Alex De Vore
Marquez Deli served up some of the best French toast, omelettes and bagels we’ve ever had in Santa Fe.
Gather ‘round, ye children, and I’ll tell you the tale of the time I had the best french toast of my life.
Having watched eagerly for weeks as Marquez Deli (Lunch Tuesday-Friday; brunch and lunch Saturday and Sunday; closed Monday; 513 Camino De Los Marquezm (505) 365-2113) teased a new menu online, and learning the new menu finally dropped last week, I popped by over the weekend with a dining companion to check out the brunch items. Unexpectedly, and as is rarer and rarer these days, I wound up stumped by what to order. Everything on the weekend-only brunch menu entices, from a Nova Scotia smoked salmon scramble ($14) to the classic Belgian waffle ($12) served with creme fraiche, seasonal berries and bananas—plus real maple syrup. The poor server had to return several times as we tortured ourselves over what we were willing to miss out on, but my confidence returned upon selecting and sticking with French toast made with creme brulée batter (also with creme fraiche, berries, bananas and syrup; $14). My companion settled on the Farmer’s Tan omelette with roasted potatoes, green onion, bell peppers and goat cheese ($12), and we’ve both been haunted by the excellence ever since.
But first, the bagels. Oh, the bagels! Chef/owner Hadidi has them brought in special from New York City’s Chabad Lubovitch every four days, and someplace between the everything and sesame varieties we ordered, I left my body and floated overhead begrudgingly accepting every smug New Yorker’s “They’re just better,” rhetoric I’ve ever heard. Fresh and chewy doesn’t even begin to properly tell the tale, but if you can just accept they’re the most flavorful bagels we’ve found in Santa Fe bar none, you’ll already be taking a step in the right direction—and maybe you won’t mind they clock in at $4.50 with a schmear of cream cheese, tomato, onion and capers.
When the French toast and omelette came, we almost thought we’d filled up on bagels, but even if that had been the truest thing of all time, it didn’t matter. Looking light and fluffy and delectable with the creme fraiche melting down the sides, the perfectly-sized order of eggy vanilla goodness is literally the best I’ve had anyplace ever, and I make a mean French toast at home. With the accompanying maple syrup, a symphony of subtle and not-so-subtle flavors unveiled themselves in turn, making no two bites taste alike and trouncing on the idea that thicker French toast is superior. Likewise, my companion’s omelette was a masterclass in eggs cooked well, with the savory potatoes inside providing a sublime counterpoint to the bite of the onion and the creamy goat cheese. Served with an expertly crispy latke on the side, it transcended omelettes as we know them...to the point, in fact, that my words might sound flowery and hyperbolic, gushy, even, but I’m so in love with Hadidi’s food I honestly don’t care.
Cut to three days later and I was desperately begging anyone who’d listen to join me for lunch at Marquez Deli with promises of sandwich nirvana. In retrospect, even that feels like I’m selling the second meal short. Hadidi has excellent options for vegetarians on his lunch menu, and I selected Ella’s fried eggplant parmesan sandwich ($13) with basil, roasted peppers, olive tapenade and goat cheese with no doubt in my mind whatsoever. My companion, meanwhile, chose Matthew’s grilled cheese—a house blend of cheeses with avocado and tomato ($8)—and said something inexorably true about how a good grilled cheese can conjure up youthful memories but can also become its own new kind of memory if it’s done right. If there’s some hall of fame for doing sandwiches right, Hadidi’s portrait should hang there.
My own sandwich was a revelation of textures and flavors with the saltiness of the tapenade mingling with the creamy goat cheese to create a taste not unlike feta, but still its own thing. The eggplant, which can wind up bitter or even just served too thick, was cut thin and fried to a satisfying exterior crisp; the sweet pickle on the side added even more depth. My companion’s sandwich was something special as well, which made her remark something about how she’d never seen avocado on grilled cheese, but it tasted so good at Marquez Deli that it now feels obvious, like when someone tells you something you should have known all along. Grilled on classic white bread, her sandwich stayed soft throughout its center through the whole meal, and the cheese stayed gooey but never seemed greasy or overwhelming as such sandwiches sometimes can.
“This is incredible,” we repeatedly told each other, even going so far as to cut little pieces off our respective sandwiches for a tense trade.
“I was going to take half of this with me,” I said, finishing the sandwich outright, “but it just tastes too good.”
Sated, but not overfull, we continued discussing the meal all the way back to the office. I’d bet you $50 she’s still thinking about it now.
And so we shall return. Probably even immediately. Hadidi’s new menu isn’t massive, but there are numerous items I need to try. In the meantime, I’ll need all of Santa Fe to get on this train immediately. Marquez Deli deserves a place in our hearts forever.
