In addition to being exciting for area eaters, creativity in cuisine is the mark of the best restaurants in the business.

For established restaurants, though, it can be daunting to change a concept or even a menu that’s already thriving in order to evolve and improve.

Daring and innovative restaurateurs, though, never stand still. The hamlet of Manitou Springs is home to two of my personal old-fave established eateries who, with that fresh and daring spirit, have released new menus that significantly expand their offerings.

In both cases — with the evolved dinner menu at Coquette’s Bistro and Bakery and at Crystal Park Cantina, now open for lunch — the changes were a risk now reaping delicious rewards.

Coquette Bistro and Bakery915 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs685-2420, coquettesbistroandbakery.com

Celebrating it’s third birthday in a matter of weeks, Coquette’s list of local awards, which include Best Gluten-Friendly three years running, Best Crepe and Best French, can impress even the most skeptical of diners. Obviously, the 100-percent gluten-free formula tapped into an unmet culinary need in the community, and did so without sacrificing an inch of flavor when ditching the wheat.

Coquette’s is famous for its crepes, yes, but they now have higher aspirations, which meant changing the name from Coquette’s Creperie to the new Bistro and Bakery title. A new chef is in the kitchen since earlier this year and after experimenting with daily specials, the permanent new dinner menu at Coquette now features a section of specialties that extend beyond the world of savory and sweet rolled pastry.

Take what I consider the star of the show: Pan Seared Duck Breast ($17). The Ranch Foods Direct duck is served as skin-on ovals, and the accompanying sweet-savory butternut squash risotto is good enough to star as its own vegetarian meal. Many of the entrees, such as the Chicken Piccata ($17) and Chicken Pot Pie ($12), are served with earthy, fluffy homemade truffled mashed potatoes, which are dream-hauntingly delicious. The pot pie on my visit, however, was disappointingly dry, hopefully a one-time minor mistake.

Old favorites remain at this new Coquette. The Black Forest ham and mushrooms in the signature Coquette Crepe ($10), which is studded with rich béchamel sauce, will always be an excellent combination. While I hope such great crepes will forever remain, Coquette’s new menu elevates the restaurant to a higher level of gourmet, mature cosmopolitanism.

Crystal Park Cantina178 Crystal Park Road, Manitou Springs685-5999, crystalparkcantina.com

If you’ve not experienced the huge, sunny patios at Crystal Park Cantina, you’re missing one of the best outdoor dining experiences in town – especially for lunch on a beautiful summer afternoon, which only became possible when the Mexican restaurant began serving lunch in May. Lounging on iron chairs under shady umbrellas, choose your poison of a tart, non-alcoholic Limeade ($3) or the Sangria de Cantina ($7), a huge pint-sized glass of red wine, spiced rum and fresh citrus juices.

The lunch menu itself is a combination of items offered at dinner (like the Chile Relleno, $11), specials and the normal collection of Mexican goodies wrapped in different forms of tortilla. For example, the Dos Beef Tacos ($9), which are drizzled in sour cream, are the perfect portion for lunch and burst with a generous filling of slow-cooked meat in corn tortilla shells. Other taco fillings include chicken, pork, Baja fish and shrimp. They are also available as burritos for $10- $11.

The best form of tortilla-wrapped goodness, though, has to be the Portobello, Spinach and Cheese Enchilada ($11). Its mild heat is freshened by snappy chopped scallions, and the veggies are simultaneously bright and fresh as well as hearty and filling.

Crystal Park’s food is also healthy in addition to being hearty, offering only all natural, hormone- and steroid-free meats. Another plus: Microwaves are banished from the kitchen. The lunch menu does change specials occasionally, so I guess I’ll have to return again and again to sample them all.

In other news: Naturally’s Market and Café now The Phoenix110 Canon Ave., Manitou Springs685-0555, naturallys.net

The menu at this light and bright cafe on Canon Avenue has a new name and cute new shirts on the servers, the latter reading “Don’t think thin. Think health!” Wise words from the restaurant, which is focused on freshness and whole ingredients. The menu, though, has not yet shifted over from Naturally’s. The change is expected to occur, though, before the end of the summer.

For now, you can still gorge yourself on their various towering, thick-breaded sandwiches, like the Veggies Galore with Soy Mozzarella ($8.65 whole or $6.45 half). With shredded carrots and beets, sprouts, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and avocado, you can get most of your recommended veggies for the day in one meal.

Or choose the signature Naturally Yours Salad ($11.49) More of a platter than a traditional green salad, it’s loaded with all the house veggies as well as hummus, tabouli, millet and pasta salad. There are few places in the area with so many healthy, trendy grains on one plate, and I hope that even if the name of the salad changes, it will remain on The Phoenix’s menu in some incarnation.

Photo by

Photo by

Coquette Creperie’s new menu includes a Chicken Pot Pie that, like all their offerings, is gluten free. Photo by Kate Jonuska