Oh là là ... simple French fare hits the spot
Bright, airy space gives feel of outdoors
Picture what happens when you shake a warm can of soda and then pop the top. That pretty much describes the pent-up demand that appears to have been released when Clafoutis moved in June from its cozy, parking-challenged location on Guadalupe Street to its current location adjoining Body of Santa Fe on Cordova Road.
At just about any hour of the day, you will find waiting lists for a table at the expanded eatery. I’ve looked in at mid-afternoon and mid-morning — the cafe is open only for breakfast and lunch — and found people biding their time for a chance to sample the simple, basic French fare offered here.
If you’re not in a hurry, the food is worth the wait. From a menu filled with crépes, croques, sandwiches, salads, quiches, bruschettas and omelettes, my guest and I had a challenge settling on any one selection.
But I had studied the menu online in advance and did not change my mind from an initial inclination toward trying Clafoutis’ Quiche Maison ($9.50). One of several quiches offered, this version included a well-distributed mixture of artichokes, prosciutto, tomatoes, feta and spinach within the eggy dish.
The quiche was surrounded by a generous mound of salad with crisp greens that tasted as if they could have come from that morning’s Santa Fe Farmers Market. Sweet peppers and thin slices of watermelon radishes were headliners among the veggies topping the greens.
Overall, the impression was of a lunch that didn’t take a long trip from farm to table.
I was less fond of my guest’s choice, although she pronounced it “delicious”: the Tuna Bruschetta ($7.95). The bread foundation was tasty and appropriately crisped, with a thin layer of Swiss cheese, marinated sweet peppers and tomato sauce. My quarrel came with the tuna, which likely came from a can, but that didn’t bother my guest. (My contention is that the only way to eat canned tuna is mixed with other ingredients into a mooshy salad that counteracts the dryness of the tuna.) But to each his own taste. And, after all, fresh tuna would have sent the price of the dish skyrocketing!
The service was relaxed, but attentive, with the server checking in at appropriate times to gauge our needs. When we requested water at the beginning of the meal, she delivered it in a glass bottle so we could replenish our glasses as needed — an approach that drew approval from both of us.
My guest ordered a cup of coffee ($1.90) at the conclusion of the meal, reporting that the flavor was good and, just as important, the coffee was delivered at an appropriately hot temperature. Too often, she said, restaurant coffee arrives at the table weak and lukewarm.
The whitewashed wood and sleek hanging lamps gave the room an overall feel of a country retreat with a contemporary feel, understated and tasteful. It is a comfortable place to linger and converse, although the noise level from fellow patrons can get high.
Did I mention the crowning glory, the bakery/pâtisserie included within Clafoutis? Trays of sweet temptations grace several levels of a glass-fronted case where you can fill a box with treats to take home or, as we did, choose a dessert to conclude your meal. My guest left the choice in my hands and I opted for the hazelnut cream puff ($4.50, although take-home prices appear to be lower). The flaky pastry nicely framed the cream, which surprised the palate with a sweetly nutty flavor.
Beside the wait, the only downside I could find at Clafoutis was the occasional buzzing of flies around the table. To expand seating, the owners open up garagetype doors in the bakery section, adding tables that extend outside. That and the large windows in the main dining room allow in a lot of natural light and the feel of the outdoors (even if it is only facing a parking lot), but also flies — although not all that many.
Then again, it says something about the food that I didn’t really notice them until the meal was finished.