Big announcement today.  El Pinto will be taking over the space at the Albuquerque International Sunport that now houses Gardunos.  Jim Thomas, one of the Salsa Twins and owner of El Pinto with his twin brother John, announced the move to the airport  with TV reporter Kim Holland of KRQE 13.  The City of Albuquerque awarded the contract to El Pinto. Soon El Pinto will begin remodeling the space to reflect a true New Mexico travelers welcome center.

 Among the remodeling plans will be a display kitchen, a private dining space and plenty of fresh El Pinto New Mexican food to enjoy in the new dining room or to take with you on the plane.  Plans include providing fresh tortillas and plenty of the famous El Pinto Salsa for you to get on your way to your travel destination or when you get home.  The same great menu found at the original El Pinto will be availble a the airport location.

The whole idea behind the new El Pinto at the airport will be to feature New Mexican cuisine and culture to travelers from all over the world who come through the Sunport.

And here’s a thought.  When you get home from your trip, you won’t have to wait very long to get your chile fix!

During the Winter months there are temporary walls that go up in the restaurant to enclose a portion of the patio area for additional seating.  Those walls usually come down May 1 but we did it earlier this year.  They actually came down last Monday.  All that means to you is…the patio is open!  Summer afternoons and evenings out on the patio at El Pinto is one of life’s great pleasures.   

Six new products to be introduced Spring 2008

Albuquerque, N.M. - El Pinto is introducing six new products into the spicy foods market this Spring 2008. These products will be available in spring 2008 in retail outlets across the United States and are available online today!

The products are as follows:

Chipotle Salsa:

This salsa is an adaptation of El Pinto’s original salsa. Smoked jalapenos add rich, smokey flavor. This salsa is great alone, with chips, or it can be made into a quick and easy pasta salad. It’s also great when served heated.

Wild and Fiery Chipotle Salsa:

This salsa is a version of El Pinto’s smokey chipotle, but much hotter. It can be served with chips, with any meat or it can be used as a base to make a zesty barbecue sauce

Taco Salsa:

A version of El Pinto’s original salsa, the Taco Salsa is blended down and cooked longer for a style of salsa that is similar to that found in a restaurant. It is great chilled with chips, but also has a great flavor when heated and used to pour over grilled fish or chicken, and of course, for pouring over tacos.

Green Chile Taco Salsa: This taco salsa is a tomatillo and roasted green chile salsa that makes a flavorful addition when poured over tacos. It can be used whenever a recipe calls for salsa verde or regular salsa. It has a great flavor with seafood dishes and it makes a great taco topper that kids will love.

Roasted Green Chile:

Roasted Green Chile is an awesome product that only uses the best flame-roasted and hand-peeled green chiles. El Pinto mixes the green chiles with garlic for a product that is perfect for cheeseburgers, pizza, on eggs – any place you like your green chile. The possibilities are endless with this product. No defrosting or draining required!

Red Chile Sauce:

This special sauce is made with sundried red chiles. It has a rich and unique flavor only El Pinto can create. It’s wonderful for traditional New Mexican dishes like enchiladas, posole, and chile con carne, but it can also be used in Asian or Italian dishes. This is a great product to use when you want to add spice and a rich flavor. El Pinto’s Red Chile Sauce is sure to be a customer favorite!