Address: 2119 Menaul Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107
Phone: 505-322-2863
Website: http://www.eatdrinkrepeat.us/
October 2016, from member Renee: Last night we were invited to Eclectic restaurant with friends. It is on Menaul near The Range Cafe, east of University. I looked at the menu online prior to agreeing to go and realized this was the new restaurant of the previous owners of Torino’s @ Home, Daniella and Maxime. I had had good luck at Torino’s some years ago so I figured I would give it a shot.
When I got there, I spoke to Daniella and our awesome server about what the best option was for me. They do offer gluten free pizza but be aware that they make their own non-gf pizza crusts in house (they are Italian) and they do warn that there is quite a bit of flour in their kitchen. From my interactions with Daniella in the past, I knew that she would be very forthcoming about the risks of contamination in her kitchen. Maxime and Daniella both were very concerned about me and let me know of all the possible risks in their kitchen. They said that gf pizzas are premade and prepackaged (they didn’t tell me the manufacturer) and that they place them on their own baking pan and use a clean cutting utensil.
I ended up with the Chimichurri steak and a side of specially cooked Brussels sprouts with bacon (the regular recipe has gluten in the au jus so they made one special for me, so be sure to ask). My order was the last to come out, and a bit delayed from the rest of the table, so it felt like they took a little extra care in the kitchen. It was quite delicious and when I received our bill, I realized that they had specially marked my order on the computer as “celiac”.
Although symptoms are not the best way to determine if you have been glutened or not, I am happy to report that I have had no ill effects.
Also, if you are a Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul fan (I’ve never seen it), know that Jonathan Banks (who plays Mike Ehrmantraut) is a frequent guest. He was there when we were and seemed like a very nice man, willingly talking to and taking photos with other guests and when our party left at the same time as his, he and our friend had a nice conversation out front.
The restaurant is cute and small, but quite loud, on a Saturday night. If you go, be sure to let Daniella and/or Maxime know of your needs so they can take care of you.