Opt for dessert at this friendly Parisian café.
Crêpes Á La Carte is not the place to be on a time crunch. It is, however, the place for dessert crêpes, friendly service and fabulous interior decorations.
When I stopped in on a Friday afternoon to inquire about the following day’s hours, they told me they would open at “eleven-ish, depending on what happens tonight.” It was a good thing I didn’t have anywhere pressing to be.
When I strolled into the restaurant on Broadway and Pearl the next day at 11:30, a set of friendly and laid back employees were there to greet my guests and me. The first thing I noticed after entering was the impeccably clean and stylishly decorated interior. Large wooden tables of all heights were accompanied by benches and sofas, and the walls were painted an array of bold colors.
According to their Web site, (CQ!) the restaurant is a theme concept café modeled after a Parisian street scene. With locations in Breckinridge, Denver, Boulder and New Orleans, Crêpes Á La Carte strives to bring this concept to mainstream America.
My guests browsed the lengthy menu, which was a split between savory and sweet crêpes, as I observed the employees in the kitchen. None of them appeared to be over 25 years old, and a few of them were wearing dark sunglasses. I was a little dubious about what I’d be eating.
After we’d placed our order of four separate crêes, my guests and I enjoyed the available couch seating. Upon asking, we were served a carafe of water to nurse while waiting for our crêpes to be finished.
Just a few minutes later, our lunch was ready. I first tried the Complete Vegetarian Crepe ($6.75). I was excited by its description of asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, lemon and garlic. At the first bite, however, I was disappointed. No asparagus turned up whatsoever, and the amount of oil oozing from the sides was a bit much. I turned and sampled the Chicken Florentine Crepe ($8.25). This one was even worse; the chicken offered nothing but dryness amongst cheese, spinach and onions.
With the disappointment from the first two crêpes, I was beginning to get discouraged. I moved on to the two crêpes off of the sweet menu.
The Strawberry Short Cake Crêpe ($6.00) was definitely tastier, but it was a bit dry because of the large chunks of short cake stuffed throughout. Not expecting much, I sampled the Chocolate Crêpe ($4.50), with additional Nutella. It was by far the winner. Rich and creamy, the Nutella was a smooth complement to the thin pancake-like outside.
It was after tasting the fourth Crêpe that I learned Crêpes Á La Carte is definitely best for dessert. The two savory crêpes I tried were simply not flavorful enough. According to the Web site, two separate batters are used; one for savory crêpes and one for sweet. Perhaps the batter for these thin pancakes was simply better in its sweet variety.
After we were done, we cleared our plates and headed out the door. Employees wishing us well as we departed; at least they left us on a friendly note.
So perhaps I’ll go back to Crêpes Á La Carte for my next delicious and indulgent dessert. The friendly service and pleasant interior were enough to boost a few so-so crêpes up to a level worth returning for.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Lauren Duncan at lauren.duncan@colorado.edu.
