The Pie Shack

There have only been a few occasions in my life that I can recall bad pizza. One of the times was in Socorro, NM at a place that was open for less than a month. The pizza did not taste good going down and I then had stomach issues after eating the awful pizza. Average pizza or good pizza is the majority of the bell curve, while great pizza is the about 10% of the establishments out there. Pie Shack falls in this top 10% of pizza joints.

The appearance of Pie Shack is nothing to write home about. It seems to have been converted from a failed fast food establishment to a skater/surfer shrine with roof with a thatched roof appearance. The menu is printed up on surf boards.

Pie Shack offers a variety of food that you expect to see at a pizza establishment: a modest amount of appetizers, salads, calzones, sandwiches, and pizza. The wings of Pie Shack are nothing special to write about. The salads are great. The variety and ingredients of the salads make them great. The dressings are very rich and flavorful. The pizza is the high light of the food here. The crust has a rich buttery garlic finish to it. The portions here are huge for a fairly modest amount of money. Pie Shack also offers a great beer selection for an establishment for this size. They offer beers that run the entire spectrum from great beer like Guinness and Bridge Port IPA to grog like Pabst Blue Ribbon. At times Pie Shack is inconsistent. One time I did not get the chicken wings I ordered made so I ended up waiting around while my pizza was getting cold. Another time I came in for a slice and a beer, but they failed to re-new their liquor licence. All in all the food at Pie Shack is above average, the atmosphere is quaint, the service is marginal, but all in all a good place to eat due to food quality and value. I would give the Pie Shack three out of five stars.



http://www.pieshack.com/

Noda's Japanese Cuisine

One of the best Japanese restaurants in the state is located in a strip mall in Rio Rancho. Noda's has been open for many years. (To the left is a photo of my tempura noodle tree) I thought this was a really nice touch to my boat dish. I've eaten at Noda's a few times over the years, but do not make the effort too often to drive to Rio Rancho to eat the great Japanese cuisine due to laziness, time constrains, or gas prices. Noda's expanded in the last three years. It is now a much larger establishment. It is hidden away in a lackluster blue trimmed roof strip mall along Southern Blvd. When you walk in the decor is by no means impressive. It's functional, but nothing a long the lines of what you would see at Azuma. The restaurant is clean with parquet flooring, a few paper screens, and a few nice but simple fixtures.

The experience is in the friendliness of Mr. Noda and the great food. My friend ate the tuna dish that is covered in a teriyaki like sauce (pic to left). I cannot recall the names of the dishes ordered, but they were excellent. Despite the fact that they have been opened for years, Noda's retains a lot of their new small business practices which is great. Mr. Noda comes out of the kitchen often to greet the customers. He was actually the one who put my tempura tree onto my dish. I had a sushi dish that was a Noda's special. This type of fish was a special acquisition that the restaurant had made that week. It was some kind of tuna that I had never had before at any other sushi establishment. The taste and texture were excellent. Sorry to regress in the order of courses, but we had the edamame for an appetizer. This was good edamame; however, it was too salty for my taste. I should have known better and ordered with light salt, but each place salts their edamame differently. I asked our server about this and she mentioned that most people ask for more salt. I feel a sense of guilt that I cannot say more about how great the food is.

Overall, the meal was excellent. Noda's also gets a lot of local press and community outreach which is great to see from a local buisiness. Noda's is a gem located in non descript strip mall. If you have the opportunity to experice Noda's, take it and eat some of the greatest Japanese you will find in the state of New Mexico. I would give Noda's a rating of four out of five stars.

Bubsters: The Original Rex Hamburger Grill

Greasy spoons are part of all of our society's guilty pleasures. Rex's was one of my favorite greasy spoons that is a locally owned burger joint. Rex's closed in 2005 for reasons that I am unsure, but some speculation is financial problems or a buy out that went bad. Recently this establishment re-opened with a new name Bubsters: The Original Rex Hamburger Grill. Brand recognition is amazing for sales, so I can understand why they wanted to associate Rex's with the new business. The decor remains the same: pop culture and Lobo orientated. As I understand, Bubsters was able to get some of the old staff back, which I find interesting because they shut down shop in 2005.

Rex's hamburgers are great because they are made from fresh, never frozen ground beef, that is squished from a round shape into a patty on the griddle. Due to this fact, your starting off a burger with a great patty. I think a great burger begins with great meat and great toppings are like great icing on cake. Bubsters carries a variety of toppings like green chile, mushrooms, bacon, grilled onions, avocado, or another patty. The burgers are very simple: made to order. They also have a killer $3.55 shake. Granted this is not a "five dollar shake" from Pulp Fiction, but it is close in price and quality.

The fries my first visit were similar to what I recall from years ago, but my last visit they went to a crinkle fries which I did not care for. For the most part, the restaurant remains the same, but new name and new location. I would give Bubsters a four out of five stars.

Johndhi's BBQ

On the southwest corner of Griegos and Rio Grande there is a tan stucco with blue painted wooden panels that is home to one of my favorite BBQ establishments, Johndhi's BBQ. The atmosphere here has a lot of charm. The restaurant seems that it used to be an old home converted into a restaurant. When you walk in there is a wooden walk way that seems like it comes from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. The wood is warped and very weathered. When you first arrive, the center of waiting area/hostess area has a wine cork covered pillar which occupies quite a bit of space in the small area. Along the walls are two well stocked beverage display refrigerators filled with a vast array of excellent beer. A few examples of what they normally carry are Duchy Original Organic Ale, a few of the St. Pete's selections, and Boddingtons. The patio is my favorite place to sit when weather permits. On certain days they have live music outside. The patio is very plain, but very charming. On the north side of the patio area is the smoker. It's roughly the size of a full size refrigerator that is made of black steel.

The owner of the establishment is part of the family that owns and operates the Quarters BBQ in Albuquerque. I like this restaurant more than the Quarters, but the Quarters multiple locations is more convenient for me. The BBQ at Johndhi's is better, but the sauce is not as spicy as the sauce at the Quarters.

The menu selection here is very eclectic: hamburgers, green chile stew, and some Greek food. The Greek salad here is excellent; they use fresh, crisp romaine lettuce, flavorful red onion slices, tangy fetta cheese, and the Greek dressing is amazing. The Green Chile stew is great, but comes out cold on occasion. The baked potatoes tend to be on the overcooked side, resulting in a tough shell. The baked potato toppings here are fairly limited; for example, they do not carry chives. I normally get the BBQ combo dinner. The links and ribs on this platter are excellent; however, the briskets is inconsistent. Sometimes the brisket is tough and dry. The rustic bread served with the meals is killer: the bread is thin sliced and then grilled. I would like to pretend that it is not covered in butter, but I know better.

Despite my complaints about the food of Johndi's, the good far outweighs the bad, the total package is excellent. I would give Johndi's a score of four out of five stars.