Sadie's has to be considered one of the premier New Mexican restaurants in Albuquerque, and judging from the number of patrons, a large part of the city's population must be in agreement. Although I have not not dined at a large number of Duke City dining establishments recently, past experience has convinced me that there are not many New Mexican restaurants that serve food of the same caliber as Sadie's.

I am fortunate to have friends such as Gil Garduño, of Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog, and his wife Kim, who took me to Sadie's for my inagural visit. Thanks to their recommendations I ended up with an excellent Red Enchilada-- I would have to say one of the best in New Mexico. I have heard that the red sauce is quite spicy, but Gil said it has been less so recently, and I thought it was not extremely spicy on the "New Mexico" scale. The flavor, though, was everything that it should be, and was enhanced by the blue corn tortillas that are available on request.

When I go to New Mexican restaurants I usually insist on ordering a Stuffed Sopaipilla, even though the one here, in addition to the enchilada, was about twice as much food as I could eat. The sopaipilla, stuffed with pinto beans (served instead of refrieds on request), and the usual lettuce, tomato, and cheese, was quite good. I did not think it was particularly noteworthy, however, compared to many that are served in Las Cruces and throughout northern New Mexico. Mine was vastly improved, though, when I got an extra order of red sauce to pour over the top.

The Papitas, small chunks of potatoes served with cheese, lived up to their reputation as one of the restaurant's specialties.

Thanks to Gil's willingness to share some of his Carne Adovada, I was able to sample these pork cubes marinated in red chile. I would have to say that this dish rivals the red enchiladas as the best one served at Sadie's.

If you go to Sadie's be prepared for a long wait to get a table, even on a week night. There are ample tables and servers. It is just so popular, though, that they cannot seem to accomodate everyone who wants to come. Perhaps it is because so many of Albuquerque's restaurants tend to "dumb down" the food, while Sadie's does a pretty good job of keeping it "authentic."