Frontier Restaurant: A Review of My Favorite Restaurant
If I had to pick a most favorite restaurant in the world, I think this would be it. It isn’t fancy or even innovative. It is always the same, never changing. And yet, when someone does something this well, why would they need to change? They are completely dependable, fabulously delicious, spicy, flavorful and amazing. When I was at the University of New Mexico over 20 years ago, I ate there a lot. It was cheap, delicious, and a pretty good place to study. Now, I often wake up on Saturday morning and wish for a Frontier Restaurant breakfast burrito. This morning during a visit to Albuquerque, I got my wish. I woke up and made my way to the Frontier on Central Avenue. It was as good as I remember—it always is. The building itself is iconic. Rumor is they bought it during the Vietnam War era when anti-war protesters were smashing all the windows on Central Ave. and real estate prices plummeted. The restaurant takes up an entire city block right across the street from the University of New Mexico which has about 30,000 students. It has 7 rooms. The loudest room is the front where you order at the counter. I stood around trying to get a table in the front room. I wanted it for the people watching. I scored! Back further in the restaurant the rooms get progressively quieter with student study groups working in the very back. The walls are covered in tacky southwestern art including several paintings of John Wayne. It is fantastically visually stimulating. It is not unusual to see a homeless guy sitting at a table next to business men in suits. On this Saturday morning, the restaurant was pretty full. Everyone loves the Frontier. There seems to be a magical flow that no matter how full it is, you can always get a table. I am sure they have figured out how to make this work. People order at the counter and always find a...
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