French connection

Zerach Wieder | Generation: Next

5/1/2008 - 5/1/08

There's a new French café in town. If you're looking for a simple yet lively meal, a delicious dessert or freshly baked pastries, look no further. Clafoutis is here.

Of course, some of Santa Fe's finest chefs have French cooking backgrounds.

Clafoutis is owned by a French baker and pastry chef. It's on Guadalupe and is open only for breakfast and lunch, which means we get an assortment of salads, sandwiches, soups, quiche and of course, pastries.

Walking in, I found myself looking at complete chaos — the kind a restaurant strives for, especially after opening only a few days before. I came for lunch on a Friday, and it was packed. The dining area is relatively small, with only one room. I saw waitresses weaving in and out of small spaces in between tables and standing customers greeting their newly arrived friends.

My friends and I were asked to sit anywhere. Surprisingly, we found a table. Our server came by to hand us menus and get our drink orders. We weren't handed a drinks menu, but I didn't need one; I had seen an espresso machine as I came in, so I ordered a cappuccino. I also saw some sodas and juices up front.

With our drink orders taken, we were left to look over the menu. Before even looking, I couldn't help but look around the place.

What more do you want from a French café? Oh yeah, the food. I finally took up my menu.

For breakfast, there's quiches and croissant sandwiches; for lunch, there's salads, soups, bruschettas and a couple of larger plates. Almost everything comes with fresh bread, and fresh bread is the foundation for the sandwiches and bruschettas. We found out just before we ordered that the restaurant had run out of bread for sandwiches and bruschettas — obviously, no one was expecting the rush.

I decided to go with The Sea: A wooden box with salad, bread, butter, anchovies, smoked salmon, shrimp and the daily dessert. I also ordered a cup of onion soup.

Considering how packed it was, we were served pretty darn fast, although we were still told by multiple people how sorry they were for the wait.

My onion soup, with its broiled piece of cheese and crouton covering it, was delicious. If anything, it could have been a tad less thick with a bit more pepper; otherwise I was pleased. As I finished the last spoonful, my main course was placed before me. I was told earlier that they had also run out of the smoked salmon, which was replaced with tuna instead. What I saw certainly looked appetizing. The shrimp was made with parsley, white wine, and butter. The result was light, tasty, and went well with a smear of butter and the bread. The anchovies, with capers and olive oil, couldn't have been better. I was a little disappointed by the tuna. I felt like it came out of a re-sealable pouch. It tasted that way, too.

The pastries at Clafoutis are what make it. If you can handle only one thing at this place, get something sweet. What I got was a strawberry and blueberry tart, a buttery crust, custard topped with strawberries and blueberries. It was perfect. Finished the meal with a bang.

Clafoutis is the kind of place you want to go to and stay a while. Eat some, talk with friends, eat a little, talk with strangers, then eat some more. They're only open 'til 4 in the afternoon though, so get in gear.

Zerach Wieder, 17, has an associate's degree in culinary arts from Santa Fe Community College. You can reach him at zerock123@hotmail.com.