To tell the truth, I got tired of going to the Sawmill Market in Albuquerque. Parking and the crowds killed my enthusiasm. So we decided to go to another Food Mall. The famous El Vado Motel has been remodeled into a fancy motel with a food court. This is is going to be a very busy place as soon as it gets warmer. There are all kinds of food choices like, Rude Boy Cookies(closed til Spring), Happy Chickenzz, BosqueBurger, Street Food Sensations, and Buen Provecho.
We chose the Costa Rican food at Buen Provecho. I am still on the hunt for good tamales. I just can’t seem to get enough of them. So, I had the vegan tamale(6) with black beans and jalapenos. The tamale was steamed in a banana leaf so the masa was extra moist. The tamale was served with an incredible sauce that just lights up the entire tamale. My tamale had most of its filling under the sauce cup, so I could eat some black bean filling and some masa. It was kind of like the Cowgirl BBQ tamale pie. I’m used to my tamale filling being inside my tamale. But with this arrangement, I could determine the amount of each, the black beans and the masa. It was delicious as well as vegan and gluten free.
We also had the Vegan Bowl(10.50) which was served on a bed of rice, with seasoned black beans, sweet plantains, some pico de gallo, and a salad. The salad was topped with some very fresh avocado slices, radishes, tomato, asparagus, and carrot slices. What a deal! And it tasted as good as it looked.
Below is a close-up of a sweet plantain. It was perfectly cooked. What a wonderful addition to a bowl. The bowl was also vegan and gluten free. How cool is that!
We also had to try a popular appetizer, the yucca fries(7.50). The Yucca fries came with a pink sauce which was really mayo and ketchup and a garlic cilantro aioli. You could have your choice of sauces between a garlic cilantro aioli or a vegan chimichurri.
We chose the garlic aioli. So our fries were vegan. If we had choosen the chimichurri, we would have had a vegan sauce as well. I thought the food was very tasty. Owner Kattia Rojas should be proud of the food and especially the sauces that she produces. Her sauces are very well-made and add just the right amount of flavor to her dishes. The sauces don’t overpower the food. This is real authentic Costa Rican food.
Buen Provecho also does catering. There is a weekend Brunch menu as well.
It was a beautiful day, so we were able to eat outside in the wonderful sunshine. I really enjoyed the outside set-up. There were heaters available if we needed them. I would definitely go back.
Buen Provecho’s hours are Wednesdy-Thursday 11:30am-6:30pm, Friday-Saturday 11:30am-7pm and Sunday 11:30am-5pm.
Buen Provecho is located at 2500 Central Ave SW#3 Albuquerque. Their phone number is 505.620-5325
