Clafoutis brings the best of France to Santa Fe

In the world of French pastries, there are croissants, palmiers, mille-feuilles, pain au chocolate and clafoutis. A popular Santa Fe restaurant offers all of these and more, plus three different clafoutis daily. That’s because this is Clafoutis, a bustling French bistro in South Capitol that continuously delights customers with their breakfast and lunch menu, and abundant and colorful selection of French breads and pastries. Clafoutis welcomes a diverse clientele of locals and tourists.

From 2000-2005, Anne Laure and Philippe Ligier owned and operated The French Corner Bakery in Albuquerque until they decided to return to France to raise their two daughters. But the family missed New Mexico so much they came back two years later and settled in Santa Fe, where they opened Clafoutis on Guadalupe Street and Paseo de Peralta.

After 10 years, they outgrew the space and migrated to the current location in 2017 where customers line up waiting. Working together with their now grown daughters, Charlotte Kolkmeyer and Marylou who provide the front of house support, this restaurant runs like a well-orchestrated symphony. Philippe is the head pastry chef and baker who, along with four others, arrive at 2 a.m. to work all-night cranking out 40 different breakfast items, 25 kinds of pastries, 200 loaves of bread and 10 various cookies every day. When the doors open at 7 a.m., the pastry cases are overflowing with an overwhelming assortment of sweet options.

“We love what we are doing,” says Anne Laure. And it is this dedication and pride that makes Clafoutis a fan favorite. Another reason this place shines even brighter is that the staff is also like family. “Most of our kitchen staff have been with us for more than 10 years. And our waitstaff also have been with us for years.” The family vibe is always present in the restaurant, which helps make customers feel like family as well.

As bistros do in Paris during the warm weather months, Clafoutis throws open the main restaurant area’s garage style doors to blend with the outdoor space. This makes the restaurant feel even bigger and more welcoming. The interior is light, bright and clean with black and white décor.

Coffee is an important part of the French bistro scene, and the Ligier’s continue to have a strong partnership with Albuquerque’s Red Rock Roasters. “Their French roast is perfect for us,” says Anne Laure, which also helps stimulate the restaurant’s buzz. And coffee lovers will melt for the large coffee ($3.50) that promises to wake you up and keep you in motion all day long.

Breakfast starts at 7 a.m. and features typical French breakfast dishes including five omelets ($7.95-$13.50), six sweet and savory crêpes, two kinds of French toast ($11.50-$12.50) and waffles ($6-$10.50).

Most of the breakfast menu is offered all day, which is a bonus for those who wake up late or crave breakfast for lunch. The omelets are perfectly French in style — barely cooked through, so the eggs remain tender to the bite. While the omelet comes with bread and butter, health fanatics will rest easy knowing that salad can be had instead.

The very popular and top-selling Croque Monsieur ($8.90) and the Croque Madame ($9.80), which is topped with a fried egg, are true Francophile dishes that customers swoon over. These dishes are offered all day.

When the clock strikes 11:30 a.m., the lunch menu kicks in with six different types of quiches ($11.50-$12.50) which come with a side salad, and six salads ($11.50-$13.80). When I was growing up, the joke was always that “real men don’t eat quiche,” but, thankfully, times have changed, and you will see women and men relishing a slice of golden brown quiche without any shame. A tender crust is filled with eggs and different fillings to make a delightfully light and healthy meal. Fillings include Salmon and Leek ($12.50), Bacon and Cheese ($11.50), Spinach and Ricotta ($11.50), Asparagus and Ham ($11.50), Green Chili and Bacon ($11.50), and Artichoke, Prosciutto, Tomato, Feta and Spinach ($12.50). Each slice comes with a side salad dressed with Clafoutis’s signature creamy vinaigrette.

The featured soup on the menu is the traditional and top-selling French Onion Soup ($3.75 cup/$5.50 bowl)— even during the blazing hot summer months. The Roast Beef sandwich ($9.95) is substantial and served on housemade baguette. Topped with Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato, my dining companion observed that this sandwich “has the perfect amount of Dijon mustard.”

I had the Salad Niçoise, a perennial favorite that always makes me smile. Greens combine with green beans, diced potatoes, chopped Kalamata olives, a generous amount of canned tuna with a few anchovies on top. Anne Laure admits, “We are generous with the tuna — and, yes, it’s canned, which is the traditional way to make the salad. Niçoise history tells that canned tuna was available and inexpensive and was transformed into a hearty meal when combined with salad, green beans, potatoes and olives.” This protein-laden salad eats like a meal, though I do prefer whole Kalamata olives as opposed to chopped olives, as a whole olive brings a hefty dose of brininess to this classic French salad.

Those feeling a bit more playful will love The Parisian Plate ($11.50) as it brings together the best of both worlds — a wholesome salad with four roll-ups of cold ham and a side of hot french fries. This is a plate that is a conversation starter — and why I first ordered it when I saw a fellow diner noshing on this gorgeous plate that provides the right combination of healthy, fun and tasty.

Though the bakery cases are the first thing you see when you walk in, they are also the last thing on your mind when you leave, so make room for these sweet creations. We treated ourselves to the Lemon Tart ($4.50), Apple Turnover ($3.50) and Raspberry Flan ($4.50), along with two gluten-free options in the Chocolate-dipped Coconut Roche ($1.30) and Coconut Macaron ($2.25). One friend described the lemon tart as “filled with a super tangy and refreshing filling that melts in your mouth.” We agreed that the Apple Turnover was our least favorite, as the filling was sparce and flat on flavor. But we gobbled everything else down and wanted more.

As for their namesake dessert, the traditional way to make clafoutis is with whole cherries — including the pits. The waitstaff always mentions this reality when delivering the cherry clafoutis to customers. Anne Laure says, “The pits provide more flavor to the dish.” But really there is nothing pitiful about this and there is nothing about Clafoutis that is the pits.

This is a family business and, Anne Laure says, “We are all there every day no matter what. Everybody cares about Clafoutis, and we love our restaurant and our customers.”

This is the ingredient that makes Clafoutis so special.