Crème De La Crepe [RESTAURANT REVIEW]

It may be unfashionable at the moment, but I must confess a secret regard for all things French. Well, almost all things – I’ve never been able to work their phone system, and driving a Citroen is too much like piloting an alien spacecraft to be really enjoyable. Otherwise, when it comes to the sidewalk cafes, appreciation of fine wines, and functioning rapid transit systems, you can deal me in. 

Hermosa Beach’s little piece of France is Crème De La Crepe, a restaurant that has been around for a few years but changed ownership in 2004. I had liked the place under the previous management despite occasional slow service, and was in the process of writing a review when I heard that it had been sold. I decided to wait a while to see how it changed, and I’m glad I did, because it is now far better. The crepes that I enjoyed are still here, but the menu has been expanded to include bistro favorites and the service is far better.

On a recent evening, we started a meal with an order of escargot and a bowl of the soup of the day, curried cauliflower. Crème de la Crepe offers free escargot appetizers on Thursdays and Fridays, which seems to be calculated to bring in the serious Francophiles like me. Many Americans are not only not helicidovores, they wouldn’t accept a plate of snails at any price; those who do appreciate the garlicky little morsels will go well out of their way to get them. The escargot served here are quite good, by the way, served in the traditional crockery with a robust garlic-butter and herbs, and plentiful slices of baguette to mop up every drop.

The soup was more delicate, the puréed cauliflower flavored with just a touch of mild curry. This bears not even the slightest resemblance to an Indian curry, and if the waiter hadn’t mentioned it was there, I might not have figured out what that hint of exotic spice was. It was warmly savory and had a real homemade flavor, and everyone at our table agreed that it was a success.

For main courses, our party of five chose a salmon salad, crepe stuffed with beef bourguignon, an entrée of halibut with spinach, coquille St. Jacques, and a daily special of rib eye steak with mushroom sauce. The latter was so good that it deserves a regular spot on the menu – I’d certainly go back for another one. I’d probably go back for just about anything topped with this mushroom sauce, because it was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. Crème de la Crepe’s regular menu offers another steak topped with melted Raclette cheese, onions, and mushrooms, which is also very much worth trying. Either steak was fifteen dollars with a salad and potatoes au gratin, a remarkable deal on a very good and substantial meal. 

The salmon salad was quite a formidable meal too, a very large bowl of mixed greens drizzled with a creamy dressing topped with lightly smoked fish. The woman who ordered it gave liberal tastes around the table and took some home, and since I was first to the refrigerator the next morning I can report that was still tasty the next day. Crème de la Crepe has an excellent touch with seafood – the halibut was perfectly browned and delicious, and the coquille St. Jacques was a highlight of the meal. Coquille St. Jacques is a dish from Provence that used to be common in restaurants, and may have fallen out of favor because it was so often badly made. When done correctly, the seafood sautéed in a cheese sauce with a dash of wine or vermouth is delightful, and the version here is as good as I’ve had in Los Angeles.

Finally, the crepe, the item this restaurant is best known for. Real French crepes are very thin and have a crisp exterior, and they’re more than just a bland container for the savory filling inside. In the case of the crepe stuffed with beef Bourguignon, the savory, oniony stew inside the crepe added both an interesting texture and a light flavor like the crisp crust of a good brown bread. That stew was fine on its own – it is offered as an entree, not just as a filling – but I happen to like it better when encased in the light, lacy crepe. The dessert crepes are made with fine white flour rather than the buckwheat mix used in savory crepes, a point worth noting since many LA creperies use the same flour for everything.

Desserts were offered, and on other visits we’ve enjoyed the flaming crepes suzette and others filled with ice cream, bananas, chocolate, almonds, and hazelnut cream, among other ingredients. This particular evening we were sated with savories, and we went home with the happy feeling of having dined well. We had dined inexpensively, as well; most of the lunch and dinner crepes are priced under ten dollars, and nothing on the menu is more than fifteen. At this price the good life is very affordable, and I can indulge my fantasy that Hermosa Beach is the 21^st district of Paris any time I want to. If they could only get the Metro working, my life would be complete.       

Crème de la Crepe is located at 424 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach. Handicap access good, but street parking only. No alcohol license, BYO welcome, no corkage. Open for lunch and dinner Tu-Su. Call 310-937-2822.

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