City: Albuquerque, NM

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (505) 508-3244

Address: 4541 Corrales Road

Description: The current Casa Vieja restaurant opened in March 2009, although other restaurants have occupied this delightful 300-year-old adobe building, which has also served in the past as a courthouse, a chapel, and a stagecoach stop. Casa Vieja’s inviting courtyard evokes a true sense of tranquillity as you sit at one of the painted wooden tables in the shade of the mulberry trees or beneath the portal, listening to birdsong and soaking up the atmosphere of old Corrales. The menu is described as world cuisine with a New Mexico twist and with an emphasis on local produce, and the restaurant makes its own pasta, bread, red and green chile, and sausages. For lunch roasted mushroom soup with truffle oil and thyme crostini is a popular choice by the cup or bowl, and there are daily burrito specials. The calabacitas here is a rich and complex treat, or try the Ensalada de Tres Patos, which combines duck confit, duck pate, and a poached duck egg. The menu changes seasonally, but for dinner you might choose Red Chile Coffee Braised Lamb Shank or New Mexican Cassoulet, followed by Green Chile Chocolate Soufflé. Chef Josh Gerwin’s signature green chile chicken enchilada has so many devotees, it’s guaranteed to stay on the menu. There is a rather chic bar serving cocktails, wines, and beers, and the three comfortable dining rooms are full of southwestern charm, with tile floors, vigas, kiva fireplaces, and art. There are also three patios. Open for lunch and dinner daily and Sunday brunch.