Fine dining in the wilds of Placitas. European leaning classical cuisine in a friendly and comfortable setting. Weekends are busy so make a reservation. read more

Beautiful setting, excellent service. Husband LOVED the chicken livers, a shared nostalgic comfort food for both him and Anja (chef Kevin's wife). Beef stroganoff was absolutely delicious. Nick was an excellent and fun server. Atmospheric, lovely outdoor seating. Highly recommended! read more

One of my favorite places. Last night was a special occasion and Blades did not disappoint! From the old Fashioned cocktails to entrees, its always a special occasion at Blades. I had the steak salad and my companion had the NY strip cooked to perfection. I love their attention to detail and the warmth that Anya and Kevin show is immeasurable. Feels like I'm at a good friends home! They have an exceptional wine list.make reservations and sit on the patio during these beautiful cool summer NM Evenings! I love their menu and the wait staff is always attentive. I take all my out of town guests to Blades and am never disappointed! read more

Placitas own hidden gem! As soon as you walk in you're greeted by a friendly face. Get the corner table if you can for a great look at their kitchen. I've been there many times but for my sister's birthday they made it super nice! Favorite dish, which has won awards, Con Frutti di Mare- lobster, shrimp, scallops and pasta covered in an amazing sauce! read more

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I had an excellent experience at Blade's. The filet mignon was so delicious - it was tender and perfectly cooked. Complemented so well with their melted blue cheese and demi sauce. The scalloped potatoes and side veggies were pretty enjoyable also. I actually asked to substitute their original sides with truffle fries - and it came out without it. They were still super accommodating and promptly came out with my fries later. I'm pretty interested in trying their other entrees (everything on the menu looks so good). I'm sure we'll be back soon. read more

Blades' Bistro - Salad Near Me - Placitas, New Mexico

It took the server 20 minutes to visit our table to take drinks order, just to return 20 minutes later with the drinks, spilling the martini on my legs-- finally understood why it's called dirty martini. And NO, he didn't apologize. After another 10 minutes, the appetizers arrived. Shishito peppers were ok, Brussel sprouts were fair, but the fresh beet salad was blah. The four of us love beets and eat out quite a lot, which makes us beet salad experts. The three slices of beet looked 100 years old, wilted, and had a sad purple color. When the owner passed by our table, we questioned the freshness of the beets. She snapped at us and sneered: "I'm insulted; they are fresh, boiled, and cooked in the oven for 2 hours." Then she turned around and left the table. We looked at each other in disbelief. She obviously doesn't understand the difference between a paying customer and a restaurant owner, and who is the one that should be satisfied! To her information, the description of beet preparation is the same as the ones that arrive in a vacuum or a can. That is the opposite of fresh!!! The rest of the dinner was nothing to write home about or recommend. The pasta had a garlic sauce and weird pieces of cheese with vegetables that were not mixed in, but thrown above. The fish was ok; the meat was ok. The server was unprofessional, clumsy, and forgetful. The patio was nice; the owner, the server, and the food were not. Needless to say, NEVER going back. read more

Made reservations thru Open Table based on reviews. Don't know how this restaurant could be getting such good reviews. It used to be really good about 5 years ago. Our recent visit was disappointing. Steak was tough and fatty. My husband's pasta had only 4 shrimp. We wasted money and time selecting this restaurant for a special occasion. They lost our business forever. read more

Do yourself a favor and order the London style filet topped with blue cheese and demi-glaze sauce. One of the best steaks I've ever had melt in your mouth. Also we love their brunch! Would love for them to have a less expensive menu for during off peak days of the week such as Sun-Thur. I think it would really help with the locals stopping by for a quick meal during the week and not having to spend as much. read more

Excellent food and service. I'm so glad this restaurant is nearby. And very consistent in both food and service quality.

Overall good but the prices are higher than one would suspect. The service is good and lots of locals eat there

It's was okay. High priced food for not a lot of flavor. Our server Cléa was very nice and knew the menu very well. She is was worth the extra star read more

One of my favorite restaurants . Period. The owners incredible. Staff is wonderful. Great wine prices. Seriously you will never be disappointed. read more

Everything about the restaurant and the food suggests quality. Charming decor, well colored food and layout on the plate. Thankfully there is salt and pepper on every table. Anything to bring out the small amount of flavor. Clearly fans of the al dente school of cooking for even the potatoes had crunch. No worries tho, everything else was spot on, including the raised voices of the wait staff one of who sounded like a perturbed jailor demanding an excuse for standing at the hosts stand and the other just one more course away from setting you up with a real cream puff out in the parking lot. PS request the lemon peel with suger for your double espresso and be sure to fess up to preferring a little bit of oil and a little bit of balsamic with your bread to save them on that 5-1 ratio of oil to vinegar. In all seriousness, the restaurant caters to octogenarians who may find piquant cuisine to be a bit much read more

Found this lovely place. Really talented chef. Had their mussels, flounder and chicken livers. Flavors were wonderful, wait staff was so attentive and friendly. IMHO this is a bargain and hidden gem!! Thank you Chef read more

Just had the absolute BEST tuna I've ever had in Albuquerque. Seared black but still red and juicy inside. Mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans and broccoli with a rich brown sauce. Attentive but intrusive and knowledgeable staff. Best restaurant experience in months. Sorry Claudi, better than your tuna au poivre. read more

One of the best restaurants in Albuquerque. Beautiful setting. Lovely staff and owners.

We took friends to join us on our first visit to Blades last Friday. It was a private and personnel celebration so I thought what better way to have a great meal at the restaurant that has 4.7 stars. A very happy and courteous waiter met us at our table. Not knowing any better I asked for a booth at the time of the reservation. They don't have booths but they do have quaint enclaves that serve very well. Lots of local art adorns the walls and the locals hangout at the long bar. For a Friday night they were not crowded, but as I think back our reservation was at 7:00pm and they close at 9:00pm. A perfect martini made our one friend very very happy. So Happy he complimented the bartender before we left. First courses: Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese. 5 stars! Wedge salads split in two. 5 stars! French Onion Soup was muddy and not appetizing. 1 star Main Courses: Scallops. 4 stars! Chicken. 4 stars! Steak Frites. 3.5 star! Steak au Pouive. 5 stars! Dishes with a side of veggies were perfectly prepared, fresh & crisp, and the entree portions were excellent. Bread was very good! Beautiful bottle of Spanish wine was top notch! We did not have desserts, but we were content. Take a drive to Placitas and give Blades a try. I think we may try Brunch next time! read more

We haven't been out for a while simply because of Covid, so, when going out, we try to be selective. We dined at Blades and had the bistro burger and the pasta dish, which we specified "vegan". In telling our server we wanted vegan (instead of shrimp), we emphasized "no dairy". Not sure if the server didn't get the message to the chef or the chef (and server) doesn't know what vegan is, or something else. The dish had several pieces of brie rind, which normally would be good, but not in this case. The vegetables were mostly carrots cut on a bias. The burger was ordered with "just a little pink" and was cooked mostly red in the interior. The frites/fries were excellent. The bottle of wine was priced 3 times what you can purchase it for at retail, but a very good wine. The beer was good. In reading a food review today about a chef's restaurant in Santa Fe, the quote said, they can't always be perfect but they can always be sincere - I thought of Blade's. Perfect is not their way of doing things but they could at least try to be sincere. Considering our experience, 3 stars is generous. read more

Would even say 4 1/2 stars. First time at Blades. We live near it - so I'm sure we will return. Was pretty good. There's a couple things Blades can do to become a 5-star restaurant. Obviously covid is effecting their ability to hire. They are short staffed. We came on a Saturday night. The staff seemed "hurried" and stressed. And this type of energy never bodes well for patrons. Nevertheless, our waiter was nice enough. The food was tasty. The watermelon gazpacho was outstanding! The Tuna steak dish was pretty good - not outstanding but very good. The wine list is excellent. Blades could do so much more with their awesome bar area. They could use a "mixologist". With a little more help or creativity - they could really "Knock it out of the park" and be even better. But again, it's really a very good place - and very good food. Will definitely return. read more

We ordered carryout the other night for the first time and it was exceptional! The food is made with great skill and love. Easily one of the best meals we've had since moving here 6 months ago. read more

My husband and I went to Blade's for the first time this last Saturday to celebrate our anniversary. We were told that it was also the restaurant's 10 year anniversary, though we never even knew about the place until a coworker of my husband's mentioned it recently and raved about how good it was. This also happened to be during restaurant week, which they were participating in as well. Luckily, we had made reservations a few weeks in advance because they were swamped. Even with the reservation, it took a few minutes to get the table situated and to get us seated, but the woman I'm assuming is the owner or manager and the other hostess were very courteous. The owner/manager even made sure to wish us Happy Anniversary as my husband had noted it on the reservation, which was really appreciated. My husband and I both decided to order off the restaurant week menu. We both ordered a bowl of the mushroom soup for the appetizer, and for entrees the bistro chicken for me and the salmon for him. Both the soup and the entrees were excellent - very flavorful, fresh, and excellently prepared. The side dishes were pretty basic in comparison. Both dishes came with a side of mashed potatoes and veggies, and while certainly not bad, they weren't as outstanding as the soup and entrees, but the quality of those things made up for it. We also ordered a few cocktails (I had the Blade's daiquiri and French martini and hubby had the jalapeño margarita). The cocktails were well crafted and very tasty. The service was definitely not terrible, and though it wasn't as attentive as it could have been, I contribute that to the fact that they were crazy busy due to restaurant week plus being Saturday night. Our reservation was at 7:00pm, and by the time we were seated, ordered and received our drinks, ordered our dinners and received our soup (which came after a much longer than normal wait, though I do have to give props to our waiter for noticing the issue and correcting it right away without us even having to mention it), we were served our entrees at a little after 8:00pm (to be clear, it didn't actually take an hour from ordering the food to receive it, I'd say from time of ordering maybe about 40 minutes or so though I could be a little off). However I could see that the staff were working hard to handle the crowd, so the hiccups we experienced wouldn't prevent me from returning. My main disappointment, though, came with the dessert. With the prix fixe restaurant week menu, it was supposed to include a choice of three desserts: creme brûlée, pain perdu, or cheesecake. However, by the time we finished our meals and got to order dessert, it was now about 8:30pm, and we were asked if we were ready for our cheesecake. They had run out of the other two options on the prix fixe menu, so now our choice was what did we want on our cheesecake as it was the only option left. To be fair, we were told at the beginning there were no substitutions with the prix fixe menu, and though I like cheesecake, I was really looking forward to having the creme brûlée. Still, running out of things happens, especially with how busy they were, so I decided on a slice of cheesecake with caramel sauce and my husband asked for a slice plain as he prefers. Based on the quality of the soup and entrees, I was expecting an amazing, creamy, delicious slice of New York cheesecake, especially when the waiter said the cheesecake was made in house. Unfortunately, the dessert was just not up to par. The consistency was off - it was dry and crumbly instead of rich and creamy, and lacked sweetness. I ate most of mine and hubby ate his since it was included in our dinner choice, but we both thought it wasn't the best and probably wouldn't order it again. Despite these issues, I would like to return soon as overall the food and drinks were good and I love the ambiance, it's very cozy and inviting. read more

Just finished my takeout roasted beet and goat cheese salad, and my mushroom risotto with scallops...the salad was excellent and still warm. The mushroom risotto with scallops was excellent...the sauce made it beyond excellent! You hit a home run with my meal. Thanks Kevin, Anja and the whole Blades crew! This is a business worth supporting. Wishing you the best! read more

Just minutes across the highway from bustling Bernalillo in quiet Placitas, what a gem! As Santa Fe residents now and then shuttling back and forth to Albuquerque, or the airport, this stop is just 40 minutes from south Santa Fe, and will now be a favored dinner place. A step outside trendy traffic zones, this beautifully designed restaurant aims high to be exceptional. On our visit, it was so. We were a low maintenance business foursome arriving right at opening to a nearly empty room, so in practical terms we had the full attention of our waiter who eyed our table sensitively from afar every 5 minutes or so, and assessed when we were all ready for the next phase. I suspect that even when busy, he's a pro. As for the food, there is something for everyone, and everyone at our table left satisfied and warm from an evening of attentive conviviality. Bravi! read more

I have only been here twice and I am stuck between 4 and 5 stars. The first time we went, everyone we interacted with was truly exceptional. The food was pretty great and the bread pudding was yum. I fell in love with the Georgia mule that someone else got, but wasn't as into the margarita (which I've heard is to die for). The second time was for Restaurant Week. The hostess (sister of the chef, I think) was so nice, had great insight and was wonderful to interact with. We didn't see our waitress for a pretty long time, which we didn't mind too much given how busy it was...but when she finally arrived, she was rude and fairly dismissive. She brought out soup without a spoon, and it took a few minutes before we could get her attention to ask for one. We left quickly instead of staying to savor the food because her demeanor was distracting away from the food. I did thoroughly enjoy the shrimp and grits though! Excellent cajun flavor although I wouldn't have minded a little heat. The grits were creamy and well prepared. The last time I went I chose the fish of the day and it was amazing - I would definitely recommend giving dinner a try! read more

Awesome choice for our Valentine's Day dinner. This place won't let you down if you're looking for a nice, romantic spot with a solid menu selection. The black pepper steak medallions are absolutely killer! Great service here as well. About the only thing I can criticize here is the open table seating along the walls vs booth seating; it's like Cheesecake Factory where you have no privacy setting in close proximity to other guests. Other than that, we will definitely be coming back here! read more

I seem to have bad luck with birthday dinners. This is the second one recently that has disappointed. We ate at Blades about two weeks ago for my wife's birthday, and I was hoping that the restaurant would be as good as its reviews. We were seated promptly and given a moment to decide on drinks - I started with a bourbon cocktail that was very good, but they were out of the wine we wanted from the bargain list (Blades offers a very nice list of $25 bottles as well as a full wine list), but the second choice was in stock and turned out to be very tasty. So far so good. The room itself is very nice - kind of rustic with wooden tables and chairs as well as booths. As is common these days, the walls are filled with art from local artists. The exception here is that almost all the art is very engaging and can fuel a lively discussion. The art is hung thoughtfully, with each artist being given space for his or her works to be appreciated without being crowded by other pieces. So, good drinks, nice room, what;s not to like? I'm getting there. The food reminded me of a nursery rhyme - when it was good it was very very good, and when it was bad it was...well not quite horrid, but very disappointing. Among the good dishes was the Roasted Beet appetizer. The beets were perfectly done and complimented with goat cheese and a balsamic drizzle. The Lamb Chops were also very nicely done and met with the approval of our teenager who has a surprisingly good palate. They were cooked perfectly, a little crusty on the outside and almost rare inside. I think he gnawed the bones. The disappointment came in the bistro items - those classic French dishes that would normally be the foundation of a menu for a restaurant of this type. On the appetizer side, the Dick Confit salad was lovely...except for the duck. On the entree side, the same was true of the Cassoulet, a rustic stew of beans, sausage, pork and yes, Duck Confit. The duck was consistent in both dishes, but had none of the characteristics I've come to expect from a confit, except that it was a duck leg. Normally the meat will be somewhat oily from its long immersion in hot duck fat - it will also be pretty dark and the meat will fall of the bone and come apart easily. The two duck legs we encountered in our dishes were light colored and on the verge of being undercooked. The meat had to be carved off (with some difficulty) using knife and fork, and other than a very strong garlic taste, bore little evidence of seasoning or flavor. It was also somewhat dry and chewy. To me it was more like a piece of meat that didn't spend enough time roasting. The other disappointment was another entree, Boeuf Burguignonne. Perhaps the backbone of the American experience with French cooking, it was introduced here ( to the majority of folks) by Julia Child and is often regarded as the highest expression of beef stew. Unfortunately, the dish presented to my wife that night seemed amateurishly made, as if each ingredient had been cooked separately and then hastily assembled on the plate. It had none of the cohesiveness that the dish should have, the marriage and blending of flavors that can only be achieved by slowly cooking everything together. As I said in the beginning, we were disappointed in Blades, and even though there were some good dishes, the flaws were fatal ones to the dishes they were part of. It felt as if the kitchen was trying to take shortcuts - offering slow-cooked food, but cooking it quickly and hoping no one would notice. Service was OK but a little absent-minded - slow on pouring wine, never asked about how the food was - I had to "volunteer" my disappointment to her. I hope Blades was just having an off-night, but I'm not sure it's worth a return visit to find out. If you've stuck with me through all this, thanks for reading! read more

Poor Service. We arrived before noon Sunday. It was not busy. The owner sat us down. No one took our order for almost 15 minutes. The waiter arrives looks at us, then waits on a table that just arrived. When my blue cheese burger arrived with fries ("pomme frites"). I asked the waiter for ketchup. He said "right away". More than 10 minutes later he arrives with marmalade and says "oops", then has to correct it. When we gave our payment to waiter, he took almost 15 minutes, to return receipt to be signed. The food though nice becomes "spoiled" by such negligent service. Unless staff changes and training are made, We do not recommend this restaurant. Thanks for reading. The Bike Chaplain read more

Amazing! If that doesn't make you want to come here, I don't know what to tell you. Ok, let me tell you. The wine selection was awesome. The service was fabulous. And the food was hands down fantastic! read more

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This is an excellent restaurant. Placitas has two options for restaurants and they are both great. Blades is the place to go for dinner. They had a prix fixe menu option when we visited to celebrate their anniversary. Naturally we selected that and tried everything on it. The restaurant was smaller but very nice. They have a bar area too. We made a reservation via yelp. I would recommend doing the same. read more

We met the owner at the Roadrunner Food Bank Souper Bowl and were impressed with his community spirit as well as their watermelon gazpacho so we decided to give brunch a try. There were 4 of us. We each ordered something different and we all liked our plates. We thought the service was great. One person ordered the paella and thought it was the best he has had since his trip to Spain. I had the split pea and sausage soup that was delicious. We will definitely be back to give dinner a try. read more

Blades' Bistro - Relaxing while getting two dinners to go - Salad Near Me - Placitas, New Mexico

My wife and I have gone twice recently. Both times we were staying at the Hyatt Tamaya Resort. The drive "up the hill" to Blades was definitely worthwhile--better food at better prices than the resort restaurants. The food was consistently great. The pork belly salad is fabulous. They have a discounted wine menu during the week and both times I got a really nice bottle of pinot noir for $25. The only thing that keeps me from giving it five stars is that both of my entrees were overcooked. I order the lamb on my first visit and asked for rare or medium rare. I received some medium rare pieces, some medium, and one medium well. I ordered a steak special on the next visit that was billed as medium rare, it was medium well. However, we were 5 guests on my first visit and 3 on my 2nd and my complaints were the only ones at the table both times. Service was excellent both times. read more

If you are looking for a great restaurant a little bit outside of town with a beautiful view and atmosphere this is it! Blades bistro offers a great range of options and great prices. We had the crab cake Benedict and French toast which did not disappoint. Other options were croquet Monsieur and quiche which looked superb as well. Dinner menu offers French cuisine and seafood options as well. We will be back for oysters and $25 wine night soon. Great place. read more

Blades and crew Rock! I want to create a FanClub for them. I call Blades Bistro: ''The ''Placitas Social Club''. Great Food and Drinks. See you there ! Frank and Anne / Placitas, NM ! read more

I have gone to this restaurant many times over the past five years. It can be a hit and miss. Much depends upon the servers and the menu. Overall, it's probably the best restaurant in and around Bernalillo or Placitas. The seafood is quiet good. The wine selection is not bad. We like Table 14. It's always our go to table. Near the back corner of the restaurant, it is quiet and quite cozy. read more

Stopped in on Father's Day after going to the Sandia Man Cave. Got there at 9:40 and they weren't opening until 10:00, but they said they could accommodate our party of 10 as long as we were done by 12:00 because another group had a reservation then. We said no problem. The hostess/manager/owner(?) was pleasant as was the rest of the staff except for our server. She seemed terribly annoyed at having to serve us and was rude to us throughout the meal. My brother-in-law finally called her out on it and after that she was faintly more pleasant, but she practically threw our check at us at the end. We saw her treating other people that way, too, so at least we knew at that point not to take it too personally. The Father's Day menu was prix fixe with a $30 per person or a $25 pp fee. It was certainly more than we were expecting to pay, but having never been to this bistro before we went along with it. The server really ruined what could have been a nice meal and pretty good food. I had the clam chowder appetizer which wasn't too creamy and was quite tasty. My main course was the Eggs Benedict that included two English muffin halves each with Canadian bacon and a poached egg plus half-potatoes and fruit. For dessert I had the strawberry shortcake. I think everyone in our party enjoyed their meals, but because our server was so terrible and unwelcoming, I feel generous giving three stars. read more

Blades has been a favorite of our for dinner, so we had to try it for Sunday brunch. The service was perfectly timed, not too overwhelming, not too laid back. We started with the asparagus and shrimp soup, which was served at the perfect temperature, and was loaded with flavor. I had the fish and chips for an entree. It completely exceeded my expectations . . . the fish was moist and the crust was tempura-like in its crunchy texture. The fries were fresh and delicious. For dessert, we split the seasonal pumpkin sour cream cake and a dark chocolate sorbet. read more

Blades' Bistro - Dining room - Salad Near Me - Placitas, New Mexico

We have eaten here several times for special events and numerous times outside since COVID times. Today we made an open table for outside seating for 5pm when they open. On arrival all the tables were empty - 3 for two people seating and 8 for four people seating. The sun was at a low angle on October 10 and illuminated most of the tables except for 2 of the larger four seat tables. We selected one of the larger tables that was fully shaded. When the hostess arrived she said no no we are saving those for larger groups on Friday and Saturday. I told her my eyes were sensitive to light and I would have to wear my hat and sun glasses at the smaller table she insisted seating us at. We decided to stay and had a very nice meal though I ordered the fish of the day, halibut, bu forgot to ask the price and the waiter didn't quote the price when telling us the specials. The halibut was very good but not worth $32.50. Now for the complaint. Over the next hour 6 groups of people came in for outside dining. Two had 3 diners and were seated at the best large tables. But the other 4 groups had only two people each and were promptly seated at the larger tables. None were offered the smaller tables. I don't know why the hostess treated us this way. She might be a co-owner and all the other diners after us were very regular customers or high rollers in the small community. Bottom line is the food is very good but not the service. read more

We went here in October 2015 and it was great. We had terrific service and 3 out of 4 had wonderful meals. One meal was the seafood pasta dish and it was nothing short of amazing, half if a lobster tail, scallops and huge shrimp all cooked perfectly. One of our party had lamb which she loved. Another a perfectly cooked steak! I made the mistake of ordering the special appetizer of 4 crustini, which were just okay. We would absolutely go back! Just a little ding for the one meal. read more

Our first visit in and we are huge fans! This place is a hidden gem out of the city but worth the trip. If you call yourself a foodie this restaurant must be on your list to try. Jeffrey our server was amazing - so attentive and helpful. Tuesday- Thursday have amazing wine bottle specials that are worth it. Get on the highway and stop in for dinner you won't be disappointed! read more

Blades' Bistro - Nightly dinner special - Salad Near Me - Placitas, New Mexico

After living in Rio Rancho for over 13 years, I thought it was time to wander up to Placitas for dinner. I have heard about Blades over and over and it did not disappoint. The ambiance is delightful. They have a full bar and an outside patio that I could see many gathering at during the summer months. The only reason for the 4 star is that I feel it is a bit overpriced. We were greeted at the door with a big smile and I always appreciate that. It was my husband and another couple. Our server, Tony, was extremely attentive and I would love him as my server at any time. We never really had to ask for anything as he was on top of the water, the coffee and anything else we needed. 5 Stars for Tony. I started with a wedge salad which was delicious. My only complaint is parsley. I have no clue why restaurants feel they have to sprinkle chopped parsley everywhere. I then followed that up with a burger with bacon and bleu cheese which was excellent (I judge restaurants by burgers - if they can make a good one, they can make everything good). It was perfectly cooked and delicious to the taste. It came with pommes frites (good old fashioned french fries). I was not impressed. Too salty and for the price, it should have been stepped up. Hubby started with a bowl of onion soup which again was delicious. Just the right blend of everything. He had a steak with a horseradish coating and he said it was quite good. It came with garlic mashed potatoes (he opted for a double order versus the vegetables). He then had a dessert of cheesecake with a chocolate ganache and carmel and pecans. He thought it was very good. All in all, we will undoubtedly return to Blades. The ambiance is lovely, food is good and service was exemplary. But be forewarned that pricing is steep. read more