Cafe Crepe

July 21, 2007

Ok, who would have thought that so many people would show up to an under-advertised Sonic Youth in-store show at Urban Outfitters? I mean, there was hardly a breath about this show, and how many people still listen to Sonic Youth?

A lot. I show up a half hour before the show only to be told that there is a zero percent... no, “a negative percent” chance that I’ll be getting in. Darn. This is all I got:



It’s okay because I was hungry. So we walked three stores down the 3rd street promenade to a small restaurant called Café Crepe. You may have walked past this easy-to-miss restaurant many times on your way to and from the Santa Monica Place Mall.



I love a cheap restaurant that serves good quality food, and Café Crepe is just that. I really don’t understand why people would drop their dime on cheap, bad tasting (or bad-for-you) food when they can go a block down and get better quality stuff for the same price! Café Crepe’s salads are cheaper, bigger, and tastier than CPK’s salads. And their savory crepe is a meal in itself, better (and less carbs!) than a pizza, and will only cost you around $7 or $8. Today, I opted for the panini with cured prosciutto ham, bocconcini cheese, tomato and olive oil.



The panini was delicious and remarkably filling. The bread was crunchy, light, and easy to bite through. Inside the panini were three slices of the reddest, ripest tomatoes that only a Santa Monica farmer’s market can get you, a good amount of prosciutto, and the creamy bocconcini. The prosciutto’s salty flavor was subtle, and paired nicely with the bocconcini. I ate the whole thing.

My bf had a cured copa ham panini:



The taste was bolder and meatier, almost like corned-beef. I preferred the subtler flavors of the prosciutto.

For dessert, the three of us split a dark chocolate crepe with strawberries (and a hint of cognac).



It sounded soooo good on paper, and it was pretty tasty, but it could have been better. The problem? Too many strawberries, not enough chocolate. *Sigh* It was a tease, really. It made me want to head over to that Belgian chocolate shop right afterward.

To sum up, are these the best crepes and paninis I have had? Not really. But for the price, the quality is hard to beat. And if you need to work off those extra calories, you can always hit the shops!

Cafe Crepe
1460 3rd Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 576-0499