I haven't eaten enough crepes in my lifetime. I say that because every time I have the opportunity to eat this French pancake, I enjoy every bite. Why have I not sought them out more? Perhaps French crepes are hard to come by at your average restaurant, but last night we hit up the perfect spot - La Creperie in Ciudad Vieja.
Though it was nearly 10:30, there were few diners. I thought we were getting closer to dining at the Uruguayan hour, but then I was reminded that it was Saturday and dinner for locals would not really be starting for another hour of so. As usual, it didn't matter to us, and we nestled around a candle lit table in the far corner of the small restaurant.
A quick glance at the drink menu and my husband questioned, "Anyone up for sangria....or clerico?" We were easily convinced, and decided on a full liter of clerico for the three of us. Ideal on a lazy summer day but equally delicious as a dinner companion, clerico is a beverage of white wine, fresh fruit, and sugar. Glancing on another page, I was pleased to see a selection of fresh salads which differed from the normal lettuce, tomato, and grated carrot combo. We selected a large salad to share. Soon a delicious mix of leafy greens, celery, walnuts, apples, and ricotta cheese was delivered to our table. The clerico followed immediately, and "brindamos!" - we toasted to good food, great friends, and future adventure.
The menu is mostly crepes, both salty and sweet, salads, and a large selection of beverages ranging from coffees to licuados (smoothies) to the aforementioned sangria. Empanadas, tortas, and tartas remind the diner he is eating in an Uruguayan restaurant. In addition, there is a selection of specials of the day. The one that stood out to our dining companion was the berejena rellena, cooked eggplant stuffed with carne picada (ground meat), cheese, and a tomato sauce. My husband and I both chose chicken crepes. We decided to keep them simple, that is without sauce, though you can choose from salsa verde, salsa pomodora, salsa roquefort, and salsa de champaniones to accompany your crepe. The pancakes are prepared small and large, accommodating both sized appetites.
Bites of a toasty thin crepe, tender sliced chicken, and a delicate creme sauce entered my mouth in quick succession, only pausing to taste the steaming hot berejena rellena. I was pleased with my choice and a little regretful that I did not chose the larger size. Our companion's dish was flavorful, hearty, and well balanced with vegetable, meet, cheese, and sauce. We helped her polish off a few bites, as we all continued to sip our fruity drink.
I remember in Spain, they warn against eating the fruit in the sangria, as this is where all the alcohol is soaked up. You can say the same thing for clerico. But how can one resist? Around 12:00 I was feeling a bit giggly, after only a glass of the fruit filled potion. Less welcomed is the sleepy effect of sugary drink; coffees were needed to muster up the energy to set off to our next destination. The night was young, and we had a party to go to.
I woke up this morning craving a crepe. Too bad they don't deliver. I'm up for a second visit to taste the other varieties including spinach, mushroom, ricotta and nuts, and of course the sweet crepes. But unless bedtime soon follows, I think I will pass on the clerico. (Sadly, I didn't last too long at the after party.)
Sum up:
Salad to share, empanada for one, three entrees (two crepes and one special of the day), liter of clerico, two coffees (no cubierto charge), and tip
Total Bill = $670 pesos
La Creperie
Bartolome Mitre 1332,
Ciudad Vieja
902 1891
*Selected nights of the week and some mid-day weekends, La Creperia has tango classes and shows. Call for details on prices and times.
6 comments:
GG--
As always, your descriptions are delicious. I have a craving for crepes now and mi esposa wants that salad. (And we just finished dinner!)
Mmmm, crepes. We just had a crepe-y few weeks with buckwheat crepes, fried eggs and gruyere for dinner. The salad you had sounds fantastic.
Thanks you two! Chuck, perhaps we can all go and give it another taste test! Meredith - alright cooking buddy, I am counting on you to show me how to make the crepes. The best crepe I have ever had was in a cafe in Brussels. It had panceta, pear, and thyme. (perhaps a bit of cheese?) I would love to recreate that!
Dave has been making crepes a ton lately. Someone even hired him to be the Crepe Chef at a baby shower. He makes mostly dessert crepes with Nutella...mmmmm!
Yum, Cherri! Does he have a special crepe pan or does he use a regular skillet?
GG, Dave uses a special crepe pan that I purchased at Williams-Sonoma. They sell an expensive one and a $20 one. The worker there told me that the $20 pan was an excellent one and Dave agrees. I also bought him a special paddle to lift/flip the crepes. He always tosses out the 1st and 2nd crepe, after that we eat about 20 (so it seems).
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