Local faves expanding, on the move
Afew days ago, I struck up a conversation with a stranger about the best bakeries in town. Wasn’t it great, I said, that Santa Fe has such a wealth of options?
“Finally!” the woman replied. Seeing my puzzled expression, she elaborated: “I’ve been here 32 years. It wasn’t always this way.”
It was a wonderful reminder for a relatively recent newcomer like me of the ever-changing nature of this town and its food scene, the way restaurants and eateries come and go, expand and contract, and seize chances to tap the growing south-side market or slide into one of the coveted storefronts downtown. I love talking to locals who describe a location based on what used to be there, or where a current restaurant was previously situated.
One of the best recent chapters in what I like to call the “Santa Fe Shuffle” was the expansion of popular doughnut food truck Craft into a brick-and-mortar location on the south side.
Craft Donuts & Coffee, at 3482B Zafarano Drive (in the San Isidro Plaza near Lowe’s), had its soft opening Dec. 26, said Michelle McGregor, who owns Craft with her husband, Craig McGregor.
Here, as at the original truck in the lot across from Kaune’s Neighborhood Market, doughnuts are made to order, decorated with a range of inventive topping combinations and served hot. The delicate, crunchy outside that gives way to the doughnut’s light, fluffy interior is a craveable, bucket-list kind of delight.
The new location adds two new doughnuts to the lineup: Sea Salt Caramel, a popular monthly special at the truck that pairs a caramel-glazed doughnut with a chocolate drizzle and a sprinkle of sea salt; and Death By Chocolate, a suggestion from the couple’s son that offers a triple threat of chocolate toppings. So far, Michelle McGregor says, they’ve seen more locals here, including loyal food truck customers who live on the south side.
“We have been depending on good old-fashioned word of mouth. We want the product to speak for itself,” she said. And while there may be new menu offerings on the horizon, for now it’s all about the doughnuts (and the Albuquerque-based Red Rock Roasters coffee) that created such a sensation downtown. “Right now we are keeping things simple and consistent to what our customers love about us,” McGregor said.
Craft’s south-side location just expanded its hours, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. For more info and to place an advance order at either location online, visit craftdonutsf.com.
Two other popular Santa Fe eateries that have expanded recently: Valentina’s Restaurant, which opened a new location on St. Michael’s Drive in the former spot of Loyal Hound; and Torogoz Restaurant, an expanded version of the offerings at La Esperanza Kitchen food truck on Cerrillos Road, which opened on Old Santa Fe Trail in the former Raaga-Go location.
Valentina’s 2, like the original in the New Solana Shopping Center on Alameda, offers a huge menu of Mexican and New Mexican favorites, including an all-day breakfast menu. The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; call 505-416-8097.
I fell in love with the Salvadoran and Mexican menu at La Esperanza while researching pupusas for this column a few years back; the pollo a la plancha, with handmade tortillas, rice, refried beans, pico and a grilled jalapeño, is some of the best-seasoned chicken I’ve had in Santa Fe — and that’s no small compliment. Now, Torogoz Restaurant offers a wider menu that includes fajitas, Salvadoran tostadas, carne asada, and a range of fish and shrimp dishes. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; call 505-603-8100.
Then there’s the exciting expansion of Crepas-Oh, which first opened in an inconspicuous spot just off Vegas Verdes and serves a range of pastries and sweet and savory breakfast and lunch items, including, of course, the namesake crepes. A second location recently opened in the Railyard on Market Street. The large location has plenty of seating, and a big menu of grab-and-go sweet and savory items, from macarons and cannolis to a Buffalo chicken wrap and ham and cheese croissant.
Crepas-Oh also added an adorable vending machine inside the Santa Fe Place mall, with a cute assortment of boxed cupcakes, cake slices and other goodies.
Crepas-Oh Railyard is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, according to Crepas-Oh’s Facebook page.
Finally, two more tidbits from Eldorado: The Coffee Corral — known for its baked-in-house croissants, bagels flown in from New York City and inventive drinks menu — is moving into larger digs across the street at the Agora Shopping Center. And the Brunch Box Blue, a food truck that served mouth-watering upscale Southern-influenced Southwestern fare, has closed — but the owners are opening a new concept called 2FLoYDs in the bustling Chomp food hall. (Fingers crossed they’ll be serving their crave-worthy sweet potato tots.)
Here’s your reminder to get out and explore Santa Fe’s food scene — you never know what changes lie just around the corner.