clafoutis

the restaurant was crowded for lunch on sunday but we only
had towaitabout 15 minutes for an indoor table (they also have tables
outside).  my wife had a buckwheat crepe
with turkey & cheese and i had the croque monsieur- both were excellent and
generous.  unfortunately my double
cappuccino was mainly whipped cream foam with hardly any liquid.  furthermore, the service was poor. my meal
came first but my wife was waiting for many minutes.  meanwhile, our young waiter was chatting with
clients at a neighboring table.  when my
wife asked him about her meal, he said he would check but continued chatting
for a while.  eventually he brought the
meal from the kitchen.  in addition, he
never enquired about how we liked our food.

 

we ascribe the above problems to the fact that clafoutis has
recently moved to much larger quarters with consequent teething problems.

must stop when staying in santa fe. had an omelette and my wife had the croque madame. had to split a caramel peach crepe. eaten there three times in 3 years - all remarkable. small place, so be prepared towait15 to 30 minutes. you can always jam in there and get a pastry or two while you wait. trust me, the locals want it all to themselves and you'll see why.

this place was incredible. well worth whateverwaitthey have. i came in solo, and mywaitwas very short, but larger parties may have a bit of a wait. i'd suggest browsing and buying a delicious pastry. their raisin bread was delicious, croissants perfectly flakey crust with moist buttery insides, as the le special had perfectly done eggs and bacon. come in and enjoy the atmosphere with a cup of coffee while youwaitfor delicious food.

disappointed in santa fe. this once very charming and well staffed little cafe has become another of those "once upon a time" restaurants. i have eaten here so many times when thewaitstaff was very accommodating and courteous and the food was really worth the extra price. however, they have hiredwaitstaff that not only lacks any resemblance of being courteous but absolutely will not or maybe, cannotwaiton the customer. i ordered a breakfast. the bacon was burned to a crisp. the hash browns were in a puddle of grease and the coffee was barely warm. i asked my waiter for another cup of coffee but was never given a fresh cup. i drank the cold coffee and asked for a warm-up but never got that either. i then asked if i could get a glass of water, but to my dismay, that didn't happen either. the check did come quickly, however! this is one of those wonderful little restaurants that was once a charming and delightful place to eat but that has gone away. there are many restaurants and cafes in santa fe that have maintained that special charm and are still attentive to the customer. don't waste your time on this one. i have recommended this little cafe to so many people but it is not the same that it use to be. not only that, the parking is so limited that you will have to park illegally in another merchant's parking place with the risk of being towed.

traditional french bistro in nm!. spectacular array of traditional french pastries! all the dishes are prepared wonderfully and the portions are huge! the $5 eggs and croissant is the size of my head. *get there before or after the breakfast/lunch rush - you willwait30 mins for a table (but not for your food!) ive eaten here a dozen times during my trips to santa fe and have never had a bad meal, pastry, or service!

only my first time. being my first time to visit clafoutis, i hesitate to state this is for sure how the restaurant is, but i will describe my experience from today.

first, walking in and seeing the cases full of yummy french pastries will make one salivate profusely. while standing in line (a bit of a longwaitbut it was saturday morning), i wanted to buy a "pain au chocolat" to tide me over.

after being seated, i asked for a "bowl of cappuccino" (i am american after all.) when the drinks came, mine was not a bowl because they "had run out". the nice waitress told me to make up for it, she would refill it instead. perhaps she would have had she ever come back to check on us. i'll never know.

my wife (being raised in south louisiana on strong, strong coffee) said her coffee was very good.

i ordered the "plat du jour" which was a lovely crepe filled with spinach, diced tomatoes, cheese and salmon and topped with a poached egg. nicely cooked and wonderfully good.

we ordered some pastries for a dinner party tonight and hopefully breakfast tomorrow. we are iffy about going back and eating in the place but we will definitely order take-out.

clafoutis is in an old building that has housed several restaurants. it is small and crowded (just like being in france!) and the noise level is loud. it's also warm (at least it was today). parking is a major concern. if you know this before you go, it should be less of a concern.

our go to breakfast place. we discovered clafoutis, an unpretentious, local french-with-santa fe flair restaurant in an unfashionable part of town next to a lota-burger and a dry cleaner. we have never had towaitfor a table. the coffee is excellent. the waiters have been friendly and engaged. clafoutis make their own bread and pasteries. one superb item is the croiassant with egg, cheese and green chile for a pittance. the ham and cheese crepe, a tiny bit more than a pittance, is also excellent. the owner is always visable at the cash register, getting people take home baked goods and ringing up receipts with her cheerful and melodic french and english greetings. we leave french-satisfied and not american-stuffed.


-----23 may, 2009-----

great breakfast and lunch. a little bit of france in santa fe