M'tucci's "TV Dinners"

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a Happy New Year from all of us at M’tucci’s.

Growing up in the 50s and 60s with a mother who didn’t like to cook meant that I ate my share of TV dinners. The convenience of these dinners was definitely the big selling point, with taste ranging between pretty good and awful. Swanson and Banquet were the big players, then Celebrity chefs got involved in creating their own line of frozen meals.

So, using the science from Swanson and the inspiration of Wolfgang Puck and others, M’tucci’s brings you our own selection of microwaveable, ready to eat meals. Each is only $9. As you can see, these are not your standard frozen turkey dinners, especially since ours are not frozen.

Clockwise from top left:

Spinach, Roasted Mushroom, Ricotta Cannelloni with Alfredo Sauce

Roasted Herbed Meatloaf, Balsamic-Tomato Sauce, Mashed Potato, Sweet Peas & Caramelized Onion

Five Cheese Tortelloni with Angus Beef & Sackett Farms Pork Bolognese Sauce

House Applewood Smoked Bacon, Roasted Chicken, Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese with Truffled Bread Crumbs

Porcini & Red Wine Braised Brisket, Creamy Pecorino Polenta, Fire Roasted Corn

Chef Cory’s Sackett Farms Braised Pork & Green Chile Stew

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TV or Frozen Dinners were invented in the 1950s and gained popularity as more women entered the workplace (or if you had a mother who didn’t like to cook!). One story is that a Swanson salesman noticed that the company had 270 tons of turkey unsold after Thanksgiving, sitting in refrigerated railroad cars. Since the refrigeration only worked while the cars were moving, the train shuttled back and forth between Nebraska and the East Coast until executives came up with the idea of a packaged meal.

The other phenomenon that added to the popularity of the meals was the new national past time - watching television. In a recent story in Smithsonian magazine, they reported:

“In 1950, only 9 percent of U.S. households had television sets—but by 1955, the number had risen to more than 64 percent, and by 1960, to more than 87 percent. Swanson took full advantage of this trend, with TV advertisements that depicted elegant, modern women serving these novel meals to their families, or enjoying one themselves. “The best fried chicken I know comes with a TV dinner,” Barbra Streisand told the New Yorker in 1962.”

The meals will be available for take out from all M’tucci’s locations beginning tomorrow, 12/26. We think you should pair them with the new M’tucci’s wine from California.

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M’tucci’s Wine is Here!!

M’tucci’s wine is now at all locations. Early in 2020 we started working with a California wine maker to craft wines especially for us and for our menus. There will be full report with tasting notes in next week’s La Gazzeta di M’tucci’s.

M’tucci’s Partners Austin Leard and John Haas welcoming the new M’tucci’s wine to M’tucci’s Twenty-Five.

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M’tucci’s Family Holiday Greeting

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Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

12 oz Hand Cut NY Strip: Crispy Salt Water potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $27

Pan-Seared Scallops: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Caper Sauce $27

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

8 oz Beef Tenderloin - Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and Salsa Verde. $29

Pan-Seared Swordfish - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $24

Plus, two Holiday cocktails: Lavender Whiskey Sour and Hot Buttered Rum

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

14 oz Prime NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $29

Apple Strudel, Frangelico Whipped Cream, House made Caramel $6

Gelatos: Dark Chocolate Malted Milkshake Swirl

Sorbetto: Pineapple Lime

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M’tucci’s Holiday Gift Card Deal is Available until 12/31.

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More Good News: Deli Charcuterie is Available through 12/31

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Photos from the Land of Enchantment - Bosque del Apache

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Thanks for reading. See you New Year’s Eve. Ciao!

M'tucci's Holiday Goodies

As the writer and photographer with M’tucci’s Restaurants, I get to work with talented people who are dedicated to creating great food. Another great benefit is getting to taste nearly everything I photograph for the website, social media and for this weekly newsletter.

All I can say after photographing the table of dishes that come with M’tucci’s Christmas Holiday Ham Meal is: “Damn, now that is ham!”

Our new partners near Kansas City, the Fantasma Family, produce a special spiral-cut Holiday Ham each year from pasture-raised Berkshire hogs that are never treated with hormones - all natural.

The Berkshire is a Heritage breed, which means the bloodline is pure and that they haven’t been cross-bred with other more common breeds that are generally associated with factory farming. The Berkshire originated in England and became popular because of the flavor of their bacon and ham. The breed was first brought to the U.S. in 1823. The American Berkshire Association was founded in 1875 when a group of farmers considered the breed too special to cross with more common pigs. Berkshires were a popular breed until just after WW II, when leaner pork produced from white-skinned pigs was in more demand.

In recent years, American chefs have sung the praises of the quality of the pork from this breed and there has been a resurgence of Berkshires. Farmers who raised Berkshire pigs and other Heritage breeds, such as Duroc or Iberian, tend to avoid mass-production farming and rely on vegetarian feed, open pasturing and no hormones or antibiotics. An Ohio State study found that pasture-raised pigs have 300 percent more vitamin E and 74 percent more selenium (a vital antioxidant) in their milk than pigs raised in cages. Plus, chefs say the pork is healthier and simply has more flavor.

The M’tucci’s Holiday Berkshire Ham, finished with our Pineapple Shrub glaze will be the highlight of your Holiday dinner. Quantities are limited, so order one soon. Kits may be picked up from 12/22 through the 24th.

Let Chef Cory show you how easy it will be to complete your Holiday meal. Now on the M’tucci’s YouTube Channel.

Don’t miss the opportunity to win an $100 M’tucci’s Gift Certificate by building the most creative Gingerbread House from our Holiday Festivity Kit. The rules are included in each kit. Our Executive Chef Brianna demonstrates a few tricks on M’tucci’s YouTube Channel.

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M’tucci’s Shrubs are Easy to Find

You can find our four Shrubs (individual bottles or in Shrub Cocktail Kits) in all of our locations, in New Mexico Total Wine & More stores, in Jubilation Wine & Spirits in Albuquerque and at Susan’s Fine Wines & Spirits in Santa Fe.

What, you’re not in New Mexico? No worries, because now you can buy our Shrubs on our new Amazon Store Front. Click here

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M’tucci’s Gift Certificates

When you buy an $100 Gift Certificate, we’ll give you an additional $20 Gift Certificate. The perfect stocking stuffer for friends, family and employees. Available at all locations, buy in-person until 12/31/2020.

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M’tucci’s YouTube Channel

In addition to cooking tips, recipes and techniques, there are videos on making cocktails and behind-the-scenes looks at some of our products. Today, we introduce a new Weekly Feature with some of our team telling you about some of the special items that are available this week. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and receive notification when a new video is Live.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

12 oz Hand Cut NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $29

Pan-Seared Ruby Trout - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $21

Gelato: Strawberry & Salted Caramel

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

10 oz Cranberry - Brined Sackett Farm Pork Chop - Roasted Vegetables, Cranberry Balsamic Reduction $21

Pan-Seared California Halibut - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23

Pesto Ravioli - Roasted Artichokes, Grape Tomatoes, Shallot Pesto Cream Sauce, Parmesan & Basil $19

Gelato: Lemon Berry

Sorbetto: Strawberry Blend

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Hand Cut 7 oz Hanger Steak - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $21

Herb-Roasted Whole Game Hen: Crispy Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes, Grilled Green Beans, Strawberry Mint Coulis $18

M’tucci’s Apple Cider: Trey made apple cider from Red Delicious apples and some spices. It is good warm or cold, with a shot of rum, bourbon or au natural. $4.50/Qt only at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Gelatos: Dark Chocolate Malted Milkshake Swirl

Sorbetto: Pineapple Lime

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Thanks for reading. See you next week. Buon Natale e Ciao!

M'tucci's Gingerbread Houses

Among my favorite Christmas memories is making cookies with my grandmother. She would bake dozens of snickerdoodles and sugar cookies in the shapes of wreaths, candy canes, stars and, of course, Santa Claus. I would help decorate the cookies with icing, sprinkles and red hots. Even though much of her cooking skills and recipes came from living with a German family while she was in college, she didn’t make ginger snaps or attempt a gingerbread house.

Ginger was brought from China and was found in Europe around the 900s. Ginger not only added a distinct flavor to food, but it was known to aid in digestion and was used as a preservative for bread and meat. In Germany, gingerbread was baked as early as the 1300s and Nuremburg became known as the “Gingerbread Capital of the World” in the 1600s. There was even a separate group of bakers in the baker’s guild and they were the only bakers allowed to make gingerbread except at Christmas and Easter when anyone could bake it.

The tradition of gingerbread house making began with Europeans baking gingersnap cookies around Christmas. These cookies were decorated with elaborate designs, usually gilded edges with pictures of animals, houses or other architecture. Gingerbread also displayed folk art and the news. This practice led to gingerbread houses, which were created in the 1800s, supposedly inspired by the Brothers Grimm book “Hansel & Gretel”.

Gingerbread is used for creating buildings other than houses, such as castles or even sports stadiums! Bergen, Norway builds an entire gingerbread village every year before Christmas.

In 2013, a group in Bryan, Texas, USA, broke the Guinness World Record set the previous year for the largest gingerbread house, with a 2,520-square-foot (234 m2) edible-walled house in aid of a hospital trauma centre. The gingerbread house had an estimated calorific value exceeding 35.8 million and ingredients included 2,925 pounds (1,327 kg) of brown sugar, 1,800 pounds (820 kg) of butter, 7,200 eggs and 7,200 pounds (3,300 kg) of general purpose flour.

M’tucci’s will help you build your Gingerbread House during the holidays by providing the ingredients in a kit, M’tucci’s Holiday Festivity Kit. It includes everything you need to build a house, plus dough and icing for sugar cookies, dough for chocolate chip cookies and 4 Hot Chocolate Bombs to eat while you make all of these goodies. The kit comes with recipes, instructions and a link to a video showing you how to put it all together. Scroll down for ordering details and to learn about M’tucci’s Ham Holiday Dinner and the Farmer’s Butcher Box, which are both available now.

M’tucci’s Holiday Festivity Kit

Will you build an elaborate Gingerbread House? Share your photos on Facebook or Instagram, tag us (@mtuccis_italian, @mtuccistwentyfive or @mtuccismoderno). First prize for the best decorated Gingerbread House is a $100 Gift Certificate, $50 for 2nd Place and $25 for 3rd Place. Winners will be selected by our Pastry Chef and the deadline for posting your photo is 12/24. Happy Building - and eating! Maybe build something like this?

Shot at the Museum of Idaho by Judy Zechariah

I’m cooking meals from the Farmer’s Butcher Box. So far we quickly ate Chef Cory’s Green Chile Stew, then cooked the bacon, and then I used some of the Italian Sausage to make a favorite Southern Italian dish: Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage. Chef Cory has added recipe cards for each of the items or you can create your own. I’m looking at an Osso Bucco recipe from Northern Italy for the Pork Shanks.

Farmer's Butcher Box

M'tucci's Applewood Smoked Bacon

M'tucci's Sackett Farm Italian Sausage

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Don’t miss out on ordering the fantastic weekend meal kit. Our meal kits are mostly prepped and portioned for you and you only need to open the box and follow the brief instructions to preparing a meal for four. This week’s meal kit is a Mixed Salad with Marinated Tomatoes and Feta, 4 -12oz. Sackett Farm Bone-In Pork Chops that have been in a Cranberry Brine, Roasted Brussel Sprouts and a pint of M’tucci’s Stracciatella Gelato. Only $49.

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You loved our Thanksgiving Charcuterie Retail Packages so much, so we have brought them back for the Holidays, with a few additions.

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Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

12 oz Hand Cut NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $29

Pan-Seared Rockfish - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $19

Gelato: Strawberry & Salted Caramel

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

10 oz Cold Smoked Sackett Farm Pork Chop - Italian Vegetable Succotash, Apple Bacon Bourbon Mostarda $21

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23

Gelato: Lemon Berry

Sorbetto: Strawberry Blend

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Hand Cut 7 oz Hanger Steak - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $21

Herb Roasted Game Hen: Grilled Escarole, Braised Gigante Beans, Balsamic Reduction $20

Gelatos: Strawberry

Sorbetto: Lemon

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Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Optimism

M’tucci’s Founder Jeff Spiegel

EDITOR’S NOTE: We hope you all had a wonderful and thankful day with friends and family. Since the opening of M’tucci’s , our Founder, Jeff Spiegel, has offered valuable leadership to the Partners. His years of experience in the restaurant business combined with his being in tune with social and economic forces offer hope for a post-pandemic business climate.

(Published in the Albuquerque Journal, 11/25/2020

BY Jeff Spiegel

Founding Partner, M’tucci’s Restaurants

It􀂷s nearly Thanksgiving. It doesn’t feel like it this year: here in New Mexico, it􀂷s 15 degrees warmer, at least,

than it should be in this season. That’s the case because of global warming and President Trump, who also

has been generating excessive heat since the election. It’s November 2020. The United States is heading into

its 10th month of the coronavirus pandemic. The economy has been pummeled, and no part of it more so

than the restaurant business. Restaurants have closed permanently in every part of the country. Some, to

comply with government mandates, have closed, reopened, closed again. While there are vaccines just

over the horizon, the winter of 2020-21 promises to cause further devastation to many restaurants, with

drastic impacts on the livelihoods of employees and vendors.

Here in New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently suspended all indoor dining for two weeks,

hoping to tamp down the resurgent killer virus, which is peaking. This is the second such closure. We support

this drastic measure, and we hope that it works. The three M’tucci’s restaurants that I founded with my

young partners are once again getting by living only on takeout and delivery sales, as well as early sales of

products placed in grocery stores. M’tucci’s will make it. While we will survive, millions of people have lost

their jobs and have been left to scramble. As of mid- September, 100,000 restaurants had closed, many never

to reopen. The National Restaurant Association calculates that the industry will have lost $240 billion by the

end of the year.

I write this with the expectation that effective vaccines are likely to be widely available by summer, or

possibly sooner. But even if that is the case, where will this leave the restaurant business?

After the coronavirus has wreaked its destruction, for the survivors and for new businesses looking to open,

there will be new opportunities for those poised to capitalize. Once people no longer have to fear dying by

going out, they will be dying to go out. But every town and city in this country will come out of 2021 with

many fewer restaurants than it had going into 2020.

Don􀂷t despair. There is a future. It’s not far off.

For the survivors, the post-pandemic period will provide enormous opportunity for expansion. For new

businesses, the landscape will also be ripe with opportunity. Landlords whose restaurant tenants have

crashed and burned will be anxious to lease their empty spaces, and rents will reflect that.

The coronavirus has provided operators with time to think, consider alternatives and plan. Our company

president, John Haas, developed myriad new products and delivery systems during the pandemic. He has

also used the slowdown to develop a platform for M’tucci’s wholesale business. Before the pandemic,

M’tucci’s was making 􀃀five types of bread, eight different pasta shapes, mozzarella and burrata, and a variety

of sausages and cured meats. Coming out of the pandemic, John has positioned us to be able to sell such a

high volume of the meat products that the revenues will rival those of an entire restaurant. This was a direct

result of his realization that farmers were suffering, and that we could be part of the solution by finding one to

partner with. He found the Sackett family farm in Iowa, and now we are helping each other by our close

collaboration.

Pondering the post-COVID 19 future, all of us need to keep our eyes open. Change is in the air. The ecosystem

is evolving; opportunities are there. I urge people in the food industry, and others as well, to consider the

changing landscape and be creative about adapting to new conditions. As an example of change, is it likely

that many of the businesses which sent their employees home to work are realizing they can save on

rent permanently. That may mean that some Downtown restaurant locations may not be desirable any longer,

or the rents may be cheaper. Additionally, we have already seen growth in businesses that provide meals to

assemble, heat and eat at home. And chefs and cooks are sharing co-kitchens, which makes them able to

meet growing demand and produce new products.

To my colleagues in the restaurant business and those who aspire to join our ranks, I hope you can survive

this plague on our sector and seize the opportunities that its aftermath will present. Don’t give up!

Jeff Spiegel greeting friends at the opening of M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

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Holiday Gift Cards.

Get one of these for every $100 Gift Card.

Available until 12/31/2020

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We are closed for dining, but we still have a few weekend specials for takeout or delivery.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

12 oz Hand Cut NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $29

Lightly Breaded San Dabs - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $19

Gelato (pints only $8): Strawberry & Salted Caramel

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

6 oz Hand Cut Beef Tenderloin - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $26

Beef Tip Tortellini - Beef tips with Cajun Seasoning, Diced Tomatoes, Green Onion, Rosa Sauce and Gorgonzola Cheese $21

Gelato (Pint only $8): Lemon Berry

Sorbetto: Strawberry Blend

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Hand Cut 10 oz Chianina Delmonico - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $27

Gelatos (Pint only $8): Strawberry

Sorbetto: Lemon

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Thanks for the Food

Just remember, it comes from farmers, fishermen and ranchers.

Colorado

Iowa

Vietnam

California

Colorado

North Dakota

Ethiopia

Uganda

M'tucci's Thanksgiving

As we all face the challenges of the pandemic (lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, masks) we still want to celebrate Thanksgiving. M’tucci’s always closes for Thanksgiving, but this year we have created a Thanksgiving Meal Kit which features sides and a pie, all you do is add turkey (I’m adding a standing rib roast). The details are just below, so keep scrolling.

While turkey is a centerpiece for most Thanksgiving tables, there are a wide variety of side dishes, both creative and traditional. Chef/Partner Cory Gray created five dishes for our kit that were influenced by our restaurants and from his family favorites. The stuffing is a bread stuffing, with onion, celery, garlic and sage. I asked members of the M’tucci’s family what was always on the table for Thanksgiving with family and the most common response was green bean casserole.

Green Bean Casserole with Creamy Mushrooms and Fried Leeks will probably be a cut above the usual casserole with canned onion soup. Potatoes take many forms at Thanksgiving: scalloped and mashed, savory or sweet. M’tucci’s creamy mashed potatoes are made with fresh garlic, Italian-style.

The M’tucci’s Family remembers their family favorites:

President/Company Chef John Haas: “Thanksgiving meal is really separated into two things. The first, Turkey, is a sacred ritual to me. It’s always brined for 48 hours and then it is either smoked or roasted. The second is the sides, which stuffing is probably the most loved by me. It seemingly is the only time all year it ends up on a plate of mine. As the years have piled up being in New Mexico, red chile has become the other must have. Does Red Wine and Whiskey count as a side?”

Partner/Chef Shawn Cronin: “We always had braised mushrooms, sautéed zucchini with cheddar cheese, stuffing, sweet potatoes with marshmallows (we make Michelle make the marshmallows every year) canned cranberry, mashed potatoes.”

Catering Manager Taña Martinez: “Moms candied yams with marshmallows, pineapple and pecans has always my favorite when it comes to sides. The marshmallows are always toasted perfectly and the center is soo ooey gooey and delicious.”

Manager Trey Godwin: “Sweet potato casserole and pecan (Pee-Can) pie. Wouldn't be a good Thanksgiving without either one. The sweet potato casserole with none of the marshmallow bullshit, just the real deal.”

Founder Jeff Spiegel: “Carrot soufflé, lighter than sweet potato with marshmallow. Katie’s citrus cranberry sauce is delicious with stuffing and a bit of turkey.

Founder Katie Gardner: “When I was a kid, my grand parents had a cook and she made a fudge sauce over fresh ice cream. I have dreamt about it, and sampled many in search of its equal for 70 years and have never found it.”

Managers Ernest Nuñez and Arcy Law both said the green bean casserole was a family favorite. Arcy said they also always had oyster stuffing. My family always had scalloped oysters, but my Dad was the only one who would eat them.

Chef/Partner Cory Gray: “I would have to say the favorite is a toss up between the family homemade stuffing and scalloped potatoes. Roasted Brussel sprouts a definite.

Partner Austin Leard: “Dating Latina women most of my life, mashed potatoes and red chile was always a favorite of mine at their family's house. I could always fill an entire plate with Ham, green bean casserole and stuffing at Grandma's house though.”

We hope you and your family find safety, comfort, love and good health during this holiday season. The M’tucci’s family is so thankful for your tremendous support. We look forward to the time when we can welcome you into our restaurants with a smile, a handshake and a hug. Grazie Mille!

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Saturday 11/21 is the Last Day to Order Thanksgiving Pies.

Pumpkin with Pumpkin Seed Brittle & Ginger Vanilla Chantilly Cream - $17

Apple with Oat Almond Streusel $15

Bourbon Pecan Pie with Vanilla Chantilly Cream $18

The toppings will come packaged separately, so you can add them when you are ready for dessert (or breakfast). Please call the restaurant closest to you to place your order and to arrange a pick up time (online ordering is not available). Add a pint of House Made Salted Caramel Gelato for only $7.

Pies must be Picked up by Wednesday, 11/25!

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M’tucci’s @ Home Prep Kitchen Meals

The meals returned this week and will be available until they are sold out. We prepare a limited number every week. The menu is announced on social media every Tuesday and they are available for online or call in ordering beginning at 11:00am on Thursday. The price varies depending on the meal, but is always three courses and is designed to feed four people. My wife and I cooked the meal last night and only used half of the pasta, but we have enough of the Sackett Farm Pork Bolognese left for at least 3-4 more meals!

One of my favorite M’tucci’s salads is included in the kit, Roasted Golden Beets with Farro, topped with Gorgonzola and Candied Pecans. The flavors cover all the bases, sweet, savory, a little bitter and a lot of YUM!

If you have never had one of these meals, they are super easy to prepare. Most of the prep work is done for you. As you can see from the photo on the left, the portions are individually packaged, there is a recipe card and a QR code that takes you to the M’tucci’s YouTube Channel where Chef Cory gives you step-by-step instructions on putting your meal together. This week’s menu is:

Sackett Farm Pork Ragu with San Marzano Tomatoes, Caramelized Onion, Wild Mushrooms on House Made Pappardelle Pasta

Roasted Beet & Farro Salad

Toffee Coffee Cake Bar

Total Cooking time of only 40 minutes and a total cost of $43

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We are closed for dining, but we still have a few weekend specials for takeout or delivery.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

8 oz Beef Tenderloin - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $27

Gelato (pints only $7): Strawberry & Salted Caramel

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

6 oz Hand Cut Beef Tenderloin - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $26

Pan-Seared Rockfish - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce, Capers, Prosciutto Powder $21

Gelato (Pint only $7): Salted Caramel & Stracciatella & Strawberry

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Hand Cut 5 oz Beef Tenderloin - Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $20

Gelatos (Pint only $7): Salted Caramel & Strawberry

Sorbetto: Lemon

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Fall Photos from Near and Far

Upper Rio Grande - Colorado

Firehole River - Yellowstone NP

Yellowstone River - YNP

Cape St. Mary - Newfoundland

Along Chama River - NM

Romero's Fruit & Veggie Stand - Hernandez, NM

Sangre de Cristos, Colorado

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Thanks for reading. See you next week, Ciao!

We Make It Here, Pt. 1

When the first M’tucci’s restaurant opened in 2013, the phrase “If you ate it here, we made it here” was used on the menus and in marketing. Seven years later, the truth of that statement has gone way beyond a slogan and is the driving force behind the food and beverages at all M’tucci’s restaurants.

Company Chef & President, John Haas has led teams in boutique and corporate kitchens. He blended those experiences with his love of food to create menus that feature “House Made” products and that is also value driven. While there are many aspects to the success of M’tucci’s, if you had to choose one, it would be artisanal, craft-made products at a fair price.

Eggplant Parmesan with House Mozzarella

Charcuterie with House Bread & Mozzarella

Bread

The bread at M’tucci’s is legendary. Developed by Chef/Partners Cory Gray and Shawn Cronin, they started with a very old European starter and based all of the bread (and pizza dough) recipes on the concept of no commercial yeast. It’s a process that is time-consuming, but results in healthy and flavorful bread. You’ll find it on our menus and you will find loaves available for purchase in all of our restaurants, at Silver Street Market and area Albertson’s Markets. Choose from Sourdough, Rye, Whole Wheat, Ciabatta and Baguette.

Cured Meat

Chefs Shawn and Cory developed their interest in curing meat into a passion that is prominent on our menus. Our curing program was recently elevated by our partnership with Sackett Farms, producing a Heritage breed pork, and an Italian-owned processing plant which provides us with custom cuts. Capicola Carbonara (M’tucci’s Twenty-Five) features house smoked and cured pork shoulder, Five Pork Bolognese (all locations) uses pork shoulder, pancetta and sausage from our Sackett Farms pork. We also make our own Italian sausage which you can sample in pasta dishes and on our Neapolitan-style pizza.

Capicola Carbonara

Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza

The Curing Room

Spicy Capicola

Cheese

In Puglia, mozzarella and burrata are known as latticini, which are products made from milk and meant to be eaten fresh. You could end up in a serious argument with an Italian if you called mozzarella “cheese”. The quality of the milk is important, especially for the right balance of fat and acidity. Mozzarella is hand formed into balls and used fresh and smoked. You’ll find it on Charcuterie plates, Eggplant Parmesan and pizza. Burrata is mozzarella stretched around cream and bits of cheese (stracciatella). It’s more decadent and rich than mozzarella and adds another dimension to Chicken Milanese (served at all locations).

Mozzarella

Burrata

Eggplatn Parmesan at M'tucci's Moderno

Chicken Milanese at M'tucci's Twenty-Five

Pasta

The old argument between dried pasta and fresh pasta is a waste of time. Dried pasta made with good durum wheat, pressed through bronze dies and dried slowly will produce outstanding pasta. On the other hand, controlling the process from start to finish produces an exceptional pasta with texture and flavor. We use an Italian pasta machine with bronze dies (which produces a rough textured pasta, better for holding sauce), imported Italian durum wheat flour and filtered water. We make fresh ravioli, rigatoni, fettuccine, campanelle, pappardelle and spaghettini.

Campanelle

Pappardelle

Ravioli

Lobster Ravioli - M'tucci's Twenty-Five

Five Pork Bolognese - M'tucci's Italian

Shrimp Campanelle - M'tucci's Moderno

Salsiccia Affumicata - M'tucci's Twenty-Five

Gelato

The newest addition to our house-made lineup is creamy Italian Gelato. If you have ever had genuine Italian Gelato, then no explanation is necessary. The flavor and richness are supplied by fresh ingredients, not thick cream and lots of sugar. Our Executive Pastry Chef Brianna Dennis comes up with new flavors of Gelato and Sorbetto every week based on what is fresh and available (check out the weekend flavors by scrolling to the next section).

Strawberry

Salted Caramel

Straciatella

Part 2 next week is all about beverages: Shrubs & Wine.

Coming Soon!!

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Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Hand Cut 24oz Bone-In NY Strip - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $32

Pan-Seared Yellowfin Tuna - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sauteéd Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $21

Ravioli - Pesto Ricotta, Sautéed Pink Shrimp, Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, Sun-Fried Tomato, Arugula, Light Lemon Cream Sauce $23

Rotisserie - Smoked 1/2 Chicken Herb Rubbed & Roasted - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $23

Gelato: Double Chocolate

Sorbetto: Strawberry, Blood Orange

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

6 oz Hand Cut Beef Tenderloin - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $26

Pan-Seared Rockfish - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce, Capers, Prosciutto Powder $21

Crispy Chicken Risotto - Mushrooms, Celery, Carrots and Alfredo $19

Gelato: Lemongrass

Sorbetto: Pineapple

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Pan-Seared Ruby Trout - Grilled Escarole, Prosciutto Powder, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Seared Artichokes, Topped with Prosciutto Powder, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23

Braised Lamb Shank - Mascarpone Polenta, Braised Italian Greens, Shallots, House Bacon, Red Wine Jus $23

Hand Cut 5 oz Beef Tenderloin - Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $23

Gelatos: Lemongrass, Chocolate

Sorbetto: Mango

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Thanksgiving Pies - 11/21 is the last day to order!

Pumpkin with Pumpkin Seed Brittle & Ginger Vanilla Chantilly Cream - $17

Apple with Oat Almond Streusel $15

Bourbon Pecan Pie with Vanilla Chantilly Cream $18

The toppings will come packaged separately, so you can add them when you are ready for dessert (or breakfast). Please call the restaurant closest to you to place your order and to arrange a pick up time ( online ordering is not available). Add a pint of House Made Salted Caramel Gelato for only $7.

Order no later than 11/21 and pick up no later than 11/25.

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Catering

We are offering alternatives to the Christmas Office party. Call Taña today for details. 505-350-0019

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

Caffe d' Italia

On the first morning of my first trip to Italy in 1994, I sat in a cafe and enjoyed a cappuccino. I had discovered this magical morning beverage in a small Italian cafe in the North Beach section of San Francisco nearly 20 years earlier. This was many years before the Starbucks-on-every-corner phenomenon and it was not easy to find a real cappuccino elsewhere in the U.S. for several years.

On my second night in Italy in the Cinque Terre village of Vernazza, I decided to end my meal with an espresso. I had read that espresso has less caffeine than drip coffee, primarily because of the roasting process and the amount of coffee used to produce a small cup. It was the perfect Italian way to end the meal. However, lying in bed wide awake, listening to the church bell toll twice for 2:00am, I decided that I should restrict my consumption of coffee to a morning cappuccino.

While coffee culture has boomed in America, Italy is still synonymous with espresso and cappuccino. Although there are no coffee beans grown in Italy, nor is Italy the largest worldwide consumer of coffee, there are few places where coffee plays a more important role in daily life.

Two baristas at a cafe in Rome. (notice the prices from 2008)

Coffee is an ancient drink, made from beans/seeds from a bush first discovered in Ethiopia. The first recorded coffee consumption was in Yemen in the 15th century. It spread throughout the Middle East, and eventually made its way to Europe through Venice. The earlier forms of preparation involved boiling the seeds, which evolved to roasting and then boiling the seeds of the Coffea bush. In 1600 it was called “Arabian Wine” and was not acceptable in Europe until Pope Clement VII declared it a “Christian beverage”.

After the Arab world conspired to control the production and distribution, Dutch forces stormed the shores of Al Mukha (anglicized as Mocha) in Yemen in 1690 and made away with a number of coffee trees. The Dutch East India company took the trees to Indonesia, which then provided Europe with a steady supply of coffee. The trees then were taken to the Caribbean and the Americas where they flourish, with Brazil now being the worlds leading producer of coffee (approximately 35%).

A small coffee farm in Chiapas, Mexico

There are two main strains of coffee beans, Robusta and Arabica. Robusta is native to Subsaharan Africa, while Arabica is native to Ethiopia and Kenya. Arabica is considered the higher quality of the two, but has lower yields, is more susceptible to rusts and is more expensive. The flavors are generally more mellow and rich. Robusta tends to be more bitter, but has more body than Arabica. High quality Robusta beans are used on most Italian blends for a bigger flavor and a richer crema (the caramel foam that results from a proper espresso).

Arguably, the greatest improvement to coffee was the invention of the espresso machine. The first version was created by a Neapolitan named Bezzera using a boiler that forced steam through the grounds. This concept was improved upon by Achille Gaggia in 1938. He invented a machine that used hydraulic pumps that created 9 bars of pressure. His machines are still sold today and are very popular (I’ve owned two). While espresso drinks are found around the world (one of the best lattes I have ever had was in a cafe in Guatemala run by a couple of Koreans), espresso drinks are uniquely Italian. Of course, there is espresso, latte and cappuccino, but also macchiato (espresso with a dollop of foamed milk) and a caffe correto (espresso with a shot of liqueur, grappa or cognac).

At M’tucci’s, we use Lavazza, which has been roasted and blended by the Lavazza family since Luigi opened a store in Turin in 1895. True to Italian style, Lavazza’s espresso blend, Super Crema, is a blend of 60% Arabica and 40% Robusta. We use it for our espresso and cappuccino, our house cocktails (Espresso Martini and Italian Iced Caffe) and our desserts (Tiramisu and Gelato). Here are a few videos showing the process of espresso and cappuccino, our Espresso Martini available at all M’tucci’s, and a Spanish Coffee, only at M’tucci’s Moderno.

Italian Iced Caffe only at M’tucci’s Italian

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Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Pesto Ricotta Ravioli - Sautéed Pink Shrimp, Sun-Dried Tomato, Artichokes, Caramelized Onions in a Lemon Cream Sauce $23

Hand Cut 24oz T-Bone, Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $32

Pan-Seared Mahi-Mahi - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce $29

Braise - Slow Braised Harris Ranch Angus Beef, Wild Mushrooms, Red Pepper, San Marzano Ragu & House Pappardelle Pasta $25

Gelato: Stracciatella

Sorbetto: Cherry Limoncello

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

24 oz Hand-Cut T-Bone - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $32

Pan-Seared Ruby Red Trout - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce $21

Lobster/Shrimp Pasta - Lobster, Pink Shrimp, Grape Tomatoes, Garlic, Chile Flakes, and a Lobster Cream Sauce over Spaghetti $24

Gelato: Stracciatella

Sorbetto: Raspberry Lemon

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Pan-Seared Fresh Monkfish - Grilled Escarole, Prosciutto Powder, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Seared Artichokes, Topped with Prosciutto Powder, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $28

Gelato: Chocolate Hazelnut, Strawberry Shrub

Sorbetto: Raspberry Lemon

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Italy

Rome

Orvieto

San Gimignano

Montalcino

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Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

M'tucci's Gelato

You are going to love our new gelato! While we have always had gelato on our menus, the bar is being raised with the delivery of a new gelato machine and the partnership with a local dairy, Rasband, to supply all of the milk.

Gelato existed before ice cream, but it has less sugar and less cream than what we know as ice cream. Eggs are primarily used in gelato made in Northern Italy, but rarely used in Southern Italy or Sicily. Gelato relies on precise technique and the best ingredients such as: fresh fruit in season, and quality nuts and chocolate for the intense flavor and richness. Another factor in the richness of gelato is the lack of air, or emulsification, that is used in whipping the ingredients together.

Fresh Lemons and Strawberries for our Lemon Mascarpone and Strawberry Gelato.

Gelato was refined in Italy, but its roots are most likely in the Arab countries of North Africa and the Middle East, where flavored ices were created from snow and fresh fruit. The early concoctions were probably closer to a slushie than sorbetto or gelato. It eventually made its way to Sicily during some of the conflicts with the Moors. Even before the fall of the Roman Empire, Romans and Sicilians starting harvesting snow from Mt. Etna and Mt. Vesuvius to make what the Italians called sorbetto.

After learning to create a mixture in a container surrounded by ice, the result was something more refined than a “slushy”. The Arabs called their product “sherbet” which means “sweet snow” in Arabic.

In the early sixteenth century the De Medici court held a dessert competition, which was won by a man named Ruggheri. His sorbetto was praised by all and he accompanied Catherine de Medici to France (when she traveled there to marry the future King of France) where his sorbetto wowed the French cooks and became very popular in France. In the late 17th century a Sicilian fishermen who grew tired of the hard life at sea, discovered a machine that his grandfather acquired and started experimenting with recipes, eventually substituting sugar for honey and added milk. He also learned to mix salt with the ice to make the mixing vessel colder.

Armed with his recipes and new techniques, Francesco Procopio di Coltelli moved to Paris and opened Cafe Procope, which became the first successful Gelateria.

Eventually, gelato came to the U.S. with an Italian immigrant in 1770 when Genoan Giovanni Bosio open the first gelateria in New York. Cone molds were soon invented, followed by the hand cranked machine. The electric machine made it feasible to make gelato at home and for small producers to sell it on the street, at this time the recipes and techniques evolved. Gelato became ice cream - not always an improvement, since lesser ingredients and powdered flavorings were often used (they still are today - look at the ingredients of a container of inexpensive ice cream and you might be shocked to find many ingredients that are chemicals and sound more like components for paint thinner than food!). Let’s just say that gelato is a healthier, more natural form of ice cream.

In addition to our local milk from Rasband Dairy, we will only use the freshest fruit in season, the best chocolate, and we’ll make our own caramel for our Salted Caramel Gelato. Pastry Chef Brianna at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five is in charge of the recipes and will keep the selections interesting. Our goal is to offer four different flavors at each of our locations. In the not-too-distant future, we will sell 8 oz containers of M’tucci’s Gelato at each restaurant.

Keep watching this space for news about flavors and the availability of take home gelato. For now, we have Strawberry, Lemon Mascarpone, Salted Caramel and Stracciatella Gelato.

M'tucci's Salted Caramel Gelato

M'tucci's Stracciatella

M'tucci's Strawberry Gelato is loaded with Fresh Strawberries

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Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

Three Cheese and Red Chile Ravioli, Roasted Red Peppers, Caramelized Onion, Butternut Squash, Arugula, Brown Butter Sauce

Hand Cut 16oz T-Bone, Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction, Grilled Lemon

Pan-Seared Bronzino - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce

Sunday Only: Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and House BBQ Sauce for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

Beef Tenderloin - Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Italian Salsa Verde $27

Pan-Seared Yellowtail - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Cream Sauce $21

Crispy Chicken Risotto - Mushrooms, Celery, Carrots, Crispy Chicken, Alfredo Sauce $19

Sunday Only: House Made Lasagna with Herbed Ricotta, Five Pork Bolognese and Roasted Tomato Marinara. $16 (it’s large)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Smoked Herb Roasted Pork Loin - Garlic Mash Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Spicy Buerre Blanc

Pan-Seared Yellowtail - Grilled Escarole, Prosciutto Powder, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Seared Artichokes, Topped with Prosciutto Powder, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce

Dessert Special: Chocolate Brownie, House Marshmallow, Chocolate Ganache, Topped with Chocolate Hazelnut Candy and Dolce De Leche Whip.

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Kirk Matthews Live at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five Friday 7:30 - 9:30

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A Few from Italy

Bolgheri, Tuscany

Carrera Marble Mines

Carrera, Tuscany

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Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

M'tucci's To Go!

Hello to all of our M’tucci’s fans and friends. When we started La Gazzeta one year ago, we didn’t think this would be the topic for our one year anniversary. But for edition #54 our message is this: we hope you are practicing social distancing and staying healthy. Your health and well-being are of utmost importance, which is why we were proactive and closed our dining rooms last Monday and switched to carry-out and delivery only.

President/Company Chef John Haas has been leading the team through this transition, implementing a new menu, and creating a meal program for the staff that we were forced to lay off. Our human resources specialist, Jackie, has been helping our staff (in English and Español) file for benefits to help keep them afloat during our dining room closures.

Of course, we want to thank you for your continued support. The response to our Take Out and Delivery menu has been overwhelming. If you want to see the menu, or download it, click on the big red button. Online Ordering & Pickup, plus Delivery all have buttons on each restaurant’s webpage. Choose the restaurant closest to you for pickup or delivery.

Yes, the Five Pork Bolognese is on the Take Out/Delivery Menu.

At M’tucci’s the overall feeling is one of optimism. We believe the New Mexico authorities got out in front of this virus early by closing schools and talking about social distancing. We are doing everything we can to offer great meals at a reasonable price - use (#support local) when you order and get a 20% discount, which makes the kid’s meal $4.00!!

Campanelle Alfredo with Chicken

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Margherita Pizzeta

Pepperoni Pizzeta

We realize that some of your favorites are missing from the menu, but we had to make a menu decision based on staffing and take out/delivery logistics. We think we are offering a nice assortment from our menu. Here are photos of just a few. Of course, our amazing pizza is there.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon

Twinkie d'Italia

Fresh Caprese

Miajah (L) and Lori (R) working with Jackie on filing for assistance during the pandemic layoffs.

Once again, we can’t tell you how much we appreciate you. We’ll get through this together.

We’ll try to have daily updates on Facebook and Instagram. Please follow us!

@mtuccistwentyfive

@mtuccismoderno

@mtuccis_restaurants

Italian Inspiration

A week-long trip to Italy to eat in restaurants in Tuscany sounds like a vacation - right? However, when four of M’tucci’s chefs (and one lucky photographer/writer) made that trip last summer, it laid the groundwork for the menu at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five.

For John, Shawn, Cory and Damian it wasn’t a vacation, but it was a valuable Italian experience; eating, cooking, taking a couple of classes, and basically absorbing Italian food and culture for seven days. John Haas said that nearly every dish on one page of the menu (small plates, crostini, appetizers, cicchetti, charcuterie) was inspired by their experiences and meals. He remarked about the amazing simplicity of an appetizer plate with lightly pickled vegetables that we had for lunch in Colonatta (near the Carrara Marble Mines).

“It was not the most impressive mixture of vegetables, ones that we tend to overlook, but it was the way that they balanced it perfectly with flavor and texture. So thoughtful, so simple, but so good,” he said. “We all said Wow.”

I asked each chef to choose one dish on the new menu was inspired by their meals in Italy. First up, Executive Sous Chef at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five, Damian Lucero.

“Sitting on the coast in the town of San Vicenzo at Il Bucaniere, with the salty air and the view of the sea, there was a tuna appetizer with a green, pesto-like wine sauce with a cauliflower puree on top that I wanted to put our spin on it and make a tuna entree,” he said. “So we cure sushi-grade tuna, then pan-sear it, and serve it with a spinach pesto and our house oyster mushroom fermented arancini stuffed with mozzarella. It’s really good.”

Executive Chef Shawn Cronin was inspired by bitter Italian greens, which are used in a variety of ways throughout Italy.

“What struck me was how they use and celebrate things that we use as an afterthought. Escarole is used at the other restaurants, but we use it heavily here. The Grilled Escarole Caesar Salad is a little different to most people, but when they taste it, they like it and they say it works. It’s (escarole) such a small player, but it can take center stage when you sauté it, serve it fresh or preserve it. It’s really the star on the Chianina Beef Ravioli,” he said.

President/Company Chef John Haas was inspired by how the elements come together: the sea, the land and the weather.

“We incorporated those elements in the Seared Atlantic Sea Scallops, you’ve got the saltiness of the pancetta, the sweetness of scallops from the sea and the brightness of the peas. To me the salinity, the minerals and the freshness all work together. It’s very representative of the flavors and foods of Tuscany,” he said.

Seared Atlantic Sea Scallops, sautéed spinach, pickled escarole, red onion, M’tucci’s applewood smoked bacon, white beans and English pea puree.

Come explore the menu at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five. We think it’s as close as you can get to Italy and still be in New Mexico. Click here to see the menu.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Weekend Specials

Seafood Special - Pan-Seared Ono w/Smoked Prosciutto Powder, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Roasted Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce - $24

Cut of the Day - Chianina Delmonico, Grilled Marinated Broccolini, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Herbed Salsa Verde - $25

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24oz Hand-Cut Porterhouse: Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction 

Pan-Seared Seafood - Sand Dabs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Caper Lemon Beurre Blanc 

Ravioli - Pesto Ricotta Ravioli, Sautéed Pink Shrimp, Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Asparagus, Shallots, Light Lemon Cream Sauce

Braise - House Spicy Bacon, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Shallots, Candied Dates, White Wine Butter Sauce, Pappardelle Pasta 

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24oz Hand-Cut T-Bone - Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, and an Italian Salsa Verde.

Featured Wine Pairing: Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon

Pan-Seared Seafood - Barramundi - Sautéed Arugula, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, Finished with a Smoked Prosciutto Powder.

Featured Wine Pairing: Glass Mountain Chardonnay

Pasta Special - Shrimp Diablo - Pink Patagonia Shrimp, Caramelized Onion, Celery, Capers, Crushed Red Pepper, Marinara Sauce, and Spaghettini Pasta.

Featured Wine Pairing: Imagery Pinot Noir

Click here to vote for M’tucci’s Moderno for the Best of Rio Rancho. Please vote for us in the following categories: Best Italian, Best Waitstaff, Best Appetizer Menu, Best Date Night Restaurant, Best Dessert, Best Lunch Spot, Best Bartender (Tyler or Shelly or Isaac), Best Chef (John Haas), Best Tap Beer Selection, Best Happy Hour - and, of course, Best Pizza!

March Music

Thursdays 7-9
3/19 - Oscar Butter
3/26 - Melissa Rios

Friday’s 8-10pm
3/6 - Kirk Matthews
3/13 - Lani Nash
3/20 - Kirk Matthews
3/27 - Leah Leyva  

M’tucci’s Catering

Don’t forget to make your bookings for Mother’s Day and Graduation Parties. We offer on-site catering at M’tucci’s Moderno (2 private dining rooms for 35 & 75 guests) and at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five (private dining room for 45 people). We also have a large screen for your presentations when you book the private dining room at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five for your lunch meeting. We can deliver off-site catering to your home for a buffet, dinner party or wedding reception. Click here to see a menu and contact us today!

Il Salone - Private Dining Room at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

Happy Hour Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30

New beer:

The Vulkanland Vienna lager is a copper to reddish-brown beer with pale chocolate and Vienna malts. It’s balanced with aromas and flavors of sweet malt and floral hops. Low hop additions allow the German malts to truly shine though, making this darker lager a quaffable beer to drink any time of the year. 5.5% ABV and 24 IBU’s. 

Daily Specials

Sunday - Happy Hour all Day

Monday - Margherita Mondays - $5 small Margherita pizza, add a pint and it’s $10

Tuesday - $2 Tuesdays Happy Hour - All pints $2 (except seasonal beers) and $2 off all Appetizers

Wednesday - Wing Wednesday - 2 pounds of our special house brined wings in 3 flavors for $8

Thursday & Friday - Live Music and regular Happy Hour

2020 Lunch Special

Every 20th guest who comes in for lunch between 11:00 & 3:00 Monday - Friday gets lunch on M’tucci’s. Who said there’ no such thing as a free lunch??

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, . $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

Live Music - Thursdays @ 6:00 and Fridays @ 8:00

3/13: Kirk Matthews

3/19: Amy Cliser

3/20: Lea Leyva

3/26: Austin Van

3/27: GB Duo

See you next week. Ciao!

M'tucci's Twenty-Five: Week One

We did it! Remodeled and opened. We love hearing your comments about the renovation, but more importantly hearing about the menu put together by Executive Chef/Founder John Haas, Executive Chef Shawn Cronin, Executive Sous Chef Damian Lucero and Chef de Cuisine Omar Rosas (lest you think those are just fancy titles, take a look through the big dining room/kitchen windows and you’ll see all four of these guys working).

After reading this, please take a look at Twenty-Five’s web page. Here you can click buttons to see the menus and wine list or make a reservation. One entire page of Appetizers, Charcuterie and small plates. Come with a group, because you are going to want to sample everything. I’ve only had one of the Secondi, because I can’t quit ordering the pasta.

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are 25,000 words from the first week of M’tucci’s Twenty-Five, from the Celebratory Cocktail evening, to a few nights of practice dinners, to our first few opening days.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24oz Hand-Cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Lemon Balsamic Reduction 

Pan-Seared Seafood - Mahi Mahi, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Asparagus, Lemon Caper Sauce

Ravioli - Pesto Ricotta Ravioli, Roasted Butternut Squash, Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Caramelized Onion, Wild Mushrooms, Lemon Cream Sauce

Braise - Wild Mushroom San Mariano Braised Chianina Beef Ragu, Pappardelle Pasta 

Rotisserie - Herb-Rubbed Smoked Duroc Pork Loin, Creamy Polenta, Grilled Asparagus, Cherry Gastrique

SATURDAY, 2/22 : We have a pretty special event coming up with the non-profit, Babes and Bullies. Don’t miss the chance to help and, please, neuter and spay your pets!

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Herb Roasted 1/2 Chicken - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Cranberry Gastrique. $19

Imagery Pinot Noir 2018 - smooth, soft, and lovely medium-body flavors to the nose plus ripe, juicy fruit, red licorice & cola flavors. $11/$42

Fresh Fish of the Day: Rockfish - Sautéed Arugula, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, finished with a Smoked Prosciutto Powder. $21

Tormaresca Chardonnay 2018 - Rich in ripe tropical fruit aromas and flavors. Well-balanced acidity, medium-bodied palate, with a crisp, clean finish. $8/$32

Cut of the Day: 24oz Bone-in Porterhouse Steak - Traditional Italian Salsa Verde, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, and Grilled Asparagus.  $34

Frescobaldi 'Remole' Super Tuscan 2017 - Fruity aromas, such as blackcurrant, raspberry and black cherry slowly give way to extremely delicate spicy notes. Fresh vivacity. $7/28

Tonight @ 8:00: Kirk Matthews Live

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

Happy Hour Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30

Daily Specials

Sunday - Happy Hour all Day

Monday - Margherita Mondays - $5 small Margherita pizza, add a pint and it’s $10

Tuesday - $2 Tuesdays - All pints $2 (except seasonal beers) and $2 off all Appetizers

Wednesday - Wing Wednesday - 2 pounds of our special house brined wings in 3 flavors for $8

Thursday & Friday - Live Music and regular Happy Hour

2020 Lunch Special

Every 20th guest who comes in for lunch between 11:00 & 3:00 Monday - Friday gets lunch on M’tucci’s. Who said there’ no such thing as a free lunch??

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, . $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

Live Music at Lava Rock, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

Live Music - Thursdays @ 6:00 and Fridays @ 8:00

2/21:Lea Leyva

2/27: Alex Maryol

2/28: GB Duo

Some of the live music in March includes: Oscar Butler, RJ Perez, Melissa Rios, Austin Van, Hat Trick, Kirk Matthews, Keith Sanchez and GB Duo. Watch for dates in this space next week.

See you next week. Ciao!

M'tucci's Twenty-Five Opens 2/17

M’tucci’s Founder Jeff Spiegel addresses the servers and bartenders before last night’s cocktail party.

“We are thrilled to bring our unique Italian experience to the east side of the river,” said John Haas, M’tucci’s Restaurants Managing Partner. “We’re confident that when people come to M’tucci’s Twenty-Five, they will enjoy a truly Italian experience not found anywhere else in New Mexico – except the other M’tucci’s.

Many of the new menu items are inspired from the chef team’s recent working tour of Tuscany, Italy. The team utilizes many products fabricated in house including cured meats and cheeses, homemade bread and condiments and custom cocktails from with M’tucci’s handmade shrubs. All menu items are prepared from scratch daily.

We hope you’ll love the dramatic transformation of the former Chama River Brewing, with a large lounge and bar, a custom Charcuterie Bar (anchored by the exquisite Sirman Anniversario Slicer, the gold standard in Italian design), and the comfortable dining room. Handcrafted tables from sustainable hardwoods are used throughout the bar and dining area. Click here to watch a time lapse video of them being milled and finished. Coming this spring/summer there will be additional outdoor seating.

We will open for lunch and dinner beginning Monday, February 17. Click on the button below to see the menu and download it.

Here are a few photos of the new restaurant, from a small gathering of friends and family last night.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of day - Harris Ranch 12oz Hand-Cut Ribeye, Garlic Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction 

Pan-Seared Seafood - Sea Scallops, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce

Ravioli - Lobster/Crab/Mascarpone Ravioli, Caramelized Onion, Sautéed Pink Shrimp & Lobster Cream Sauce

Braise -Stuffed Duroc Pork Loin, Artichoke, Wild Mushrooms, Shallots, Spinach. Creamy Polenta, Grilled Asparagus, Lemon Cream Sauce

Pastry Chef Michelle Seager and her team have created some new desserts. Come try one and make it your favorite.

There are two more Prix Fixe Wednesdays in February. 3 Courses/3 wines for $25.

Valentine’s Day Specials

House-made Lobster Ravioli - Cold Water Lobster And Crab Served With Wild Pink Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Grape Tomatoes, Basil & a Lobster Cream Sauce. $30 

Pan-Seared Scallops: Served With Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Artichokes, Sautéed Organic Baby Arugula And Topped With Lemon Caper Butter Sauce & Smoked Prosciutto Powder.  $29 

“Cut Of The Day” - Our Harris Ranch 24oz Porterhouse Steak: Is Served With House Made Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus & Our Traditional Italian Salsa Verde. $34 

Harris Ranch Boneless 14oz NY Strip Steak: Is Perfectly Grilled To Way You Love It And Served With Crispy Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini & A Chimichurri Sauce. $26

Ask About Our Valentines Day Wine Features!

Valentine’s Day Cocktails
Lillet Love - Muddled Cucumber And Strawberry, Lillet Blanc, Hendrix Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, Cane Sugar, Prosecco $9

Chocolate Covered Strawberry - Muddled Strawberry, Absolut Vanilia Vodka, Chocolate Liquor, Simple Syrup, Half And Half $9

M’tucci’s Makers Private Select Old Fashioned – Our House Blend Of Makers Mark, Peychaud Bitters, Sugar, Orange Twist, Brandy Cherry $14

Dessert Special

Brownie Sundae - Crème Brûlée Gelato, Chocolate Caramel Sauce, Caramel Popcorn,Cherry Liquor Whipped Cream, Chocolate Covered Strawberry $8

Happy Valentine’s Day From Your Family At M’tucci’s!

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

Happy Hour Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30

Daily Specials

Sunday - Happy Hour all Day

Monday - Margherita Mondays - $5 small Margherita pizza, add a pint and it’s $10

Tuesday - $2 Tuesdays - All pints $2 (except seasonal beers) and $2 off all Appetizers

Wednesday - Wing Wednesday - 2 pounds of our special house brined wings in 3 flavors for $8

Thursday & Friday - Live Music and regular Happy Hour

2020 Lunch Special

Every 20th guest who comes in for lunch between 11:00 & 3:00 Monday - Friday gets lunch on M’tucci’s. Who said there’ no such thing as a free lunch??

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, . $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

Live Music at Lava Rock, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

Live Music - Thursdays @ 6:00 and Fridays @ 8:00

2/14: AdLib

2/20: Cali Shaw

2/21:Lea Leyva

2/27: Alex Maryol

2/28: GB Duo

Some of the live music in March includes: Oscar Butler, RJ Perez, Melissa Rios, Austin Van, Hat Trick, Kirk Matthews, Keith Sanchez and GB Duo. Watch for dates in this space next week.

M'tucci's Twenty-Five Team Leaders

With the opening of M’tucci’s Twenty-Five only weeks away, we would like to introduce you to a few of the people who are going to make this restaurant the place to eat on the East Side of Albuquerque.

“I am honored to work along side these four exceptional people.  For the two chefs, I‘m fortunate to have more than 17 years of history working with them.  All four of these leaders are not only people that have made M’tucci’s a success, but they’re cut from the kind of fabric that enriches our lives and our guests lives. Many of the stories and obstacles they’ve overcome in their lives are beyond inspiration.  The Partners are thankful for all their efforts and excited to see them take the next step in their careers” , said Executive Chef/Founding Partner John Haas.

Trey Godwin - Assistant Manager

Trey has been a familiar presence behind the bar at M’tucci’s Italian for the past three years. He will be in charge of the bar at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five.

He started working in the restaurant business while he was in his teens, worked for awhile as a bar back, and got a job tending bar at Grand Central Station (not the one in NYC) on his 21st birthday. 

“I worked in sports bars, slinging Jack ’n’ Cokes, pouring beers and learning that there is more to the job than making drinks,” 

When he started with M’tucci’s it was a Tuesday night, probably one of the busiest nights of the week and discovered there was more to the bar than Jack ’n’ Coke.. It was a trial by fire, but he embraced the great cocktail culture and became one of the more creative bartenders in the M’tucci’s family.

He’s said that he is excited about bringing the M’tucci’s culture across the river and hosting the nightly “M’tucci’s Party”.

Jade Santiago - Assistant Manager

Jade has been at M’tucci’s Italian for several years, most recently as an assistant manager.

She moved to Dallas after graduating from high school to get a job in the restaurant industry to “overcome my shyness.”

After returning to Albuquerque, she got a job at the Fat Squirrel, where she was “discovered” by Partner Austin Leard.

“I’ve always said that you can teach every skill in the service industry, except for personality - and it was obvious that Jade had a bright personality,” he said.

After joining the M’tucci’s team, she worked with Ernest Nuñez at M’tucci’s Cocina at the Hispanic Cultural Center, then helped train the servers at M’tucci’s Moderno before it opened. 

“I love organizing and creating new systems and doing that for our largest restaurant will certainly be a challenge, but I’m excited about that challenge,” she said.

Omar Rosas & Damian Lucero

Omar Rosas - Chef de Cuisine

After arriving in Albuquerque from Puebla, Mexico in 2007, Omar started working in Italian restaurants, working his way up the line. His second Italian restaurant job turned out to be a stroke of good luck for M’tucci’s, because he worked under Bravo’s Executive Chef John Haas, now the Executive Chef/Founding Partner at M’tucci’s.

Soon after M’tucci’s Italian opened in 2013, Omar joined the team and became Sous Chef, eventually moving to M’tucci’s Moderno as the Chef de Cuisine where he has been in charge of the kitchen for the past three years.

The late Anthony Bourdain said that the great chefs come from Puebla, Mexico. We wouldn’t argue with that claim.

Damian Lucero - Executive Sous Chef

An Albuquerque native, Damian Lucero has been the Sous Chef at M’tucci’s Italian for several years, starting as the pizza cook.

He has been involved in the restaurant business since he was in high school, helping out in family-owned spots. While he was in the hospitality program at CNM, he was the owner/chef of Food Quest Catering for a few years before joining M’tucci’s Italian two weeks before we opened.

One of four M’tucci’s chefs who traveled to Italy last summer, he is bringing a few of his favorite meals from that trip to M’tucci’s Twenty-Five.

A lot of companies use the buzzwords “team” and “family” to describe their employees. During the past year working with M’tucci’s, I’ve learned that those words are not cliches. While talking with me, Executive Sous Chef Damian Lucero, summed it up much better than I ever could.

“I knew in the interview, that I had found something that was going to be unique. I found a restaurant that would challenge me. Trust me "challenged" is putting it lightly. I found a place I could grow, learn and develop myself as a cook. John Haas has an unwavering belief in food. That belief is infectious, and it reaches the cooks, the service staff and in turn reaches the community.

M’tucci’s changed my life and  more importantly changed my daughter's life forever. If you randomly asked, you would discover that my story is the same as so many others working with M'tucci's. Now that I’m a chef, I look at this massive force of a brand that I’m helping to build. It’s those early days of hard work, dedication and belief, that I key in on, and pass down to every cook that I come across. M'tucci's is the culture that I grew up in, and it’s that culture that is the driving force behind its success. CNM's culinary program gave me a great foundation. M'tucci's has given me knowledge, skills and opportunity. Through hard work and dedication, these two institution's have made me the chef I am today.”

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Opening in Mid-February

4939 Pan American Highway NW, Albuquerque, NM - Next to Tomasita’s - South of Jefferson

There are only a few openings for skilled and motivated servers and bartenders. You can apply for a position at any of our locations online by clicking here or by going to the “Join Our Team” page on this website.

Next week we will introduce our leaders. We plan to share our new menu with you during the first week of February and we will announce an opening date at that time.

Watch this space and our Facebook page and Instagram feed for updates and news about our opening week. You can find us on both social media platforms: @mtuccistwentyfive Please Follow us Now!

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

Happy Hour Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30

Daily Specials

Sunday - Happy Hour all Day - SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, TOO!!

Monday - Margherita Mondays - $5 small Margherita pizza, add a pint and it’s $10

Tuesday - $2 Tuesdays - All pints $2 (except seasonal beers) and $2 off all Appetizers

Wednesday - Wing Wednesday - 2 pounds of our special house brined wings in 3 flavors for $8

Thursday & Friday - Live Music and regular Happy Hour

2020 Lunch Special

Every 20th guest who comes in for lunch between 11:00 & 3:00 Monday - Friday gets lunch on M’tucci’s. Who said there’ no such thing as a free lunch??

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, . $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

Live Music at Lava Rock, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

Live Music - Thursdays @ 6:00 and Fridays @ 8:00

1/31 - Mario DeHuerta

February

2/6: Marco Topo as Scott Jarrett Duo

2/7: Chris Dracup

2/13: Melissa Rios

2/14: AdLib

2/20: Cali Shaw

2/21:Lea Leyva

2/27: Alex Maryol

2/28: GB Duo

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Hand Cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction 

Pan-Seared Fish - Swordfish, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce

Ravioli - Braised Short Rib/Ricotta Ravioli, Sautéed Artichoke, Haricot Vert, Shallots, Spinach Lemon Cream Sauce 

Braised - Braised Beef Short Ribs, Sautéed Mushrooms, Shallots, Garlic & Spicy Red Wine San Marzano Tomato Sauce 

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Spaghettini and Goat Cheese Pasta

A wonderful chili pepper goat cheese sauce with sweet and spicy peppers, shrimp and hazel nuts.

Pan-Seared fish of the Day: Mahi Mahi

Mahi Mahi has a semi-firm texture with a mild flavor that is almost sweet.  The fish is pan-seared and served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, roasted artichokes, sautéed organic arugula and topped with a bright lemon caper butter sauce and smoked prosciutto powder

Cut of the Day:  NY Strip
Hand-cut in-house, grilled to perfection and served with crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus and our Traditional Italian Salsa Verde.

Ask about our wonderful wine pairings! 

VALENTINES DAY RESERVATIONS ARE GOING FAST!

One of our bartenders, Isaac, created two special Valentines Day Cocktails. Make your reservation so you can try a Lillet Love (made with the yummy French Aperitif wine) and a Chocolate Covered Strawberry.

Live Music

Thursdays @ 7:00

2/6: Shane Wallin

2/13: RJ Perez

2/20: Shane Wallin

2/27: Alex Maryol

Fridays @ 8:00

2/7: Cali Shaw

2/14: Kirk Matthews

2/21: Kirk Matthews

2/28: Lani Nash

Ciao! See you next Friday

M'tucci's Profiles - Michael Lewis

After several months of sharing M’tucci’s news and offering my insights into Italian food, culture and travel, the partners at M’tucci’s thought I should properly introduce myself. So here, in abbreviated form, is my long, strange restaurant and photography trip (45 years in less than 1,000 words).

While I have worked as a server, bartender, line cook, prep cook, and baker, I’ve also worked as a commercial and editorial photographer. For the past 30 years, I’ve shot assignments for TIME, Newsweek, Smithsonian, Harley-Davidson and National Geographic. My work has taken me to all 50 states, every Canadian Province and 49 other countries, including multiple trips to Italy.

It all began with me fleeing the cold winters of Missouri for the sunny skies of Central Florida where I worked for a small chain of restaurants that specialized in steaks and salad bars. I was in the management training program; learning to serve, to tend bar, and to do the daily butchering necessary for that night’s service. The most interesting part was being behind the bar in the 70s, when business men still came in for martini lunches and lingered in a dark bar with no windows.

As the company was preparing to open their fourth location in Gainesville, I was selected to open and run the seafood bar, and spent several weeks driving the coastal areas of Florida searching for the best sources for shrimp, crab and oysters. The management team had already located to Gainesville when we got the bad news that the construction was running late and the opening was delayed two months. Several of us were watching a John Denver Rocky Mountain High special on television one night and two days later we were driving to Colorado. 

American Basin - Colorado

My first trip out West, camping around Aspen and near Tierra Amarilla, NM, was the beginning of my love for the West. I moved to Aspen a month later, got a job tending bar in a Chinese restaurant (lots of Mai Tais and Fogcutters) and doing prep work by day (minced garlic, julienned ginger and deboned whole chickens with a cleaver - there were no knives in the kitchen). During my four years in Aspen I worked as a waiter, a breakfast cook, in catering and as a baker. I also developed a passion for photography while trying to capture the beauty of the Roaring Fork Valley.

Seeing myself at the crossroads, I chose journalism school over culinary school and returned to Florida. I finished college in Miami during the Marielito Cuban Boat lift, the Liberty City riots, and the Haitian diaspora. Working as a photographer at newspapers in Georgia, then at television stations in Florida and Ohio, I finally came to my senses and returned to Colorado and began working as a freelance photographer.

Travel and travel photography became my specialty and, based from Denver, I photographed four travel books for National Geographic, two in the U.S. and two in Canada. As I was wrapping up the Eastern Canada book for the NG America’s Outdoors series, I got the assignment to photograph a book that would be the companion to an 8-hour NGS/PBS series on Africa. During the next two years I made six trips to the continent shooting stories (often with a British film crew) in eight different regions.

We were telling stories of everyday Africans and didn’t touch on politics, war or famine, so I really wasn’t in danger, except for the time when the crew and I boarded a small Russian jet in Agadez, Niger, with a Russian crew who had spent the last hour in the small airport bar drinking shots of vodka. Worst flight ever! 

I was living the photographer’s dream: trekking with a Tuareg camel caravan to trade salt in Niger, experiencing the Epiphany observances in Ethiopia, traveling up the Niger River in Mali and living among fisherman on Lake Victoria in Uganda. 

To promote the book and television series, a week of programs were scheduled at NGS headquarters in Washington, DC. A couple of the subjects from the book and film were flown from Africa to appear on “Oprah” with the series’ executive producer. Unfortunately, the date was 9/11/2001, my flight from Denver to D.C. was forced to land in Kansas City, the entire week of “Africa” was cancelled and nobody in the U.S. cared about a book or television series on Africa.

I continued to shoot photo assignments for magazines and corporate clients. Also, I was the part owner of a small restaurant in Colorado, where I was drafted into running the kitchen at night during the busy summer season. Creede is where I met a wonderful woman, who had just finished the photography program at Brooks Institute. After a 3-month trip through South America shooting stories and travel photos for NGS and a few NGOs, Jennifer and I moved to Mexico, got married on the beach and started a photo business. 

Jennifer and I taking the leap!

We moved to the island of Cozumel, thinking we would get work shooting advertising photos for resorts. However, destination weddings were becoming a big business in the area and we spent the next eight years photographing beach weddings and underwater trash-the-dress sessions.

For a variety of reasons, we decided to return to the U.S., gave up our Mexico resident visas, and moved to Albuquerque. 

As it turned out, I found the perfect home for my skills and my interests with M’tucci’s. I am as proud to be associated with M’tucci’s as I am to have been a National Geographic photographer. Both have an unwavering commitment to quality and both consist of people with a passion for doing the best work possible.

In the coming weeks, you’ll meet some of those people who are responsible for M’tucci’s Twenty-Five, which will open in February.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR + ONLINE APPLICATIONS

4949 Pan American Highway NW, Albuquerque, NM - Next to Tomasita’s - South of Jefferson

Saturday, January 11 from 10:00am - 4:00pm * Sunday, January 12 from Noon - 5:00pm

We are looking for skilled and motivated servers, kitchen staff and bartenders. You can apply for a position at any of our locations online by clicking here. Applicants should come to the job fair with a resume and should have completed the online application.

Artist’s rendering of the bar and lounge at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

You are going to love the new eggplant parmesan sandwich. Pair it with the new Birra M’tucci’s, an Italian lager. A refreshing new beer, made in the international pilsner style with Perle and Saphir hops.

Another beer in the works is a Red Ale, which will be aged in the bourbon barrel in which the M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select was aged.

Happy Hour Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, . $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

$5 basket of Wings all day for the NFL Playoffs Saturday and Sunday

Live Music at Lava Rock, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

January Live Music - Thursdays @ 6:00 and Fridays @ 8:00

1/3 - BuddhaFunk

1/9 - Kirk Mathews & 1/10 - David Vigil

1/16 - Stanlie Kee & 1/17 - Kyle Martin

1/23 - Melissa Rios & 1/24 - Cali Shaw

1/30 - Oscar Butler & 1/31 - Mario DeHuerta

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Hand Cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction 

Pan Seared Swordfish - Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Caper Lemon Sauce 

Ravioli - Pesto Ricotta Ravioli, Iberico Chorizo, Artichoke, Shallot, Spinach, Light Lemon Cream Sauce 

Braised - Rosemary/Milk Braised Lamb Shank, Creamy Polenta, Grilled Asparagus, Braising Sauce

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

House made Lobster Ravioli - Cold Water Lobster and Crab served with Wild Pink Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Grape Tomatoes, Basil & a lobster cream sauce. 

Pan-Seared Scallops - served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, roasted artichokes, sautéed organic baby arugula and topped with lemon caper butter sauce and smoked prosciutto powder. 

 Our Chianina Flat Iron Cut of the Day - is perfectly grilled the way you love it and served with house made crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus and our traditional Italian Salsa Verde. 

 Harris Ranch Boneless 14oz Ribeye Steak - served with Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini & a Truffle Artichoke Puree.

Live Music

Tonight 8:00: Melissa Rios

January 9 @ 7:00: Stanlie Kee

January 3 @ 8:00: Cali Shaw

See you next week. Ciao!

M'tucci's Market Evolves

Five years ago this month, M’tucci’s Market & Deli opened its doors with the goal of providing artisan breads and pastries, imported Italian meat, cheese and dry goods, and an unpretentious place to have a craft beer and a damn fine pizza. In the back of the house, the small kitchen also provided all of these products to M’tucci’s Italian, M’tucci’s Moderno and a growing catering business.

Chef/Partners Cory Gray and Shawn Cronin were joined by Trey Williams, Justin Sandoval and Michelle Seager, who are still with M’tucci’s today in various roles. Lauren Bell came on as a pastry chef and Kai Werner became the mozzarella maker and jack-of-all-trades. Well-known local chef Fred Gallegos joined the team a few years ago as Market Manager. Working the daily bread production are Gabriel, Mariah and Sarah.

During the past five years we have been named Best Market, Best of the City, and given a Local Hero award from newspapers and magazines. We also developed a loyal following of many who couldn’t believe a small market on the west side of Albuquerque was curing meat, making mozzarella, baking sourdough bread to rival San Francisco and offering such Italian specialties as Speck and 2-year old prosciutto..

The next chapter in the Market’s life was written this month when we closed the doors for retail sales. There were many factors that led to this move. One reason was M’tucci’s taking over the kitchen at Lava Rock Brewing Company on Unser Blvd. This past July, Chef Fred and a lot of the Market’s menu (especially the killer pizzas) moved to LRBC. The brewers are making great beer and there is live music Thursdays & Fridays. You gotta go.

Another reason is the February 2020 opening of M’tucci’s Twenty-Five, located on the frontage road along I-25 south of Jefferson. Chef/Partner Shawn Cronin will be in charge of the kitchen, teaming up with Chef de Cuisine Omar Rosas (from M’tucci’s Moderno) and Executive Sous Chef Damian Lucero who is now at M’tucci’s Italian. Together, they have been working on a new menu for M’tucci’s Twenty-Five and designing a kitchen to meet the challenges of the busy “restaurant row” location. We will have a restaurant and lounge that will be larger than our two first restaurants combined.

Watch this space for the new menu sometime in January. You’re gonna love it.

Don’t forget that the Holiday Market will run from today through Christmas Eve, 11:00 - 6:00.

There will be lots of surprises; Christmas cookies, panettone, mozzarella demonstrations, and for all of our die hard fans, charcuterie boards and pizza by the slice together with beer and wine. Stop in to say hi to everyone and to wish them well with their new projects. Now, take a stroll through the Market’s last year in pictures. We promised that many of these products are going to be available in our restaurants and at some are cafes, restaurants and stores. Stay tuned.

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SPECIAL HOLIDAY EVENTS

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS MARKET 12/20 - 12/24

M’tucci’s Italian Cafe & Market will reopen for these dates only. Our holiday market will feature Fresh Mozzarella making demonstrations, Christmas Cookies, Pizza by the slice, cheeses and meats. Hope to see you there today!

An Evening of Holiday Music by Delphia 12/23, 7:00 - 9:00

Voted Best of the City Vocalist, Delphia will perform in M’tucci’s Moderno lounge, but the music can be experienced throughout the restaurant. Space is limited for dinner reservations, so make your reservation today for the dining room or the mezzanine. As usual, there is no cover charge and tables in the lounge cannot be reserved.

Special Christmas Menu for Monday & Tuesday at Moderno

House made Bolognese & Ricotta Lasagna (a family tradition for our Chef John Haas) with five layers of ricotta cheese, house bolognese,  and house marinara sauce topped with pecorino cheese and parsley. $18

Children’s portion $7

Herb Roasted & Brined Pork Loin served with Sweet Potato Purée & Grilled Broccolini. $21  

We will also offer a plate of our house made cookies for $1 per person at the table.

Drink Specials:

House made Hershey's hot chocolate with marshmallows (non-alcoholic) $3

Bourbon Coffee Hot Cocoa - Bourbon Whiskey, Kahlua Coffee Liqueur, House made Hot Chocolate $7

Chocolate Peppermint Martini- Chocolate Spirit, Peppermint Liquor, candy cane rim- $8

NEW YEAR’S EVE @ MODERNO

The celebration runs well past the ball dropping on New Years Eve in Rio Rancho!

Food Specials

House made Lobster Ravioli, Grilled Chianina Flat Iron Steak, and Grilled Ribeye with Truffle-Artichoke Purée. 

Drink Specials 

Bubbles and Cocktail specials throughout the evening, with a sparkling toast provided to ring in the new year.

Music

RJ Perez performs in the bar from 7:30 - 9:30 

DJ D-Monic starts at 10pm and plays until 1AM.  

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Provisions (formerly M’tucci’s Italian Cafe and Market)

Order your cookies and Panettone by tomorrow, 12/21. Don’t forget that our fresh bread is delivered Tuesdays and Fridays to Silver Street Market downtown. Watch this space and our Facebook and Instagram for updates on other products availability around the ABQ.

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

Some new menu items are now available. Stop in for Nachos, a new salad, a new pizza and eggplant parmesan.

HEAD OVER TO LAVA ROCK BREWING COMPANY FOR “WORD OF MOUTH”, A BRETT SAISON. This French Farmhouse Saison fermented for six months and comes in a 9.2% ABV with 30 IBUs. Hurry, since this is a small batch beer and supplies are limited.

Try our collaboration with Bar Uno that produced a traditional English Bitter. Not as hoppy as an IPA, nor as malt-forward as an ESB, this terrific beer says, “bet you can’t drink just one.”

A few new beers are coming. The first is an Italian lager, “Birra M’tucci’s” which will be available at LRBC, M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno. Another that is in the works is a Red Ale, which will be aged in the bourbon barrel in which the M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select was aged.

Gift Certificates available for Holiday Gifts. A $20 Gift Certificate can buy a 64 oz. Growler and an Happy Hour Pint!Home Delivery now available through Door Dash

The “Two-Minute Warning” HAPPY HOUR & Monday Night Football!

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE TWO-MINUTE WARNING!

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

We are serious about Live Music at Lava Rock, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

Music Schedule for December:

Thursday’s

12/26 - Oscar Butler

Friday’s

12/20 - Melissa Rios

12/27 - BuddhaFunk

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Hand-Cut NY Strip, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction

Braised - Milk Braised Duroc Pork Short Ribs, Creamy Polenta, Grilled Asparagus, Braising Sauce

Ravioli - Lobster Cream Cheese Ravioli, Sautéed Pink Shrimp, Caramelized Onion Lobster Cream Sauce

Pan Seared Seafood - Swordfish Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula Lemon Caper Sauce 

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Seafood Risotto - Sautéed Bay Scallops, Wild Pink Shrimp, asparagus, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes tossed with house made seafood butter cream sauce and Carnaroli rice 

 Pairing - Kiona, Reisling, Washington.  Honey and apricot aromas with honeysuckle and floral notes.  

Pan-Seared Swordfish  - Swordfish is mildly sweet in flavor and has a  meaty texture and a moderately lean consistency.  Pan-seared and served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, roasted artichokes, sautéed organic baby arugula and topped with our lemon caper butter sauce and smoked prosciutto powder.     

Pairing - Whitehaven, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand.  Full flavored and medium bodied with bright acidity and a long clean finish.  

Cut of the Day:  Hand-Cut 24oz Bone-in NY Strip 
Our cut of the day is perfectly grilled to way you love it and served with house made crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus and our traditional Italian Salsa Verde

Pairing - Barossa Valley Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia .  Pleasant aromas of black currents, plum, spice and vanilla, tastes of rich ripe fruits with a semi dry finish.  

Live Music

Tonight 8:00: Lani Nash

12/26 @ 7:00: Gilbert Uribe

12/27 @ 8:00: Leah Leyva

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR + ONLINE APPLICATIONS

Our Job Fair for our new location will be from 10:00am - 4:00pm pm on January 11 & 12 . We are looking for highly skilled and motivated servers, kitchen staff and bartenders. You can apply for a position at any of our locations online by clicking here. Applicants should come to the job fair with a resume and should have completed the online application.

See you next week. Buon Natale y ciao!

Buon Natale (Merry Christmas)

Christmas in Italy has many traditions, and as one could expect, many of them revolve around food. Fish is usually the main course for Christmas Eve and meat is served on Christmas Day. Midnight mass is very popular with many families, who afterwards return home for a glass of spumante or prosecco and the opening of presents from Babbo Natale (Father Christmas/Santa Claus).

The Christmas day meal will likely last for hours, starting with seafood dishes, cured meat and olives; the primi might be tortellini in broth or lasagna or pasticcio (baked pasta), then roast meat or chicken. The main meal is usually followed by pandoro (a traditional Veronese yeast sweet bread) and panettone, chocolate or homemade cookies. 

Babbo Natale is gaining popularity in Italy, as is gift giving during the holiday season. In that spirit, here are some gift ideas to help you have an “Italian” holiday season. 

Food & Drink

M’tucci’s Provisions has created three holiday cookie boxes and two types of house-made panettone. Details and ordering information are listed just below.

Of course, who wouldn’t love getting a gift certificate from M’tucci’s? 

LaMarca Prosecco is perfect for holiday cocktail parties. At the moment, I’m really enjoying a red from Southern Italy, Appassimento by Bonari and Il Bruciato, Guada al Tasso from Antinori from Tuscany. Il Bruciato is on the wine list at M’tucci’s Italian and you can find both locally in wine shops. Splurge on that special someone and buy them a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino, a Barolo, or one of the Super Tuscans, such as Sassicaia or Tignanello. The liquid gift that won’t disappear during one dinner is an Amaro. One of the best being Quintessentia Amaro Nonino. There are cheaper Amari, but this one is well worth the extra money, with the perfect balance of herbal, sweet and bitter.

Tully’s Deli on San Mateo has a very good selection of dried pasta by DeCecco, canned tomatoes, and very good extra virgin olive oils/EVOO (the best selection I have seen in ABQ).

If it’s cured meat you want, definitely go to Molinari’s website (this San Francisco institution probably makes the best commercial U.S. salami you can buy).

Eataly has a good website with a large assortment of EVOO, truffle products, and gift baskets.

After my first trip to Italy, I was hooked on cappuccino. Upon returning, I bought an entry level espresso machine, but quickly outgrew it. I upgraded to a well-known Italian brand, Gaggia, and have been using their burr grinder (necessary for great espresso) and the Gaggia Classic for many years. You won’t find them locally, but the website Whole Latte Love has everything you will need for great espresso and cappuccino at home. I regularly buy the Hermes Espresso Blend from Red Rock Roasters and occasionally splurge on one of the espresso blends from Cutbow Coffee.

Coffee Table Books

Since I used to shoot assignments for National Geographic, I’m a bit biased when it comes to recommending photo books on Italy. A few stand out:

“Rome: Eternal City: Rome in the Photographs Collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects” - published this year

“National Geographic Inside the Vatican” by James Stanfield

“Italy” by Gray Malin

“One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy”  (Rizzoli Classics)

“Italy Seen through Magnum's Lens: From Henri Cartier-Bresson to Paolo Pellegrin”

Recipes, Food & Drink

If you only had one Italian cookbook, it should be “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan. As the title says, it is essential. I’m not that big of a fan of Ina, Giada or Lidia, so I don’t mention their books here:

“The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles's Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria” by Nancy Silverton

“Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas”

“Red, White, and Greens: The Italian Way with Vegetables” by Faith Willinger

“Italian Wines” by Gambero Rosso - An annual guide to the best of Italy.

“Treasures of the Italian Table” by Burton Anderson - one of my favorites. Hard to find and a bit expensive, but worth every penny.

Travel & Food (some with recipes)

“Pasta, Pane, Vino: Deep Travels Through Italy’s Food Culture” by Matt Goulding - great stories of traveling, eating and cooking from Piedmont to Sicily. The chapter about taking pizzaioli classes in Naples is great.

“Tasting Italy” by National Geographic & America’s Test Kitchen - Beautiful photos and really good recipes. My copy has red wine stains on some pages.

“See You in the Piazza” by Frances Mayes - she cares a little more about churches and Italian architecture than I do, but this is a terrific book for discovering the small towns in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. The meals and recipes are worth the price!

From “Tasting Italy”

Photo Tour/Workshops

Want to give a really special gift? One of my colleagues is offering a Photography Workshop in Italy next year. Not only will you get photography tips from world-class photographers, but you’ll eat and drink well, too. 

Read about the workshop and contact Catherine Karnow here:  http://catherinekarnowphotoworkshop.com/home

Photos from Italy

Only for M’tucci’s guests and for a limited time, the prints below are on sale for the holidays. They are printed on 13” x 19” Luster Paper with archival ink with an approximate 1” border. Click on the photo to see it large. Each print is signed and is $150. Please contact me, Michael Lewis: [email protected]

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

The new M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon is now available at M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Italian.

Try some in an Old Fashioned for Happy Hour today.

There are only two Maker’s Mark Private Selects available in New Mexico: ours and Two Fool’s Tavern. Join us for a tasting of both at Jubilation Wine & Spirits: December 13 from 4:00 - 6:00pm.

Creative cocktails with M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select!

M’tucci’s Provisions (formerly M’tucci’s Italian Cafe and Market)

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Order your cookies and Panettone today. Don’t forget that our fresh bread is delivered Tuesdays and Fridays to Silver Street Market downtown. Watch this space and our Facebook and Instagram for updates on other products availability around the ABQ.

32 Bravo at Bar Uno

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

Fish n Chips with the Lava Rock/Uno Bully Bitter

Weekend Special: Fish & Chips -Lava Rock/ Bar Uno’s Bitter Battered Mahi Mahi, House Fries and Apple & Carrot Slaw.

Lot’s of good things happening at LRBC. Some new menu items are coming soon, which we will announce when we get the printed menus. There is a new beer on tap, Winter Lager, with a malt forward, unique style (6.2% & 17 IBU). I tried it the other night and it’s a complex lager, with flavors that evolve as the lager warms up a bit. Try and see if you can spot the unique flavor. We did a collaboration with Bar Uno and they now have the 32 Bravo Double IPA on tap.

A few new beers are coming. The first is an Italian lager, “Birra M’tucci’s” which will be available at LRBC, M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno. Another that is in the works is a Red Ale, which will be aged in the bourbon barrel in which the M’tucci’s Maker’s Mark Private Select was aged.

Gift Certificates available for Holiday Gifts. A $20 Gift Certificate can buy a 64 oz. Growler and an Happy Hour Pint!

Home Delivery now available through Door Dash

The “Two-Minute Warning HAPPY HOUR & Monday Night Football!

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE TWO-MINUTE WARNING!

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. Pair the food with a beer for $10.50 or $11, depending on the beer. Not eating (why not?), then $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

We are serious about Live Music at Lava Rock, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

Music Schedule for December:

Thursday’s
12/12 - Kirk Matthews
12/19 - RJ Perez
12/26 - Oscar Butler

Friday’s
12/6 - BuddhaFunk
12/13 - Leah Leyva and The Band
12/20 - Melissa Rios
12/27 - BuddhaFunk

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Hand-Cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction

Ravioli - Artichoke, White Wine Braised Duroc Pork & Goat Cheese Ravioli: Sautéed Wild Mushroom, Caramelized Onion, Porcini Cream Sauce, Nduja Crumble, Arugula, Shaved Parmesan

Pan Seared Seafood - Hawaiian Ono, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce

Braised - Hand Cut Duroc Bone-in Pork Chop, White Wine Braised Greens, Roasted Parsnip, Shallot, White Cheddar Broccoli Sauce

  December Prix Fixe Menu

12/11/19

1st Course- Grilled Vegetable Medley, Herbed Lemon Browned Butter 

2nd Course- Chicken Limone, Grilled Asparagus, Crispy Potatoes, Preserved Lemon

3rd Course- Hazelnut-Mocha Panettone Bread Pudding, Vanilla Bourbon Gelato

12/18/19

1st Course- Creamy Roasted Garlic Polenta, Roasted Eggplant Ragu

2nd Course- Grilled Chianina Rump Steak, Parsnip Puree, Roasted Baby Carrots, Chimichurri

3rd Course- Italian Cheesecake, Pomegranate, Ginger Mousse, Candied Rosemary

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Rotating Dinner Special : Center Cut Bone-In Pork Chop - Cold smoked Duroc Pork Chop, grilled to perfection and served with our Italian Succotash, Bourbon apple bacon sauce and organic arugula to garnish

Pairing - Conundrum, Red Blend, California - Complex yet approachable, flavors of cherries, baking chocolate with fine tannins and a silky smoothness

PanSeared Fish of the Day : Baramundi - Clean, buttery flavor and meaty texture Served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, roasted artichokes, topped with a lemon caper butter sauce and prosciutto powder

Pairing - Mimi by Ste. Michelle, Chardonnay, Washington - Balanced fruit flavors of pear and yellow apple, spiced aromas with crisp finish.

Cut of the Day : Hand Cut Porterhouse - Grilled to to order and served with crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus and our traditional Italian Salsa Verde
Pairing - Liberty School, Cabernet Sauvignon, California - Aromas of black cherry and plum followed by subtle notes of strawberry and spice, finishing with balanced tannins

Live Music

Tonight: Melissa Rios @ 8:00

Dec 12: RJ Perez @ 6:00

Dec 13: Cali Shaw @8:00

Holiday Special on December 23

“An Evening of Holiday Music by Delphia” 7:00. 

Reservations taken for the dining room, where her performances will be carried on the speaker system throughout the dining rooms. Enjoy the exquisite style of Delphia together with M’tucci’s special holiday drink and food specials.

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ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR + ONLINE APPLICATIONS

Watch this space for the announcement of our January Job Fair for our new location. We are looking for highly skilled and motivated servers, kitchen workers, bartenders and managers. You can apply for a position at any of our locations online by clicking here.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!

M'tucci's Profiles - Cory Grey

Chef/Partner Cory Gray is determined to embrace the “old ways” in the kitchen, returning to a time when almost everything was made in house, instead of purchasing processed food. It’s the type of cooking he grew up with in the South, home made, not processed food.

He worked in restaurant kitchens while in high school and college, while he was studying computer science. 

“I took the kitchen jobs, since I knew I would at least get one good meal a day,” he said

While he was still in college, a part-time job changed his life. He started working for well-known Chef Richard Winters at Artichoke Cafe. Chef Winters became his mentor.

“He opened my eyes to what real food is and I got hooked and fell in love with creating great food with my own hands,” he said. “The other places where I worked used pre-made food. The experience with Richard changed my life.”

When he finished college, he decided he was going to pursue cooking as a career and immediately set becoming a Chef/Partner as his goal. He spent a few years learning the basics, including sauces, French techniques, making pastry, bread, and cheese. 

“He didn’t want a Sous Chef, but I bugged him about it and he finally agreed to train me. He put me through hell for two years to make sure that I had the talent and dedication necessary for that position.”

When Winters opened up Farina, Cory worked as the Sous Chef for nearly six years. It was during this time that he had his first experience with Italian food and when he met Shawn Cronin who was a student in the restaurant program at CNM. Shawn came in and started working in the pantry.

“He was always asking questions and showed a real interest in creating quality food. He bugged the chef forever and ever about making pancetta until he finally said to go ahead and do it. That was really the beginning of our interest in curing meat. It was so good, that we bought the refrigeration and created the curing program.”

“When I got the opportunity to go to the new Farina Alta in the Heights, I knew right away I wanted Shawn to go there because he was so passionate about food and the curing program. At Farina we were only doing guanciale, pancetta and bacon, but we would have more space at Alta and we said, let’s really do this.”

He and Shawn were given free rein to create the meat curing program and even designed the curing room that is still visible in the dining room today.

After leaving Farina Alta, he took a few months off and was contacted by M’tucci’s Executive Chef/Partner John Haas, who told him about the plans for M’tucci’s Italian Market. His previous experience fit perfectly for the planned bread, cheese, and meat curing program at the Market. However, in order to handle the demands of production, he had one condition.

Shawn had to be on the team and they would both become partners. 

“There was no way I could have done it alone, he had so much knowledge, he knew how to make bread and cheese, and loved curing and preserving meat. So we were the perfect team for such a small space.”

He said that he learned early in his career that you can’t do everything yourself and that you have to train your kitchen staff and encourage them to be good, to reach their highest potential and to take responsibility for being part of the culture of excellence. He said that M’tucci’s has such a strong team that when we take part in local food competitions or fundraisers we have so much talent that our Sous Chef (usually Damian Lucero) can take the lead, instead of always sending the Head or Executive Chef like the other restaurants.

“That’s what I love about being here and about being in the food business, there’s so much to learn and everyone here cares about doing it (line cooking, prep work) the right way.” 

His commitment and his passion for Italian cuisine were raised a couple of notches after the eating and cooking trip to Italy in June. 

“A lot of cooking, like French, is about technique, but we’re evolving the menu here that reflects the Italian philosophy of using quality ingredients that are allowed to speak for themselves, and working more with house made products. The pastas are now 90% house made, (rigatoni, campanelle, pappardelle and ravioli), we’re doing more butchery in house, and we’re making more products that come from our experiences in Tuscany, like Chianina Osso Bucco and Colonatta butter (lardo),” he said.

The Tuscan Charcuterie plate that inspired much of what we have on the menu today.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

NOTICE: All locations will be closed on Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday with your friends and family.

Last Call for Ordering your Thanksgiving Pies. Order from any M’tucci’s location by tomorrow. Saturday is the last day to order.

Choose from:

Classic Spiced Apple ($14), Classic Pumpkin ($14), Green Chile Apple with Piñon Nut Streusel ($16) or Pecan with Honey Bourbon Whipped Cream ($16).

Deposit required at time of order. You may order from the Market, M’tucci’s Italian or M’tucci’s Moderno.

Pies must be picked up on November 25 or 27 at the M’tucci’s location where you placed your order.

Classic Spiced Apple Pie

M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market - Closing for retail sales November 30.

M’tucci’s Restaurants is expanding its wholesale fabrication of bread, meats and cheese. The M’tucci’s product lines will soon be found throughout Albuquerque at several locations. The M’tucci’s Shrubs line, which is now available at Jubilation Wine & Spirits, will soon be available at Total Wine & More.

Due to the expansion, M’tucci’s Italian Café and Market will be converted to wholesale operations in 2020. The space will close its retail operations November 30, 2019, but the space is available for private parties up to 25 people throughout the month of December.

“The demand for authentic Italian products has far exceeded our expectations,” explained John Haas, M’tucci’s Restaurants Managing Partner. “It’s very exciting to see an explosion in demand for our custom meats, cheeses, breads and shrubs. Expanding our manufacturing operations allows us to continue to innovate and bring more products to market.”

People interested in booking the M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market should call 505-503-7327 and ask for the Manager on Duty.

Watch Facebook and Instagram for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday Closing Specials.

Don’t feel like cooking tonight, but you want to stay home? Pick up a M’tucci’s Pasta Kit: 1 lb. of House Made Pasta, choice of Bolognese or Carbonara Sauce, House Made Meat and an Italian Cheese for garnish.

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Co.

We were recently featured by the top NM beer blog, the New Mexico Dark Side Brew Crew. If you love NM craft beer and you don’t follow these guys, you are totally missing out. We’re lucky to have such a resource for beer news in NM and we are honored that they included us on their blog. Read the full post by clicking here.

Gift Certificates available for Holiday Gifts. A $20 Gift Certificate can buy a 64 oz. Growler and an Happy Hour Pint!

Home Delivery now available through Door Dash

The “Two-Minute Warning HAPPY HOUR & Monday Night Football!

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE TWO-MINUTE WARNING!

Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. Pair the food with a beer for $10.50 or $11, depending on the beer. Not eating (why not?), then $1 off all pints. You can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

On Tap Now - 32 Bravo DIPA (8% ABV and 100 IBU). Fall Fest, a German Fest Lager is on tap now (5.8% ABV and 20 IBU).

We’re getting serious about Live Music at Lava Rock, we’ll have live music every Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 and Fridays from 8:00 - 10:00.

November Live Music:

Tonight: Rebecca Arscott

11/29: Dos Pendejos

Let’s Make Mozzarella!

Saturday Night, 11/23 @ 7:00 Mozzarella Making Demonstration. Come see the Market’s Kai making fresh mozzarella. Pair it with the Blonde Ale now on tap.

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - 24 oz Hand-Cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction

Pan-Seared Seafood - Pan-seared Sea Scallops, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Sautéed Arugula Artichoke, Lemon Caper Sauce

Ravioli - Red Wine Braised Chianina Beef Ricotta Ravioli, Caramelized Onion, Bone Marrow, San Marzano Tomato Ragù

Braised - Rosemary, Lemon, White Wine Braised Petite Duroc Pork Shank, Creamy Polenta, Sautéed Arugula Braising Sauce

  November Prix Fixe Menu

11/27/19

1st Course- Chef’s Choice Charcuterie Board

2nd Course- “All’Arrabiata Ravioli” House Made Shrimp-Scallop Stuffed Ravioli, Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Fresh Pea Sprouts

3rd Course- Sweet Potato Pie, Red Chile Whipped Cream, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Sous Vide Duck Breast - This extraordinary dish is served with Creamy Polenta, Braised Italian Greens and a Red Chimichurri Sauce

Fresh Pan Seared Rock Fish - A medium firm, very lean, sweet flavored fish with a nutty accent to finish, accompanied with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Marinated Italian Artichokes, and Sautéed Arugula in a bed of Lemon Butter topped with Capers

House Cut of the Day - A 24 oz Hand-Cut T-Bone served with Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, and an Italian style Salsa Verde Sauce.

Live Music

Tonight: Cali Shaw @ 8:00

11/29: Lani Nash @ 6:00

Holiday Special on December 23

“An Evening of Holiday Music by Delphia” 7:00. 

Reservations taken for the dining room, where her performances will be carried on the speaker system throughout the dining rooms. Enjoy the exquisite style of Delphia together with M’tucci’s special holiday drink and food specials.

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ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR + ONLINE APPLICATIONS

Watch this space for the announcement of our January Job Fair for our new location. We are looking for highly skilled and motivated servers, kitchen workers, bartenders and managers. You can apply for a position at any of our locations online by clicking here.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!

M'tucci's Profiles - Austin Leard

Not everyone knows what career they will pursue when they graduate from high school. Beverage Director/Partner Austin Leard, who was from Taos, moved to Albuquerque one week after graduating from high school and started working for Southern Wine & Spirits. He started at the bottom, doing office work, invoicing and other jobs that an under-21 year-old could do.

“I immediately liked the people and the environment of the beverage industry. Even though I was young, I saw how fun the industry is,” he recalled.

After turning twenty-one, he was mentored by Michael Trujillo, the Spirits Educator and Head Mixologist for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, and used that experience to start making drinks and training bartenders. Austin said that at that time none of the other salesmen really used that approach to selling brands and it not only gave him an advantage as a salesman, but it gave him experience and insight into how to make cocktails.

He spent twelve years working his way up the ranks in the company and then he decided it was time to try the service side of the industry. 

Vintage 423 was preparing to open and he applied to be a bartender, even though he had never worked as a bartender. He didn’t get a bartender job, but was hired as a server.

“Within two weeks I was the Beverage Manager, and it was because of everything I knew and had learned at Southern. I’m very precise and I’m very particular about what I like, the way I like to do things, and the way things should be done,” Austin said. “The details are very important.”

His attention to detail and his love of a good cocktail are the foundations for M’tucci’s cocktail programs at both M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno. His style, which is fresh and handcrafted, but bartender-friendly, has made us one of the area’s top spots for quality beverages.

“When we first opened, we were a food and service-savvy restaurant.  Shortly after Austin joined our team, he immediately introduced his creativity and his technique to the bar program which took our beverages to the same level as the food and service.  He hasn’t stopped improving the level of our quality and he never will.  That’s the kind of person he is,” said Managing Partner/Executive Chef John Haas.

“Austin is the heart and soul of M’tucci’s. He’s been with us since the very beginning. He is our strongest connection to Albuquerque and to New Mexico and he knows everyone,” said founder Jeff Spiegel. “Many in our growing leadership team are people that Austin has recruited.  You know they’re M’tucci’s people if he has brought them in.”

Our guests are big fans of Austin’s project, M’tucci’s Shrubs. Shrubs are a sharp, tangy infusion of fruit, vinegar and sugar. They can be traced back to American colonial days, though regions across the globe, from the Middle East to Asia, have offered their own unique interpretations. The American version of the shrub dates back to 17th century England where vinegar was used as an alternative to citrus juices to preserve berries and other fruits.

“I wanted to do something that would set us apart and that nobody else was doing. I had heard of Shrubs and did some research, but found very little information about them. So I started making small batches in mason jars. When I got the recipe right, I started experimenting with them in cocktails. The Collins-style with citrus, shrub and spirit has been an amazing combination,” he said.

Soon, fans of Shrubs will find M’tucci’s Shrubs in Albertsons and Total Wine in addition to some of the area’s finer wine and liquor stores like Jubilation and Susan’s Fine Wines in Santa Fe. Check out our four main flavors: Strawberry Basil, Blueberry Raspberry, Pineapple Rosemary, and Blackberry. They are for sale at all our locations, too.

Austin is looking forward to the future M’tucci’s Twenty-Five, opening in early 2020 on the Pan American Freeway frontage Rd between Jefferson and Montaño. The larger bar and lounge will be a great space for relaxing and the expanded spirits, craft beer, and wine menu will be an exciting part of building this new space. There will definitely be an expanded list of Italian wines and there will be a greater selection of domestic wines by the glass and by the bottle. Nothing is final yet, but let’s just say we believe that New Mexico needs another restaurant with a Wine Spectator Wine List.

Stay tuned wine, craft beer and cocktail aficionados, Austin has big plans for M’tucci’s Twenty-Five. However, his philosophy of what makes a great restaurant and bar is more than great food and beverages - it’s all about the service.

“After twenty years in the beverage business, I love seeing people enjoying themselves. There is no better feeling than having guests enjoy what you do.”

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Co.

HAPPY HOUR & NFL Football!

$7 Happy Hour Menu features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. Pair the food with a beer for $10.50 or $11, depending on the beer. Not eating (why not?), then $1 off all pints. The NFL is up and running and you can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE END OF THE FIRST HALF OF MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

RETURNING BEER - A small batch Brut IPA is now on tap (5.8% ABV and 30 IBU), as is the Vacation Daze Coconut Hazy IPA (5.5% ABV and 30 IBU).

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month and we are donating to the local Rio Grande Down Syndrome Network - 10% of Gross Food Sales and $1 from every pint of Petroglyph Wit will go to the Foundation all month long.

October 19: Color Me Beautiful - Create your fragrance flower. Space is limited. Call to reserve.

Upcoming Live Music:

Tonight: Hatrick

M’tucci’s Moderno

Thanks to all our fans who voted our Servers the Best of Rio Rancho.

Weekend Specials

Shrimp and Goat Cheese Spaghettini - Spaghettini tossed with a roasted sweet and hot peppers, house made marinara and goat cheese. Topped with toasted hazelnuts.

Stephen Vincent, Pinot Noir, California Flavors of hard candy, cranberry with warm and inviting spicy fruits and cinnamon

Pan-Seared Rockfish - a mild, lean, sweet-flavored fish with a nutty finish. Pan-seared and served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, grilled artichokes, sautéed arugula, topped with our lemon, caper, butter sauce and smoked prosciutto powder

Ste. Michelle, Mimi Chardonnay, Washington Light oak notes with apple and pear flavors and light acidic finish

Hand 24 oz Hand-Cut Bone-in NY Strip or T-Bone steak
Perfectly grilled to order and served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and our house-made traditional, Italian Salsa Verde

Sassarogale, Sangiovese, Italy, Hints of cherries, wild berries and mild spice notes. Full flavored with a mildly dry finish

Live Music

Tonight: Cali Shaw @ 8:30

10/17: RJ Perez @ 7:00

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of Day - 24oz hand cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus and a Balsamic Reduction

Pan-Seared Seafood - Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi, Grilled Artichokes, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc

Ravioli - Braised Short Rib and Goat Cheese Ravioli, San Marzano and local Oyster Mushroom Ragu

Braised - Cherry-rubbed, Red Wine Braised Duroc Pork Belly, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Braised Turnip Greens, White Balsamic Cherry Gastrique

October Prix Fixe Menus

10/16/19

1st Course- Speck & Goat Cheese Bruschetta, Red Onion Confit, Wild Arugula

2nd Course- Braised Lamb Ragu, Pancetta, Carrot, Herbed House Pappardelle, Shaved Grana Padano

3rd Course- Banana Upside Down Cake Bars, Peanut Butter Mousse, Peanut Bark

10/23/19

1st Course- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Fried Sage, Brown Butter Drizzle

2nd Course- Roasted Herb Brined Petite Chicken, House Sourdough Stuffing, French Green Beans, Cranberry Gastrique

3rd Course- M’tucci’s World Famous Take Home For Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie, Sage, Whipped Cream

10/30/19

1st Course- Smoked Ghoulda Pizza, Balsamic Braised Cipollini Onions, Rosemary

2nd Course- Braised Duck A’l Blood Orange, Potato Puree, Braised Greens

3rd Course- Chocolate Mousse Cake, Graham Cracker, Marshmallow, Chocolate Spider

M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market

Voted Albuquerque’s Best Deli by the Albuquerque Journal’s Readers.

The Café & Market offers amazing pastries in our display case every day and we’re busy planning for the holidays. We carry the same great Italian imports, all of our artisan breads, and a wide variety of imported, domestic, and house made cheese and meat. There is an expanded selection of coffee and pastries. We have charcuterie boards to eat in or take out with wine and beer by the glass. Click here to see our menu.

Don’t feel like cooking tonight, but you want to stay home? Pick up a M’tucci’s Pasta Kit: 1 lb. of House Made Pasta, choice of Bolognese or Carbonara Sauce, House Made Meat and an Italian Cheese for garnish.

This is a great recipe using M’tucci’s products (House made Campanelle, Italian Sausage and Pecorino).

House Made Campanelle with Broccoli Rabe and Italian Sausage

Sauté 1/2 pound of M’tucci’s House Made Italian Sausage in 2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a 12” pan. When light browned, add 6 minced garlic cloves and 1/4 t red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Boil 4 quarts of water in a large pot, add 2-3 T salt when it boils then add 1 pound broccoli rabe, chopped into 1.5” pieces. Cook about 2 minutes until tender and use a large spoon to remove from water and add to the pan with sausage.

Return water to boil and cook until al dente, usually 3-5 minutes. Always taste one of the pieces of Campanelle before draining to test for doneness. Although the pasta is slightly dried, it is fresh made pasta and will cook more quickly than pasta from a box. Just before draining, reserve 1/2 C of the cooking water.

Drain pasta, return it to the pot, add the sausage and rabe mixture, about 1 C of grated Pecorino, 1/3 C of the water and toss, adding water as needed for the desired consistency. Salt, pepper and serve!

M’tucci’s Catering

We cater events of all sizes and varieties. We are providing the food for The Whiskey Classic at San Cristobal Movie Ranch south of Santa Fe on October 12. The event will also feature 50 whiskeys, more than 20 distilled spirits, beer, wine and cider. A portion of event proceeds will go toward a scholarship for students enrolled in Central New Mexico Community College’s beverage and brewing management program. Click here for information and tickets.

Contact Ivy for your next event, large or small. We can handle it!

Click here to see our catering menu. 505.350.0019 or [email protected]

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ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

M’TUCCI’S TWENTY-FIVE JOB FAIR

Watch this space for the announcement of our December Job Fair for our new location. We are looking for highly skilled and motivated servers, kitchen workers, bartenders and managers.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!

M'tucci's Twenty-Five

M’tucci’s is crossing the Rio Grande! 

“When are you going to open on the East Side?” is a frequent question from our guests who live on the East Side of the river. Now we have the answer.

The new bar area will have sliding glass doors that will open to a new patio.

In the early part of 2020, M’tucci’s Twenty-Five will open on Pan American Freeway near Century 24 Rio Theaters in the former Chama River Brewing space. We are totally renovating the 10,000 square-foot restaurant, which will create a warm and inviting bar space, outdoor seating for 75-100, a dining room for 250 and a private banquet space.

After a two-year search for the perfect spot in central Albuquerque, this location is going to be great for us and our guests.

“We have been open for six years, and the reception to our concept has been incredible,” said John Haas, M’tucci’s Restaurants Managing Partner. “Customers have been asking us to open an east side location, and the time is right for us to open that. We expect this location to be our busiest and are thrilled to expand our restaurant concept so that the M’tucci’s Italian experience will now be more easily accessible to the entire metro area.”

The menu will consist of some M’tucci’s favorites, some new items that our chefs experienced on their June trip to Italy, and an expanded beverage program. 

The size of the restaurant and the location will mean an expanded wine selection, 16 local and specialty beers on tap, and a continued elevation of our cocktail program. Of course, all of our mixers will continue to be fresh and handcrafted and we expect to expand our Shrub selection with new flavors.

(L-R) Founder Jeff Spiegel, Founding Managing Partner John Haas, Founder Katie Gardner and Managing Partner Austin Leard speak to local press at the new M’tucci’s Twenty-Five location.

“We’ll continue the Private Select label program that we started in August with Maker’s Mark Bourbon and expand it to include other spirits and possibly a private label house wine from Italy,” said Austin Leard, Managing Partner and Beverage Director.

The larger space also will allow us to eventually expand our house-made products including breads, cured meats, cheeses and fresh pastas. Everyone is excited about this new location, but our chefs are particularly excited about the size of the kitchen. 

We have assembled the lead team of our talented chefs from our other locations to create the M’tucci’s Twenty-Five experience. There will be a job fair in December to hire nearly 120 kitchen staff, servers, bartenders and managers. 

One of our goals at M’tucci’s has always been to provide an authentic Italian dining experience at reasonable prices. Another important goal is to provide good jobs that pay a living wage and to give our team members the opportunity to excel and to reach their highest potential. Many of our current managers and Sous Chefs started as servers and line cooks. Perhaps you know someone who could become part of the M’tucci’s family?

Here are the links to local media coverage of our announcement:

Albuquerque Business Journal

KOAT-7

You can see the video at the 17:09 mark.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Co.

HAPPY HOUR & NFL Football!

Lucky 7 Happy Hour features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. Pair the food with a beer for $10.50 or $11, depending on the beer. Not eating (why not?), then $1 off all pints. The NFL is up and running and you can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE END OF THE FIRST HALF OF MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!

New this weekend, Pinche Pilz, a German-style kellerbier. It will go perfectly with a Chianina cheeseburger and weekend football.

$5 basket of Wings all day on Sunday

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Pan Seared Seafood - Hawaiian Snapper with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc Sauce

Ravioli - Wild Boar, San Marzano Ricotta & Feta Cheese ravioli with a Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Haricot Vert Caramelized Onion, Chile Flake White Wine Butter Sauce, Fresh Basil, Shaved Parmesan

Braised - Chianina Bone Marrow, Rosemary Red Wine, Slow Braised. Roasted Garlic Mash Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Red Wine Bone Marrow Sauce

Cut of the Day - 24oz Hand Cut Porterhouse, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction

Weekend Brunch 11:00 - 3:00

Vegetarian Eggs Benedict

M’tucci’s Moderno

Thanks to all our fans who voted our Servers the Best of Rio Rancho.

Weekend Specials

Pan Seared Fish- The Fresh Fish of the Day is Barramundi, which has a clean, buttery flavor and a meaty texture that appeals to just about everyone. It is served with garlic mashed potatoes, marinated Italian artichokes, and sautéed arugula in a bed of lemon butter topped with capers.

Cut of The Day- The house cut is a 24oz bone-in NY-Strip served with house mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, and an Italian style salsa verde sauce.

Braised Special- Two house made sausage links braised in a white wine San Marzano tomato sauce with caramelized onions. Served on top of creamy mascarpone polenta.

Please ask about our wine pairings!

Tonight, 8:30 - Keith Sanchez Live in the Bar

Thursday, 7:00 - RJ Perez Live in the Bar

Weekend Brunch - 11:00 - 3:00

Italian Hash

M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market

Voted Albuquerque’s Best Deli by the Albuquerque Journal’s Readers.

The Café & Market continues to offer amazing pastries in our display case every day. We carry the same great Italian imports, all of our artisan breads, and a wide variety of imported, domestic, and house made cheese and meat. There is an expanded selection of coffee and pastries. We’ll still have charcuterie boards to eat in or take out with wine and beer by the glass. Click here to see our new menu.

Charcuterie Board for your next party!

M’tucci’s Catering

We love wedding receptions! Last weekend was a busy one, with two weddings, one at the Governor’s Mansion in Santa Fe. Contact Ivy for your next event, large or small. We can handle it!

Click here to see our catering menu. 505.350.0019 or [email protected]

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ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!

We promise to erect a nicer sign. Stay tuned for updates.

M'tucci's Profiles - John Haas

A large part of M’tucci’s success is the man who created the menus, organized the kitchens, and built the kitchen staff, Executive Chef and founding partner, John Haas. One of his guiding principles says it all.

“I have always found inspiration in the past, instead of in the future. Some people chase trends, but I’ve always been inspired by the things you can connect to and it’s hard to connect to a trend.”

John has been involved in restaurants for more than 20 years, beginning at a family friend’s Ames, Iowa sports bar as a dishwasher at the age of 15. While in college in Iowa City, he trained with chefs who had worked in famous kitchens in New Orleans and San Diego, absorbing techniques and a passion for cooking great food.

He really launched his career in Des Moines, where he was cooking in a Mediterranean restaurant, which featured some Italian dishes, and he had the chance to spend time in the kitchen with an Italian chef from the Veneto who came to the U.S. as part of a sister city cooking program. 

“For a week of 15-hour days, I cooked alongside this guy who had been in the chef Olympics and who didn’t speak English, but I learned a lot. It was a game changer, a pivotal moment in my career when I was introduced to the passion and technique in Italian food,” he said.

“I ended up as head chef at the young age of 25 in a high-end restaurant, doing some cool stuff, like expensive wine dinners. But my drive was so strong to excel that after a year and a half of 90-to-100 hour work weeks, I burned out.” 

He left thinking he wouldn’t work in restaurants again.

John talking with a winemaker in Tuscany, with the help of a translator app.

After a few months away, Bravo (a national Italian restaurant chain) contacted him about a job and his first thought was no. Going from high-end dining to a corporate setting didn’t seem like a step up.  Before giving up on the restaurant business completely, he thought about all the positive things he could learn in a corporate setting and decided to give it a try. 

“While I was with Bravo, I really learned how to run a restaurant, about the financial side, the systems, ordering, inventory and I discovered it was something that I loved and it reinvigorated me,” he said. “We had rules about what we could order and those rules didn’t allow for a lot of creativity, which was good, because it taught me how to think about ingredients differently. Instead of being able to rely on expensive ingredients like Iberíco pork, I now had to learn how to respect everyday ingredients and how to work with them. It gave a lot of discipline to my cooking. It was instrumental in my development process.”

He moved to Albuquerque to take over as Executive Chef at  Bravo and after three years of turning the restaurant around, he started itching for a challenge. He saw an ad on Craigslist, “Looking for a Chef” and replied. He heard from M’tucci’s founders Jeff Spiegel and Katie Gardner and learned they were not only looking for a chef, but were looking for a location, as well. John was a little more interested in jobs at established restaurants, and didn’t really pursue the connection. 

He continued interviewing. One restaurant told him they couldn’t meet his salary requirements, and later that day he heard from Jeff who asked if he was still interested and who asked if they could meet. They lunched on tacos at what was then Los Altos Ranch Market, now El Super grocery. 

“I was tired of interviewing, but I was interested in the tacos,” he said. “I had always heard about the place and wanted to check it out.”

As it turns out, he and Jeff discovered they had a lot in common and they agreed to continue their conversations over the next few weeks. Jeff recently recalled his meetings with John Haas.

Working with master baker, Francesco, in Carrera, Italy.

“When Katie and I decided  to reprise our restaurant experience in NM after 23 years in the restaurant business in NYC, I knew I wanted a chef partner,” Jeff said.

“As has always been our practice, I invited the top three candidates to join me at our home to cook. At the end of those three days, and after countless hours of conversations with John, I pulled the trigger, hired him, and told him that he’d be a partner when the time was right to do the documents. It was the best partner decision I ever made. John cares about others, is a forgiving perfectionist and an excellent leader.”

“When I told Jeff if I wouldn’t have been a chef, I would have been an accountant, I think he thought, ‘I’ve found my chef’”, John said.

In the time leading up to finding a location, they had discussions about the character of M’tucci’s. Would it be fine dining with white tablecloths? From day one, they decided that was not the kind of restaurant they would open.

Saturday morning meeting with the kitchen crew at M’tucci’s Italian.

“I think people want value and interesting ingredients. Our whole thing was big flavor, being non-pretentious, very approachable and to let the food speak for itself. We wanted the type of place where people could eat a couple of times of week, instead of only for special occasions.”

After six years and with four M’tucci’s locations operating, what motivates John to continue to work long hours?

“I feel like I’ve been given a gift. Jeff gave me a chance and invested in me, and there is not a day that I don’t try to repay that gift. Part of (repaying that gift) is creating opportunities for other people, to give them the chance to grow and to prove how good they can be,” he replied.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Co.

HAPPY HOUR & NFL Football!

Lucky 7 Happy Hour features The Burger, a 10” Margherita or Pepperoni Green Chile Pizza, Charcuterie Boards and Wings for $7, Monday - Friday 3:00 - 6:30. Pair the food with a beer for $10.50 or $11, depending on the beer. Not eating (why not?), then $1 off all pints. The NFL is up and running and you can catch your favorite team on one of our large five screens.

HAPPY HOUR EVERY MONDAY UNTIL THE END OF THE FIRST HALF OF MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!

Saturday, September 7: Beer Lover’s Day

Wednesday, September 18: Cheeseburger Day (stay tuned for specials)

Spicy Wings for Happy Hour: BBQ, Chipotle and Jerked. A plate of one flavor or mix them.

M’tucci’s Moderno

Thanks to all our fans who voted our Servers the Best of Rio Rancho.

Weekend Specials

Pan Seared Fish- The Fresh Fish of the Day is a swordfish with a mildly sweet flavor and a moist meaty texture. It is served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Marinated Italian Artichokes, and Sautéed Arugula in a bed of Lemon Butter topped with Capers.

Cut of The Day - The house cut is a 24oz bone-in NY-Strip served with house Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, and an Italian style Salsa Verde Sauce.

Braised Special - 20oz Bone-in Lamb Shank braised in a White Wine Sauce with Fresh Celery, White onions, Ripe San Marzano Tomatoes with hint of cinnamon and nutmeg spice. Served with Creamy Polenta and Sautéed Baby Spinach.

Please ask about our available wine pairings!

8:30 Friday 9/6: Leah Leyva Live in the bar

7:00 Thursday, 9/12: Javier Ortega Live in the bar

Live Music every Thursday & Friday night.

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

Cut of the Day - Bone-in NY strip, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon Balsamic Reduction

Pan Seared Seafood - Sea Scallops, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Marinated Artichokes, Sautéed Arugula with Capers in Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce

Braised - Napoleon-Creamy Garlic Polenta, Five Pork Bolognese Marinara, Sautéed Spinach

Ravioli - Duck Ricotta Ravioli in a Mushroom Thyme Brodo, Caramelized Onion, Local Roasted Gray Farm Oyster Mushrooms, Shaved Parmesan & Arugula

SHAMROCK FOODS FIRED UP! CHEF CHALLENGE

M’tucci’s Italian Sous Chef Damian Lucero took on chefs from Santa Fe and El Paso in a cooking competition in Albuquerque yesterday. Each chef was given the same basket of ingredients and given 30 minutes to create a dish for three local chef-judges. The Challenge was moderated by Celebrity Chef Antonia Lofaso at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Damian was assisted by M’’tucci’s Italian Cafe & Market Chef/Partner Shawn Cronin. Our guys cooked an amazing red snapper, but came up short for the win.

Don’t miss our Weekend Brunch with Italian favorites and new takes on brunch items. Then try to choose from one of our 7 special brunch cocktails, shown below. Or bring a crowd and try all 7!

Clockwise from the front: Italian Iced Caffé, Bellini, Bloody Mary, Amalfi Coast High Ball, Negroni Sbagliato. Below: Aperol Spritz and the Mimosa Bar (Prosecco with a selection of juices).

M’tucci’s Italian Café & Market

Voted Albuquerque’s Best Deli by the Albuquerque Journal’s Readers.

The Café & Market continues to offer amazing pastries in our display case every day. We carry the same great Italian imports, all of our artisan breads, and a wide variety of imported, domestic, and house made cheese and meat. There is an expanded selection of coffee and pastries. We’ll still have charcuterie boards to eat in or take out with wine and beer by the glass. Click here to see our new menu.

M’tucci’s Catering

MARCH OF DIMES FUNDRAISER

Chef/Partner Cory Gray and Pastry Chef Lauren Bell were part of our team at the 6th Annual March of Dimes Signature Chef Auction last night at Las Puertas. Guests sampled dishes created by 12 different local businesses. M’tucci’s donated the food for the event, in addition to providing bar service with Trey and Randall and Austin Leard on hand to pour Prosecco for the VIP tables. M’tucci’s will donate the food and our time for a private 5-course private dinner. The entire amount of our team’s winning bid of $1,700 will go to the March of Dimes.

Give us a call for your next event, wedding reception or party! Click here to see our catering menu. 505.350.0019 or [email protected]

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ONGOING NEWS

M’TUCCI’S AROUND TOWN

Our market items can be purchased at a couple of locations in Albuquerque. We deliver our fresh bread every Tuesday and Friday to Silver Street Market at 2nd and Silver. Choose from Sourdough, Fennel Rye, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta, and Raisin Rosemary Focaccia.

Drinking at Bosque in Nob Hill? You can order a M’tucci’s Charcuterie Board while there.

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT & DISCOUNTS

Area service industry workers can get a Service Industry card from us by showing proof of employment. With the card you receive 10% off your check every day and 20% off on Sundays from 6:00 - 9:00. Dine in only.

ONLINE ORDERING

Our food is available for delivery with Door Dash or for pick up. Pick up something for the weekend or on your way home from work. The links to ordering are on the Home page.

MTUCCI’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Videos about making cocktails and pasta and getting to know the M’tucci’s culture. Click here

See you next Friday - Ciao!