Restaurant Review- Creme de la Crepe

So this past weekend, after watching an episode of Good Eats on the Food Network that was dedicated to crepes, my fellow foodie and I hopped in the car for a quick trip down to Hermosa to a little French restaurant that specializes in crepes. We've driven past this place at least a hundred time without actually stopping because there is a cajun place next door, a creole restaurant down the street, and an award winning mexican place a little further on. Add in the dozens of other restaurants and bars on the street and well, there just isn't enough time or appetite to try them all.

Creme de la Crepe is a small (about a dozen tables) bistro style restaurant with country style tables and chairs. Paintings of the French countryside adorn the walls and are available for sale with prices ranging from $95 to around $400. The menu is varied without being complex with breakfast being served all day and free escargots on Wednesday and Thursday nights with the purchase of fondue. The emphasis is on crepes, but they also offer a selection of fresh salads, paninis, quiches, and French entrees like beef bourguignon. As with most new restaurants, we ordered an entree to split and in this case it was the savory Normandie crepe with goat cheese, spinach, proscuito, grilled onions and sour cream. It was, as the French might say, "Incroyable!" The crepe was thin and tender, the onions were sweet and perfectly good. The saltiness proscuito played nicely against the flavor of the goat cheese while the spinach brought everything together. Much to my delight, the staff split the dish into two plates without a plate charge. And then dessert. CDLC offers a nice variety of dessert creme combinations, but also offers the option to "create your own." After some debate, we opted to go with two separate dessert crepes, the simple lemon/sugar Gourmande and the heavier, more elaborate Zidane (fresh strawberries, bananas, melted nutella and vanilla ice cream) for me. If lunch was incredible, dessert for me was absolutely mindblowing. For weeks, I'd been craving something without know what and the Zidane filled the bill. Sweet bananas and Nutella (chocolate/hazelnut sauce) was offset by the slightly tart strawberries. The crepe itself was perfect and the ice cream was a nice bonus, but actually over the top. The Gourmande, while simple, provided a light, sweet followup to lunch and we left the restaurant feeling satisfied, but not stuffed like Thanksgiving birds. We will definitely be adding this restaurant to our list of regulars. The food was excellent, the service was friendly and quick, and location and parking were convenient although this last bit may not hold true during peak hours. One final note: Yes, there are actually French people working in this restaurant.

Creme de la Crepe

424 Pier Ave

Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

310-937-2822

Hours: 8 am to 10 pm 7 days/week

Creme de la Crepe website

Overall rating: 10 (out of 10)

Service: 15% tip minimum (10% - 30% range)

Parking: Metered street parking. Bring quarters.

Price: $ (out of $$$$$) Budget-conscious Rachael Ray would eat here. The most expensive item is the fondue at $19.95/person.

Food: Two tails up!

--Sionnach a well fed kitsune