A Visit to Old Town

One of my favorite places in Albuquerque is Old Town. It’s a plaza of old adobe buildings, restaurants, shops, a gazebo, and a church that was built in 1793.

You can buy authentic Native American jewelry from local artisans along the plaza. They make exquisite turquoise and silver pieces.

San Felipe de Neri church.

A hidden gem of a New Mexico garden.

The thing I love about New Mexico is that they put local flavors in everything. Q Chocolate in Old Town makes piñon bark, green chile truffles, and spicy cayenne hot chocolate — fresh, original treats you really can’t get anywhere else.

Mexican hot chocolate — pretty and tasty. Perfect for a crisp Albuquerque morning.

Look at those truffles. Those beauties are the work of a man who has been making chocolate for over 14 years. Yeah, I asked him. I’m a chocolate nerd.

My dream is to have a workspace that consists of all things chocolate.

Green Chile Cashew chocolate bark. Who woulda thunk?

I tried a honey lavender truffle (left) and a spicy New Mexican truffle (right).

There were two Navajo Code Talkers here. What a cool piece of history.

This is the prettiest ristra display. Ristras are decorative drying chili pepper pods, and they range from little baby ones to pretty enormous, like this arrangement.

One of Old Town’s stars is the Church St. Cafe. It’s right behind the San Felipe de Neri church, and it’s a hot spot that serves all things New Mexican. I ordered up Chile Rellenos, and they were even better than they look.

Chile Rellenos.

Old Town has history, beautiful architecture, an authentic New Mexican style, and, of course, some pretty dang good food. It’s an Albuquerque treasure.

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Q Chocolate is located at  111 Romero Street NW in Albuquerque.

Church St. Cafe is located at 2111 Church St. NW in Albuquerque.