How to tune Notes on OS X to use plain text or not to reformat quotes?
Notes

Notes.app in OS X 10.10 can do all you request:


Font colour, size, and family can be set through the Format menu.
Substitutions and smart quote behaviour are managed through the Edit > Substitutions sub-menu.




Beyond Notes: Text Wrangler

If you need more than Notes.app offers, try Text Wrangler from Bare Bones.