I've gone a bit nuts and have spent the last 5 hours typing out a rough draft of a menu concept if I was given this opportunity. I'm having an anxiety attack, but a good one, you know? I mean this is WAY exciting. As a child through the end of highschool, the one thing I wanted more then anything, was to become a chef.

I was just offered a head chef position at a downtown bistro that's in the works. It's still in the concept stage. But it's on it's way. I laughed it off and TOTALLY thought they were joking. Then saw they weren't giggling with me. "Oh, your serious?" I asked.

They are.

At first I was thinking to myself that they would never be able to match my current salary, but who knows? Maybe they could. I don't know, at first I was almost resentful to have this bauble waved in front of me, now I'm genuinely exhilarated by the idea. Their initial concept is a very small limited menu, with several daily specials of my design. My concept would be similar . . . 2 rustic homemade soups a day. Incredible salads, to die for sandwiches, sensational little nibbley things. A more upscale specials menu featuring organic local seasonal produce and free-range meats when available. Whole foods would feature prominently. It's going to be in the top floor of roys gallery space. Here's my daydream of what a possible menu would look like.

Nibbley things . . .

Only in New Mexico bruschetta
generous slices of our whole grain baguette topped with roasted red hatch chili, and artisanaly crafted Monteray jack cheese and picorino romano, dusted with freshly ground cumin.

Roasted asparagus spears with prosciuto
Bundles of three asparagus spears wrapped in prosciuto and roasted to a perfect al dente.

Baked New Mexico goat cheese wheel with baby greens
We take premium local goat cheese coat it in seasoned bread crumbs and bake to perfection in a scorching hot oven. Served with delicate baby salad greens and our homemade whole grain green onion sesame crackers poised for generous smears.

Pizza Margarita
Nothing touches our rustic olive oil infused pizza crust except for fresh basil leaves the ripest tomatoes, fresh mozzarella di buffalo, and black pepper. Ok, I'm kidding. Feel free to customize to your hearts content.

Asian steamed pork dumplings
There is nothing daring about these succulent little packages. Why try to improve on perfection? We pair the choicest natural free-range pork with shrimp, garlic and ginger, wrap them in delicate dumpling wrappers and steam to perfection. Served with a traditional Chinese black vinegar and Chili dipping sauce. Available pan seared upon request.

Straight from Buffalo wings
America�s favorite nibbley thing, spicey with celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing.

Luna County NM, Carzalia Onion Rings
Carzalias are one of the sweetest onions and grown right here in New Mexico.

Chili and Lime Sweet Potato Fries

Soups . . .

Daily:
New Mexico green chili stew
redolent of Fire Roasted Hatch green chili and freshly ground cumin
Served with our very own homemade whole grain flour tortillas.

Alex�s vegetarian rustic dilled vegetable ragout
New potatoes, summer squash, carrots and other seasonal vegetables in a incredible vegetable stock and fresh dill broth. Served with your choice of any one of our artisanal breads.

Monday:
Rustic cream of Asparagus
This luscious creamy soup features local blue teal Chardonnay and is garnished with caramelized shallots and our signature freshly made herbed focaccia bread sticks.

Tuesday:
Ruby Mae�s chicken and dumplings
Featuring local Moriarty free-range natural chicken, roasted carrots, celery, onion and topped with one of Grandma Ruby�s incredible biscuits.

Wednesday:
Italian wedding soup
Miniature herbed meatballs bathed in a delicate broth and surrounded by seasonal root vegetables, and a fine chiffonade of kale. Delicate black pepper and Parmesan Focaccia bread sticks pare perfectly with this flavorful soup.

Thursday:
Thai Tom Kah
delicate hot and sour coconut soup with your choice of chicken or shrimp infused with the flavors of Lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaf, and southeast Asian galanga. Garnished with scallions cilantro and fresh lime wedges. Served with a small side of our fried rice.

Friday:
Roasted tomato and White bean
The freshest tomatoes are roasted for extra flavor before being incorporated into this soup. It is infused with the flavors of fresh thyme, shallots, and vermouth.

Salads . . .

Not your Mama�s Tuna Salad
First we incrust a beautiful sashimi grade tuna steak in sesame seeds, pan seer it to medium rare perfection and then pair it with our mix of baby organic salad greens and sesame ginger dressing. We recommend paring this salad with a loaf of our artisanal pita bread.

Aunt Sissy�s Signature Salad
We marinate the freshest tomatoes available, artichoke hearts, purple onion, and black olives in a olive oil and lemon dressing. Pair this salad with your choice of one of our artisanal breads.

Caesar as Caesar was meant to be
We are super fussy about our Caesar salad. We use only the choicest hearts of romaine lettuce, the finest Parmesan Regiano cheese, and our homemade Caesar dressing with anchovies and lemon juice.

Sandwiches
paired with your choice of Mrs. Taylor�s Potato Salad, Monica�s tomatoes in lime juice and garlic, mixed baby greens, or our signature side of chili and lime sweet potato fries.

Albuquerque Turkey Burger
The juiciest turkey burger in town with just enough of a bite to remind you your in Albuquerque. We pair our turkey burger with mushrooms, caramelized shallots, and Muenster cheese but we will be happy to customize this luscious burger to your own tastes. This burger already has a bit of zippy bite to it, but the obligatory green chili is always available upon request. Served with a tangle of our chili lime sweet potato fries.

Tarragon Chicken Salad
Choice poached chicken breast, tossed with our creamy homemade mayonnaise dressing with fresh tarragon, red onion, and lemon juice. All on our personal sized ciabbatta loaf or in our baguette for a whole grain alternative.

Veggies Anonymous
This veggie sandwich just might become your favorite. We start by toasting two slices of our soft whole grain sandwhich loaf to perfection, spread our homemade aioli on one piece, fresh basil pesto on the other slice, a slice of flavorful raw milk mozzarella in the middle, avocados, cucumbers, sprouts, fresh tomatoes and salt and pepper.

Our standard Main Courses

Roasted Chicken 101
Nothing is better then roasted chicken with fresh herbs and lemon served with a generous side of roasted vegetables and our shiitake parmesan couscous.

Pad Kee Mao Goong, Thai Drunken noodles
Wide Fresh Rice noodles are paired with succulent shrimp, onion, green onion and Thai. basil in this spicey traditional favorite.

Broiled Salmon Fillet
paired with basil pesto and whole grain angel hair pasta

Steak Yuhayna
Choice t-bone marinated in a secret redwine herb sauce served with roasted vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes.

Also see our daily specials.

Go on, satisfy that sweet tooth of yours. . .

Possibly the shining star of our dessert table,

Double Chocolate, Mesilla Valley Pecan Praline, Cake. A.K.A. Sin on a Plate!
Five layers of the tenderest chocolate cake you have ever tasted enveloped in a rich chocolate ganache and then topped with our homemade Mesilla Valley Pecan Pralines. Honestly, it�s sin on a plate.

Zuchini and Sweet Potato Bread,
I know your saying zuchini with sweet potato? But you have got to taste the rich earthy flavor the combination imparts to this delicate dessert bread. We chock this bread full of roasted Mesilla pecans and premium raisins plumped with orange juice and local blue teal muscat wine.

Pear Pie?
Yes, Pear pie. Our chef grew up eating this delightful pie made from fresh pears grown on the Royable�s Farm in Mimbres, NM. Unfortunately local pears are no longer available so our chef pairs a pair of pear varieties for added depth of flavor and envelopes the whole pie in a rich butter pastry. Available a la mode with a scoop of Aunt Susan�s Vanilla, but be warned the combination is so rich it might just do you in.

Mesilla Blackberry Liquor Bundt Cake
As a child our Chef traveled to Texas to meet relatives of which there were many! Cousin Ouida MaGee had tall glasses of milk with ice chips in them and this delightful cake on the table upon our arrival. We craft our own blackberry liquor from Mesilla grown blackberries for this delectable cake.

Ok I know I said the chocolate cake was the shining star of our dessert table, but it�s just possible that our homemade frozen yogurts and ice creams might prove to be your favorite.

Lime Sherbert
If you�re a fan of tart flavors you�ll love our Lime Sherbert. We pair our own tart homemade yogurt with the juice of fresh limes and lime zest and just enough of the highest quality cream to lend a silky finish to this sweet tart delight.

Coconut Ice Cream with fresh roasted pineapple
Fresh Coconut milk and cream combine to produce this delectable concoction.

Aunt Susan�s Vanilla Ice Cream
Sometimes plain old vanilla is the very best of all and we think Aunt Susan�s super rich, no-holds barred version is one of the richest vanilla�s you will ever taste.

Signature Beverages

Maribel�s Sangria
Local redwine infused with fresh pineapple, lemon, lime, and orange then mixed with our own blend of premium citrus juices and spiked with our own citrus infused super premium vodka.

Messilla Mimosa
Local Royal Kir Champagne (blackberry infused dry champagne) and premium orangejuice

Albuquerque Martini
Super Premium Vox Vodka, Jalepeno stuffed olives, served just a bit dirty unless otherwise specified and super dry.