At Home with Mom & M'tucci's

Where would we be without Mom? (most importantly we wouldn’t exist!)

Photos of food and Mother’s Day Specials are available when you scroll down, but first we wanted to share some pictures of Mom from our managers, partners, chefs and me. I have not been able to celebrate Mother’s Day since 2006, so for me - if you can, give Mom a big hug and an even bigger Thank You. Send her flowers, cook for her, or at least give her a call to tell her how much you appreciate her and everything she has done.

Shawn & Michelle’s Mom, Gitti

John & Jan

Brianna and Mom

Fred & Reena

Jackie & Joan

Katie’s Mom, Freddy

Arcy’s Mom, Tanya

Jade's Grandmother, Gay, and her mother, Sara

Amanda with Margaret & Loretta

Chris’ with his Mom Veiga

Chris & Step-Mother, Dawn

Austin with parents

My Mom, Dee

Cory’s Mom, Terry

Ernest’s Mom, Ernestine

Jared and Debbie

Mother’s Day Specials

Each location has a special menu for Sunday only and all locations are featuring M’tucci’s Mother’s Day Prep Kitchen kits with a fantastic Roasted Atlantic Salmon, roasted spring vegetables, ciabatta rolls and peanut butter cookies. As always, all of the ingredients, a recipe card and an online video are included to make your meal a success.

Order them soon, because they won’t last. You may order them online or call the M’tucci’s closest to you.

All of the restaurants have different Mother’s Day Specials, but they all have our custom-made and canned M’tucci’s Bloody Mary mix. Add your favorite spirit (it doesn’t have to be vodka!), pop the top, mix, garnish and serve. Austin does it again!!

Italian Sausage Hash is a Mother’s Day Special all day and a Soul of a Chef Lunch Special through Tuesday

Spicy Sausage Tortelloni all day Mother’s Day and a Soul of the Chef Lunch special through Tuesday

Blackened Shrimp Tacos are available all day on Mother’s Day and as a Soul of the Chef Lunch special through Tuesday.

Our daily Prep Kitchen kits have been so popular that occasionally we have sold them all. We’re doing our best to have them available every day. Don’t hesitate to call to see if your kit is available.

Every week two of our Chefs at M’tucci’s Moderno and two at M’tucci’s Italian create a lunch special which is available all week from 11:00 - 4:00. The specials are announced every Wednesday on Facebook and Instagram.

Heat & Eat Five Cheese Ravioli meals and M’tucci’s Artisan Breads (Sourdough, Wheat, Baguette, Ciabatta and Rye) are available at all Albuquerque Albertsons Markets.

That’s it for now. Take good care of Mom everyday, but really show it on Sunday.

How about some travel photos from Italy for next week?

See you next week, ciao!!

M'tucci's @ Home May Menu Kit Marathon

With a new month brings new exciting changes to the M’tucci’s @ Home program! Introducing....M’tucci’s @ Home May Menu Kit Marathon.  For the next 5 days, we will be introducing a new Prep Kitchen Kit for making M’tucci’s restaurant quality dinner, drinks, and desserts at your house.  Today’s kit is for celebrating a Friday classic, Happy Hour for only $19. 

New today, is the M’tucci’s Shrub Bartender kit. Make your own Shrubs like our bartenders do!  Included is Club Soda, Simple Syrup, 5 Limes, 5 Lemons, Cocktail Shaker, and choice of Shrub (Blueberry-Raspberry, Blackberry, Strawberry-Basil, or Pineapple-Rosemary).  Just add your favorite liquor to complete it! 

Now available at all locations is the Prep Kitchen kit for this weekend: Herb-Rubbed & Smoked Roast Chicken, with Roasted Vegetables and Apple Crostatas. Each kit comes with a recipe card and a link to a video where Chef Cory and Pastry Chef Michelle demonstrate how to finish your meal. You’ll love the detailed technique that Michelle uses to create the desserts. Dinner for four for only $35!

There is a window with the instructional video below.

What is a Shrub?

Shrubs are a sharp, tangy mixture of fresh 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.

M’tucci’s revived this lost method and built a beverage program around it. Since 2014, we have experiemented with many different combinations of fresh fruit, local herbs and various vinegars.

Below is a video where Partner Austin Leard gives you tips about making a Shrub at home.

M’tucci’s Restaurants Are Meal Raising In Honor of National Nurses Week

M’tucci’s Restaurants’ three locations are fundraising through May 10, 2020 to provide free meals for Albuquerque and Rio Rancho nurses in honor of National Nurses Week. There is a button on the mtuccis.com website (at the online ordering menu at each location) where people can donate. M’tucci’s will match dollar for dollar all contributions, and 100% of all the money raised will go to the nurses’ meals. People can contribute without buying anything, or they can add it to a to-go order.

“My wife is a nurse, so this is personal to me,” explained Chris O’Sickey, one of the partners at M’tucci’s Restaurants. “There has been a lot of attention on nurses working in the emergency room, but people don’t realize that COVID-19 is impacting nurses in every department of the hospital. They give selflessly every day, so this is the least we can do to say thank you.”

Soul of a Chef Lunch Series

We continue to offer specials that are inspired by our Chefs travels, their childhood favorites or simply their favorite comfort foods. These specials are only available at M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno, every day 11:00 - 4:00.

At Albertsons, we now have the Five Cheese Ravioli With Roasted Tomato Marinara ($12.99), and the Red Wine, Porcini, and Tomato Braised Beef with Creamy Roasted Garlic Polenta ($14.99) available in all stores throughout Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, and Los Lunas.  Easy to reheat, 15-20 minutes (or until 165F) at 400F and dinner is ready! Dinner for two for less than $15. Of course, M’tucci’s Artisan bread is available, too.

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Wild Shrimp, Marinated Tomatoes, Broccoli, Sweet Peas in a Calabrian Cream Sauce on House Made Campanelle Pasta $17

$8 Brunch Specials Saturday & Sunday - all served w/ Mixed Green Salad, Marinated Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Bacon Green Chile or Mushroom Spinach Quiche

Ham, Egg, Green Chile, Potato. Mozzarella Breakfast Burrito with House Made Tortillas

Sourdough Biscuit Fried Chicken - Mixed Green Salad, Marinated Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinaigrette

M’tucci’s Italian

Pan-Seared Yellowtail, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Grilled Asparagus, Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc $24

Sunday Only: Family Rib Dinner - Full rack of Baby Back Pork Ribs with sides for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

Pan-Seared Rockfish, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach, Roasted Artichokes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce $19

Sunday Only: Large Portion of Lasagna for $16, Family Size $30

Feeding our Guests: The M'tucci's Way

Back in March, before it was obvious that dining rooms at restaurants would have to close, M’tucci’s Partners devised a plan for the months ahead. Of course, one goal was to keep as many workers employed as possible, the other goal was to offer food that we know our guests love and to make it as easy as possible for them to get their M’tucci’s. The results of that meeting have been introduced during the past month: a uniform take out/delivery menu, Chef-created lunch specials, and Heat & Eat products at Albertsons.

The biggest hit has been the M’tucci’s Prep Kitchen boxes for your weekend family meals.

“ This is a project that we had quietly worked on for nearly 3 years.  We even started an LLC for the idea because we almost launched it shortly after Moderno.  When things didn’t materialize back then, it was tabled (no pun intended).  As this all started to simmer, we thought it’d be the perfect time to introduce some of the ideas, especially M’tucci’s Prep Kitchen Meal Kits,” said M’tucci’s President/Company Chef John Haas.

“We really love these kits because they show off how approachable great food can be, of course with a little added chef’s touch before you buy it.  Chef/Partner Cory Gray has been planning these boxes, the ingredients and the recipes which showcase his food style: technically clean, vibrant, and wholesome.  It is the perfect combination: the concept and the chef.  The pastry chefs have really been excited to get involved and come up with new ideas.”

”You’ll see this evolve in the next week or two with several kits available throughout the entire week.  They’ll be on the menu and always in stock.  The piece de resistance each week will be the rotating kit that is available from Thursday until its gone.  We just love how this warms up the family table at home with a fresh meal and delivers quality and simplicity.  It’s everything our restaurants are about - just at your home.”

The current M’tucci’s Prep Kitchen: Pineapple Marinated Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Vegetables & M’tucci’s S’mores. Only $39 for a meal for up to four people.

A few photos from the past Prep Kitchen kits. Available each Thursday at 11:00 for ordering. Each meal has been prepped for you to finish. Each box has a recipe card and a link to a video tutorial with Chef Cory giving you step-by-step instructions on preparing your meal. The video for the Pork Tenderloin is below.

Weekend Specials

I love eating, cooking and traveling, not necessarily in that order. I’ve been around a lot of restaurants and around the world, plus I lived on an island in the Caribbean for eight years. I’m a big fan of fresh seafood. I boldly made the comment to John Haas last week that I don’t like take out seafood. I want to eat it as soon as it comes out of a kitchen (or my kitchen).

Last Friday I photographed the seafood special at M’tucci’s Italian, which they made especially for the photos - then they said take it home. I hesitated for a moment, then slipped the Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi, Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and Grilled Artichokes into a take out container and drove home, about 10 minutes away.

My wife and I ate the dinner and I am here to EAT MY WORDS!! The fish was still warm, moist, perfectly cooked and enhanced by the Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce. I felt stupid and happy at the same time. So, going forward I will happily share our weekend seafood specials with you. You won’t be disappointed.

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Applewood Smoked Bacon Carbonara - House Smoked Bacon, Italian Prosciutto, Sautéed Leeks, Sweet Peas, Carbonara Sauce and Spaghetti $17

$8 Brunch Specials Saturday & Sunday - all served w/ Mixed Green Salad, Marinated Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Bacon Green Chile or Mushroom Spinach Quiche

Ham, Egg, Green Chile, Potato. Mozzarella Breakfast Burrito with House Made Tortillas

Sourdough Biscuit Fried Chicken - Mixed Green Salad, Marinated Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinaigrette

M’tucci’s Italian

Pan-Seared Swordfish, Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Grilled Asparagus, Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc $24

Sunday Only: Family Rib Dinner - Full rack of Baby Back Pork Ribs with sides for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

Pan-Seared California Halibut, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach, Roasted Artichokes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce $24

Sunday Only: Large Portion of Lasagna for $16, Family Size $30

Soul of a Chef Lunch Series

This series introduces two specials from two Chef’s at M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno each week. The dishes might be inspired by their childhood, their travels or simply one of their favorite dishes from their cooking careers. The specials change every Wednesday and are available from 11:00 - 4:00 every day.

Thanks to you, we have been able to call back some of our furloughed kitchen staff and servers. Servers are helping with curbside pickup/delivery and with packaging for our Prep Kitchen kits and Heat & Eat meals available at Albertsons. The response for the Meals and Bread at Albertsons has been amazing, so if you see one, better grab it. Some locations sell out daily.

We continue our daily meal program for our furloughed employees and their families. This program continues because of your support. Also, thanks to your generosity, we were able to distribute more than $20,000 to those same employees. Our family thanks you.

M’tucci’s Corporate Partners

Several local, national and international sponsors have partnered with us to donate meals to health care workers in the metro area. Some of the sponsors include Southern Glazer Wine & Spirits and Beam Suntory brands. Contact Partner Austin Leard to learn how you can join us: [email protected]

Austin delivering more than 50 lunches to Rust Medical Center in Rio Rancho.

Letter to our Friends

Amici di M’tucci’s,

We are writing to tell you what we are doing during the pandemic shutdown, and how it relates to you as our guests at M’tucci’s Italian, M’tucci’s Moderno, M’tucci’s Twenty Five, and M’tucci’s Provisions (formerly M’tucci’s Market).

First, we furloughed 200 of our M’tuccimates and we are operating our 3 restaurants with partners, managers and chefs. We have every expectation that our furloughed teammates will be with us when we return to some normalcy, and we’re working hard to assure that.

While M’tucci’s restaurants, like everyone else’s, have been closed since March 17, we are still providing takeout and delivery. All funds we receive from gratuities related to these sales go to our furloughed teammates. Because of these current sales, and with assistance from Shamrock, our prime vendor, we are able to provide food for all furloughed team members during the week.

In addition, we have increased our bread production and you can buy M’tucci’s breads in our restaurants. It’s also available in all 4 westside Albertsons.  Our reheatable  dinners are now also in all 13 local Albertsons. Please look for them.  Last week, we introduced M’tucci’s Prep Kitchen Meal Kits, all the ingredients and video to follow to cook M’tucci’s Chef planned dishes at home.  Each week, there will be a new offering.

Finally, this is our plea to you to incorporate us into your current Corona Virus Pandemic eating plans, to buy and to order our food wherever and whenever it’s convenient for you. We will never stop with our usual effort to make it delicious. This will definitely help to sustain us during the corona virus pandemic. We’ll be here when the passing of the threat allows us to open again.

The Partners of M’tucci’s Restaurants: Jeff Spiegel and Katie Gardner, John Haas, Sherri Rivenburgh, Austin Leard, Chris O’Sickey, Cory Gray and Shawn Cronin With our General Managers Amanda Romero and Ernest Nuñez.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Sandwich Special

Bahn Mitucci’s

House Baguette, House Smoked Spicy Capicolla, Smoked Ham, House Wild Mushroom & Eggplant Pate, Sesame Pickled Veggies. Served with Pasta Salad or Fries $9

Entree (available after 2:00pm)

Duck Confit, Creamy Polenta, Marinated Mushroom and Montmorency Cherry Relish, Sweet Pepper Vinaigrette. $15 

$8 Brunch Specials Saturday & Sunday

M’tucci’s Italian

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach, Grilled Artichoke, Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc $25

Sunday Only: Family Rib Dinner - Full rack of Baby Back Pork Ribs with sides for $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi, Salt Water Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach, Roasted Artichokes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce $25

Sunday Only: Large Portion of Lasagna for $16, Family Size $30

M’tucci’s Prep Kitchen

M’tucci’s Prep Kitchen Meal Kits are back for their second week and filled with another really great meal!  Enjoy some Harris Ranch Prime Flat Iron Steaks, Roasted Vegetables, Garlic Butter Artisan Baguette and Mocha Cookies for the family for $44. This weeks kit brings some big flavor profiles and easy to execute techniques that’ll definitely liven up the dinner table!  These meals serve up to 4 and are available this week from all locations while they still last. Order online or call the location closest to you.

Soul of a Chef Lunch Series

Four of our Chefs have created a lunch special that has special meaning to them. These are only available at M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno from 11:00 - 4:00 daily. New specials are announced every Wednesday on Facebook and Instagram.

M’tucci’s Provisions

As you can see, the staff at M’tucci’s Provisions is busy making bread, creating Heat & Eat meals for Albertsons and keeping up with the needs of the three M’tucci’s restaurants. Our ready-to-eat meals of Braised Beef & Polenta and Five Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Marinara are available in all metro Alberstons stores.

M’tucci’s Stay At Home Survival Guide

Click Here to Download

This week in the media:

Interviews with John Haas and Austin Leard on KQRE, Click Here.

Story about M’tucci’s Corporate Partner program that delivers meals to health care workers. This week in the Rio Rancho Observer. Click Here

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Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!

M'tucci's Prep Kitchen

Introducing M’tucci’s Prep Kitchen: Chef-Created Meals to Finish At Home!  We will be offering a new box every week with a meal for up to four people.  It’ll include all necessary prep, a recipe card, and links for instructional videos of our chefs preparing the meal you will be making at home.

First up in this weekly offering is an Herb-Roasted Rack of Colorado Lamb, Mint Gastrique, Roasted Rosemary & Pecorino Saltwater Potatoes, and Sautéed Asparagus.  We’ll even throw in 4 Lemon Ricotta Cookies for $49.  Available for order and delivery now from all M’tucci’s Locations!  Quantities are limited, we only have 100, so when they are gone, they are gone! As of Noon Friday, there are only about 25 boxes left.

Call or go online to buy one now.

Above is a video to help you prepare the lamb at home (or to show you what you missed!)

The next Prep Kitchen meal will be announced Tuesday on Facebook and Instagram.

WEEKEND SPECIALS

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Seared Scallops with Red Pepper, Sweet Peas, and White Bean Succotash in Acqua Pazza. $22

Saturday & Sunday Brunch

Bacon/Green Chile or Spinach/Roasted Bell Pepper/Feta Quiche with a Mixed Green Salad, Marinated Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinaigrette $8

Sourdough English Muffin, Smoke Salmon Smear, Red Onion Confit & Scallions $8

Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuit, Citrus-Brined Fried Chicken, Pickled Bell Pepper, Hollandaise $8

M’tucci’s Italian

Pan-Seared Swordfish, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Roasted Fresh Asparagus, Beurre Blanc Sauce. $25

Sunday: Smoked Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs, Sautéed Spinach, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, House BBQ Sauce $27

M’tucci’s Moderno

Pan-Seared Ruby Red Trout, Roasted Italian Artichokes, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Smoked Prosciutto Powder $21

Sunday: House Made Lasagna with Bolognese Sauce, Herbed Ricotta

Soul of a Chef Lunch Series

We are an Italian Restaurant Company, but at our core we are a melting pot of culturally diverse people.  We want our guests to experience that through this program.  Often the comfort foods that we love and cook is truly representative of our soul.  This is our way of sharing who our chefs are with you.  Available Daily 11am-4pm at only M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Italian from 4/8 – 4/14.  Each Wednesday, we’ll feature a new set of dishes!

M’tucci’s Italian

Braised Duroc Pork Chop: Braised 100% Duroc Pork Chop, Mushroom Cream Sauce, Creamy Herbed Italian Rice (Risotto) $14

BBQ Bacon Mozzarella Burger: Harris Ranch Ground Beef, House BBQ Sauce, Hose Smoked Bacon, Mozzarella Cheese, Brioche Bun, House Potato Chips $12

M’tucci’s Moderno

Fettucine w/ White Clam Sauce: Whole Clams,. Baby Scallops, Pink Shrimp, Baby Clams, White Wine-Lemon-Butter Sauce, Fresh Herbs $13

Birria Style Stewed Lamb: Slow-Cooked Jaliscan Style Lamb, White Rice, Cilantro, Lime, Garbanzo, Tortilla Chips and Braising Jus $12

M’tucci’s Heat & Eat

Now in the four Westside Albertsons!!  Our newest Heat & Eat option!  House-made Five Cheese Ravioli in Roasted Tomato Marinara, along with our Braised Beef and Creamy Polenta.  

Don’t live on the Westside?  We are excited to say we now have our Braised Beef With Creamy Polenta in ALL  Albertsons locations citywide including Los Lunas.  Enjoy M’tucci’s quality at exceptional value straight out of your oven.  Mangia!

Albuquerque Journal Review today on M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - You can read it if you subscribe.

Regardless of your faith, this is an important time of year for Christians, Jews and Muslims, with the observance of Easter, Passover and Ramadan. We realize that you will not be able to gather and worship, nor take part in the ritual walks or pilgrimages popular in New Mexico, so we would like to share some photos from one my past trips to document the Easter week processions in Antigua, Guatemala.

From my blog post on my website:

I finally visited Antigua, Guatemala in 2017 during one of the best weeks of the entire year – Holy Week ( Semana Santa in Spanish). This UNESCO World Heritage site has been observing Easter with massive religious floats, hours-long processions and unique, hand-made carpets (alfombras) along each of the procession routes for centuries. You can read the entire post and see more photos by clicking here. I think you’ll agree that it is an impressive sight.

M’tucci’s wishes you a happy and healthy week ahead. See you on Friday, Ciao!

Soul of a Chef Lunch Series

We are an Italian Restaurant Company, but at our core we are a melting pot of culturally diverse people. We want our guests to experience that through this new program. Often the comfort foods that we love and cook are truly representative of our soul. This is our way of sharing who our chefs are with you. The Soul of a Chef Lunch Series is available Daily 11am-4pm at only M’tucci’s Italian from 4/1 – 4/7. Each Wednesday, we’ll feature a new set of dishes! 

These specials will be available through next Tuesday, then we’ll post 4 new lunch specials for this series on Facebook and Instagram.

It’s been a busy week at all three locations, and we are humbled by the huge support from our guests and by the stories about us in local media. There was a nice M’tucci’s profile in Local Flavor magazine and the ABQ Journal did a story on our employee meal program, as did the ABQ Business Journal. The links are here so you can read each one:

Local Flavor

Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque Business Journal

Reader’s Choice Awards

Voting for Albuquerque Journal Reader’s Choice Awards begins April 5. Please vote for us! Click here to vote.

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Heat & Eat at Albertsons

M’tucci’s Heat & Eat at Westside Albertsons. Dinner for two for $14.99

Our entrees arrived in Westside Albertsons stores last weekend. Our Chefs spent a lot of time coming up with a dish that can be heated, is reasonably priced and reflects our dedication to quality. Look for more entree selections and for the entrees to be available in all area Albertsons.

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Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Moderno

Frutti di Mare - White Clams, Baby Clams, Bay Scallops, Patagonian Shrimp, Tomato Sauce & Fettucine $19

M’tucci’s Italian

Fresh Pan-Seared Atlantic Swordfish, Roasted Artichoke, Sautéed Spinach, Mashed Potatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce $26

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

8 oz. Harris Ranch Prime Flatiron Steak Frites, Fried Leeks, Black Pepper and Pecorino Cream Sauce $17

DESSERT (ALL 3)

Chocolate Mousse Bombe with Oreo Cookie Crust, Vanilla Zabaglione, topped with an Oreo Cookie. $7

M’tucci’s Corporate Partners Program

In the past week, we have partnered with local, national and international corporations to supply meals for health care workers who are on the front lines of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Thursday we delivered 51 meals to Presbyterian Rust Medical Center for ICU and Pulmonary Unit doctors and nurses, plus some of the custodial staff. This meal was made possible by a contribution from Southern Glazer Wine & Spirits and Beam Suntory beverage company.

If you would like to partner with M’tucci’s to deliver meals to health care providers or to first responders, please contact M’tucci’s Partner Austin Leard at: [email protected]

Chef de Cuisine Jorge Monterrosa garnishing Five Pork Pasta Bolognese with imported Parmigiano-Reggiano, destined for Rust Medical Center.

The M'tucci's Family

When Founders Jeff Spiegel, Katie Gardner and John Haas opened M’tucci’s Italian nearly seven years ago, they wanted to create a great gathering place with great food at reasonable prices. They had another goal: to create a workplace where everyone was family and where they could earn a living wage.

Read their profile, written last year, to understand their motivation: https://www.mtuccis.com/lagazzeta/2019/8/16/mtuccis-profiles-jeff-spiegel-amp-katie-gardner

“Since our first day, our restaurants have been about our M’tucci’s family and our community.  It’s who we are and we aren’t about to change after 7 years, even with this crisis”, said M’tucci’s President/Company Chef John Haas. Yesterday’s piece on KOB News 4 explains how we take care of our family.

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/italian-restaurant-feeding-work-family-that-was-furloughed/5685584/

We have created special to go/delivery menus at all of our restaurants with daily entree and dessert specials. M’tucci’s Twenty-Five has created a new Picnic Menu for your lunch at home or along the Rio.

The easiest way to order and see the menus is to click on the buttons on our webpages. Order from the restaurant closest to you and one of our team will deliver to you (you’re helping put our furloughed staff back to work!). These are the buttons on M’tucci’s Twenty-Five page. It’s a photo, so please go to the webpage to order.

DAILY SPECIALS (TODAY ONLY)

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - M’tucci’s Mac & Cheese: Pancetta, Cherry Tomato, and Roasted Garlic on House Made Campanelle topped with Sourdough Breadcrumbs. $14

M’tucci’s Italian - House Spicy Capicola Pizza: House-Cured Spicy Capicola, Garlic Oil, Onion Mostarda, Grape Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Aged Mozzarella $15

M’tucci’s Moderno - Italian Fried Chicken w/ French Fries: Crispy Chicken Confit (Dark Meat) Lemon+Sheep Milk+Herb Crusted, Truffle French Fries, Pecorino Dipping Sauce. $17⁠

Dessert Special (all locations) - Chocolate Decadence Cake: Cinnamon Mascarpone, Hazelnut Bark, Triple Berry Shrub Coulis $7

We really appreciate all of your support and your takeout orders. It allows us to keep some of our staff employed and it makes it possible for us to continue our daily meals for our furloughed employees and their families. Here is a video demonstrating where you can eat M’tucci’s.

Here are some photos from M’tucci’s last week.

Buy some Shrubs for drinks at home!

See you next week. 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!

Italian Seafood

You could be forgiven for thinking of pizza and pasta when you think of Italian food. However, with more than 4,700 miles of coastline on the Adriatic, Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, seafood plays a prominent roll on the Italian table. Seafood is even more ubiquitous during the 40 days of Lent. Italian fishermen work the seas from the Ligurian Coast, the island of Sicily, around the heel of Puglia and to the lagoons of Venice, filling the markets with an abundance of fish and shellfish.

Vernazza harbor in the Cinque Terre in Liguria

Roman Catholics comprise 78% of Italy’s population and many avoid meat during lent, especially on Friday. Many Italian Catholics avoid meat on Friday throughout the year. While seafood is popular any time of year, from Ash Wednesday until Easter, seafood takes the main stage.

Gathering in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

The different dishes and the styles of preparation are usually regional in character, but true to Italian cuisine, not complicated or fussy. Simple recipes with quality ingredients are the key.

In Liguria, whole roasted Branzino is popular (whole fish is more common for the Italian home cook than filets) and in Venice (and at M’tucci’s Italian & M’tucci’s Twenty-Five) you’ll find seafood risotto.

Along the coast of Tuscany by the Tyrrhenian Sea, the port town of Livorno is home to many simple, unassuming seafood restaurants, serving only seafood, crudo (raw) or cotto (cooked). Sunday dinner wouldn’t be a proper dinner without a plate of seafood crudo to start - essentially Italian sushi.

Further south in Campania, which includes Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, pizza was invented as food for the men who went to sea, with one of the classic pizza Napoletana choices being marinara (sailor in Italian). Pasta with clams (spaghetti alle vongole) and mixed seafood and whole fish or fish steaks are simmered/poached to create fish poached in crazy water (pesce all’acqua pazza).

On Italy’s east coast with the Adriatic, in Puglia the port of Bari is known for fresh sea urchins and mussels. The mussels are so succulent, that a simple broth for steaming is all that is necessary. Don’t miss the Fresh Maine Mussels appetizer at M’tucci’s Italian tonight.

We receive fresh seafood several times a week, and buy sustainably-wild-caught fish and shellfish when we can. All three M’tucci’s locations and M’tuccis @ Lava Rock Brewing offer Calamari Fritti with spicy marinara and garlic aioli dipping sauces. Each restaurant has created a different way to prepare fresh Atlantic Salmon. M’tucci’s Italian and M’tucci’s Moderno have a rotating weekend special of pan-seared seafood (scroll down for this week’s specials). We create specials based on what our seafood purveyors have fresh. In the past we have served swordfish, branzino, mahi-mahi, scallops, Hawaiian Ono and Yellowtail tuna.

I love the Shrimp Campanelle and the Frutti di Mare (fresh mussels, white clams, bay scallops and shrimp in a tomato sauce over fettucine) at Moderno and the Risotto Carnaroli di Pesce at Italian and Twenty-Five (both have slightly different preparations - try both!). The new Lobster Ravioli at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five will make you swoon and protect your plate from your dining companions. The Calamari Fritti at M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company goes well with the Birra di M’tucci’s Italian lager.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

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

Pan-Seared Seafood - California Halibut, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Lemon Caper Buerre Blanc

Ravioli - Lemon Basil Red Chile Three Cheese Ravioli,  Sautéed Asparagus, Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Caramelized Onion, Light Lemon Cream Sauce w/Arugula 

Braise - Wild Mushroom, San Marzano Tomato, Harris Ranch Beef Ragu, House Pappardelle Pasta

Appetizer - Maine Mussels, Saffron Dijon Sauce, Baguette

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

• Flat iron Steak - Prepared with garlic mash potatoes, Grilled asparagus, and an Italian salsa verde $27

  • Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon - Sweet-tobacco and currant aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, round and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Harmonious and perfect for steak. $8/$38

• Shrimp & Lobster Pasta - Prepared with asparagus, grape tomatoes, lobster cream sauce, and spaghettini pasta $27

  • Imagery Pinot Noir - This wine is smooth, soft, and lovely. It's medium-bodied, ripe, has juicy fruit, red licorice, and cola flavors. $11/42

• Icelandic Cod - Prepared with sautéed arugula, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted artichokes, caper lemon butter sauce, and finished with a smoked prosciutto powder - $21

  • Glass Mountain Chardonnay -  This wine features flavors of golden apples, crushed almonds and mineral highlights, Aromas of pineapple, apricot and toasty oak enhance the vanilla and butterscotch flavors. $7/$28

VOTE FOR M’TUCCI’S MODERNO TODAY!!

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
3/12 - Stanlie Kee
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!

Personal service for your wedding reception.

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 - 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

3/6: Hat Trick

3/12: RJ Perez

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: More Photos

Today we have more photos from M’tucci’s Twenty-Five. Our chairs finally arrived, so now the dining room is complete. They look so much better than the rental chairs we were forced to use. A copy of the lunch menu card is shown below, as are more photos of the great food that the kitchen is making. Enjoy the lounge, bar, Charcuterie Bar or the dining room. We know you’re going to love all of them.

La Salone - Private Dining Room

Capicola Carbonara

Chianina Beef Ravioli

Chicken Limone

Grilled Escarole Caesar

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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 - Skate wing, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Asparagus, Lemon Caper Sauce

Ravioli - Lobster Crab Cream Cheese Ravioli, Roasted Butternut Squash, Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Caramelized Onion, Sage Butter Sauce

Braise - Harris Ranch Mushroom Braised Beef Short Ribs, Creamy Polenta, Grilled Asparagus Braising Sauce

Rotisserie - 12oz Hand Cut Bone In Duroc Pork Chop, Salt Water Potatoes, Winter Veggies, Cherry Gastrique

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Pork Belly Risotto $19 - Prepared with pork belly, risotto, mushrooms, and red onions. 

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

Fresh Fish of the Day: Bronzino $27 - Sauteed arugula, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted artichokes, caper lemon butter sauce, and finished with a smoked prosciutto powder.

Michael David Suavignon Blanc 2018 $8/$32 - A slightly herbaceous wine, with crisp flavors of papaya, apricot, pineapple and green apple with medium acidity.

Cut of the Day: 24oz Bone-in Porterhouse Steak $34 - Traditional Italian salsa verde, crispy saltwater potatoes, and grilled asparagus.  

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

March Music

Thursdays 7-9
3/5 - Rj Perez
3/12 - Stanlie Kee
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 @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

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

New beer this week:

The Vulkanland Vienna lager presents as a copper to reddish brown beer due to additions of 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 - 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

2/28: GB Duo

March Music

3/5: Oscar Butler

3/6: Hat Trick

3/12: RJ Perez

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.

Shawn Cronin & Ernest Nuñez - M'tucci's Twenty-Five

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five will OPEN FEBRUARY 17! Details, Menu and photos follow.

“I first met Shawn 5 1/2 years ago when he joined us as the Sous Chef for the Market.  While many things have changed since then, one thing that has not changed is his passion and intensity for his craft.  He relentlessly sees obstacles as opportunities.  It can’t be overstated that he brings many things to our partnership and to this team.  It’s going to be an awesome sight for all to see him cut loose.  It’s a collision course destined for success with all the amazing talents that will accompany him at Twenty-Five,” said Executive Chef/Founding Partner John Haas.

Shawn Cronin - Executive Chef/Partner

He was born to a poor sharecropper family in the Mississippi Delta and spent his formative years picking cotton and tap dancing on street corners for spare change. In this poor part of the country, the spare change was rather spare, so he hopped a freight that was slowly rumbling through town and headed West to seek his fortune.

He made the astute decision to leave tap dancing and street performing behind, and since he was hungry he decided to learn how to cook. He had received an offer to apprentice (translation: 60-70 hours a week with no pay) with a Michelin-starred kitchen in France, but was refused entry to the flight bound for Paris because he had neglected to procure a passport.

Soon after that disappointing morning at the ABQ Sunport, he found a job washing dishes at O’Neills, where he received at least one meal a day. Eventually, he ended up in the kitchens of Richard Winters at Farina and at Artichoke Cafe, where he also met and worked with Cory Gray. Together, they went on to open Farina Alta. He worked his way up (blah, blah, blah - they all work their way up - do you think dishwashers become Sous Chefs overnight??) and ended up the Sous Chef at Farm & Table.

Shawn discussing pastrami curing with Sous Chef Justin.

During that time, Cory contacted him about M’tucci’s plan to open a deli and market, where they were going to cure meats, make fresh cheeses, bake artisan breads and make many other food products not found in Albuquerque. Together, Shawn & Cory were the Chef/Partners behind the Market’s success. It’s no exaggeration to say that they created something at the Market that was unique and that it became a beloved place for West Side residents (and some East Siders who were in-the-know).

Some of the above story is true, but what is undeniable is that Chef Shawn knows how to put together an interesting menu that blends traditional and contemporary Italian dishes. He also has an incredible palate. Recently I was present when he blind-tasted five Oatmeal Stouts and using beer competition Stout notes, he correctly identified each one.

You’re going to love what he and his team will do at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five.

(Editor’s Note: If you know Shawn, you know he would rather talk about food than himself and he hates having his photo taken even more than talking about himself. After a couple of weeks of trying to pin him down, I said, “I’ll just make something up.” So, I did. It’s up to you to figure out which is fact or fiction.)

John Haas on Ernest Nuñez: “Much like Shawn, Ernest joined us in one of our most challenging environments, this one being an off-shoot concept of M’tucci’s that was at NHCC.  While our paths eventually went different directions, it was extremely exciting to have him rejoin us in April in preparation for this project.  His combination of corporate and private sector experience, as well as kitchen and front of house, is a proven recipe for success with us.  For those that haven’t formally met him, he’s an infectious and inspiring person.  There is little doubt he will give this team and this restaurant that M’tucci’s warmth and vibe for which we are known.” 

Ernest Nuñez - General Manager

Ernest initially joined the M’tucci’s family in 2015, when we opened M’tucci’s Cocina at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. When we decided to close that venture, he said, “I was a manager without a restaurant, so I reluctantly left M’tucci’s and ended up running the Pueblo Harvest Cafe at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.”

Less than a year ago, his desire to return to M’tucci’s and the planning of M’tucci’s Twenty-Five aligned. Ernest has been a manager at M’tucci’s Moderno while working on the plans and the hiring at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five.

He has more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, which began at the former Rio Rancho favorite, Pasta Cafe. He has opened restaurants for Golden Corral in California and has a background in fine dining and catering, working with Corn Maiden and Flying Star in the area.

Interviewing in the new kitchen during the job fair in January.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Opening February 17 @ 11:00am

4939 Pan American Highway NW, Albuquerque, NM - Former Rio Chama Brewing - South of Jefferson

We’re pretty excited that the day is approaching, and we are working around-the-clock to be ready for our opening day. We will post the menu here soon. So check back often and follow us on social media. There may be a few surprises announced next week before Friday.

Like 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 Italian

Weekend Specials

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

Pan-Seared Fish - Barramundi, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichokes, Sautéed Asparagus, Lemon Caper Cream Sauce

Ravioli - Norwegian Crab/Mascarpone filled Ravioli, Sautéed Pink Shrimp, Roasted Butternut Squash, Sautéed Asparagus, Caramelized Onion, Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Braised - Harris Ranch Beef Tips, Five Cheese Tortellini, Porcini Cream Sauce, Scallions

Rotisserie - Herb-Rubbed Smoked Roasted Duroc Pork Loin, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Haricot Vert, Cherry Gastrique

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Beef Tortelloni $19 - Five Cheese tortelloni tossed in a rosa sauce with cajun spice, grape tomatoes, and feta cheese topped with scallions.

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

Pan-Seared Swordfish $29 - Sautéed arugula, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted artichokes, caper lemon butter sauce, and finished with a smoked prosciutto powder.

Michael David Sauvignon Blanc 2018 $8/$32 - fresh and vivid, light bodied wine exudes grassy citrus aromas followed by grapefruit, good acidity keeps it lively

24oz Bone-in Porterhouse $34 - Traditional Italian salsa verde, crispy saltwater potatoes, and grilled asparagus.  

Monte Antico Toscana 2013 $6/glass only - Red Blend; black cherries and blackberries on the nose and on the palate. A light note of spice, Medium tannins, and a short finish

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.

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

Boxing Weigh - In Event today @ 2:30 -Boxer’s Roberto Duran, Jr and David Vargas at Lava Rock.

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

2/7: 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

See you next week with more M’tucci’s News. Ciao!

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

Vermouth

“Vermouth is vastly under appreciated, in my opinion.  For without Vermouth, there is no Manhattan or Boulevardier.  Without a Manhattan or Boulevardier, there is an emptiness in the soul. “ says M’tucci’s Founding Partner John Haas.

Like Amari, vermouth was first used as a medicinal drink, and can be traced back more than 3,000 years to China and India. The beverage is made by adding herbs, botanicals and dried fruit to a relatively neutral white wine. After aging, sugar and neutral spirits are added for flavoring and to raise the alcohol level, which is usually less than 20%. So, vermouth is both an aromatized and fortified wine. While vermouth is made in several countries, the most popular come from France (white and dry) and Italy (red and sweet). Some of the flavorings include chamomile, gentian and wormwood. In Italy, the most common grape in vermouth is trebbiano. The word vermouth comes from the French pronunciation of the German word for wormwood, Wermut.

An Italian merchant, Antonio Benedetto Carpano, is credited for creating the first modern vermouth in Turin, Italy in 1786. The flavor profile that he created still exists today in Italian sweet vermouth: bitter, dark red, with vanilla and sweet cherry flavors. Today’s Carpano Antica sweet vermouth is THE sweet vermouth used for a Manhattan, Boulevardier, Negroni and many more cocktails. Of course, it’s the sweet vermouth used at all M’tucci’s restaurants. Its big flavor can stand up to rye in a Manhattan or bourbon in a Boulevardier. I also love it in a La Rosita (reposado tequila, Carpano Antica, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Campari & a dash of bitters) and a Negroni Sbagliato (Carpano Antica, Campari & prosecco).

French sweet vermouth, like Noilly Prat or Dolin tend to have a lighter flavor and are suited for cocktails other than those with rye whiskey.

White or blanc vermouth was formulated in Chambéry, France at the foot of the Alps, then adapted by the Italians. Blanc or bianco vermouths are similar is sweetness to reds, but are less spicy and more herbal. We use Italian bianco vermouth for our martinis, but we also have Cinzano Dry. Dry vermouths are lighter and less bitter than bianco vermouth.

Death & Co. (a popular cocktail bar in Manhattan, Denver and Los Angeles) cocktail books suggest making a martini by mixing the gin and Dolin Dry vermouth half and half, with a dash of orange bitters and a lemon twist. Try that “I’ll have a very dry martini” fans!

The sweetness in vermouth compliments the high alcohol spirits such as gin or whiskey and it is vital for bringing balance to martinis and manhattans. Speaking of balance in martinis and manhattans, technique is very important in making a balanced drink, instead of one that smacks you in the face with hot alcohol flavors. Next time you are at the bar, watch our bartenders when they stir one of these drinks before serving. Count the seconds that they stir. We would NEVER simply pour gin and vermouth into a glass of ice and serve it.

There are a few other aromatized and fortified wines that taste similar to vermouth, but are different because they rely on just a few ingredients for flavoring. Not surprisingly, one is French and the other is Italian. Lillet Blanc is a very nice aperitif wine, only slightly bitter with sweet, floral aromas. Try some on the rocks with a wedge of orange. Italy’s Cocchi Americano Bianco also has a mildly bitter, orange flavor. Try either as a substitute for Dry or Bianco Vermouth in a cocktail.

Since vermouth is wine-based, buy small bottles and refrigerate them after opening.

Regardless of how you like your vermouth, don’t hesitate to try one on the rocks alone, with a splash of seltzer and maybe a lemon twist or orange twist. Either is the perfect aperitivo to stimulate your taste buds for dinner.

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Opening in Mid-February

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

We are looking for a few skilled and motivated servers, kitchen staff 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 the management and kitchen team followed by photos of the interior. We plan to share our new menu with you during the first week of February and we will announce an opening date within the next week or two.

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!

Working on the new menu: Chefs John, Omar, Damian, Shawn and Alfredo.

M’tucci’s @ Lava Rock Brewing Company

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

Daily Specials Begin Sunday!! Check them out!!

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

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

Tuesday - $2 Tuesdays - All pints $2 (except seasonals) 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.

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

1/24 - Cali Shaw

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

Ram and Steve filling the M’tucci’s bourbon barrel with Seismic Stout and a “secret ingredient”.

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 - Hawaiian Ono, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce

Ravioli - New Mexico Red Chile/Three Cheese Ravioli, Caramelized Onion, Roasted Butternut Squash, Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Braised - Braised Beef Short Ribs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Braising Sauce

Blood Drive 1/25 Saturday @ 10:30am

We are joining with Weichert Realty, New Mexico United and several local sponsors to host this very important event.

“Join us and save lives! Our goal is to get at least 50 blood donors! Text "Blood" to 505-365-6721 or visit http://wriabq.events/ to reserve an appointment to donate!

FIRST 100 DONORS GET A FREE NM UNITED "BLEED BLACK AND YELLOW" T-SHIRT!

FIRST 35 DONORS WILL GET A GIFT CARD TO THE PALETA BAR OR SPRING ROLLIN!

Special "Blood Themed" drink and food menu inside M'tucci's!

If there aren't any available time slots available on the website, don't worry! We will have some extra slots for walk-ins, just show up!

If you don't feel comfortable donating blood, we will also have an alternative food drive for canned goods!

We will be just outside of M'tucci's Italian on Coors and Montano from 10:30AM to 2:30PM on Saturday January 25th.

See you there!”

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

M'tucci's Pork Piccata

served with spaghettini pasta, tomatoes, capers, sautéed arugula and a lemon butter sauce. 

Pan-Seared Fish: Yellowtail
Yellowtail has a buttery texture and bold flavor. Served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, roasted artichokes, sautéed organic arugula, topped with a bright lemon caper butter sauce and smoked prosciutto powder

Cut of the Day:  T-Bone
Hand cut in house and grilled to perfection. Served with crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus and our traditional Italian Salsa Verde

Ask about our wonderful wine pairings!

Live Music

Tonight 8:00: Melissa Rios

1/30 @ 7:00: Amy Cliser

Ciao! See you next week. 

Birra di Italia

Like most people, when I’m considering a beverage to have with Italian food I’m thinking about wine. However, beer has a long and illustrious history in Italy. Beer can be traced back to 7th Century BC in Sicily. The world’s first medical school, which was in Salerno in Southern Italy, proclaimed that beer “supports old age, flows through the veins, increases well-being and strengthens the blood”. 

Beer played a part in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC when Emperor Augustus defeated the Egyptian navy of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Cleopatra financed the building of her navy by taxing beer - most likely the first-ever beer tax!

While serving as Governor in Britannia, Emperor Agricola became very fond of beer. He returned to Italy in 83 AD with three master brewers from what is now Gloucester, England. There is no report on whether they came willingly.

This excerpt is from the Craft Beer & Brewing dictionary: 

“In 179, during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Romans built a full-scale brewery for 6,000 elite legionnaires at Castra Regina (present-day Regensburg) on the banks of the Danube. This brewery was excavated between 1974 and 1980 and is now considered the oldest preserved brewery site where beer was made not from baked bread, as was common for tribal brews at the time, but from mashed grain.  The spread of beer making in the Roman Empire is further documented in the writings of Saint Benedict of Nursia (480–547 AD), the founder of the order of Benedictine monks, who were to become the most prominent brew monks of the Middle Ages. When Benedict stayed, between 529 and 543, at the Abbey of Monte Cassino in Latium, in central Italy, he composed a set of rules that have served as the model for monastic daily conduct to this day. In it, beer assumed a crucial role, because Benedict considered hard manual labor, at least 5 hours a day, in the fields, the bakery, and the brewery the only road to salvation. To Benedict, food was intended to be simple, and beer was primarily a necessary source of nourishment, not an indulgence. He understood that beer—if made strong enough and from the best grains—was not only thirst quenching but veritable “liquid bread.” Thus, Benedict entitled every monk to a substantial amount of daily beer, which, in modern measure, added up to about 1 keg of beer per monk per week! But Benedict also insisted that beer be respected. He forbade drunkenness; any monk who spilled beer was punished by having to stand upright and perfectly still for an entire night.”

Today, one of the top craft brewers in Italy is Baladin, which has been popular since it opened its first brew pub in the Langhe part of the Piedmont in 1996. Inspired by the brewers in Belgium and Germany, Baladin started experimenting with local heritage grains and wild yeasts. Today they have pubs in Turin, Rome and sell their beer in the U.S. at Eataly.

While in New Mexico we see a lot of experimentation with barrel aging and using odd ingredients, sometimes Italians take it a bit too far. One Italian beer journalist mentioned tomato ales, ales with fresh basil (so they taste like pesto), and even beers made with local truffles (pronounced “awful”).

It’s highly unlikely that any Burqueño brewers follow in the footsteps of Birra del Borgo. This Roman brewery produces Perle ai Porci, a seasonal Oyster Stout. Yes, you read that right. They add boiled English oysters to their mash. Probably not coming to a M’tucci’s near you soon! (Editor’s Note: After publication, I was told that Bosque Brewing brewed an Oyster Stout a few years ago and that it wasn’t bad. Learn something every day!)

You can find the popular lagers like Moretti, Peroni and Nastro Azzurro at local retail outlets and you might even find a bottle of Tre Fontane Birra Trappist Italiana Tripel from the only Italian Trappist brewery, which is located in Rome.

At M’tucci’s you’ll find Peroni and the newly released Birra M’tucci’s, brewed by our partners at Lava Rock Brewing Company. Both Steve Siciliano and Ram Kahlsa are from Italian families and they wanted to create an Italian lager that is perfect with pizza. 

“It’s a crisp and clean international style based on the Italian tradition of using pilsner malts and maize, with Perle and Saphir hops,” said brewer Steve Siciliano.

In addition to the new Birra M’tucci’s, Lava Rock also features 10 lagers and ales on tap, some are regulars and some are seasonal brews. My current favorites are Ash Cloud Hazy IPA and the Pinche Pilz, a classic German-style pilsner.

Pinche Pilz, a German-style Pilsner

Although we probably think of wine when it comes to Italian food, beer surpassed wine in per capita consumption in Italy in 2010. Italians prefer beer with pizza. Enjoy one with a pizza at M’tucci’s @Lava Rock, M’tucci’s Italian or M’tucci’s Moderno.

Watch this space for NFL Playoff and Super Bowl specials. 

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Opening in Mid-February

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

We are looking for a few skilled and motivated servers, kitchen staff 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.

In the next few weeks we will introduce the management and kitchen team. We plan on sharing our new menu with you during the first week of February.

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!

The new bar area.

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 Stout, 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.

HAPPY HOUR ALL DAY SUNDAY FOR NFL PLAYOFFS

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

1/17 - 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 Fish - Hawaiian Opah, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce 

Ravioli - Chianina Beef/Goat Cheese Ravioli, Braised Greens, Sautéed Shallots, Roasted Red Pepper, Rosemary Cream Sauce

Braised - Braised Chianina Beef, Mushrooms, San Marzano Tomato Ragu, Fresh Pappardelle Pasta Gremolata 

Some of our products from the Market are now available as you enter Italian. Olives, meat, cheese, jams, mostarda and fresh pasta.

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Sous Vide Duck Breast and Mascarpone Polenta

Topped with sautéed Broccolini and a red chimichurri 

Pairing - Blind Taste, Pinot Noir: Medium body, tastes of red fruits, slight oak notes and spice undertones with an mellow finish 
  

Pan-Seared fish of the Day: Rockfish 

Rockfish has a medium firm texture and sweet nutty flavor.  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

Pairing - Ruffino, Sparkling Rose, Italy  Crisp bubbly texture with notes of strawberry and hints of rose petals.

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

Pairing - Conundrum, Red Blend, California: Rich and complex but approachable, flavors of cherries and baking chocolate with refined tannins to finish

Live Music

Tonight 8:00: Leah Leyva

1/23: Kirk Matthews

1/24: Melissa Rios

Ciao! See you next week.

Amaro - An Italian Tradition

To most of us familiar with Italian cuisine, an Italian meal is not complete without pasta, wine and an espresso to finish. An Italian might suggest that you’ve omitted an important part of the meal - an Amaro. A little more than a year ago, my knowledge of these wonderful bitter-sweet beverages didn’t go beyond Campari (which I drank with club soda and lemon) and Jagermeister (which I hated). After a year with the M’tucci’s family, I have discovered that there is one thing universally loved by management, the chefs and the bartender’s - and that is Amari (plural of Amaro, which means bitter in Italian). Now I love them, too!

Chef/Partner Shawn Cronin brought back four bottles from Italy last summer and says amaro might be one of his favorite beverages. He said if you can find Amaro Nardini - buy it!

The lineup of Amari at M’tucci’s Moderno.

Amanda Romero, the manager at M’tucci’s Moderno, says they are much more than just an aid to digestion.

“I love that each Amaro has different flavors and layers, mixing between bitter, herbal & nutty. Although I have my favorite brands, I will always order an Amaro that I've never tried to see what flavor combinations it has to offer. All Amaro are different which means you can order one no matter your mood! There are sweeter Amaro, extra bitter Amaro, earthy Amaro, the list is endless. My favorite Amaro has remained Cynar,” she said.

David Duran at M’tucci’s Italian created the Pirate’s Cruise, which is based on Cynar, adding Pyrat XO Rum, Frangelico, fresh orange and lime juice, and a bit of cane syrup.

Trey Godwin, manager and bartender at M’tucci’s Italian created a signature coffee drink, the Italian Iced Coffee, using two amari, Campari and Bigalett China China. It’s not just for breakfast!

Spend some time at our bars, or at any bar that cares about the craft of cocktails, and you’ll notice the increasing number of amari on the shelf. There is an Amaro list at Moderno and you can expect to see one at the new M’tucci’s Twenty-Five.

A centuries-old beverage, amari began as healing tonics or elixirs used for medicinal purposes. While there are an astounding number of styles and makers of amaro, nearly all of them begin with a neutral spirit or wine that is macerated with bitter barks, seeds, spices, flowers, vegetables, herbs and citrus peels, then balanced with sugar. Some of the bittering agents include gentian root, angelica root, wormwood and cinchona bark. You might find anise, cardoon, clove, rhubarb, cardamom, licorice and juniper among the herbal profiles. Some amari are barrel-aged for complexity. The recipes are all closely guarded secrets.

The flavor profiles of amari are definitely local. Amari made in the North rely more on the herbs and flowers available in the mountains, while Southern amari might use more citrus peels.

Humans are born with an aversion to bitter flavors and many of us (Americans) have more interest in the flavors: sweet, sour and salty - even umami. So, a little palate education is necessary to appreciate bitter flavors, and we are acquiring that appreciation by drinking IPAs, cocktails with tonic water, and even coffee and tea. Italians embrace bitter foods early in their lives (greens, chocolate, espresso) and consequently have a long history with bitter flavors and especially with amari.

To an Italian a liqueur is an amari if it is consumed after dinner, which would leave Aperol, Campari and many vermouths off of the list. Is a vermouth an amaro? Technically it’s not, but you would have to consider them bitter cousins, vermouth is usually the lower alcohol cousin. Vermouths are a subject for their own future blog post.

For cocktail history and recipes, I refer a lot to the book, “Death & Co. Modern Classic Cocktails” by David Kaplan, Nick Fauchald and Alex Day. Death & Co. is a popular cocktail bar which first opened in Manhattan (NY) and now has locations in Denver and LA. They list a few popular amari and their flavor profiles:

APERITIVO AMARO

Meletti 1870 Bitter: Balance of sweet and spice with mild bitterness.

Aperol: less bitter and more sweet than Campari, probably the most popular in the US

Campari: is versatile as a sipper or a mixer. You couldn’t have a Negroni without Campari, which has a higher alcohol content and a stronger flavor profile than Aperol.

DIGESTIVO AMARO

Amaro Averna: Described as tasting like Coca-Cola.

Amaro Meletti: Produced in Ascoli Piceno since 1870, it has a distinctive nose of violets with flavors of saffron and anise.

Amaro Nardini: has a menthol flavor similar to Fernet-Branca, but isn’t as bitter

Amaro Nonino Quintessentia: Subtle and approachable, the grappa based amaro is flavored with alpine herbs and is my favorite - so far.

Cynar: thought there is an artichoke on the bottle, it really doesn’t taste like artichokes, but has a flavor profile that transitions from sweet to sharp and citrusy with some vegetal notes.

Fernet-Branca: “This is amaro on crack with an aggressive medicinal, mentholated flavor profile.” Comment from the Death & Co. cocktail book.

Try this recipe, a riff on an Old-Fashioned, from Death & Co.’s book “Cocktail Codex”. It uses two amari, so you don’t need to use bitters or sugar.

1.5 oz. Amaro Nonino

3/4 oz. Germain Robin Brandy

1/4 oz. Amaro Meletti

6 drops of a salt solution

Stir ingredients over ice, strain into an Old-Fashioned glass over 1 large cube. Express an orange twist over the glass, gently rub it on the rim and place it into the drink.

The interesting, but also frustrating thing about amaro is that there are no regulations or rules about what constitutes an amaro. So, in order to discover what you like, you’ll have to experiment with different labels. Or come see us, we have a growing collection and we’re always happy to steer you in the right direction.

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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

THIS WEEKEND

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.

It’s Penne Bolognese, but a new look for a new restaurant!

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.

Saturday - Monday Football Special. Growler/Pizza Deal! Free growler bottle when you pay for the beer, plus $7 Margherita & Pepperoni Pizzas TO GO ONLY!⁠

$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

1/10 - 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 Fish - Mahi Mahi, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce 

Braised - Slow-Roasted Fennel/Orange Duck, Sautéed Asparagus, Caramelized Onion, Kale, Fennel Cream Sauce, Pappardelle Pasta

Ravioli - Lamb & Goat Cheese Ravioli, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Shallots, Wild Mushroom Rosemary Cream Sauce

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Fried Chicken and Risotto 

Carnaroli risotto, wild mushrooms, carrots, celery tossed with wild mushroom soup and topped with Italian fried chicken.

Pairing -Tormaresca, Chardonnay, Abruzzo,  Italy Scents of pineapple and peach, floral notes of daisy and jasmine with a balanced acidity and fruity aftertaste.  

 
Pan-Seared Swordfish

It has a medium firm texture with a sweet nutty flavor.  Pan-seared and served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed organic arugula and grilled artichokes.  Topped with a lemon caper butter sauce and smoked prosciutto powder.    

Pairing - Ruffino, Sparkling Rose, Italy Crisp bubbly texture with notes of strawberry and hints of rose petals.

Cut of the Day is a Chianina Flat Iron Steak

Chianina is a breed of cattle only raised in a few areas of Italy, prized for its marbling and flavor.  Grilled to perfection and served with our crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus and a traditional Italian Salsa Verde. 

Pairing - Tercos Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, Aromas of blackberries and black cherry, great volume and depth with a long finish of soft tannins

Live Music

Tonight 8:00: Cali Shaw

1/16: RJ Perez

1/17: Leah Leyva

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!

Buon Anno (Happy New Year)

As the year comes to an end, we thought we should take a look at some of the best of La Gazzeta in the past year and to talk about some Italian New Year’s Eve traditions.

Wearing red underwear is a thing, especially for couples hoping to conceive, since red is the color of fertility in Italy. Don’t worry, we won’t be conducting panty inspections at the door. Let’s call it a private tradition.

Dinner throughout the country is also loaded with tradition, with pig’s trotters (feet) or a sausage containing pig’s trotters, and a side dish of lentils being the most popular dish. The high fat content is supposed to symbolize abundance. 

You will not find pig’s trotters among our NYE specials at M’tucci’s Italian or M’tucci’s Moderno. We’re going with Duroc Pork Loin, Sea Scallops, Lobster Ravioli and Grilled Chianina Flat Iron Steaks. All of the details are listed below for each restaurant.

Dried fruit and grapes (also traditionally eaten before the stroke of midnight in Mexico) are served at the end of the meal. The grapes symbolize the will power it took to save your grapes from the fall harvest. Enjoying them will mean wisdom, wealth and frugality in the coming year. 

Another Italian tradition that you are welcome to perform is “out with the old”, which finds southern Italians tossing old pots, pans and clothes from their windows. That won’t be very dramatic if you don’t live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building.

However you choose to celebrate New Year’s Eve and the first day of 2020, we want to thank you for all of your support in 2019 and promise to bring new and interesting Italian food to you in the coming year.

We will definitely bring a new restaurant to you in February 2020, M’tucci’s Twenty-Five at I-25 & Jefferson!

Artist rendering of the bar and patio at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five opening in February 2020.

La Gazzeta di M’tucci’s - the best of 2019

June 21 - Report from the chef’s travels in Italy https://www.mtuccis.com/lagazzeta/2019/6/21/mtuccis-in-tuscany

June 28 - Part 2 of the trip to Italy: https://www.mtuccis.com/lagazzeta/2019/6/28/mtuccis-in-italy-part-2

August 9: Pizza - https://www.mtuccis.com/lagazzeta/2019/8/9/mtuccis-pizza

May 9: Ravioli - https://www.mtuccis.com/lagazzeta/2019/5/8/ravioli-queen-of-stuffed-pasta

We hope you have enjoyed our weekly journeys through Italy with M’tucci’s. 

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NEW YEAR’S EVE @ M’tucci’s 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.  

New Years Eve @ M’tucci’s Italian

Food Specials

Pan Seared Sea Scallops, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke Heart, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce 

Rosemary & Milk Braised Lamb Shank, Creamy Garlic Polenta, Sautéed Greens 

Herb Roasted Duroc Pork Loin, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, braising sauce

Wine Specials

Mer Soleil Chardonnay 2015

Mollydooker Gigglepot Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Lucky Star Pinot 2015

We will close at our normal hours, 10:00pm. Please join the M’tucci’s family at M’tucci’s Moderno for music and might toasts!

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NEWS FROM M’TUCCI’S

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.

We also have a few new beers. “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.”

Also, Ash Cloud Hazy IPA is back (5.5% ABV and 35 IBU). A juicy and fruity IPA.

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

There is a full schedule of bowl games next week, come in for Happy Hour and Football!

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

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

Tonight

12/27 - BuddhaFunk

M’tucci’s Italian

Weekend Specials

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

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

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

Braise - 12oz Hand Cut Pork Chop, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Cherry Gastrique

M’tucci’s Moderno

Weekend Specials

Herb Roasted Pork Loin: Herb roasted and brined in house and served with a sweet potato puree and grilled broccolini 

Pairing - Mimi, Chardonnay, Washington  Fresh and soft tones of apple and citrus, subtle spice and oak.

Pan-Seared fish of the Day is Yellowtail  - Yellowtail has a mild buttery flavor with a medium texture.  Served with our garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed organic arugula, grilled artichokes, topped with our caper lemon butter sauce and smoked prosciutto powder  

Pairing - Ruffino, Sparkling Rose, Italy  Crisp bubbly texture with notes of strawberry and hints of rose petals.

Cut of the Day - hand cut bone-in Porterhouse or a Boneless Ribeye 
Grilled to perfection and served with crispy saltwater potatoes, grilled asparagus and our traditional Italian Salsa Verde  

Pairing - Tercos Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina Aromas of blackberries and black cherry, great volume and depth with a long finish of soft tannins

Live Music

Tonight 8:00: Leah Leyva

January 2 @ 7:00: Oscar Butler

January 3 @ 8:00: Melissa Rios

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

January 11 from 10:00am - 4:00pm & January 12 from Noon - 5:00pm

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. Ciao!