Retail Roundup: Popular eateries stretch out in bigger locations

Swiss Alps Bakery & Cafe owner Jessica Espat-Johnson, pictured, has relocated the business and made some other changes but said the bakery continues to offer many of the same traditional European desserts and breads that is has for 30 years. (adolphe pierre-louis/journal)

Don’t despair, dessert devotees: Swiss Alps Bakery & Cafe is still crafting Black Forest cakes, Linzer tortes and its signature turnovers.

Breads and cookies too.

The longtime Albuquerque establishment is just baking them at a new location and offering the traditional fare alongside paninis and cappuccinos.

Swiss Alps recently completed a move from Menaul Boulevard to a larger space at 3000 San Pedro NE. The additional square footage has given owner Jessica Espat-Johnson a chance to put her own stamp on the business she and her father bought 1 1/2 years ago.

“We’ve made it more cafe-style as opposed to just a bakery to come and get your bread to go,” Espat-Johnson said.

About 10 tables await customers who want to sit and immediately savor their latest purchase, whether it’s a traditional European favorite, a peanut-butter cookie, an éclair or some of the newest additions to the Swiss Alps lineup.

adolphe pierre-louis/journal
The Swiss Alps Bakery & Cafe, owned by Jessica Espat-Johnson, has relocated to this location at 3000 San Pedro NE. The bakery continues to offer many of the same traditional European desserts and breads that is has for 30 years.

The business — which started as Black Forest bakery about 30 years ago — continues to offer many of the original treats, like the aforementioned Linzer, a hazelnut-almond pastry filled with raspberry.

“If I ever removed that, I think people would throw rocks at the windows,” Espat-Johnson said.

Customers can also still buy the same rustic-style breads.

But the recent relocation allowed Espat-Johnson to implement some new ideas.

She’s added a coffee menu and a small assortment of lunch and breakfast items. The lunch crowd now can choose from a small list of panini sandwiches, each created on a baguette and served with chips and potato or pasta salad for $8.50.

The menu will gradually expand to include a few salads, cold sandwiches, quiches and soup bowls.

Breakfast features a build-your-own morning roll using various meat-and-cheese options, but Espat-Johnson kept the breakfast menu intentionally small.

“I don’t want to take away from all the turnovers and danishes and things like that,” Espat-Johnson said.

Trained in interior design, Espat-Johnson was looking for a change of scenery when she and her father bought Swiss Alps. She had initially planned on having her own coffee shop but said the Swiss Alps opportunity “kind of fell into our lap.”

Finding a new location became a top priority, and Espat-Johnson said she chose the San Pedro site because it had more retail space and enough room for a more organized baking operation. Swiss Alps has two different crews toiling with dough in the 2,500-square-foot kitchen area — a bread team in the wee hours and a pastry shift during the day.

Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Cafe has moved its Fourth Street NW location about two miles south to 5939 Fourth NW. Owner Yashoda Naidoo, above, said the space is bigger and more visible from the street. (richard pipes/journal)

But Espat-Johnson said she also chose the location because she’s long had a soft spot for the San Pedro site. Although high turnover has plagued the building in recent years, Espat-Johnson said she fondly remembers it as the former home of Daily Grind coffee shop.

“This is where I used to come to hang out, whether it was drawing, writing or studying,” she said.

The changes made to the building since its Daily Grind days were minor enough that Espat-Johnson and her family were able to restore a coffee shop-like setting with relative ease.

Some work remains, including the addition of banco seating and heaters to the bakery’s patio. But Espat-Johnson said customers area already embracing the new vibe.

“People I’ve noticed are grabbing their pastry and actually sitting down and eating here, which is huge,” she said.

Swiss Alps Bakery & Café is open 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The phone number is 881-3063.

Veggie cuisine moves

Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Cafe has moved its Fourth Street location about two miles south to 5939 Fourth NW.

A three-month remodel transformed a former Dion’s into the new location of Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Cafe. (richard pipes/journal)

Annapurna’s owner Yashoda Naidoo said her new spot — a former Dion’s — is both larger and closer to Montaño, offering better access for her West Side customers. The 3,500-square-foot building can seat approximately 90 people, about 30 more than the former location.

A three-month remodel transformed the building into a suitable space for sipping chai and eating Ayurvedic dishes like kitchari.

The interior is now awash in bright paint, and colorful fabric hangs from the ceiling in a series of vibrant waves. Oak flooring was installed in an elevated part of the restaurant that Naidoo said she will eventually call “The Gratitude Room” in honor of the investors who helped her establish the business.

“We had to take out ‘Dion’s’ and make this space a typical Annapurna’s,” said Naidoo, who also has cafés in the University of New Mexico area and in Santa Fe. “A serene, calm environment with bright colors and lots of tea and teapots; very Zen-like, a place for people to hang out, have a cup of chai and relax.”

Annapurna’s on Fourth is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday.

Om settles in

Paddy Rawal’s Om, a new Indian restaurant, opened earlier this month in Annapurna’s old Los Ranchos location at 7520 Fourth NW.

Om is Rawal’s second New Mexico eatery; he opened Raaga in Santa Fe last year.

Like Raaga, Om will specialize in the cuisine of northern India with what Rawal describes as “a lot of grilled, healthy cooking,” as well as vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free offerings.

Jennifer and Lily Rose Pena eat together at Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Cafe. (richard pipes/journal)

The chef and native of the city formerly known as Bombay has also included some Indian-Chinese fusion dishes, including the Chicken Manchurian, described on the menu as “chicken dumplings sautéed with ginger, garlic, green chilies, bell peppers, in a soy-based sauce.”

Rawal said his approach is to “use spices for flavor not for heat” and let guests determine how hot they want their food.

Om is open Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5-9:30 p.m. for dinner.

Lunch customers can decide between a buffet and a la carte, while dinner is entirely a la carte.

Om’s phone number is 899-4423.

In other relocation news

♦ Chelsey’s restaurant has moved from its original location on Juan Tabo into the former Dunkin Donuts space at 4009 San Mateo NE. Open from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, Chelsey’s has a breakfast menu in addition to its burgers, sandwiches, wings and Mexican food. Owner James Hawks said he is currently applying for a beer and wine license for the location.

The 1,600-square foot space has enough room to seat about 30 customers at a series of black-and-white checkered tables. Chelsey’s also offers takeout.

The phone number is 881-0947.

♦ Lane Bryant has scooted out of Cottonwood Mall and over to The Plaza at Cottonwood Mall, opening a newly remodeled 4,400-square foot store near Party City and Starbucks. The new address is 10254-B Coors Bypass NW.

Specializing in women’s clothing in sizes 14-28, the new Lane Bryant also features the Cacique line of intimate apparel.

Lane Bryant had been inside Cottonwood since 1996, according to a spokesperson.

The clothing chain has 687 stores, including another Albuquerque location at Coronado Center.

If you have any retail news or questions, please contact me at jdyer@abqjournal.com or 823-3864.