Nob Hill is about to welcome a new restaurant concept into its dining lineup.
Lighted chopsticks will soon decorate the distinctive tower of the former Club Rhythm and Blues at the corner of Carlisle and Central NE. Albuquerque eaters — say hello to Fan Tang.
Pronounced “fan-tan,” the eatery is a new fast-casual Chinese restaurant concept from the owners of Chow’s that will occupy the 2,500-square-foot building at 3523 Central NE.
Six months of construction gave the building “all new everything,” including roofing, plumbing, wiring, concrete and more. The entrance to Fan Tang is off of Central, and the restaurant has its own parking lot just west of the building.
Fan Tang features two patios — an 800-square-foot covered patio on the west side of the establishment with heating and cooling capabilities and a smaller patio on the east side of the building featuring a fire pit and seating for close to 18 people.
There is also a dining area that seats about 70 and offers views of the kitchen and Nob Hill.
Fan Tang translates as “community hangout” in Chinese. Literally, “fan” means rice, but when said in China means food, and “tan” means gathering hall. In keeping with the name’s meaning, diners will order at the counter from a menu offering individual portions rather than being served at a table family-style, as is the case at Chow’s.
“You’ll still get plenty full, but we don’t expect you to share,” co-owner Jason Zeng told the Journal during a sneak peak of the eatery. Zeng owns the location with his father, Richard Zeng.
The size of the kitchen at the new location — about half the size of a Chow’s kitchen — and the “different vibe” of the Nob Hill area contributed to the Zeng family’s decision to try a different food concept.
The Zeng family also runs Chow’s locations at Cottonwood Mall and in Santa Fe.
You’ll still find some Chow’s menu items at Fan Tang such as coffee chicken and dragon sesame chicken. As for what else is on the menu, you’ll just have to check out the new eatery when it opens at the end of the month.
An entree will cost $8, noodles $7, Zeng said. There will also be larger portion specials for $10.95.
Hours will be 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day. More information will be available when the website, www.fan-tang.com, goes live.
Press Room
A new bar and food establishment has opened in the former Joker’s Pub and Wiley’s Place at 2509 San Mateo NE.
The 4,700-square-foot space on San Mateo south of Menaul underwent a $300,000 to $400,000 “extensive remodel” over seven months and opened as the Press Room in early June.
Co-owners Dolores Eliades and Debbie Rose had planned to open something similar in Las Vegas, Nev., but moved to Albuquerque and brought the name and concept with them.
Press Room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, has a full liquor license, sells packaged liquor, features live music and karaoke, and offers a 49-cent breakfast special — two eggs, hash browns and toast.
Most items on the menu cost less than $10, Eliades said.
The Press Room also has 23 flat-screen TVs and several private booths with two TVs in each.
Delivery within a two-mile radius is also available.
Hours are 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to midnight Sunday. Call 888-1404.
Snap Fitness
A new Snap Fitness has opened at 4th Street and Menaul NE.
It is the first franchise location for Billy Rivera and Lisa Cour. The gym is almost 7,000 square feet and offers dressing rooms and showers — the only Albuquerque Snap Fitness offering those amenities, Rivera said.
It is also the only Snap Fitness to offer 24-hour group fitness classes.
The location at 300 Menaul NE Suite 118 is open 24-7. Three other Snap Fitness locations in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho are owned by another franchisee, Rivera said.
Rivera, who has managed gyms for 20 years, says the pair may open another location in Los Lunas in the future.
A membership costs $34.95 per individual for a month. There is no contract required and no enrollment fees, he said.
The location offers cardio, resistance and stack weight machines as well as free weights and more.
Call 908-9978 or visit www.snapfitness.com for more information.
Retail tidbits
♦ To clarify, the new Hoffmantown Body Shop that opened at the beginning of May at 702 Carmony Road NE is a lot larger than previously reported. The paint and body, collision repair, mechanical repair and glass service shop, owned by Tony Rivera, moved from 27,000 square feet near Wyoming and Menaul to a 65,000-square-foot former electrical supply house at Carmony and Alexander NE. Call the shop at 299-2500 or visit www.hoffmantownbodyshop.com.
♦ Figments Tea Shoppe and Gallery at 2231 Wyoming NE, opened two years ago by owner Diane Daniels, has expanded into a space across the parking lot, offering afternoon tea service and featuring the art of Leonard Henritze.
The additional space at 2225 Wyoming NE Suite E can seat 20 in a garden atmosphere, and a themed full afternoon tea menu is available on Sunday. The space is also available for special events.
Henritze’s artwork — paintings, wood carvings, custom painted carousel horses and more — is on display and for sale from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more, call 323-1606 or visit www.FigmentsTeaShoppe.com.
♦ Slice Parlor has opened in Nob Hill at 3410 Central SE. The New York-style pizza eatery offers whole pizzas, slices, calzones and salads, mostly local beers on tap and more for sit-down or carry-out. A gluten-free pizza option is also available. A slice starts at $3.25, plus 50 cents per topping.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 10 p.m Sunday. Check out the full menu online at www.sliceparlor.com or call 232-2808.
Send me morsels of retail and restaurant news by phone at 823-3820 or email at rbrodsky@abqjournal.com.
Reprint story -- Email the reporter at rbrodsky@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3820
