Alex De Vore
Heart-shaped French toast is cute!
Not to sound too “in my day,” but the driving and parking situation in downtown Santa Fe has become untenable in summer. There wasn’t even a market or event going down last weekend when a friend and I set out in search of brunch, and still we found ourselves trapped in a circuitous nightmare punctuated by folks who just wandered into the street hoping for the best. In the end it took 25 minutes to find a spot that wasn’t super-near our destination, but when you’re dreaming of French toast and breakfast burritos from a place you’ve never been before, I guess you suck it up.
Our goal was Cake’s Café (227 Galisteo St., (505) 303-4880; formerly Cake’s Corner Café), a locally owned spot from up-and-coming restaurateur Haley Crumbacher that flared into existence a few years back with, I’ve been told, a knack for a solid cup of coffee and familiar but well-made brunch and lunch menus. Full disclosure? Someone I know turned out to be the manager when we popped by, but readers can rest assured that if she or anyone else over there had blown it, I’d say so. They did not, however, and I’m very much on team Cake’s Café now. Despite our rocky travels, we found a charming little local’s oasis smack-dab in the middle of downtown, and it might actually be worth it to fend off vacation-addled tourists for a place that serves breakfast all day.
Crumbacher’s spot used to be over at the corner of Alameda Street and Old Santa Fe Trail, but it now inhabits the space on Galisteo Street that formerly housed Trattoria a Mano, an Italian joint people reportedly loved because its kitchen boasted handmade pasta (thus the name). With Crumbacher and company taking over, the space feels more funky and upbeat now, like a mix between a coffeehouse and breakfast nook with a smattering of tables just outside the door that come with the added bonus of making one feel almost European. If COVID was good for anything, it was in letting restaurants give us cool outdoor eating options for nicer weather months, and when you find a day that isn’t too warm to take to the streets and sip coffee from Italian brand Lavazza ($2.60) with a pal—well, you just go ahead and do that.
As I said, Cake’s serves breakfast all day, a net gain for those of us who tarry beyond the sometimes arbitrary 11 am cutoff found at many other restaurants (for small kitchens it only makes sense to switch to a lunch menu midday, obviously. I’m just saying it can be disappointing). As the workers told us about upcoming open mic and karaoke night events (check this week’s online calendar), we perused the menu, a more varied lineup than you might expect from a small-ish operation staffed by only two people, at least when we visited. For those who’ve been asking me regularly where to get one, Cake’s has a Monte Cristo sandwich ($12.90); the kitchen serves 8-inch pizzas, too ($16.50) with a gluten-free option (add $3.25) and a few salads ($11.70-$15) with available salmon, turkey or chicken ($3.50). Crumbacher even has numerous vegan options on offer, though the oatmeal ($6.30) and French toast ($9.90) sounded the best among them.
We ordered the latter as well as a breakfast burrito each, with bacon ($10), then snatched up a street table to watch the clouds float by and the people walk in front of moving cars. The service came fast, with our burritos arriving just a few minutes before the French toast. I must admit, I was at first vexed by receiving a breakfast burrito that didn’t have potatoes, but you can consider me a convert moving forward. In their place I discovered grilled red and green bell peppers that not only added a satisfying little snap, but added a brighter flavor than potatoes usually do. The green chile within was having a good day, too—not overly spicy, but plenty flavorful—and the only way to describe the egg ratio is by calling it generous. Its exterior showed the unmistakable grill marks from a panini press, and the cheese was melted just right.
Counting our French toast as a dessert, I loved the plating choice: the dish came sliced and arranged to look like a heart (and our server said, “I brought you these with love!”). The strawberries, blueberries and sliced apple tasted fresh and just about perfectly ripened, and Cake’s take on French toast was thinner than the Texas toast-sized mega-meals I’ve found elsewhere—which is a change of pace not likely to make diners feel bloated afterward—or make the trek back to the car feel torturous. The vanilla flavor was subtle enough that the fruit became the sweetest part of the dish, and whereas scarfing burritos and French toast might have been too much, we mostly felt like we got our money’s worth.
Cake’s could easily become a hangout spot for Santa Feans who remember a time when downtown felt like locals mattered. With restaurant/bar Boxcar opening nearby later this month and other stalwart businesses like The Matador and Evangelo’s nearby, it seems plausible. Ohmygod—do I have ennui?
