Zio's Italian Kitchen in Albuquerque, New Mexico: Review

Whenever I visit my in-laws in Albuquerque, New Mexico; I always leave time in my schedule to visit Zio's Italian Kitchen. This is partly due to the fact that I love Italian food and have never met a piece of pasta that I didn't like. It also has to do with the small fact that we don't have a Zio's in Arkansas and we really don't have another Italian place that can quite measure up to the cuisine of this restaurant chain, who makes it's home base in San Antonio, Texas.

Recently, Zio's added to it's already delightful menu. From appetizers to dessert, the new selections will have you as stuffed as their famous Chicken and Spinich Cannelloni. In keeping with my 2007 New Years Resolution to get out of my rut and try new things, I felt obligated to turn from my usual Romano and Ricotta filled Manicotti with it's creamy alfredo sauce (Just $8.29 by the way) to walk on the wild side.

It all started with an order of Toasted Ravioli. A beautiful blend of cheeses in Zio's signature ravioli, then battered and fried to a golden brown. They serve them piping hot with their homemade meat sauce for just $5.29.

Since we couldn't make up our minds about all of the great appetizers, we ordered a second one. This time, the Italian Stuffed Mushrooms. $4.49 will get you a mix of cream cheese, Parmesan, ricotta, Pepperoni's and Italian sausage, piled high on fresh mushroom caps and then melted in their brick oven.

There are five new Pizza's on the menu. These unique pies include a Veggie that's topped with feta and Havarti cheeses and a Barbecue chicken with red onions, bacon, onions, Mozzarella and Gouda cheese. For those that enjoy the spicy...there's a Thai Chicken with peanut sauce, grilled chicken, carrots and bean sprouts that the staff will garnish with chopped peanuts and green onions. The California pizza is stacked with chicken preast, bacon, fresh mushrooms, spinich and Roma tomatoes before being drenched in alfredo sauce and covered with smoked Gouda and shredded mozzarella. But my personal favorite, after trying a bit of my daughter's is the Chicken Club! A hand tossed dough is covered in homemade tomato sauces and then layered with sliced chicken, bacon and fresh chopped Roma tomatoes before being topped with 4...yes I said 4....cheeses. Mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey Jack and Smoked Provolone all grace the top of this piece of heaven.

I don't why I've never come up with their new baked pasta dish. It combines two of my favorite ingredients in the whole world....lasagna noodles and alfredo sauce! The Chicken Alfredo Lasagna has sliced all white meat chicken, fresh mushrooms and green onions...layered with lasagna noodles, creamy ricotta cheese and smooth alfredo sauce. For $9.99, you get a huge slice along with Italian Flat bread.

Zio's House Specialities are recipes to write home about. Their Chicken and Cheese Tortellini Alfredo (9.49) and Shrimp Limone with it's artichoke hearts and angel hair pasta (10.99) are dishes that put Zio's on the map. Now they have two new signature main course dinners that almost put the original fare to shame-notice I said almost.
Grilled Chicken Amalfi is a delicate lemon cream sauce served over angel hair pasta and dressed with sun dried tomatoes, green onions, mushrooms and of course a grilled chicken breast. The veggies are all sauteed together in a light olive oil. The dish is light, but filling.

Tired of chicken? How about a pan seared Tilapia fillet, breaded and served with a homemade tomato-dill sauce on top of angel hair pasta and a side of seasonal grilled seasonal veggies? I loved the grilled zucchini that came with this! At only $9.89, you might want to order an extra serving to take home for lunch tomorrow!

The rotating menu, which changes periodically to include their specials really hit my stomach hard this time. We all had a really hard time deciding what to order because it all looked fabulous. Oven Roasted Salmon Amalfi..is an 8 ounce salmon fillet, roasted with new red potatoes. The light cream sauce is made with lemon, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes. It's $13.99 and worth every penny.

Ziti Al Forno is a pasta dish that is not for the faint at heart. It's Bolognese sauce made with chunks of beef, bacon, sausage and onions, all sauteed together and then layered with provolone and ricotta cheeses. They put it into a casserole dish, and bake the whole thing together in their brick oven and then bring it to your table for just $9.99.

Of try the New Chianti Chicken. Slices of grilled chicken that have been sauteed with red onions, mushrooms, pesto and a chianti wine sauces. They top it with sliced red grapes and just a touch of honey and then nestle it on top of a pile of linguine pasta.

For the chocolate lover....you know who you are....There's a Peppermint Mountain waiting just for you. Peppermint and vanilla ice cream, oreo cookie crumbs are layered for a festive look, and then garnished with whipped cream and whole candy canes. It's a candy lovers dream come true! Your pocketbook will love it too at only $4.59.

Next time you're looking for a great place to dine, make sure you take a look at their website zios.com/default.asp and find a location close to you. You'll be glad you did.