Buen Provecho — Restaurant in Albuquerque

BUEN PROVECHO IS A PURVEYOR OF FINE COSTA RICAN DINING ALONG WITH VARIETY OF LATIN AMERICAN DISHES & DESSERTS. Originally from Costa Rica, Kattia Rojas, an honors graduate of the CNM Baking program, has strived to capture in her products the very essence of her roots. She has devoted more than ten years to delighting her customers with her unique Latino flavor, adding to each of her dishes ingredients that truly represent where she comes from... After many years of successful catering and operating Sunday's at the ABQ Rail Yards, Buen Provecho has now opened a restaurant, located at the El Vado Motel, near the ABQ Biopark. Parking is somewhat confusing, as you have to park on the north side of the recently renovated El Vado Motel, then walk south to find the open patio and then locate suite #3. While there isn't any indoor seating available, there are covered picnic tables just around the corner from where you order your food and the food is delivered to you. The menu features exotic Latin American cuisine, focused on Costa Rican appetizers, entrees and desserts worth of the finest bakeries in Albuquerque. Vegetarian, meat and sweet/savory puff pastries are great for someone in a hurry or wanting to bring a surprise to work/home. Once things settle down at the new restaurant, Kattia plans to return to hosting a booth at the ABQ Rail Yards again, as well as continuing her catering business. We visited for Sunday lunch and were greeted by a polite employee who helped direct us from the parking lot to the restaurant. Once we entered, we were excited at the various menu options. We tried two different traditional casados, one with chicken sofrito and the other with ropa viefa (shredded beef), which came with black beans, white rice and sweet plantains, served on a huge banana leaf, just like in Costa Rica. From the first bite, I was reminded of fond memories of multiple visits to Costa Rica. The food was served quickly and hot from the kitchen, each and every bite full of tender juicy flavor, cleared made with Pura Vida love. We ended our meal sharing a key lime pie tartlet, which was just right, as the portions were sufficient. For hungrier appetites, a platter is available, with larger portions and additional sides. The outdoor dining area screams of potential due to LED lamp posts with attached speakers, near a water feature and view of the hotel's pool. One highlight of the experience was the direct view of the Sandia mountains, something not available at most restaurants in...

Buen Provecho is a small Puerto Rican themed restaurant that occupies a modestly sized suite in the recently revitalized El Vado restaurant/shopping center. After hearing all the buzz about what El Vado has to offer; I finally decided to stop by one afternoon and check things out for myself. At first, things appeared pretty cool. The open patio was large, shaded, inviting, and had its mist sprinkler heads operating at full capacity. Not to mention, that the small dancing water fountain at the far end was a nice touch. However, for some peculiar reason, the majority of the Motel's restaurants and businesses were closed when I visited during the late afternoon hours on a seemingly normal weekday. As a result, my options were scarce, and Buen Provecho was one of the few places open, so I went inside and took a brief look at the menu before ordering myself a chicken quesadilla. After being given number (once having paid), I took a seat outside on the patio and waited for the arrival of my food. A quesadilla is fairly simple Latin dish to make: you simply melt the cheese inside a folded tortilla and serve it. How hard can that possibly be to do? So, you could imagine my frustration when I was still waiting for my meal after about ten minutes. I was the only one in the patio area; therefore I knew that the kitchen wasn't exactly backed up with multiple order tickets. Nonetheless, I eventually got my food and when I did, I immediately understood the reason for the prolonged wait. "Gourmet", is the best descriptive word I can use to illustrate the quality of my quesadilla. It was beautifully prepared as it was grilled to perfection and loaded with thick melted cheese. Not to forget, that It also came with (as the menu stated) a side of black beans and sour cream. Absolutely delicious with every bite and surprisingly filling. Most quesadillas are usually offered as some type of appetizer or children's menu item as they typically don't do much to satisfy your hunger. Not at Buen Provecho though; here you can expect your quesadilla to conquer your hunger just as effectively as it will conquer your taste buds. A small hidden Puerto Rican surprise nestled in an old Route 66 Motel that has been given a...

Through travels I've started to regard beans and rice as my comfort food of choice, more than the American usuals that may taste great but might not exactly leave a sense of well-being afterward. Buen Provecho makes sublime comfort food in the best sense of the word. I had a UberEats coupon and was looking for something new and hesitated with Buen Provecho because I wasn't sure how the food would make the trip. But, these are challenging times and the Arroz con Pollo (rice with chicken), something I wouldn't normally order for delivery, just seemed comforting. I'm happy I did, and ordered a vegetarian tamale, a side of carnitas, and a side of beans and rice to sample around and save some for later. Everything was well packed and I do not think lost much in the trip. The arroz con pollo was divine, such subtle flavors and perfectly cooked. The sweet plantains and yucca fries too! Why don't more places serve those? The tamale was delicious, like no tamale I've had. Normally I prefer tex-mex style tamales, small and light on the masa. But the masa in Buen Provecho's tamale has such a smooth and delightful texture with the right amount of spice in the filling, I could eat them all day. The carnitas, a little dry, but great flavor and they came back with a little steam reheating. (I ordered near closing time so almost to be expected.) I can't wait until this is all over to stop by and eat in person, but in the meantime Buen Provecho provides extraordinary comfort food with great flavor that picks up and goes anywhere. The prices may seem a little bit high when browsing the menu the first time but it's clear afterward that money goes mostly to the ingredients and preparation time....