Creme of the Crepe

As sung by Julie Andrews, and paraphrased by Mike G and others in this thread:

Climb every mountain, search high and low
Follow every byway, every path you know
Climb every mountain, ford every stream
Follow every rainbow, 'til you find your dream!

With that in mind I was sent out to grab a quick dinner for the spouse and myself in Park Ridge. As I was headed down a well known byway, I found a new mountain (rainbow?) (dream?) [end of metaphor].

What I came across is a place that opened a few weeks ago called Creme of the Crepe, which specializes in - you guessed it - crepes. I enjoy a good crepe, so in I went, and I was not disappointed. The small storefront has a bright kinda euro-mod feel, with yellow walls and about ten small tables. Behind the counter to the left, and watchable from outside the front window, are 2 large round crepe griddles, and a whole lot of those litte metal bins and squeeze bottles full of fillings and toppings. The menu had about 20 possible sweet or savory combinations, but I am sure the options are far less limited that the 20 combinations listed. The BLT, Atlantic and Sweetheart caught my eye. I placed my order with the proprietor, and he began by ladeling the batter on the iron while leading a tutorial for his apparently very new employee.

The BLT is exactly what it sounds like: a large crepe, cooked on the first side, flipped, then layered with thin sliced tomatoes, 1-inch long cooked bacon slices, and lettuce, drizzled with mayo at the last second and folded into a triangle. A tasty concoction, although the lettuce wilted a bit in the crepe, and certainly suffered for the short ride home in the styrofoam container. I will leave that out on the next trip.

The Atlantic was basically a bagel with lox, tomato, and a schmear of chive cream cheese - sub a crepe for the bagel. Another interesting idea that worked for me. It could've been better with higher quality lox, but not for $6 or so, which is what each of these cost.

The Sweetheart was filled with Nutela and fresh sliced strawberries. Winner. While I need savory to call anything "dinner", crepes are always best sweet to me.

One was enough to fill up a hungry LTH'er, which was surprising for a crepe. The crepe itself was about half a meter across and a little on the thick side compared to the ones I get from the Green City Market, which are thicker than the crepes my aunt makes. But the thickness was necessary in order to contain the heavy toppings and assertive flavors. In all they worked, if you believe hearty and crepe can be in the same sentence.

They had several on the menu with more traditional fillings as well, ham, gruyere, asparagus, orange/brandy sauce ala Suzette. Also on the menu were what looked to be high-end coffees and teas. More on that after I return to try them out.

If you have a jones for some crepes, or would like to see someone load one up with stuff you normally don' t see, this is worth a look. Plus it is the best choice in the area for a quick unusual bite. . . Until Five Guys opens up across the street. (Which is coming soon accordng to a sign in the window of the former WaMu. I love them chains.)


Creme of the Crepe
8 S Northwest Hwy
Park Ridge, IL 60068

(847) 720-4246

Interesting find. I'm having a little trouble with the BLT in a crepe, but still, I could see a Sunday breakfast detour here on the way back from feeding this year's 4-H lamb in our future.