Cresta Bateman enjoys a meal and glass of wine with her children recently at the Pig + Fig Cafe. Courtesy photo
Pig + Fig’s Executive Chef and Co-owner Laura Crucet with her eatery’s new wines. Courtesy photo
Los Alamos and White Rock now has one more place to relax and have a glass of wine or beer.
The Pig + Fig Cafe has a beer and wine license and will be re-introducing its tapas menu to enhance its beer and wine selection.
“There are perfect pairings for everything on the menu,” Pig + Fig Co-owner Laura Crucet said. “The wine menu is very well thought out. I’ve had years to research this.”
Anyone who knows Crucet knows she takes her wine research very seriously. Since opening the Pig + Fig Cafe in 2016, she has hosted dozens of special dinners with beer and wine pairings. She frequently goes to wine festivals and travels to meet winemakers. She also is part of a wine group that has met every Wednesday night for the past 40 years. During those wine club meetings, they taste 14-16 wines.
“That’s part of the fun,” she said. “Discovering unknown gems.”
The new wine list has more than 20 wines by the glass, including Elk Cove Pinot Gris (2017) for $7 a glass and Château de Saint Cosme (2016) Crozes-Hermitage (2016) for $10 a glass. There are 50 wines by the bottle, priced $20-$70 per bottle as well as 13 craft beers and ciders.
“These are a selection of the best wines that I’ve found in California, Oregon, Washington, and all the rest of the world that are fantastic wines at good values. Many of them are underrated wines, so people may not have heard of them,” Crucet said.
“She has assembled a wine (and beer) list that is as good as any that can be found in all of New Mexico. Better than any you can find even in Santa Fe,” Tom Hill, a local wine enthusiast wrote in a letter to the Los Alamos Daily Post. “What is particularly noteworthy is her wines are very reasonably priced. In many cases, priced at half of what you would be charged at many high-end Santa Fe restaurants.”
Crucet has worked hard to create an atmosphere where it’s fun for families and friends to drink socially.
In addition to serving beer and wine, Crucet and her staff continue to educate people with day to day tastings during lunch or dinner.
“The more you know about wine and beer, the better wines and beers you will choose and the more you will enjoy it,” Crucet said.
Mark your calendars for these upcoming workshops and dinners: Everyday French Wines Nov. 8 and Beaujolais Wine Dinner Nov. 15.
“I want to do some good in the community,” Crucet said.
The Pig + Fig regularly gives back. Last week it raised $2,500 for Self Help, Inc. and Sept 30 hosted an event that raised $42,000 for the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation.
Crucet, Laura Loy, Karen Hawkins and Karen Easton organized the event for the LAPS Foundation, which had a South American theme. There were 11 wines and four food stations set up around the restaurant. There was live music, tango dancers, and a live auction. The $42,000 they raised broke last year’s fundraising record of $25,000.
Click here to view the Pig + Fig Cafe wine list.
The Pig + Fig Cafe is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at 11 Sherwood Blvd. in White Rock. For more information, email pigandfigcafe@gmail.com, call 505.672.2742 or visit www.pigandfigcafe.com.
