When I was invited to a birthday brunch at Chef de Crêpe, I was simultaneously excited and nervous…read more Excited because I'd never eaten there before. Nervous because my only previous experiences with crêpes involved repeatedly attempting to make them myself and repeatedly disappointing myself with my terrible crêpe-making skills. But I RSVP'd YES and hoped the professionals were significantly better at this than I am.
Our party of nine arrived for a noon Sunday reservation and was promptly seated toward the back of a VERY busy restaurant. Nine seats. Nine bodies. On time. We were off to a great start!
I'd studied the menu beforehand because there are a surprising number of sweet and savory crêpes, galettes and handhelds to choose from. I ultimately ordered the Chicken Florentine for $14, made with chicken, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, mozzarella, red onions, garlic and Mom's Béchamel Sauce.
I also ordered a Diet Coke, which turned out to be a can for $3.10. When I ordered a second, our waitress did let me know I'd be charged for another can, which I appreciated. But $6.20 for two cans of Diet Coke still hurt my feelings a little.
Our food arrived and my Chicken Florentine was FABULOUS. Apparently the secret to enjoying crêpes is having someone other than Alexis make them. The filling was flavorful, everything worked beautifully together and the actual crêpe was wonderfully prepared.
Unfortunately, the Birthday Girl wasn't nearly as lucky. She cut into her Mexi Steak crêpe and discovered a hair that definitely wasn't hers. When she got our waitress's attention, the response felt strangely annoyed and there wasn't an apology. The plate was silently taken away. I understand that mistakes happen, especially in a packed restaurant, but hair in food is no bueno and a simple "I'm so sorry about that" would have gone a long way.
Her replacement also took long enough that most of us had finished eating by the time it arrived. Thankfully, everyone shared their meals with her in the meantime. When the replacement finally came out, our waitress said, "The chef sends his apologies," but by then the Birthday Girl had eaten enough of everyone else's food that she asked for a box and took her replacement home.
Thankfully, we weren't finished because...DESSERT CRÊPES! I ordered the Cookie Butter for $12.25 with sweet cream cheese, Biscoff cookie butter, chocolate chips and shortbread. It was FABULOUS. Several of us shared tastes of our desserts, so I also tried the J'adore Reese's with banana, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Nutella and cinnamon, which I loved, and the La Parisienne with Grand Marnier, sugar, raspberries and Hershey syrup, which was fine but not really my thing.
And Chef de Crêpe, I HAVE AN IDEA FOR YOU. SWEET CRÊPE FLIGHTS! Give me little mini crêpes so I can sample several flavors without committing to an entire dessert crêpe. I would order that SO FAST!
Toward the end of our meal, our waitress brought the Birthday Girl a little cup of whipped cream with a lit candle and a miniature light-up Eiffel Tower. It was adorable! We took pictures and sang Happy Birthday, and it was an especially nice touch after the unfortunate start to her meal.
With the automatically added gratuity for our large party, my total came to about $40. That's not outrageous for brunch and dessert, but it also wasn't inexpensive. Especially when $6.20 of that was two cans of Diet Coke.
The restaurant itself is whimsical and cute, almost like stepping into a little girl's Parisian tea party. It was perfect for a Sunday birthday brunch with the girls, even if the aesthetic isn't particularly "me."
Overall, I'm glad I said yes to this adventure. I ate two genuinely delicious crêpes, sampled several others, celebrated a friend and finally discovered that I don't dislike crêpes. I just dislike MY crêpes.
Would I personally make Chef de Crêpe a regular stop? Probably not. Between the price point, the service hiccup and the fact that I don't routinely find myself craving crêpes, this feels more like a fun once-and-done experience for me. But I'm glad I experienced it. And if those mini dessert crêpe flights ever become a thing? CALL ME!
