Taste New Mexico at two colorful stops along Albuquerque's Route 66

"Beyond the red door lies the platonic ideal of a Midcentury dive. The windowless dining room remains perpetually dim. Crimson pleather booths line the walls, which are covered with vintage beer signs and framed portraits of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe ... and Guy Fieri, who visited in 2008. A collection of model cars sits behind glass in one corner. It is easy to imagine a near past when cigarette smoke hovered like low cloud cover."

"The business' name says everything: The front of the building lodges a liquor store selling the basic brands of spirits and beer. Around back, an arrow, painted garnet against an otherwise beige facade, points toward a red door sheltered by a small, domed awning. The words "steakhouse entrance" have been stenciled above in letters big enough to be seen two blocks away."

"I return to Monte Carlo for two reasons: the honky-tonk atmosphere and the green chile cheeseburger. Beyond the red door lies the platonic ideal of a Midcentury dive. The windowless dining room remains perpetually dim."

"Albuquerque, home to the state's largest airport, is a gateway. It's also the city with the longest continuous urban stretch of Route 66, named Central Avenue and running nearly 18 miles through its core. Two of my very favorite restaurants in New Mexico reside along this zagging sweep, both quirky and atmospheric and also grounding in their sense of place."

Monte Carlo Liquors & Steak House sits in a brick building surrounded by an asphalt lot near the Central Avenue Bridge over the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. The front functions as a liquor store selling basic spirits and beer, while a red door behind an arrow points to the steakhouse entrance. Inside, the dining room is windowless and dim, with crimson pleather booths, vintage beer signs, and framed portraits of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Guy Fieri. Model cars are displayed behind glass, creating a midcentury dive feel reminiscent of an era when cigarette smoke lingered. The visit is driven by the honky-tonk atmosphere and the green chile cheeseburger.

Read at Los Angeles Times