3128 Social House part of new era in Nob Hill dining

Jul. 19—On a chilly Saturday night in December 2019, I had dinner with friends in Nob Hill. Afterwards, we walked the crowded sidewalks, soaking in the festive air. People poured in and out of restaurants and watering holes as the first of the new Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) buses hissed past on the just-completed line. At that moment, it was apparent that Nob Hill had bounced back from the protracted ART construction and all its attendant headaches. Fate had other plans though. A few months later the pandemic hit, forcing restaurants to rely on takeout business, temporary closures and GoFundMe campaigns to survive. Some did not make it. Today, the Nob Hill dining scene is in the midst of a second comeback. Ambitious new places like M'tucci's Bar Roma and Mesa Provisions have quickly established a following. New eateries appear frequently. Just a few storefronts down from Mesa Provisions, the gastropub 3128 Social House and the tapas-and-cocktails bar Gather opened side-by-side in the former location of the Nob Hill Café at Central Avenue and Bryn Mawr Drive. The two places are meant to be neighborhood hangouts where you can tuck in for a special dinner or stop by for a drink before an evening out. Executive chef Joe Anguiano and general manager Dustin Darnell hatched the idea for the companion spots while working on the launch of Sawmill Market. Anguiano grew up in Los Angeles, next door to his family's tortilla factory. He trained at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain and recently served as head chef at the acclaimed VOX Table in Austin, Texas. After Forty Nine Forty restaurant in Corrales, 3128 Social House is the second place I've visited in recent weeks that incorporates an address into its name. I find such names a little challenging to remember. An additional challenge with the Social House is that much of the signage from the Nob Hill Café still hangs on the outside of the building. Perhaps that's why, approaching from the west, I mistakenly walked into Gather, whereupon the friendly host there guided me through an interior doorway and into the Social House. Gather was largely empty at 6 p.m., while 3128 Social House had a modest turnout, with a handful of parties occupying the booths and tables angled around an open kitchen where Anguiano and a couple of cooks worked. A few more parties sat out on the large shaded patio adjacent to Bryn Mawr. The restaurant is open for dinner five days a week. On weekday afternoons from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. there's a Social Hour featuring drinks and shareable dishes for under $10. The wine list is extensive, with a wide selection of bottles from Europe, South America and the United States, mostly in the $50 range. Agave spirits highlight the cocktail menu. Silver Coin ($14), the house margarita, is made with silver, or clear, tequila and orange liqueur for a bracing assault of sweet, sour and salty. In the Mezcal Negroni ($14), mezcal stands in for gin, its smoke and earthiness relieving the bitterness of the Campari. The alcohol-free incarnation of the Pineapple Punch ($9) was an arresting sight in a footed highball glass, the rim of the glass coated with the Mexican spice mix Tajín that cut the thick sweetness of the fruit. The dinner menu kicks off with two salads and more than a dozen starters that range widely in price, from $7 for bread and butter, to $26 for a charcuterie board. As the name suggests, a starter called the Double Dipper ($14) offers two types of dips: roasted garlic hummus and smoked artichoke. The smooth and airy hummus and creamy, cheesy artichoke dips, served side-by-side on a plate with a colorful array of vegetables, complemented each other well. Impaled in the dip were some terrific housemade potato chips and pickle strips. A few more chips would have made the dish perfect. The eight entrees, listed under the heading "larger formats," start with the burger for $20 and climb in price all the way to $39 for a plate of boneless short ribs. Inspiration comes from different sources. In the Half Chicken ($28), the flavors are decidedly Asian. The mix of chopped little rings of scallions and ginger with snow peas and toasted cashews called to mind a good stir-fry sauce. The chicken, served in two pieces over a bed of creamy rice, was moist and smoky and made a perfect substrate for the spice and citrus of the sauce. Potato Pillows ($26), the restaurant's version of gnocchi, is served over sweet peas and mushrooms. My friend got it topped with steak for an additional $10. The pillows were fluffy, the steak r edolent of a backyard grill. My friend vacuumed it up. The Social House offers a seafood special with a rotating selection of fish. On this night it was Swordfish ($37). The loin was moist under a crisp sear from the grill, and the fresh corn and tomato under it added acid and crunch. Another very successful dish. Our desserts spanned the spectrum from a light as air Panna Cotta ($10) to a sampling of rich housemade ice creams ($7). The Panna Cotta ($10), sweet cream gelatin paired with raspberries over a streak of raspberry sauce was light and refreshing. Both of the ice creams were superb. The Hibiscus, tart and faintly floral, played well off the slight bitterness of the Chocolate. The food and drinks came out in timely fashion and the meal was well-paced. Many dishes were gluten-free or could be adapted that way. Service was stellar, from start to finish. Our server was so friendly and knowledgeable, my dining companion thought he might have been one of the owners. Turns out he was not an owner, but he was every bit as invested in the place as an owner could be. Along with the established restaurants like frenchish and Ajiaco Colombian Bistro, new places like 3128 Social House are helping to lead Nob Hill out of the abyss that COVID left it in. It's another star in a neighborhood dining scene that's unmatched in the city.