ReGrub Durango: East by Southwest and Cypress Café

In lieu of my last post, about two of my favorite restaurants in Durango, Colorado being destroyed in a fire, I thought I’d offer two alternatives I recently discovered—East by Southwest and Cypress Café.

The Cypress Café opened on Durango’s 2nd Avenue, one block up from Main, in 1996. Although I lived in Durango until 1998, I never tried this restaurant until January of this year. Twelve years after it opened… Gosh, that makes me feel old! But better late than never. My mom and I had a cozy lunch at the café while outside, snow fell in inches, then feet, until my husband and I were officially snowed in when the airport closed for several days. Ah, good times, they were!

“Mediterranean country cooking” is how Alison Dance, the café’s owner, describes the cuisine. Her staff uses locally grown organic produce and meats, and sustainably harvested seafood to create a menu that is a blend of Italian, Greek, North African and Southwest American. I should add that The Cypress Café has been recommended by Bon Appetit, Sunset Magazine, and the New York Times. I can understand why. The food is delicious. It left both my mom and I craving more. In fact, we tried to go back a couple of days later, but they too were closed due to snow.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. Visit their website for a sample menu.

East by Southwest strives to create “fusion” between the flavors of the Pacific Rim and the Southwest. They have an eclectic menu. Everything from Crab and Jalapeno Firecrackers to Seaweed Salad, Oyster shooters to Ceviche, Kobe beef to Lobster Tempura. You can order a seven course meal, Premium Seared Tuna, Thai Curry, or Free Range Chicken Teriyaki. What really sets this restaurant apart, however, is their vast Sushi menu. It’s huge. (Click on their site and check it out for yourself.) Our party of 6 adults and 2 children ordered the ceviche, an order of Pad Thai noodles, several sushi rolls, and a salmon wrap I don’t know the name of. My favorite was the NY NY roll. Nice and spicy and packed with flavor! I’m drooling as I write this. It’s so good, I’ve thought about flying into Durango for the weekend (which costs about $600 round trip) just to eat here. My seven-year-old nephew loves the raw salmon wrapped over steamed rice. He’s currently saving his allowance to take his entire family to sushi night. That’s how good this restaurant is—it inspires seven-year-olds to save! (Perhaps we have a future chef in the family…) What other endorsement does a restaurant need?

It should also be noted that they serve up a mean mojito. And, the young crowd flocks to this place.

East by Southwest is located on the corner of 2nd Avenue and College, a block up from the train depot. They are open for lunch and dinner. In addition, they have Happy Hour daily.