Chef and co-owner Peter Lukes did what a lot of native New Mexicans do---he left, then he came home. After working in fine restaurants in San Francisco, Lukes decided to return to Albuquerque and open a San Francisco-inspired restaurant. And he chose a surprising location. Terra American Bistro reposes in the rural North Valley, miles from any other restaurants. But he built it and they came, not surprisingly for food as good as this. We like to start with the griddled crab and corn cakes with remoulade sauce, then move on to comforting yet sophisticated dishes like penne pasta with grilled sausages, slowly braised chicken confit, roasted house-cured pork loin, beef pot roast with braised red cabbage, a traditional beef Wellington with a white truffle demiglace and Moroccan slow-braised lamb shank with couscous. Be sure to save room for dessert, especially the warm chocolate Appaloosa cake with bittersweet chocolate and caramel sauces, a playfully named tribute to the many neighborhood horse lovers who frequent the restaurant.