I've known the author since nearly 12 years ago, when I used to live in Albuquerque, where she and I would sometimes go exploring together to find yummy edible treats, or more often she'd haul me out to try something marvelous she'd already discovered. Her enthusiasm and sense of adventure made every one of these events a delight for me.

Those qualities come through in this book just as clearly. Each and every review reads as though it had been written by someone who'd been there (probably many times), thought carefully about her experience, and identified both the good and the bad about each place. She includes tips on what to order and what to avoid, gives a little history where appropriate, mentions other places related by chef, owner, or just style, and really gives you a sense of what you'll be in for if you go to any of these places.

The book includes a little introduction to New Mexican foodways, some references on how to keep up with the food scene in the three cities covered, a listing of major, annual food-related events around the state, and a small selection of recipes from listed restaurants. Each city is covered separately, with Albuquerque itself split into three geographically sensible chapters. These are followed by a small chapters on food truck, and another on liquids - cocktail bars, taprooms, distilleries, and wineries. One appendix lists the restaurants by cuisine, and another lists places to get certain foods or dishes; the "bowl of red chili" and "bowl of green chili" entries are helpfully culled down to the "best of".

This is all great. And yet, I nearly gave it only four stars (sorry, Andrea!). Why? Because of that recipe section. When I saw that the section existed, I was tremendously excited, with visions of stuffed sopapillas, carne adovada, and other local specialties. Instead, I found veal piccata, tea egg salad sandwiches, and frog legs provencale. Only two recipes, New Mexican Mole and Red Posole, have anything to do with the local cuisine. Except of course the other recipes actually do as well, since every one of them comes from one of the restaurants mentioned, which makes them part of the local cuisine after all. Nevertheless, I was a little disappointed; perhaps that's just because I haven't been back to the state in over 9 years, and the whole time I've been away I've been thinking about the food I had there that I've never been able to get anywhere else.

All and all, I heartily recommend this book as indispensable to anyone living in or visiting any of these cities. Get it, point your wheels at Route 66, and dig in! ( )