Eats, Etc

A quick glance at three local eateries that you may or may not already know about.

More than a dozen sandwiches, like the turkey/cheddar/ avocado “Wild Suze” are made to order at Al’s Big Dipper.

Cassidy Chen always appreciated the plethora of lunch spots available when she worked as a business professional in Phoenix, and she wanted to bring something similar to the working folks of downtown Albuquerque.

“I loved the little atmosphere and the food that they had. It was mainly sandwiches and soups, my favorite places,” she says. “I guess I just thought it would be fun to have a place like that one day. So, we decided to open one.”

That’s how Al’s Big Dipper, which is owned by Cassidy and her husband, Alan, was born. The establishment has evolved somewhat from the concept behind the original name, which was meant to focus on dipping-style sandwiches and foods.

“That was our original idea and our restaurant turned into something else,” Cassidy says. “It wasn’t exactly that, but we just decided to keep the name.”

Al’s Big Dipper originally opened in 2010 on Central next to Sister Bar, but eventually moved to a roomier location on 5th and Copper. The restaurant was able to survive a brief closure as a result of COVID-19 to regain its footing and remain what Cassidy calls a “downtown staple.”

“I feel like a lot of our regular patrons, they run into other people that they know, maybe in their same industry, business or even their office,” she says. “It’s really nice to see people visit with each other and run into them when they’re here. We like that. We like to create a place where the community will see a friendly face.”

Of course, it’s the variety of delicious sandwiches, salads and soups that brings everyone together. Some of the sandwich staples include the Turkey Banh Mi, a refreshing take on a Vietnamese Banh Mi and Christopher’s Crunch, a variation of the roast beef sandwich that features jalapeno crisps. The Turkey Cobb Salad and Southwest Chop Salad are consistently crowd pleasers, and Chen says great pride is taken in the restaurant’s rotating daily soup specials. There’s even a homemade lavender lemonade — complete with real lavender, fresh squeezed lemons, honey and raw sugar — to wash everything down.

“I think we just focus on quality,” Cassidy says. “That’s our No. 1 thing that we like to focus on here … We try to make everything from scratch whenever possible. I think keeping it fresh and consistent and using good quality ingredients, I think

that’s No. 1.” —TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD

AL’S BIG DIPPER

501 Copper Ave NW (505) 314-1118 alsbigdipper.com

Don Choche Tacos Y Cerveza initially gained a following in Albuquerque for its food truck beginning in 2007 and while that mobile service is still active, the establishment has since strengthened its foothold in the city with a brick-and-mortar establishment in the Los Ranchos area (7319 4th St. NW) that opened in 2019.

Choche is slang in Spanish for “Jorge,” which refers to Jorge Samaniego, the owner of the family-run restaurant. As one might expect, tacos are a signature item at Don Choche and options abound as they can be ordered with asada, barbacoa, carnitas, tripe, carne adovada, chicharron en salsa verde, chile relleno, chicken fajita, al pastor, fried fish, fried shrimp, green chile brisket or bean and cheese, to name a few. The tacos are made with corn tortillas and served with cilantro, onions, radish and limes. It’s worth noting that any of the aforementioned taco options can be added to quesadillas, nachos, tortas, burritos, gorditas and tostadas, as well.

A trip to Dan Choche would not be complete without a stop at the salsa bar, which provides a multitude of interesting choices that go well with the complimentary basket of chips that accompany each visit or can be drizzled over an order of tacos. Some of the flavors available include pico de gallo, chipotle, tomatillo, pineapple, peanut (cacahuate), chile de arbol, green chile and chile piquin. Most are billed as being quite spicy, but there is a La Gringa salsa option for those with less adventurous taste buds.

Larger appetites — or groups — will be tempted by the Molcajetes, which is essentially meat of various types served by the pound. The filling dish comes with hot corn tortillas, griddled cheese with a green chile in the middle, and tasty sides of rice and refried beans.

That’s not all. Breakfast is served all day, the green chile brisket burger has drawn rave reviews and the dessert menu features delectables such as empanadas, churros, cheesecake and sopaipillas with honey. In other words, it’ll require more than just one visit to try everything. To top it all off, patrons can either dine inside or enjoy a tasty local cerveza on the recently renovated and shaded patio, which also happens to be dog friendly. —TRIS-

TEN CRITCHFIELD

Asian dishes with a New Mexico flair dot the menu at Sushibucks.

Sunmi Park already had a concept in mind when she and her husband, SK Kim, took over the restaurant known as Asahi Express in January 2022. Using the national coffee chain Starbucks as a template, the restaurant’s name was changed to Sushibucks, which is meant to signify affordable, quality food prepared in a relatively short period of time. Park is well aware that “affordable” and “quick” are not typically synonymous with sushi, but for an establishment located in close proximity to the University of New Mexico, it’s an ideal combination.

“The service is really quick,” Park says. “The customer can order, pay and eat it. Our restaurant’s name is good for us. Really, sushi is a luxury food, and some kinds are pricey. It is not cheap. (Ours is) really fast food and really good quality sushi, so the customer can get fast service and good quality sushi.”

Two of the crowd favorites at the restaurant are the Sushibucks roll, which comes with shrimp tempura, avocado, spicy crab, hot sauce and unagi (eel) sauce, and the New Mexico roll, which adds green chile to a California roll to provide the Land of Enchantment’s signature flavor. Choices abound at Sushibucks, with more than 30 types of sushi rolls available, including baked and no-rice offerings in addition to the restaurant’s signature options and classic rolls.

While sushi is the star of the show, Sushibucks also provides a variety of Korean fare. This includes bulgogi, a type of thinsliced, barbecued beef and bibimbap, a rice dish topped with vegetables, spices, egg and occasionally, meat. Diners can also order udon (Japanese noodles), unagi (freshwater eel), poki bowls, a bento box, salmon and more.

“We have a lot of food,” Park says with a laugh.

When business isn’t overwhelming, Sushibucks patrons get to complete their dining experience by receiving a specially crafted orange beer (made from a real orange) at their table, compliments of the chef.

“It’s kind of a special thing,” Park says. “I want to serve it to our customers for eating

Classic Mexican molcajetes, bowls loaded with meat and fresh ingredients, are a favorite at Don Choche.

DON CHOCHE TACOS Y CERVEZA

7319 4th St NW, Unit 1 (505) 433-2242 donchochetacosycerveza.com

our food.” —TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD

SUSHIBUCKS

2106 Central Ave SE, Ste. A (505) 243-8089