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Fuego 505 is not your typical New Mexican restaurant.

Owner and chef Raul Maestas melds traditional staples with unconventional ingredients to create something that is uniquely his own. He borrows from family recipes and utilizes his culinary experience to cultivate menu offerings for Fuego 505, located at 5750 McMahon Blvd. NW.

鈥淚 take traditional dishes and transform them into New Mexico style,鈥� Maestas explained. 鈥淪o like, we have our Borracho Barrio Taco, which is not birria, it鈥檚 barrio because we鈥檙e in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and I put brisket inside instead of the traditional way and I make a red chile consomm茅.鈥�

Fuego 505鈥檚 rotisserie is reserved for exotic meats. Guests can enjoy a variety of meats including duck, rattlesnake, elk and buffalo.

Unique meats are also used to create the restaurant鈥檚 sausage options.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that kind of nobody does,鈥� Maestas said. 鈥淲here else can you get rattlesnake sausage, nowhere, or our buffalo green chile stew? It鈥檚 just a variety of different stuff.鈥�

Still on fire: Fuego 505 melds traditional staples with unconventional ingredients

Maestas changes the menu about three times a year. Its current menu can be found at

鈥淚 don鈥檛 change everything,鈥� he explained. 鈥淐oming up, I鈥檓 going to put a green chile cheeseburger on the menu or fajitas on the menu. It鈥檚 just like traditional food but I update it. It鈥檚 like my grandma鈥檚 cooking, but then I use all the experience from places that I鈥檝e been in, and I add New Mexico ingredients and stuff like that.鈥�

A variety of choices including a tempura fried avocado taco, ceviche, a lobster roll, tacos and a Fuego Plate are all part of the menu.

鈥淵ou can have Spanish rice, beans or scalloped potatoes or mac and cheese, and you pick your protein, carnitas, carne adovada or carne asada,鈥� Maestas said of the Fuego Plate. 鈥淎nd then it comes with calabacitas, green chile and a fried egg on top. That鈥檚 like our little dinner plate.鈥�

On certain days of the week, guests can enjoy special menu items or discounts on Wine Wednesdays, Nacho Thursdays and Wing Sundays.

鈥淲e do wings on Sundays, off the rotisserie, so they鈥檙e not deep-fried,鈥� Maestas said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e slow cooked for almost an hour. It鈥檚 a healthier version of a wing. I don鈥檛 want to deep-fry. The only thing I deep-fry here is the (taco) shells and the tempura. A lot of restaurants do a lot of fried food, so I try to do it a little healthier.鈥�

The wings are seasoned in an achiote dry rub. There are also several sauces available to dress the wings including Buffalo, honey, Thai sweet chili and red chile barbecue.

Fuego 505 has a full bar and offers signature cocktails that pair nicely with menu offerings.

鈥淲e have a Smoking Buffalo cocktail,鈥� Maestas said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a Buffalo Trace Bourbon, classic Old Fashioned, and it鈥檚 smoked. We also have an Apple Cider Margarita and instead of a Moscow Mule, we have an Amaretto Mule. We also have a Butterscotch White Russian and a Rosemary Craft Sour. Those are like the top five (guest requests).鈥�

Pairing dinners are held at the restaurant every couple of months. The events are usually four-to-five-course dinners accompanied by cocktails that complement each dish. Its next pairing dinner will be held on Valentine鈥檚 Day on Feb. 14. The first seating will be at 5 p.m. with a second seating a couple of hours later. The dinner is $80 per person and interested diners can reserve their spot by calling the restaurant at 505-433-2648.

Fuego 505 began a food truck that developed into a full restaurant concept.

鈥淲e started as a food truck,鈥� Maestas said. 鈥淲e did that for seven years. We parked at the breweries and did tacos and stuff, and then transformed it into an open kitchen bar.鈥�

The open kitchen concept was done so guests could enjoy an up close and personal dining experience.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fun because you can watch the action,鈥� Maestas explained. 鈥淵ou can watch the bartender making a drink and you can see us cooking at the same time from the bar. It鈥檚 an open concept, which makes it entertaining. And there鈥檚 TVs to watch all the sports, but a lot of people just come to watch and hang out, associate with the chefs and with the bartender.鈥�

Maestas鈥� culinary journey began in his late teens after moving to Nevada where his father worked at a casino.

鈥淚 got hired on by a Japanese line chef,鈥� Maestas said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a family restaurant and it was a very busy restaurant. And then I worked my way up from dishwasher to cook. And then I ended up opening the restaurant for him. He gave me a chance to work, to make money, because I came from the streets. So that helped me get out of the streets and then focus on a career.鈥�

Now, Maestas extends the opportunity to work in a kitchen to other young people.

鈥淪omebody gave me a chance back in Nevada, when they hired me to work in the kitchen, and I鈥檝e been doing it ever since,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd so now anybody that comes to me, I鈥檒l give them a chance if they want to learn. If they want to work. Some people choose to do this in life. And then when they really get their hands on it, they change their minds sometimes or they just have that passion and they just love it.鈥�