The crepe of crepes

There is a wide discrepancy in tastes and textures when ordering crepes at various restaurants across the city.  The Asian variety tends to be crispy on the outside, hand-held, and generally designed for the sweet tooth.   There's the IHOP version that consists of savory or sweet dishes, and generally caters to those for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  The "IHOP crepe" leans towards the soggy side with a texture similar to a thinned-out pancake, though still remains one of my favorite crepes especially with that nutella topping.   And then there's the Creme de la Crepe variety.

This version of the crepe is the French crepe - at least that's what eaters are to assume based on the culture found in the restaurant.  I would not know if it is 100% authentic.   I am just a panda.  There are no French panda.  At least not technically.  And at this point where every other restaurant is trying to sell their own version of crepe, I don't even know what is the defining standard of crepes.  The only thing I do know is Creme de la Crepe make dessert crepes so good that it is worthwhile to eat a crepe.  At least their crepe.

They feature half price on selected wines on Tuesdays which is nice if you plan on a sweet savory dinner.  Wine would go very well with the offerings found in Creme de la Crepe, especially dishes such as the buttery and flavorful escargot appetizer.



They provide a generous amount of bread for use with dipping that mouth watering pesto butter.  Seen in the picture is an order of two dishes of escargot.  It was just that good.  A little excessive in my opinion but well worth it.  But the main attraction for this tiny restaurant in Pasadena is the sweet dessert crepe.



The Crepe Zidane consists of generous amounts of strawberries and nutella spread with sides of whip cream and vanilla ice cream.



The Creme de la Crepe looks plain on the outside compared to the instantly delicious-looking Zidane, but it is a crepe with a slight kick.  On the outside it is drizzled with coconut shavings, slight drizzle of nutella, and a side of whip cream.  The inside contains mostly nutella spread and Grand Marnier.  Before setting the Creme de la Crepe, the server also burns the coconut shavings lightly with a blowtorch.

Both crepes are equally scrumptious and each morsel is a tender sweet bite.  The Zidane is a safe choice in my humble opinion since nobody can go wrong with strawberries and nutella unless they happen to pose an allergic complication.  The Creme de la Crepe however is much more adventurous because of the hint of alcohol included.  I shouldn't say hint of alcohol really.  Compared to another crepe restaurant in Hollywood, this grand marnier version contains much more alcohol.  So much so that the grand marnier can really start to feel warm in the tummy.

The crepes are very delicious as well as some of the food.  A savory wheat crepe with turkey, spinach, and swiss cheese would be a great lunch for some but doesn't agree with the palette for others such as myself.  It's disappointing however that the quality of service in the restaurant rather fluctuates.  On slow days, the service can be said to be excellent.  Obviously.  Slow days!   On busier days, it is expected that there will be stress on the servers.  However, it may seem it is not the increased number of customers that is hindering the performance of the servers but rather their unnecessary charm.  Simply put, the servers sometime spend more time being charming and flirty than providing helpful suggestions or getting an order right.  I know it is French but come on!

Otherwise for a nice restaurant, charming atmosphere, and overly-charming servers, it is a great place to eat delicious crepes.  They have live performances and dinner themes from time-to-time, and the price for the dishes are priced reasonably.  I just suggest dressing very casually and nothing too revealing, because if you're not in the mood for Mr. Overly Charming, it may be a complete turn off to the experience of the food.

Price - It is reasonable for the amount of food and the experience.

Atmosphere - It's like a small boutique restaurant with decor that fits very well.  Live performances are great too.

Novelty - Crepe wears off after you've had it too many times.

Deliciousness - These are one of my favorite crepes.

Appeal - Would be an excellent restaurant if only the servers weren't so confident in their French accent.  It was quite a turn off to the experience, especially when they were flirty only to goof up when they spilled food or accidentally dropped a wine glass.  I suppose you'll enjoy the experience if you're not hot looking.




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