Crepe Nuts

Crepes ‘n Crepes is uncompromisingly, unabashedly and unstintingly French. The cooks are French. Owners Kathy Knight and Alain Veratti have imported all their iron crepe griddles from France. The ingredients and preparations -- the Camembert and Chambord, ratatouille and sauce aux champignons -- are French. And the space itself -- the ramshackle, patched, plastered and sunny dining rooms, cramped back bar, sundry collection of plates and flatware --gives off the honest and earned vibe of café-along-the-Seine frugality and disorder. The place is lovely in only the way that something so necessarily unlovely can possibly be, and after retiring briefly to use the facilities, Laura, who has been everywhere, came back and settled the matter. “Unisex bathroom,” she said. “How very European. Substandard plumbing and all.”

Plumbing aside, I truly enjoyed my meals at Crepes ‘n Crepes -- though, in all honesty, I think it would be tough not to like a menu that which considers strawberries, bananas and Nutella wrapped up in a pancake a suitable thing to eat for dinner.

So, along with a whole lot of French history, that’s what I'm serving up in this week's Cafe: the sweet stuff. After reviewing Crepes ‘n Crepes in Cherry Creek, I ventured forth to visit the area's best French bakeries, picking up fantastic almond croissants and citron tarts along the way. The results of my wanderings (and digressions on Careme and Vatel and the dawning of the age of celebrity chefs) will all be tomorrow, in a newspaper rack or back here on the web. Until then,

Au revoir. -- Jason Sheehan