Willow + Blaine boutique bistro set to open Sept. 4 next to Beck’s Coffee

Beck’s Roasting House and Creamery has an exciting new neighbor in Las Cruces’ Mesquite Historic District.

Beck’s owners Tyrell Thacker and Arianna Parsons have opened Willow + Blaine Boutique Garden to Table Wine Bar & Bistro in the 91-year-old brick building right next door to Beck’s at 118 N. Mesquite St.

The name comes from Thacker’s and Parsons’ middle names.

The city’s first “boutique bistro” is accepting reservations for lunch and dinner (it also has a happy hour) and opens Sept. 4.

The property has undergone extensive renovations inside and out since Thacker and Parsons bought it in January 2020.

“It was a lot of work,” said Parsons, who is the former executive director of the Downtown Las Cruces Partnership.

The couple had planned to open the bistro last fall, but waited a year because of Covid, she said.

The enlarged kitchen will serve both Willow + Blaine and Beck’s Natural Foods Café that is part of the coffee house next door, Parsons said. Catering will also be available.

Many of the bistro’s vegetables and herbs are grown in its outdoor garden. A signature dish, the Caprese salad, for example, includes the garden’s atomic grape tomatoes and heirloom basil, Parsons said, along with mozzarella cheese and a blueberry vinaigrette reduction.

The garden’s 16 raised beds will also grow cucumbers, beans, potatoes, carrots and other culinary herbs and colorful flowers. The outdoor area also has olive and fig trees and will soon be home to a glass conservatory. The outdoor patio has four tables.

The bistro bar features Old World wines, Parsons said, and has nearly 900 bottles in stock. The bar menu will also a variety of Prohibition-era cocktails, she said, including a house Moscow Mule and a French 77, along with other “really unique and beautiful cocktails.”

Willow + Blaine offers “a really versatile space,” Parsons said. The 2,500 square-foot building seats up to 70 and will be available for bridal parties, showers, corporate events, holiday gatherings and other special events, in addition to lunch, dinner and happy hour.

Parsons said the house was famous in its day for lavish holiday decorations, a tradition she and Thacker intend to revive. They are also looking forward to the bistro being a big part of the growing Mesquite neighborhood experience that includes galleries, shops, dining and coffee.

Much of the interior design work for Willow + Blaine was done by Jamie Langan of Studio Langan in Las Cruces, Parsons said. Daniel Aguilera was the carpenter. His company is 101 Design and Fabrication.

Bistro staff includes chef Sam Parsons, bar manager Michael Young and events coordinator Ayana Jordan. Saedies Apodaca is the head baker and Alessandra Cogdill is the pastry chef.

Here are the Willow + Blaine days and hours of service: brunch: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; happy hour (bar and patio only): 3-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; dinner: 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations are recommended for brunch and required for dinner.

For reservations, call 575-405-9444. For events and catering inquiries, email ayana@willowandblaine.com. For more information, email office@willowandblaine.com and willowandblaine@gmail.com.

Visit willowandblainelc.com and www.facebook.com/willowandblaine.