The Grove Review by Cory Voss

The Grove Cafe and Market is located on Central Avenue halfway between the UNM campus and downtown Albuquerque. The Grove is a high class cafe and market that serves breakfast and lunch. Jason and Lauren Greene have owned and managed The Grove since June 14, 2006. Jason is the executive chef and he works hard on developing the food out of  the highest quality ingredients, while practicing artisan cooking methods and focusing on organic and local products. Lauren on the other hand has a background in the hotel world and brings to you the lost art of hospitality. She creates the experience and atmosphere throughout The Grove.

My first trip to The Grove was quite memorable. I had been going to school at the University of New Mexico for almost a full semester when my parents came down to visit. My mom is a food connoisseur and had done some research on the best places to eat in Albuquerque. The first place on her list was a small cafe I had never heard of called The Grove. We pulled up to a small tan and orange building with a very small white sign out front. If we would have been traveling too fast we would have almost missed the small building and sign. Before entering the building I didn't think much of this cafe but once inside I felt like I was in downtown San Francisco. The cafe has a very modern and casual feel due to the open layout and contemporary appliances and seating area. I was completely blown away by how nice this cafe was on the inside and outside seating areas. The menu is on a chalk board which is very fun and unique, the cafe doubles as a market so there are many small treats that catch your eye as you make your way to the counter, and the walls and ceiling are lines with different textures and colors that are very visually appealing. Outside of the physical features of the cafe, I noticed that there were a tremendous amount of people eating at the cafe and it would continue to be like this every time I went. Overall the cafe has a very comfortable and stylish feel that got me excited about the cafe without having to even eat any food yet.

The Smoked Salmon from The Grove

It was time to get down to the food. I have only tried two different meals off of their menu and I absolutely fell in love with the second one so I have yet to try anything else. The first thing I got from The Grove was the breakfast burrito. I honestly chose this to be my first meal because everything else on the menu seemed almost exotic or has a special name and that seemed to be the most plain thing on the menu. Come to find out, the burrito was far from plain. The burrito has sausage, green chile, and surprisingly goat cheese. I am from Pueblo, Colorado which is famous for its use of green chile in everything and I am here to say that this burrito did not disappoint. The burrito had the right about of meat, it had a good kick from the green chile, and the goat cheese was just the cherry on top. The second thing that I tried was the Smoke Salmon. The menus reads: SMOKED SALMON cream cheese, red onion, capers, lemon, creme fraiche, chives with green side salad served on housemade english muffin. This happens to be the longest description on the menu. I didn't really understand what most of the ingredients were in the description but I knew that I loved salmon and that they offered it as a breakfast. The salad was incredibly refreshing and set up the salmon very well. The salmon was covered with chives and red onions and absolutely melted in my mouth. This was all on top of a warm house-made english muffin. This was overall some of the best ingredients that I had ever seen put together and it felt like I was eating a high class meal at a high class cafe. To top off my meal I had a salted caramel cupcake that was very delectable. It was soft and the topping was very sweet. It was the perfect was to finish off a perfect meal. I know I talk about The Grove as being "high class" but the prices aren't high. I believe that the Smoked Salmon is around $11 and everything else on the menu is about $8 to $10. The prices are very comparable to that of the Frontier on Central but I believe the food is much better.

I visit The Grove on a consistent basis now and after my most recent meal I thought that I would try to ask a couple of people some different questions about what they thought of the Cafe. I was lucky enough to talk to two different types of people. The first people that I talked to were a young couple that shared with me that it was their first time dining at the cafe. I asked what they thought about the overall feel of the cafe without having tried their food yet. The couple was impressed with the modern and stylish amenities throughout the cafe and they also thought that the "number system" was unique. At the grove the give you an ingredient on a card that is attached to a long metal pole that you set on your table. Therefore, instead of being number 10 you are an ingredient such as chives. I also found this to be very cool but didn't think about it as much until the couple brought it up. After finishing my conversation they said that they would most defiantly be returning to The Grove. The next interview that I conducted was with two elderly ladies who swore they had come to the cafe about 100 times. These ladies talked more about their favorite meals and how coming here together became something very special to them. They were able to share this experience at The Grove because of how welcoming and comfortable the atmosphere is. I asked one of the ladies what she thought of the look and feel of the cafe and she went on to describe how "hip" everything was. I thought that there was no better way to put it than that.


MENU

breakfast all day

POACHED EGGS with ham, turkey or prosciutto/asparagus/parmesan
CLASSIC SCRAMBLED with applewood smoked bacon or tully’s sausage
CROQUE MADAME with fresh fruit
EGG WHITE FRITATTA seasonal vegetables, arugula salad, pecorino
THE BREAKFAST SANDWICH on our housemade english muffin
THE BURRITO goat cheese, housemade green chile and tully’s sausage
GROVE PANCAKES fresh fruit and creme fraiche
SMOKED SALMON cream cheese, red onion, capers, lemon, creme fraiche, chives with green side salad served on housemade english muffin
HOUSEMADE GRANOLA & ORGANIC YOGURT
HOT OATMEAL with brown sugar cinnamon butter
OLD-FASHIONED ENGLISH MUFFIN with local honey or heidi’s organic jam

lunch served from 11am

salads served with a housemade herb roll

CHOPPED SALAD romaine, turkey, egg, bacon, tomato, avocado, point reyes blue cheese with ranch
FARMERS SALAD mixed greens, roasted golden beets, asparagus, yellow peppers, tomato, marcona almonds, goat cheese with lemon basil vinaigrette
TUNA SALAD NICOISE tuna salad, olives, tomato, mixed greens, hard-boiled egg, asparagus, fingerling potatoes with lemon basil vinaigrette
FEATURED SALAD(changes seasonally)

warm sandwiches served with seasonal side and sweet pickles

THREE CHEESE havarti, aged provolone, white cheddar pressed on sourdough
GRILLED CHEESE N’ GREENS ricotta, gruyere, braised kale, roasted tomatoes, pickled fennel pressed on sourdough
TUNA TOASTIE white cheddar pressed on whole wheat
TURKEY TOASTIE havarti, tomato & whole grain mustard pressed on whole wheat
CROQUE MONSIEUR with fresh fruit
EDO’S BEST BLT with butter lettuce, grove guacamole, applewood smoked bacon on toasted whole wheat

cool sandwiches served with seasonal side and sweet pickles

VEGGIE roasted yellow pepper, tomato, greens, english cucumber  on olive bread
MOZZARELLA housemade mozzarella, tomato, basil, arugula on olive bread
TUNA apple, tomato, arugula on toasted whole wheat
ROASTED TURKEY avocado, mayo, yellow mustard, lettuce, tomato on whole wheat
FRENCH HAM & CHEESE blackforest ham, d’affinois cheese, arugula, mostrada, caper mustard sauce on toasted brioche bun
GROVE ITALIAN genoa salami, La Quercia prosciutto & coppa, provolone, sweet peppers, iceberg lettuce, mayo, whole grain mustard on toasted brioche bun
THE BEEF house roasted NM sirloin, caramelized onion, arugula, horseradish crème fraiche, whole grain mustard, havarti on sourdough
THE PORK house roasted berkshire pork loin, romesco sauce, fennel, arugula, lemon aioli, over easy egg on toasted brioche bun

sweets

signature cupcakes, old fashioned cookies and scones featured daily
french macarons, served friday – sunday based on availability

coffee

featuring intelligentsia coffee and tea
featured brew, espresso, latte, cappuccino, americano, café au lait, mocha and cortado

tea

featuring intelligentsia organic loose leaf teas
an assortment of black, herbal and green

cold beverages

fresh brewed iced teas, house-squeezed lemonade, house-squeezed orange juice and an assortment of bottled beverages
house squeezed mimosas and peach bellinis

For more information please visit The Grove website or I would encourage you to go to the cafe and have an experience of your own!

Located East of downtown Albuquerque in EDo, and just one mile from the University of New Mexico, just West of I-25.

600 Central Avenue se, Suite A
Albuquerque New Mexico 87102
Open Tuesday-Saturday 7a-4p, Sunday 8a-3p, Closed Monday

PHONE 505.248.9800
FAX 505.248.9803

info@thegrovecafemarket.com 

http://www.thegrovecafemarket.com