those around us. If you are sitting at the bar with us or simply come by and ask, “are you going to eat all of those?” we are sure to give you a taste.

Coffee Chocolate Bundt Cake
Filled with an espresso mousseline cream, drizzled with a white chocolate-coffee fondant icing and plated with chocolate sauce for good measure.
This was my favorite of the five. The cake had a rich chocolate flavor that was complimented by the bold coffee taste of the mousse.

Spice Cake & House Made Pumpkin Ice Cream
Layered with cream cheese filling and garnished with brandied sour cherries.
This fine dessert came in second on my list. This dessert has a definite holiday feeling to it. Spice cake is something I can only see myself eating between Thanksgiving and New Years. Give me this dessert in the middle of July and it falls to the bottom of my list. The wonderful cake is accompanied by intriguing pumpkin ice cream. The texture of this pumpkin treat is not what you would expect in ice cream. When the ice cream is still very cold it tends to break off in pieces. The flavor is very unique and delicious.

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Rich and creamy with a macadamia nut nilla wafer crust and balsamic blackberry-strawberry jam.
This surprising treat is not what you would expect when ordering cheesecake. The texture is light and fluffy and not dense like a typical cheesecake. I usually have a hard time eating an entire piece of cheesecake because of its rich flavor. However, this variation is likely to not remain on the plate for very long.

Warm Ginger Peach Bread Pudding

Studded with white chocolate, covered with butterscotch sauce & whipped cream.
Bread pudding is an acquired taste and I have never been a big fan of it. However, this dessert did not disagree with my palette. While it was not my favorite dessert many of our tasters rated it at the to of their list.

Individual Pecan Pie

Topped with house made Jack Daniels ice cream and caramel.

The highlight of this dessert was the ice cream. An intriguing flavor that one would never expect. The ice cream was delicious; I wanted to order a bowl of it by its self. The pie was not as enjoyable. It was dry and simply bland. I do have to admit that pecan pie is not on my list of favorites, so my opinion of this dessert may be biased.