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The family name is one of the biggest in Albuquerque barbecue, and so it can be expected that Johndhi's BBQ - owned by John Nellos, of the family that owns Quarters - would be more of the same.

I just love it when I'm wrong.

Everything that's good about Quarters is one-upped at Johndhi's, a charming, wooden-floored place in the North Valley populated more by pop art than by patrons.

That familiar peppery barbecue sauce? At Johndhi's (formerly known as Geezamboni's), it is thicker, bolder and sweeter than its cousin.

The appetizers, including fried zucchini (which I always order at that other place), are all wonderful, and they represent the variety found on the rest of the menu. A nice mix of Americana and Greek delights, appetizers include beer-battered onion rings ($4.25), fried zucchini ($4.25), stuffed grape leaves ($5.25), hummus with pita ($4.50).

We ordered a combination ($5.25) of zucchini sticks and onion rings - they were out of cheese sticks - and we ate nearly every deep-fried morsel. The onion rings, I should mention, are perfect, prepared in such a way that the onion itself doesn't become slimy and the ring doesn't drip with grease.

As delightful as the appetizers were, however, we'd recommend skipping them altogether - you'll have so much more food coming.

We ordered the blue burger ($6.25), a delicious portion of ground chuck piled high with blue cheese crumbles and sandwiched between slices of a fresh, locally prepared roll. On the side, we ordered the seasoned curly fries. (They were also out of steak fries.)

We also ordered the barbecue combination ($14.50), a "small" platter of three ribs, three links and six or so slices of brisket. It also comes with two thin slices of toasted ciabatta, a potato and soup or salad. (We ordered the salad, mostly because we wanted to try the homemade ranch dressing. The verdict on that: wonderfully thick and tangy, dressing up an otherwise mediocre offering.)

Because we had a tough time deciding what to try - and the Greek choices on the menu, including gyros, didn't make it any easier on us - we agreed to share our entrees.

Big mistake.

I didn't want to give up a single spicy, sauce-drizzled link. And he, my otherwise gentlemanly husband, didn't want let go of even the smallest portion of the burger.

But all things work out in the end: There's enough food served for several meals, and leftovers can be easily swapped.

The restaurant, which was called Geezamboni's for 18 years before the Õ05 name change, has long been treasured by valley residents. It's time the rest of the city - especially those on the hunt for all things spicy (the green chile stew is a fiery tribute to the fruit) - took notice.