Description: We headed down to "Old Town", which is an historic district in Albuquerque, which dates back to the founding of the city by the Spanish in 1706. Old Town consists of ten blocks of historical adobe buildings surrounding a central plaza. The plaza consists of retail stores, restaurants, and museums. We ventured down there on a Sunday to get some authentic New Mexican cuisine before heading up to Las Vegas. We quickly learned that Sundays in Old Town is a very popular place among residents and tourists. We drove around aimlessly looking for a parking space. When we finally did, the restaurants had long waits. With two children in tow, waiting thirty minutes to an hour for a table was not an option. While we walked back to our vehicle, we did admire some of the historical buildings such as the San Felipe de Neri Church which was built in 1793. Old Town is a great place to walk around and admire this historical section of Albuquerque which did not even become part of the city until the 1940’s.

We ran into a couple while walking around Old Town who recommended going to Sadie’s for lunch. They said that it is one of the most popular places in Albuquerque for New Mexican food. We loaded up the family and headed over there. It was still crowded because it was Sunday, but we only had to wait fifteen minutes. As we salivated while looking over the menu, we were brought a basket of sopaipillas to tame our hunger. Sopaipillas are a fried pastry served in some South American countries and common throughout the American Southwest. It can be served as a dessert or as a main dish filled with toppings found in tacos and burritos. We had them as an appetizer served with a side of honey.

I ended up ordering the stuffed sopaipilla dinner filled with carne Adovada. The filling is a variation of Adobada, which is pork marinated in a red chili sauce. Carne Adovada is popular in New Mexican cuisine and is chopped or cubed pork cooked in a red chili sauce. It is spicy and the waiter will usually tell you that before you order it. My wife had the Chalupa with ground beef. All their meals are served with frijoles (black beans) and papitas (homemade fries). Papitas are pretty much like fried potatoes. You can also ask for either red or green chilies or order it Christmas style for both.

It wasn’t until we were already seated at our table that I realized that Adam Richman from Man versus Food showcased Sadie’s on one of his shows. Sadie’s is home to the world’s largest stuffed sopaipilla. I asked the waitress to explain the sopaipilla challenge. You have one hour to eat a seven pound sopaipilla. The challenger must sign the waiver and be at least 18. You will be assigned a special table and given one set of silverware, but you may use your hands. The challenge is overseen by a Sadie’s employee. You will be disqualified if anyone assists you in eating or cutting the sopaipilla or if you leave the table for any reason. You will also be disqualified if you get sick or show signs of sickness. The price of the sopaipilla must be paid in advance. If you are one of the few who have ever won the challenge, you will be rewarded with a T-shirt, photo, certificate, a jar of Sadie’s salsa, and the price of the meal will be refunded. Your name will then be immortalized on the Sadie’s Stuffed Sopaipilla Challenge Wall of Fame. I didn’t see the Man versus Food episode, but since I didn’t see his name on the wall, I am guessing he didn’t win the challenge.

The food was phenomenal and after eating my sopaipilla dinner, I couldn’t imagine eating the seven pound one. Sadie’s was just what we were looking for and we were not disappointed.
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