Tuesday March 19. I built up an appetite after completing a 20 minute run around the University golf course. The plans were to pick up my boyfriend at work around 7:30pm.. it was then 7:45pm, I was running late.
We drove over to Bricklight Dive, a bar/eatery located on Harvard street, across from the University. Luck helped us find a parking in front of Cheba Hut, a sandwich shop two stores down from Bricklight Dive.
People were milling around the sidewalk, a girl twirling a hula hoop, two guys having a drunken conversation, a man strumming a guitar and another beating on a bongo.We walked into a small, loud, crowded dining area with about 10 small tables, some with imprinted chess/checker boards. A bartender who was busy helping other customers, yelled over the counter and told us to take a seat.
A chess table was available near the entrance. I sat facing the wall and a TV screen overhead, broadcasting March Madness coverage. Most customers were college age, giving the place a laid back ambiance.A couple of guys were playing chess three table west of ours, another man sat at a tall table reading and taking notes, a group of other guys were having a loud conversation at the bar. One of those guys appeared to be an older biker looking dude and every other word out of his mouth was a profanity.
The waitress/bartender came over and handed us the notebook style menus.Then promptly came back with our drinks and took our food order. We both ordered the Prima Pizzetta, an individual size pizza with pepperoni and green chile, and a side Cesar salad. Minutes later the waitress brought out our salad served on a small wood board with a handle hole. The salad was delicious, but it was difficult to eat off of the board without having salad fall through the hole onto the table.
Soon after, our Pizzettas were served. They were oval shaped, with square slices, a thin crust, a good amount of spicy green chile, and a tasty oregano flavoured sauce.
After our meal, my boyfriend was having a difficult time hearing me speak, he claimed the background music, acoustics of bare walls and concrete floor did not help with easy conversation, so we decided to leave.
We left satisfied with the prompt service, quick food delivery, and price. It's a good place to drink a local beer and eat a small pizza, a place to meet interesting people, and play a game of chess. But, it's certainly not a place for kids nor for a first date.
It was one of the busiest places on Harvard street that Tuesday night, we can only imagine how crowded it must be on a Friday or Saturday.
http://bricklightdive.com/
I was wrong to assume the restaurant named "Boston's" was originally from Boston Massachusetts. Boston's gourmet pizza restaurant is actually from Canada. A chain owned by entrepreneur Jim Treliving. The franchise opened it's Albuquerque doors back in 2004.
On March 8th, two employees held the double doors open for us and asked where we wanted to sit. The restaurant was divided into two dining areas. The north end was an adult friendly sports bar while the south end offered a more family oriented environment. The hostess seated us in a booth as requested under the television set tuned to a hockey game. I sent my brother a text message to look for us in the family friendly section.
Several adults with small children ate while our waitress took our drink order.
Once my brother arrived we ordered chicken wings, a large half pepperoni pineapple and half bacon green chile pizza. Waiting for our food order we somehow got to talking about our experiences with spicy foods. Then our chicken wings came out and were smothered in hot sauce, on the side came two dripping dressings, ranch and blue cheese. My bf and brother thought the wings were very good.
The pizza was served on a pizza stand. It only took one bite for me to decided that I loved the hand tossed crust. It was cooked just right, not burnt nor undercooked giving it a spongy feel as my teeth sank in. The overall taste was good, it had a reasonable amount of toppings, and a thick crust, and the right amount of tomato sauce.
The only complaint was my bf's lemonade being watered down and tasting bland, but that was minor. We had a very attentive waitress, who never let our drink glasses go empty. Having left full, we decided it was a pleasant experience.
http://www.bostons.com/home/
On the evening of Tuesday March 5th, I drove to my boyfriend's house while sulking over the thought of having lost a bet, and knowing I'd be paying it off that night. I made the mistake of betting against my bf on a college basketball game. I'm not sure who was playing.... I believe it was Michigan State vs Ohio. All I remember was that I lost. The price I had to pay was a pizza.
He was waiting, standing outside his driveway as I drove up to his place. We took a short drive to BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, pushed through revolving entrance doors and waited less than 10 minutes for a place to sit. The dimly lit restaurant was nearly full. The hostess sat us in a booth where I had a clear view of two big screens on the west wall.
BJ's, a California based company founded in 1978, expanded to Albuquerque November of 2012.
Shortly after having been seated our waiter, named Chris, greeted and handed us the menu. My bf suggested I place the order, I went with a large peperoni, pineapple pizza , and an order of chicken wings. In the mood for an alcoholic beverage, my boyfriend ordered a beer and I ordered an overpriced margarita. We sipped on our drinks and chatted until our order was ready.
The wings were brought out first. My bf, a native of Buffalo NY( home of the original buffalo wing) was really impressed with the taste. He claimed the wings were close to Buffalo standards and would give them a grade of A-. They were a bit dry, didn't come along with enough celery sticks and we weren't impressed with the silly sauce decorations.
Our gourmet pizza was served upon finishing our wings. The waiter placed the pie on top of a pizza stand near the edge of the table. I didn't expect the pie to be as big as it was. I ordered a large expecting it to be a typical medium size, as had been the case at other gourmet pizza places.
The pizza was composed of a thin crust, not so salty cheese, and great tasting tomato sauce.
BJ's Restaurant is known for their dessert Pizookies (a pizookie is simply a pizza cookie, topped with ice cream). Having finished our entire pizza pie and wings, we decided to have our dessert to-go. We paid the waiter, earned some rewards points and left. We were satisfied with our visit. The service was acceptable, our waiter was kind and attentive. BJ's turned out to be a hip joint, perfect for a date or a gathering with friends.
We drove to my house, watched television, and after letting our food settle decided to try the dessert. This Pizookie turned out to be far too sweet for our taste.
http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/
Last summer while walking downtown, I noticed a neon sign with the words
"Axxio Pizza" and a picture of a pizza slice. Behind Maloney's bar was a pizza joint not visible from the main streets. I remember glancing at the restaurant entrance and continued walking.
Weeks ago, upon searching for the next pizza place to visit, I remembered the neon sign. An internet search resulted in this website and so I made plans to eat at the location.
February 19, my boyfriend and I visited the restaurant to have dinner. We walked in to a nearly empty dining room, which would normally seat about 30. One woman sat at the north end while the television was tuned to a news broadcast focused on the Oscar Pistorius case. Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted by a man standing behind the counter.
We studied the menu and placed our order. While I sat waiting for our food my boyfriend (who is now the official interviewer for this blog) got up and started talking to another man behind the cash register. His name was Aldo and he happened to be one of the owners. My boyfriend asked how long the place had been open for, "since last Friday" the man replied.
Axxio Pizza went out of business and Aldo made the decision to expand into the downtown area. This second generation Italian whose parents are from Rome, is one of three owners of Venezia's Pizzeria . Having eaten at Venezia's before I suddenly recognized the green and red font menu above the counter.
I remember thinking "crap that's going to mess up my blogs alphabetical order, V isn't anywhere close to A." Then Aldo mentioned that location was named Aldo's New York Style Pizzeria. "Perfect!" I thought.
We didn't wait long for our food. Our dinner consisted of a pepperoni and pineapple pizza accompanied by honey mustard buffalo wings. We started off with the wings, the sweet and tangy flavor paired well with ranch sauce. As I took my first pizza slice from the pie, melted cheese pulled away from adjoining slices leaving drooping cheese ends dangling off the edges. It featured light sauce, runny cheese, and a thin foldable crust.... indeed characteristics of a NY style pizza. Perhaps a style not enjoyed by all, as cheese and toppings have a tendency to fall off the crust. Delicious nonetheless.
Before leaving, we were given coupons for our next visit.
Current business hours have the restaurant open until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. A good place to sober up after a long night of partying downtown.
