*****Back in the 70’s, we had many places where we could enjoy crepes. Magic Pan was a chain that seemed to be in every shopping center/Mall in the area, but 51 years ago, in Chicago, a creperie opened that is still as vibrant and tasty as it was then. That restaurant is called “La Creperie” and ever since Germain Roignant and his wife Sara started this shop, the true loves of this cuisine have found happiness at 2845 N. Clark Street. It has been a while since I have enjoyed a meal that is both filling and tasty like this and thanks to my favorite “nun” Vickie Quade, I found myself, along with Jane and our friends, Alan and Vickie enjoying a night on Clark Street with Germain and the loveliest ( and highly knowledgeable) Adriana ( our server, barkeep, and menu guide).
We began our evening with a tour to see where we wanted to sit. They have a front dining room, a back one (larger) and an outdoor patio that is divine, but today’s temperature being close to 99, we opted for the main dining room. We enjoyed our drinks and a toast with our host Germain, who is celebrating 51 years on this street. There are many restaurants that have been around that long, but very few where it is the same owner that brought it to life.
For our appetizers we selected the assiette de fromages- a wonderful selection of cheeses and fruit with some fresh French bread and Escargots ( snails in a garlic butter sauce)- we ended up needing a second one of these as all four of us were enchanted by the flavor of the snails and the sauce ( lots of bread to dip with).
While they offer some great-sounding salads and soup, we went straight to the crepes. After all, that is why we wanted to do this restaurant. The savory crepes we selected ( with help from Adriana) were Epimers Creme- sautéed spinach in a butter cream sauce- delish!,Boeuf bourguignon- beef braised with burgundy, mushrooms, carrots and celery, Poulet au curry- chicken in a curry cream sauce with mango chutney and last, but certainly not least Fruits de mer- scallops and shrimp in a bechamel sauce with a side of rice. All four were amazing and each has something special about the flavors. I think the fan favorite was the Fruits de mer, but I loved the beef too.
Although they have several good looking entree’s we opted to do only the crepes as that is the magic of what they have offered Chicago for over 50 years. Yes, there are other dining spots that offer crepes, but I do not believe they can even compare.
How do you finish a meal like this? Easy! You enjoy three of their Sweet Crepes like we did. We had a nutella crepe, the Suzette a la Germain- a grand marinier and orange with lemon reduction and one named for his wife, Banana Sara_ bananas in a brown sugar caramel sauce topped with rum and vanilla ice cream- If you enjoy Bananas Foster, this one will be your fav, for sure!
La Creperie is open 6 days a week ( CLOSED MONDAY)
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 5 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Saturday and Sundays noon ( they offer a brunch menu as well) until 9 p.m.
Phone: 773-528-9050 to contact: info@lacreperiechicago.com they do not take reservations by E-Mail
The website is http://www.lacreperiechicago.com
If you have missed enjoying crepes, make this your place. Chicago’s oldest and in my opinion, best place for crepes is La Creperie
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