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P’tit Louis – French Bistro

This was cross-posted at DukeCityFix.

If you’ve been by the corner of Gold and 3rd downtown anytime since January, you’ve probably noticed the corner shop (formerly Ooh-Aah jewelry and before that Ruby Shoesday) undergoing some major changes.

A new French bistro – “P’tit Louis” – is opening today after much anticipation. This is John Phinizy’s first restaurant, and he’s brought with him the brilliant minds behind Scalo and Brasserie La Provence. If their menu is any indication, this is going to be quite the fancy little downtown hot spot, with daily specials including a Râgout du Jour and a Quiche du Jour.

The interior alone is really something. The folks at P’tit Louis have really poured a lot into making into an authentic bistro, with fresh cut flowers, honeycomb flooring, dark wood bar and wainscoting, and vintage photos and posters on the wall. French music happily bubbles over into the space.

P’tit Louis opens today, and if things are successful, expect to see a few more open up around town.

They’re on the corner of 3rd and Gold at 228 Gold Ave SW. The phone number is 505-314-1111.

Fall 2009

Here are a few more photos from Fall 2009, in Gallup and Albuquerque.  These were taken with a Nikon FE using Kodak Gold 400 film.

East Central New Mexico

New Mexico is a state with a population density of 16.2 people per square mile, ranking 45th in the nation.  With a land area of over 121,000 square miles, it boasts huge expanses of unpopulated land, and its geographic diversity lends itself to some incredible natural beauty.

Far from the mountainous northern part of the state, the eastern and southeastern portions make up part of the Llano Estacado, a place so flat and empty that the curvature of the earth is visible.  Many of the communities on these plains tend to be small, with residents enjoying the simple, quiet life under the big blue sky.

The Llano Estacado is oil country.  Derricks dot the landscape, and the refineries fill the air with the heady smell of black gold, their facilities glowing at night against the black sky, punctuating the darkness with pinpricks of light.

It’s also ranch country, where pickup trucks and stetsons abound, and the cattle and antelope graze on the wide open terrain.  Very little rain falls, but when it does, the land is so flat that it pools together in a huge mess of mud.

Melrose is a small community just west of Clovis.  Its claim to fame is as the birthplace of William Hanna, of the famous Hanna Barbara cartoon duo.  West of Melrose, between Clovis and Fort Sumner, is the village of House, with a population of less than 100.  Near House is a large wind farm, with huge turbines spinning swiftly in the wind generated on the open plains.

Well south of House and Melrose is Lea County, home to the Lea County Rodeo.  Just near the Texas border, the communities of Hobbs and Lovington feel much more Texan than New Mexican.

Lea County Fair and Rodeo

Last week I headed down to the southeast corner of New Mexico, to the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, held at the Jake McClure Arena in Lovington.  As a city slicker from Cleveland, it was by no means something I would normally attend, which made it all the more incredible of an experience.

Fairs in general are an otherwordly experience.  There are the bright lights and tinkling, repetitive sounds of the Midway.  The sickeningly alluring odors of deep fried twinkies, roast turkey legs, funnel cakes, and other things you probably shouldn’t eat but are too intrigued to resist.  Not to mention odors that are just plain sickening without being alluring – overflowing trash bins, port-a-potties, and the livestock yards.

Ah, livestock.  This is one part of the county fair to which I’ve never had much exposure.  Down in Lea County, though, livestock is a way of life.

Lovington is just a few miles away from Texas, and it shows; it feels much more like the Lone Star State than it feels like New Mexico.

See the entire photo gallery here.

Night Glow

Hot air balloons can only be so exciting to those left on the ground, so the event coordinators plan as many interesting spectacles as possible. The vendors selling cheap trinkets and overpriced “food” from their makeshift stalls are thankful.

One of the popular events is the Night Glow, where the balloons inflate with their burning propane tanks and light up like ornaments. The hissing of nearly a thousand gas tanks is just as much a part of the experience as the visual.

Simple Stripes

Special Shapes – The Bueno Balloon

Despite their infinite combinations of colors and patterns, teardrop-shaped balloons lose the attention of the audience to the Special Shapes balloons. Bees, Witches, Dragons – if someone has the creativity to imagine a shape and the know-how (and financial backing) to put it together, you’ll see it a the Balloon Fiesta.

This particular balloon is one of which many Albuquerque natives are proud. Bueno Foods parades its famous Chile Ristra through the skies of the town. The Ristra is a decorative element seen all over the state – dried chiles are strung up to soak up the sun, presumably to be taken down and cooked (although most I’ve seen have gathered far too much dust and mold).