Gregorio's Italian Kitchen

Gregorio's Italian Kitchen
4200 Wyoming Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87111

**UPDATE: OCTOBER 2012
We are sad to inform our readers that Gregorio's has closed. We will miss this awesome restaurant and hope that the owners of The Range and Standard Diner will incorporate some of the delicious Gregorio's offerings in the other two restaurants.
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Gregorio’s Italian Kitchen is owned by the same man who owns The Range – one of our favorite restaurants (see our review under the Old Favorites category).  We were excited to try Gregorio's and see what we thought.  It’s located in the corner of a strip mall, tucked back off the Montgomery and Wyoming intersection - locals will remember it as the former location of The Range before it moved to its current location.  The space is delightfully decorated, Italian themed of course, with some kitschy accent items and a gorgeous suspended wood ceiling.  There are tables out on the patio and a charming gas fireplace for both ambience and possible warmth when the wind is blowing! 

The menu is large and features an extensive wine and beer list.  Also, the wine list is featured on a wine table on the table adding a fun aesthetic to the experience.   There were many traditional Italian dishes, pasta dishes, lots of appetizers, and pizza to choose from.  Once we were seated, the waiter brought us a glass of homemade cheese straws – rustic, cheesy, crunchy bread sticks that were very addictive and delicious.  We asked what the most popular dish was and were told “Matt’s Pizza” and a few pasta dishes.  We had decided on pizza before arriving so we chose that and decided to split the Italian Chop Salad.



Italian Chop Salad with Rustic Homemade Breadsticks



The kitchen staff nicely separated and served our salad on two plates, something we didn’t ask for and appreciated.  The salad featured bacon, pepperoni, grilled chicken, provolone cheese, tomatoes, zucchini, pickled red onions, bell peppers, kalamata olives and parmesan cheese.  The salad greens were fresh and crisp and it was arranged beautifully on the plate.  The Creamy Italian Dressing was incredibly good, slightly sweet and tangy.  It was so good, we caught ourselves dipping our forks into it just to enjoy it by itself!  It was that good.  The salad is easily large enough for two and since we didn’t want to fill up it, we asked for a carry out box AND a container of the dressing, which we gratefully accepted.  The next day, it was just as delicious!

The pizza was of moderate size – maybe 12 inches in diameter.  It featured hand tossed dough that was crisp and thin, and the pizza was cut into small, manageable pieces.  The marinara sauce was spicy and the mozzarella cheese was gooey and hot.  The pizza was cooked on a stone, giving the crust a nice deep flavor.  It was steaming hot when delivered to the table and ready to eat – no need to add anything to make it taste perfect.  It was properly seasoned, delightfully prepared and very, very good.  It came with green chili, pepperoni, fresh sliced mushrooms, grilled onions (so good), and lots of cheese.  Overall, it was delicious and we plan to have it again soon!

Matt's Pizza

For dessert, we selected the Zabaglione and the Spumoni Sundae.  The Zabaglione was frozen and sliced like a pie, covered in chocolate with lots of toasted almonds.  It was delicious, creamy and had just the right amount of sweetness without being overpowering.  The Spumoni Sundae featured three varieties – pink, green, and brown - all delicious - covered in chocolate sauce and whipped cream.  Like the Zabaglione, it was creamy and not too sweet.  We enjoyed both desserts very much.

Spumoni Sundae