Tiny Treats: Crepes

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For some time in the past I had been obsessed by crepes. To the extent that I scoured local places for creperies. So after a long time when I made it to a creperie recently, I relived this psycho-obsession.

But first, let me tell you how I pronounced it "cray-pay" when I was first introduced to it. Although I have gotta hand it over to another amateur who read it "creep". Haha.

So I haven't ever visited France to familiarize with an authentic crepe. But I can say this creperie (Lucinda Truck) at Grove Street, New Jersey was the best I have eaten. Their veggie crepe was to die for. I mean I could live there all my life just so I can get a bite at their crepes. Priced at a modest 5$ (and large portions!), I think they won my heart, stomach and mind over. (According to Yelp, this location has been closed down. *Gasp*)

The recent visit I made was dicey, on the other hand. This was a Palo Alto joint called Crepevine.

The first order I made was for a Sunset Crepe. Their fancy name for the basic Nutella, Banana and Strawberry Crepe. It came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate syrup garnish. Now you cant go wrong with such a basic one. Glad to note, they got that right. At $7.5 it was delectable, fulfilling and comfort snack at best. And for hours thereafter, I kept dreaming about going back to eat another one of them.

The second time I went I was really hungry. So hungry I could turn into a cannibal and eat a human being. This time I was ready to devour a savory crepe. My personal favorite has always been a smoked salmon (without cream cheese please!), but I gave that a pass this time because my significant other isn't really into ANY kind of seafood (sad, but true). And so I made the rookie mistake of ordering an Indian fusion crepe. Really, who orders an Indian inspired dish at an all-American joint? Yeah, that should be me.

Like I said, I was too hungry. And you are bound to fail on an empty stomach. 

Bombay, they called it. Hmm, ok. It came with the soggiest fries I ever had and a salad drenched in heavy dressing that I felt I was drinking out of a bottle of Hidden Valley. 

Congratulations, you just made an already mediocre crepe worser. I mean, did I ask you to make a "meal" out of it? (What is this, McDonalds?). All I asked was a crepe - that salad and fries just ruined it. And to annoy me to no end, they splattered a big teaspoon of god-knows-what-curry-paste on top of the crepe. The appearance of it not the least bit appetizing. The crepe itself tasted like mud (yes, I have tasted mud, so I know).

And with that, it put a dent into my crepe obsession, for now. Although, full props to the chalkboard inspired menu display there. Very creative!

That's why there is a reason why it is believed that a best restaurant is one carrying a consistent taste in their dishes. Of course, there is another valuable lesson to be learnt here - Never shop or dine on an empty stomach. You almost always regret later.