Ambrozia is Divine

If you ever find yourself making a left in Albuquerque, take a break first to stop at one of our favorites: Ambrozia Cafe & Wine Bar. This eclectic little restaurant, tucked into the west end of Old Town, has the most creative menu in the city.

The must-try item is the lobster corndogs: lobster tails on sticks, dipped in the most delicate, fluffy, melt-in-your mouth corn batter. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. State fair meets Martha Stewart.

The menu changes frequently, always playfully pairing new and interesting flavor combinations. Last night my husband ordered the "Elk filet mignon wrapped with bacon served with a truffled potato and tomato stack, asparagus, frizzled fennel, Ambrozia steak sauce and horseradish hollandaise". We both puzzled over what "frizzled" meant, and decided it was the favorite word of the day. The elk was tender, lean and cooked to perfection. The Ambrozia steak sauce unfortunately tasted like barbecue sauce and overpowered the flavorful, rich elk meat. The "frizzled fennel" ended up being something like fennel tempura, somewhat akin to onion rings, and was a fun treat.

I ordered the special, some kind of fish I had never heard of before. I think it was copia. It was a firm flaky white fish with a nice buttery garlicky finish, with some extra large couscous. Nothing so exotic as my husband's fare, but quite delicious. Oh, and there was rapini, broccoli's cousin, on the side.

The best part, after the lobster corndogs, was desert. We had the "Piñon caramel tart served with candied apple ice cream and hot buttered rum sauce". Oh my stars. Can I just buy the whole tart and take it home? If you like pecan pie, you simply must try the pinon version. Fabulous!

While the table next to us was woefully disatisfied with their meal (cranky, crotchety old east-coasters, need I say more?) we found the atmosphere warm and intimate, the service friendly, attentive and prompt, and the food whimsical and solidly good. This remains one of my favorite restaurants in Albuquerque.