Ad
Find out which restaurant is the toast of Park Square Market
Albuquerque’s food markets occupy a variety of settings, from shipping container complexes and abandoned railyards to an old sawmill and a Route 66 motor lodge.
As of June, add the lobby of an office tower to the list.
That’s where the bulk of the merchants at Uptown’s Park Square Market reside. The market hub occupies one of a pair of 10-story khaki-colored towers with indented corners designed by the renowned Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architectural firm. Additional food stalls are located in two squat buildings across the plaza.
It’s an ingenious concept. Take a space built for passing through and transform it into a hangout spot ringed with an array of food and drink purveyors. With all the office workers, apartment dwellers and hotel guests in the area, it makes good business sense too.
The market is located off Americas Parkway near Louisiana Boulevard and Interstate 40. Free parking is available in the lots that bracket Jason’s Deli and Ojos Locos Sports Cantina. Additional parking can be found on the Indian School Road side of the complex and in a couple of garages adjacent to the towers. Construction is ongoing at the complex, so some parking options may be limited.
Even with all the prospective customers in the neighborhood, the market was pretty sleepy when I visited with a friend during the weekday lunch hour. Most of the patrons sat in the indoor dining room of the tower. The spacious area is fringed by tile-faced counters with lighted signs above bearing generic titles like “Bowls” and “Pizza” that make it a little difficult to find a specific place.
Heritage Hotels and Resorts CEO Jim Long of Sawmill Market fame developed the market, so it’s not surprising to see Sawmill merchants like Neko Neko ice cream and Tulipani Pasta alongside new names like Little Gems healthy bowls and Kashmir Coffee Lounge.
We were there to try the second location of Curious Toast from Victoria Van Dame and executive chef David Ruiz. The original opened in 2021 in the historic John Pierce House, a wood-framed structure with a stone porch on Central Avenue west of Downtown. Van Dame and Ruiz attracted a following with some inventive toast toppings using locally sourced ingredients. Despite the name, there is more than just toast here. Waffles, biscuits and Hawaiian rolls also show up as foundations for some of the dishes.
The Curious Toast counter is located on the southwest corner of the food court. Customers are given a beeper after ordering, and the food is served on metal trays like the ones at Sawmill. It was a two-person operation while we were there, with one person staffing the counter, another prepping the food.
The food menu is divided into three sections: Savory, Sweet and Curious. Customers can also design their own creations by choosing from seven different breads and a bunch of spreads. Most are open-faced, but there are a few enclosed sandwich options. Dishes cost in the $15 to $20 range and come with fruit or fried potatoes.
Ad
Among the five sweet stuff selections costing between $15 and $16, the Big Ta Do Toast ($16) stands out. It’s a piece of Hawaii in the High Desert, with a mix of brûléed pineapple chunks, whipped cream and chopped bacon topped with red chile syrup on a bed of sliced Hawaiian rolls prepared French toast-style. The quality of the ingredients made this work. The pineapple were sweet and juicy, the whipped cream fresh. The syrup and chopped bacon combined for some salt, smoke, sweetness and texture. Very tasty. The one thing missing was a good sear on the rolls.
The four options under the Savory section of the menu include a BLT and a version of avocado toast called the Benji Toast topped with a poached egg, feta cheese and pomegranate. We tried the Burque Melt ($18) on gluten-free toast. The two eggs were formed into what looked like an omelet, but when sliced with the fork they released runny yolks that helped soften the thick, dense slice of gluten-free bread below. I especially enjoyed the cup of green chile that accompanied the dish. Not very hot, but great flavor. The two slices of bacon and the big chunks of fried potatoes that accompanied the dish lacked a crisp finish.
The food menu is rounded out with the Curious section comprised of five preparations for $15 to $20. I chose the Elote Toasty ($15) a deconstructed version of the popular street food served on sourdough bread. The pile of roasted corn was shot through with cotija cheese, green chile aioli and Tajin seasoning. Sliced jalapeños added a manageable level of heat, and the sourdough underneath it all was wonderfully chewy with a firm crust. A tasty mix that was somewhat difficult to eat, as the corn kept tumbling off the bread. The lesson here: lean over the tray when eating.
The drinks menu includes Chai Tea, Mexican Hot Chocolate and what may be the best Horchata ($7) in town. The mix of whole and condensed milk made it rich, creamy and sweet, with an assertive but not overwhelming touch of cinnamon.
The menu finishes off with a pleasant surprise: a selection of drinks made with matcha, the intense powder made from green tea leaves. There are four variations, each costing $7 and available in hot or cold servings. We tried a cold Strawberry Matcha. Served in a clear plastic cup, it displayed two distinct layers: an avocado-green matcha-milk combination over a thin bottom layer of strawberry syrup. It was refreshing if neutral in flavor, the sweetness of the strawberry cutting the bitterness of the matcha.
The man at the counter was welcoming and knowledgeable, and our order took about 15 minutes to come out. Most things on the menu are gluten-free or can be made that way. Soy, oat and almond milk are available.
Park Square Market is another great addition to the burgeoning Uptown neighborhood. In Curious Toast, it has an anchor with enough unique offerings to attract return visitors.
