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Jicama Duck Tacos come with a jicama “tortilla,” duck confit, orange cranberry salsa and fresh cheese at Nob Hill Bar & Grill. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)
In early 2008 Albuquerque saw soaring housing prices, (hopefully short) market blips and fancy new restaurants like Nob Hill Bar & Grill. The spot featured Sam Etheridge’s creative cooking, his cap full of Ambrozia Café feathers. The ambitious venture with tasty-trendy food and cocktails was marred by a few “toos”: too loud, too trendy, too brusque.
Today, after a few lower-profile years this joint has been through a few chefs, settling nicely under Phil Roybal and his new culinary riffs on upscale comfort.
Consider corn: much beloved as the key ingredient in tortillas, those little boats for carrying taco fillings. Eating a taco without a traditional shell is akin to having your burger served on lettuce, yet Nob Hill Bar & Grill does magic with its Jicama Duck Tacos ($10). A large jicama’s diameter, similar to a tortilla, allows rounds to be cut and set under bundles of cranberry salsa and shredded duck confit for ease of eating. You won’t mistake the taste of jicama for corn, but darned if those slices don’t hold together perfectly. I had feared issues with breakage, but nothing of the sort occurred.
High on your appetizer choice list should be the house-made Jalapeño Poppers ($9) stuffed with pecans and cream cheese before a blanket of bacon swaddles each bite with salty perfection. If the jalapeños were a hair spicier, it would make it difficult to order anything but round after round of the poppers.
Sporadic or diffident service has practically been a calling card of Nob Hill Bar & Grill, but recent experiences seem to have cleared up most of the issue – a few slight delays in clearing plates is about as bad as it got.
The signature behemoth of a burger has always been the Dirty Burger ($15); it does not disappoint with wispy fried onion strings, chili, bacon, fried egg and chile con queso. Tenderness is guaranteed if you order medium rare, and even the bun has a nice crispy edge from grilling with butter. The fries are quite a tasty pile of potatoes, but the burger is a distractor. Or, I’d rather have a whole bunch more of those onions.
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Nob Hill Bar & Grill LOCATION: 3128 E. Central, 266-4455, www.upscalejoint.com HOURS: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays FULL BAR |
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Beef Short Ribs ($18) come rich and melting as any decent short rib preparation should, but the unctuous truffle mashed potatoes are better substituted with the standard garlic mash. Ain’t Yo Momma’s Meatloaf still holds its menu place, a good sign that the kitchen won’t mess with success.
Sweets are a strong point for this kitchen, starting with the old menu staple, the Guinness Waffle Car Bomb ($6), a boozy ice cream cone served reclining on a plate with scads of whipped cream and caramel sauce. The prime indicator of the Guinness ice cream’s on-premises origin was a bit of iciness, but flavorwise it is perfect for lovers of stout beers. Seasonal tarts and rotating ice cream selections are always on hand for the indecisive sweet tooths at the table.
