At the end of the week Mom and Dad flew in and Beth and Reece packed up to start their drive home. We were able to all have lunch together before the Madisons headed home. Bethy did some research and made a list of fun restaurants to try, we decided to check out El Pinto because it was known for it's fun atmosphere, impressive chile display and delicious upscale food.
When Mom, Dad and I would join up with our Tauck Tour later that night, our tour guide had a saying, "the balloon fiesta strikes again!" this was used when something couldn't go as planned because of the large crowds that were in town for the fiesta, we experienced that for the first time at El Pinto. When we checked in the wait time was around 2 hours, apparently there were several tour groups taking up most of the dining area. So, we went back to Bethy's list and picked another fun place for lunch, we made sure to check out the people making some of those famous hanging chile's before we left.
We chose to check out Golden Crown Panaderia, an adorable neighborhood bakery that is known for their freshly baked bread and their famous sweet empanadas! I love empanadas! This little eatery was so fun, with it's brightly colored, hand painted flowers all over the walls and there were so many yummy choices for lunch.
Another one of their specialties is their green chile bread, which is so New Mexican to me, there are chiles in everything! I got a delicious sandwich with the green chile bread and we got a couple of empanadas for the table.
We ate out on their patio that was full of lush potted plants and enjoyed the beautiful October weather. I love those fall days that are sunny but have a chill in the air that requires you to bundle up in a comfy sweater or jacket, it was one of those perfect weather days.
Their empanadas were nice and big and coated with cinnamon sugar on the outside. By the time we got there, they were running a little low on flavors, they bake fresh batches throughout the day and we got there right as one batch was dwindling and the other batch was still baking. But we were still able to get a couple of flavors, one of which was lemon!
After lunch, we said goodbye to the Madison family, as they headed to White Sands National Park for one last adventure before leaving New Mexico for Utah. I had such a wonderful time exploring this fun state with their family, we had bonded so much over the past week navigating both the ups and downs of travel, it was sad to see them go!
But I was also looking forward to the next week with Mom and Dad and our tour which would take us to different parts of the state. After lunch and our goodbye, we checked into our Albuquerque hotel, the luxurious Hotel Chaco.
This hotel is absolutely gorgeous, the ancient pueblo culture of Chaco Canyon influences the ambiance of this state-of- the-art Albuquerque resort. Constructed of sandstone and timber, Chaco Canyon was the cultural center for the Ancient Pueblo people between 900 – 1150 AD, Chaco Canyon is a testament to human ingenuity and the merging of spiritual life, community and commerce.
Every interior design decision was well thought out with almost every element relating back to the Pueblo culture. Inspiration for Hotel Chaco was drawn from local artists and the true artisan nature of indigenous painters, sculptors, and basket-weavers. With a hand-crafted quality to the overall project, an intense focus is placed on materiality, texture and light. The woven façade articulation of the native limestone is a poetic translation of the basket-weaving craft. Chosen materials throughout Hotel Chaco reflect a natural palette inspired by the vast New Mexico landscapes.
Hotel Chaco’s pale stone masonry façade and wooden accents are designed to work with the warm, dry climate of the Southwest and are reminiscent of architectural elements found at Chaco Canyon and in New Mexico’s pueblos.
Our rooms were so nice and spacious, I loved staying at this hotel.
Our Tauck welcome dinner took place at Level 5, Hotel Chaco's newly opened, contemporary restaurant and lounge. Level 5 opens up to a gorgeous patio with amazing views of the entire city. We were seated along the edge of this patio so we had unobstructed views of the sun setting over the city during our 4 course meal.
Our menu was prepared for us by executive chef Christian Monchâtre. Born in Paris, Monchâtre began his career in his family owned restaurant in the Loire Valley, France. He brings to Level 5 the experience of leading top restaurants in California, Italy, Germany, and Mexico. Winner of “Chef of the Year” & “Medal of the Chevalier of Merit,” he is also a member of Academie Culinaire de Françe. Normally during this dinner, Monchatre spends part of the evening with us, walking us through his menu items and the paired wines, but he had worked too many hours and was exhausted, so we got to meet him during breakfast a couple of days later.
The meal was absolutely suburb and full of unique flavors and modern presentations. The meal unfolded at a relaxed pace and took the majority of the evening. As the sun was setting, and the temperatures began to drop, the servers brought out baskets full of blankets for any guests that were feeling too cold.
The restaurant was beautiful at night with breathtaking views of the twinkling city lights.
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