Come November, a twilit autumn palette colors the Sandia Mountains, and dining in downtown Albuquerque moves indoors. At the corner of Second Street NW and Copper Avenue, the historic Hotel Andaluz hosts Char, a restaurant where the flavors of a New Mexican holiday table arrive with a hint of smoke. Roasted chile, handmade tortillas, bizcochitos and natillas anchor the season here, and the kitchen treats each dish with the seriousness of a treasured family recipe. Executive Chef Marco Espinoza sums up the restaurant’s concept simply: elevated New Mexican.
The Fire
At the center of Char’s kitchen sits a Josper charcoal oven, the only one in New Mexico. Espinoza calls the technique primitive and means that as high praise. “Everybody loves that open-fire taste, that coal, that infusion,” he said. Steaks cooked over the coals are “not just cooking,” Espinoza said. “They’re searing. They’re locking in that flavor, that smoke, that char.” That same oven cooks the peppers and onions, and the shrimp that go out to tables, so the smoke carries across the menu. Espinoza also credits the Josper technique with keeping “that juiciness” in the meat.
The Chile
Every dish at Char begins with the ingredients themselves. “We have to respect the ingredients we’re using,” Espinoza said. The clearest example is the chile flight, which the kitchen presents as a six-way each night, and guests can also choose a three-way flight. Each of the six chiles comes from a different region of New Mexico, some grown closer to the water and others higher on the mountain, which gives each its own heat and character. Flour tortillas made onsite each day complement the flights.
Espinoza’s personal favorite chile is the red Chimayó. “I love the Chimayó,” he said. Ladling a fried egg on top, he added, is a time-honored synergistic flavor secret.
The green chile stew follows the same logic. The kitchen keeps the beef separate and cooks Wagyu to order rather than holding meat in the pot. For dessert, Espinoza calls the Bizcochito Parfait “New Mexico in a cup.” It brings together freshly baked bizcochitos, natillas, pumpkin mousse and candied piñon.
Brunch at Char features The Hillbilly, Espinoza’s take on a favorite childhood sandwich that layers bologna, bacon, and egg with green chile. A poutine of green chile-braised short rib over fries, with green chile gravy and fresh mozzarella, adds an international culinary note to the brunch menu. “So now you get Canada as you’re getting New Mexico,” said Espinoza.
Local Hands
Espinoza singles out Ximena Zamacona at Full Circle Mushrooms, whom he calls “awesome,” and whose premium mushrooms appear on tostadas, tacos, and sides at Char. Local makers have shaped the rest of the table as well. A local stonemason cut the lava stones on which Char serves its dishes, and the boards for burgers, steaks, flights, and guacamole were made here in New Mexico. The hotel’s signage and exterior metalwork also originated with local businesses.
The Cellar
Director Faith Sanchez brings the same regard for place to Char’s wine list. “The key is not to treat New Mexico wine as a novelty,” she said. “We look at it the same way we would look at any wine region.” Char’s flavors run bold, so the wines need enough structure to “stand alongside the food,” and Sanchez wants guests to find something distinctly New Mexican in the glass. Sheehan Winery, which she calls probably the most popular wine in the restaurant, anchors that effort, and its Cabernet Sauvignon is her current favorite. “It just goes so well with so much,” she said.
The bar keeps the same New Mexican commitment. Every draft is local, and Sanchez dedicates handles to local breweries such as Marble and Tractor. The cocktail menu includes thoughtful, sometimes unexpected flavor pairings, including drinks that are fat-washed with Wagyu.
Heart, Hearth & Heat
Espinoza wants Char to welcome guests on any occasion. “Whether you wear a tie or shorts, we’re welcoming to everybody,” he said. Alongside the elevated New Mexican menu and top-tier service, this cordial philosophy results in guests who return. Espinoza recently spoke with a diner who was on their twelfth visit to Char and brings an out-of-town guest each time. Sanchez hears from regulars that they’ve had an experience rather than simply ordered a meal, and she says the goal is to execute that same way for every guest, every time.
As the holidays approach, Espinoza says that Char offers families the opportunity to gather around a table of beautifully executed dishes and have an elevated dining experience with loved ones that becomes their newest holiday memory. This November, that memorable table is set and waiting at Char. Everybody loves that open-fire taste, that coal, that infusion
Char | Hotel Andaluz Albuquerque
125 2nd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
505.923.9080
www.hotelandaluz.com/sip-and-savor/char
Everybody loves that open-fire taste, that coal, that infusion
The bar keeps the same New Mexican commitment. Every draft is local, and Sanchez dedicates handles to local breweries such as Marble and Tractor