Big upgrades to my Santa Fe breakfast, lunch, and espresso arsenal: Dulce, Mucho Gourmet Sandwiches, Downtown Subscription
Dulce - same strip mall as Saigon Cafe and Pyramid Cafe. Truly tasty, homey baked goods, not outwardly fancy, but virtually every item has something a little unexpected to offer. Standouts are the pear ginger muffins, cinnamon rolls, cheese danishes; haven't tried the dessert items, but they look lovely. French roast drip coffee is the only choice, which is a pet peeve of mine, but they brew it well enough, and they do offer espresso drinks as an alternative. Bright, cheerful space. They're still new, so you can expect a few minor kinks and some experimentation with the formula, but it's a really nice addition to the city, and worlds better than Santa Fe Baking Co across the street.
Mucho Gourmet Sandwiches - apparently this place has been around forever, but it's new to me. As evidenced by the daily lines out the door, Mucho fills a huge, gaping void in the Santa Fe dining scene: tasty, reasonably-priced lunch. Ironically, considering the word 'gourmet' in the name, the thing I like is the unpretentiousness of the place. Tucked away in an old strip mall at St. Michaels and Llano, you could easily miss it even if you were looking for it. Nice array of hot and cold sandwiches and salads. Loved my grilled cheese with bacon, tomato, and green chile on whole grain, as well as my cold "mucho turkey plus" with bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cream cheese, and mayo. Any sandwich, a bag of chips, small cookie, and a large drink runs 10 bucks even.
Downtown Subscription - another old stalwart that's new to me, they serve, beyond any shadow of a doubt, the best espresso drinks I've had in Santa Fe. They have a terrific lever-pull espresso machine, Allegro beans, properly steamed milk, latte art, the whole nine. And to top it off, the space is just excellent, a nice loft-style indoor space with newspapers and magazines for sale (thus the name), and an absolutely perfect side patio with seating among beautifully cared-for gardens. They source their pastries and sandwiches from elsewhere, and they're nothing special, but the coffee more than makes up for it. NB no wi-fi, and many of the staff are a little un-New Mexican in the super-cool vibe they radiate.
