Photos by Morgan Browning
On a rainy Sunday morning, I choose to ignore the homework calling my name and grab some brunch in the hope that good food and good gossip would distract me from my obligations. I decided to jump on the crêpe bandwagon that seemed to be flooding my Instagram feed and head out to Let’s Crêpe.
Located in Town Center, Let’s Crêpe opened last fall and its menu promises a variety of options to satisfy both a sweet and savory tooth. However, the restaurant is not easy to find. My friend and I had to circle around and consult Google maps a few times before we found it tucked away in a section of Town Center that I had always assumed was an alley.
I was immediately struck by the contrasting aspects of the restaurant. The store front and logo said suburban mall food court, but the cute black patio table and chairs said cozy French bistro. The menu contained both simple sugar topped crêpes and a thai peanut asian flatbread. The dainty whipped cream topped crêpes clashed with the bright red cafeteria trays they were served on. I hoped that whatLet’s Crêpe lacked in aesthetics would be made up for with tasty cuisine.
After perusing the menu, I gave my order of a Choco Nuts crêpe and $7.40 to a man in a red apron and tacky black beret. While I was waiting, I looked around the small establishment. The chalkboard wall was filled with the doodles made by small children and the other wall held pictures of the different crêpes offered. For a moment, I wished I had ordered the delicious looking Berries Galorecrêpe hanging on the wall. But, once I looked over and saw the layers of peanut butter being spread across my crêpe, I knew I had made the right choice.
Filled with chocolate chips, peanut butter, crushed peanuts and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, my crêpe looked and smelled too sweet to waste time taking a Instagram picture, so I dug right in. The first bite was was about 95 percent peanut butter and 5 percent crêpe, but as I worked my way through the dessert disguised as breakfast, I was delighted by the crunchy peanuts and the smooth chocolate and peanut butter – another surprising contrast, but a good one. By the last few bites however, my breakfast was less crêpe and more gooey mess. So I set it aside and stole a bite of my friend’s peanut butter and banana crêpe, which seemed to understand the balance of crêpe filling to actual crêpe a little better than mine.
Despite being full when we left, I decided to order one of the savory crêpes to take home to my mom and score some points towards the ongoing battle for favorite daughter. The crêpe I bought her, the “No Meat Please,” was filled with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, feta cheese and topped with spinach-artichoke sauce. I snuck a bite of it and was pleased with the way the fresh veggies and cheese tasted with the light crêpe.
When I visited their website later that night, I saw that Let’s Crêpe boasted about the crispy version of their crepes, but I don’t remember seeing or hearing anything encouraging me to try that at the restaurant, so I guess I will hae to go back just for that. Overall, while Let’s Crêpe lacks the charm and authenticity of a place like Chez Elle, the reasonable prices, quiet atmosphere and satisfying variety of options makes Let’s Crêpe a great place to stop in with a small group of friends or family – that is, if you can find it.