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.

Church Street Café

Located in Old Town Albuquerque, this unassuming café, one block from the main plaza, is loaded with historical charm. The house was built during the founding of Albuquerque, in the early 1700’s. The age of the house has been confirmed by its building materials, which consist of terrones, an adobe brick used until the early 1800s. Inside, the café is cozy, with unique historical artifacts adorning the walls and free-standing on the floor.

The food is predominately authentic New Mexican. I ordered the Handmade Tamale Plate with pork and the vegetarian green chile sauce, and my husband chose the Old Fashioned Chile Rellenos with red chile. Both were excellent. As red and green chile sauce is the staple of New Mexican cooking, it is therefore an extremely important part of the meal. Church Street Café knows how to make chile sauce.

Head here for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Visit their website for the full menu.

Tomasitas

This long-time favorite, located in the old train depot on Guadalupe Street in Sante Fe, is, in my opinion, over-rated. Skip it. It’s uncomfortably busy and noisy, the wait staff is inattentive, and the food is barely a step-up from a TV dinner. Don’t be wooed by celebrity stories and pictures on the wall. Eat elsewhere.

SantaCafé

This Santa Fe icon is worth every penny you will spend. (But it will cost you a lot of pennies!) Described as American cuisine with a southwest flair, SantaCafé has received endorsements from The New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, and The Food Network’s Giada DeLaurentiis.

The ambience is casual elegance, with simple white linens and tableware. The wait staff is attentive without being annoying, and the food is, quite simply, some of the best I’ve had. I also give high marks for the plating and originality of the dishes, as well as the wine list. The menu changes often (weekly, I believe) so your experience will never be the same. I had a delectable salmon dish with lentils and chard in, I believe, a butter-carrot sauce. The sauce was so good, I could have licked the plate clean. For dessert, I ordered a blood orange tart which came topped with a gorgeous sugar sculpture. Excellence all the way around.

Tulips

I was excited to try this restaurant, as I’d heard great reviews of chef Steve Jarrett. I was a bit disappointed, however. My first turn-off was the waiter, who was, quite honestly, one of the snobbiest and unhelpful people I’ve ever met. After being rude to my husband on the telephone, he messed up his drink order (on purpose, we feel).

The food itself was unique, but my dish at least didn’t match up to SantaCafé. However, I do believe chef Steve Jarrett is incredibly talented, and his personality is expressed in his unusual dishes. My husband ordered an elk tenderloin, which he described as perfectly cooked. I ordered the night’s special—olive encrusted blue crab cakes. I see potential in this dish, but it wasn’t quite there yet. The crab was a tad on the tough side, if that’s possible, and the flavors of the crust were hard to define.

Like SantaCafé, and most high-end restaurants in Santa Fe for that matter, the prices at Tulips are high. A bit out of range? Maybe. I ‘d like to try this place again before making a final decision.

Grubbin’ with Kelly

I moved away from Durango in 1998, but I go back there twice a year or so, and every time, I’m blown away by how many things have changed. Not only the relentless building of new homes and (ack!) condos, or (ack! ack!) giant retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot, or the ever-burgeoning schools, but the evolution (or de-evolution) of restaurants. They change names, owners, shut down, reopen, move location, refocus, tinker with menus, hire new chefs, and ultimately, either get better or worse. Here are my notes on the eating scene. For better or worse.

Breakfast

My former staple was the Mexican Madness at Carver’s Brewing Company. It was potatoes and chicken and green peppers and mushrooms smothered in green chili. My husband and I loved it so much we tried endlessly to duplicate the taste at home, in our then tiny apartment kitchen in Olympia, Washington. Then, a few years after moving, we were once again dining at Carver’s, both eating our beloved dish, and upon that first bite, we both new it—something was different. And not in a good way. Every time we’ve eaten there since, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, we’ve been disappointed. Maybe you’ll like it, but I find it borderline edible. So where do we go now?

Le Rendezvous. I’m in love with their stuffed croissants, especially the Four Corners, which has eggs, jack cheese, avocado, tomato and sprouts. They also have a variety of omelettes, including a Santa Fe, the classic Denver, and a “Mr. Green Jeans” for the vegetarians. And no restaurant in southern Colorado would be complete without Huevos Rancheros, and Le Rendezvous has a good version of this dish.

Durango Diner. This tiny restaurant downtown has been a local favorite since I was born, and probably long before… Yep, checking their website I see they’ve been in business since 1965. They have all the diner classics, along with house specialties like The Cure (my personal favorite, which includes eggs, potatoes, cheese, green chili, and your choice of ham, bacon, sausage or veggies), the Dave and Jerry Breakfast, the Kitchen Sink Omelet, the Super Spud, and, of course, Huevos Rancheros. All of these have the diner’s homemade Green Chili sauce on them. Mmm. You can also check their full menu on their website. And you have my word—the staff is super nice.

The Brickhouse. This old Victorian house located on north main has a cozy atmosphere, decent food, and good coffee. While I’ve dined there for lunch, I think their breakfasts are far better. I particularly like their skillets, a dish based off of their homefries. You pick what you want on them. Toppings include, among others: avocado, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, spinach, green chilis, bell pepper, beans, salsa, sausage, ham, bacon, and cheese. And once again, they have Huevos Rancheros. Hey—you are in southwestern Colorado! View their full menu here.

Coffee and Snack Break

Durango Coffee Company. Bypass that recently opened Starbucks a block south on Main Street and head here. In addition to their wonderful selection of coffees, in the summer, you can also get icy cold granitas. They come in a variety of flavors and are terribly addicting. You can also buy excellent kitchenware and food items in their store. Their chocolate covered espresso beans are to die for! Nice atmosphere, with plenty of seating, too.

Steaming Bean. The Steaming Bean Coffee Company started out in Telluride, Colorado in 1992. The Durango store opened shortly afterwards, and quickly gained a following. I love their hazelnut coffee, but they serve a variety of gourmet blends, along with smoothies, bagels, pastries, and cookies from local bakers. Though I haven’t tried them for lunch, you can get soups and sandwiches, as well. The Steaming Bean is also Durango’s only Netcafe, “featuring high-speed Internet access, word-processing programs, printers, and a friendly and knowledgeable staff. Check them out here.

Durango Bagel. When I worked downtown, this was my guilty pleasure. I’d walk down and get a sesame bagel, toasted, with garlic and herb cream cheese. Oh, yum! Of course, if that’s not your style, they have a myriad of both bagel and cream cheese flavors, plus breakfast and lunch type sandwiches. They are located a short walk from the train station, so all you tourists riding the historic steam train to Silverton, stop here!

Lunch

The local’s favorites, have, in my opinion, gone downhill. Carver’s and Olde Tymer’s Café, especially, with the once popular Skinny’s Grill actually closing down. But here are a few interesting places to check out that are a bit off the beaten path of Main Street.

College Drive Café. My mom took me here the last time I was in town, and I was impressed. It’s a laid-back, college hang-out, for sure, but the food was quite good. They have a wide variety of smoothies, and great wraps. They also serve breakfast, but I can’t attest to the quality of that.

Kachina Kitchen. While this isn’t my favorite place to eat, it is unusual in that it specializes in Mexican and Indian style food. They have Navajo tacos that I used to like, which is a sort of taco served on fry bread. And then I got to where I couldn’t eat beef, so… I would personally consider this a fast food type restaurant, so if you’re looking for quick and casual, and a bit different, try them. They are out of town, in the Centennial Center, so you’ll need transportation to get you there.

If you’re stuck on Main Street, however, you’ll have plenty of options. I’d head for Lady Falconburgh’s which I’ll be discussing under “Beer Stop,” or Francisco’s, which you can find out more about under “Dinner.”

Beer Stop

Lady Falconburgh’s Barley Exchange. They have an enormous variety of beer here. It’s quite insane, really. And they have a really cool atmosphere. Located in the basement of the Century Mall on Main Street, they have huge tables to accommodate crowds, or large booths if there are less of you. Their walls are filled with beer drinker hall of famers and in the bathroom, the stalls are coated in beer labels. All in all a fun place to be. They have good food, too. I love their Saddlestring Salad, which has French fries in it!

Dinner

Seasons. I had a pork chop dish here that was out of this world phenomenal. It’s not on their regular menu, so it must have been a special, but I hope it’s a reoccurring one. The pork chop was perfectly cooked in, if I remember right, a cherry-wine pan sauce. It came with mashed jalapeno sweet potatoes, and mixed vegetables. This is a more upscale place, though if you bring children, they will seat you—in the back near the chefs, where it’s acceptable to be noisy.

The Aspen Café. I had good mole here; wasn’t as good as my dad’s, but still, right up there with a slightly different emphasis of flavors. They are more of an upscale restaurant, too. More casual than Seasons, but still, expect to spend a bit more than average. They are located north of Main, toward Highway 550, so you’ll need a car for this one.

Francisco’s. This restaurant probably wins the award for best atmosphere. It’s a large place, authentically decorated, and welcoming. Their Mexican food is just okay, but they have some really great specials, especially in the seafood department, and their salads are phenomenal. Their tequila lime shrimp, an appetizer, is always a good bet, as well. A good place for families and large groups. Located downtown.

After Hours

Joel’s. Advertised as an upscale martini bar, with an upstairs cigar room, it felt much more casual to me. The upstairs “cigar room” was full of cigarette smokers, and I didn’t see a martini in site. The place was jammed packed, with little seating left by the time we got there, but it is definitely more swank than most bars. We met some interesting people, whom we had real conversation with, and the waitresses were nice. The place seemed clean too, which is a bonus for any type of bar scene.