REVIEW: Le Crêperie- *** / $

Sacray Bluh! Eet eez juss lyke gaa Pairee! Perhaps not, but if all that concerns you about France is their food, La Crêperie is a great place to get some at some good prices. Quaint, cozy, full of character, and having a wide selection of crêpes, smoothies, and wraps, the charming hole-in-the-wall provides Thayer walkers with something to think about in place of the countless sandwich shops.

The inside is cozy... very cozy. Actually, you better hope the person next to you doesn't smell too bad, because you're going to get very intimate with them during your stay. I've never been here during a busy time, so I have no idea when the busy times are. I assume the lunch rush during the school year would be brutal, and perhaps an after-work crowd, but any other time is a steady flow. During these times, the space inside is more than enough to manage those who wish to sit and eat, and there are usually empty tables if you're one of them, but anything approaching busy could send the line clear out the door.

I liked the bohemian atmosphere. Quirky, friendly people work the register and prepare the food, and the music selection is firmly in the eclectic category. some French touches to the decor make you feel like you're there, such as a photo-realistic drawing of some gates (pictured), some French words, and very small tables. All in all, a pleasing interior that has both hole-in-the-wall charm and a nice layout.

The menu is anchored by, shocker, crêpes. They have a decently wide selection and you can easily request your own fillings. Both the sweet section and savory section have ten crêpes up for eating, and nine wraps bring up the rear. The wraps are all quality, but I have no idea why you'd be coming to a place called the Crêperie for wraps. They have a display of eight teas, which is more than many places (lazy bastards), and a small selection of sodas. It's here where I wish the smoothies were better, or they had coffee, because both would go wonderfully with the finished crêpes.

So yes, about those smoothies. They're not very good. The ones I've gotten are icy, sour, and watery in flavor. I don't know whether they're using too much ice, not enough yogurt, or just crap fruit, but the end result is sub-standard smoothies. You'd be much better served to head just down Thayer to Juniper and get one of their higher-quality concoctions. This leaves you with their selection of Soda and tea. And, wait, you still drink soda? You philistine. All judgment aside, the carbonation doesn't go very well with the sweet crêpes, so if you want a drink, go for the tea.

On to important bits. For all intents and purposes, the crêpes are a home run, or at least a double. Most of the recipes are pretty bulletproof (like Nutella and bananas could ever fail), and the crêpes themselves are of good quality and preparation. They're cooked rather thick, which may offend purists, but I enjoy my crêpes a bit thick. What I don't enjoy are the undercooked insides. Since the crêpes can't be burned, they can only be cooked for so long. As such, some of their more inventive fillings never have enough time to cook. Either pre-cooking, or a quick bake after folding would be enough, but as it stands, many of the vegetables hit the table undercooked and cool. A prime offender in this area was the Rita, with spinach, tomato, onion, mushroom, and feta. My favorite is the Lisa, with turkey, tomato, swiss, and a good béchamel sauce. My least was the Nina, a mixture of apples and brie that fell totally flat. Bland, bland, bland. The apples were overly tart and weak, and the brie wasn't very creamy or sweet.

The sweet crêpes are generally more pleasing, with sure-fire hits like the aforementioned Nutella-Banana combo, the Connie. Not healthy enough for you? The Creperie, with its mixed seasonal fruits is good, but at the mercy of the fruit quality, which the Nina proved can get dodgy. The Nori, with apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar would have been better if the apples had been softened, but they were hard and cool. If they had been softer, it would have been divine apple pie in a crêpe.

And finally, it must be mentioned for those who know crêpes, this place is actually a bit on the expensive side of the crêpe world. While the Betty, with butter and sugar, rings in at a pretty cheap $2.75, that's still nearly three dollars for twenty-five cents of batter, butter, and sugar. And from that point up, the prices rise quickly, with any fruit sending the price up to $4.55-$5.50. Roving crêpe stands in other major cities, like London, will throw two, maybe even three, of these bad boys at you for similar prices. Still, the prices are not nearly expensive enough to cry foul. They're tasty and worth the cash.

So does the Crêperie succeed? Certainly yes. Not like you have any choice, they're the only game in town. And that's about the only reason they can get away with that name. That would be like a cafe calling itself 'The Cafe.' Regardless, the crêpes are well-made and backed by simple, but good, recipes. Combined with the quirky atmosphere, they overcome crap smoothies and, at times, undercooked fillings. All things considered, you would do yourself a disservice by not stopping by, if for no other reason than this selection of crêpes is to be found nowhere else in Rhode Island.

La Crêperie: ***
Price range for two: $10-$18


View Larger Map

82 Fones Aly
Providence, RI 02906
401-751-5536

Hours
Monday through Thursday 10:00am to 12:00am
Friday 10:00am to 2:00am
Saturday 9:00am to 2:00am
Sunday 9:00am to 12:00am

A Day in Portland

The east-coast Portland, not that sad imitator over in Oregon, or Oruhgun as those wacky Westerners call it. I was up in town to visit a friend, and it was a momentous occasion for two reasons: it was my first time in Portland, AND it was my first time in Maine. It was also rather momentous since I didn't have to drive. And because it was the first trip in awhile where I didn't have a raging case of diarrhea in the middle of it.

Moving on, Portland is a VERY nice city. The crime rate is well below the national average in most ways, save for property crime and rape. Cold places are frequently like this. For example, rape is practically Alaska's national pastime. I like Alaska. I thought about moving there, once. I just don't think I could deal with at least one neighbor being raped nightly. I also couldn't deal with me being raped, which I assume would happen while getting off the plane.

Other than that, crime in Portland is low, the city is clean, and the quaint-ometer is off the chart. Somehow, Portland has managed to attain many of the benefits of a small city, avoid many of the problems, and wrap itself up in a clean, walkable, and full-featured metro area. Their culture and music scene is impressive, with dozens of small venues filling with revelers and bands every weekend. I saw three the night I was there, with the third, Strange Pleasure, having a phenomenal lead guitarist.

And the food, oh my lord, the food. Considering the size of Portland, it's impressive that such a small city has such an enormous restaurant scene. I guess, since Portland is essentially the economic hub of Maine, that Portland has a small live-in population, but an enormous active population that fills the streets beyond what the numbers indicate. The five colleges and universities in town also lend around 14,000 students to the local population during the school season.

This large, fluid population means lots of restaurants, lots of tastes, and lots of price ranges. Even the hottest ticket in town, the Gayot-rated Hugo's, cost a pittance in comparison to their big-city cousins. Hugo's, for example, charges $68 for a four course prix fixe menu cooked by an alumnus of The French Laundry. An eleven course chef's menu, customized to the diner's likes? $120. Hugo's is one of the great bargains of haute cuisine in America.

And I didn't get to go there. Closed until May 1st. Shitballs.

I ate everywhere else I could, though, what with my bum leg the last few weeks. I had a tasty breakfast, some of the best french fries on Earth, a latte from heaven, some excellent gelato, and bought a jar of very expensive jam.

Duckfat: From the owners of Hugo's, they fully understand that even if you don't cost that much, always offer people something different. Duckfat's menu is all unhealthy, all the time. French fries fried in, what else, duck fat were truly to die for. They took the lowly fry as close to gourmet as it will ever get. Salted ever-so-lightly, these were dynamite. Bravo. The sandwiches, I got roast turkey with cranberry coulee, were some rather good panini. The outside was cracker-crispy, but not browned, and the insides were buttery soft. I felt the sandwich needed something more to really kick up the flavor, but it was otherwise good. They brought out some of the best milkshakes I've ever had.

That's not really all that hard, but just making a freaking milkshake seems to be a lost art, these days. They made it right. I was so happy. The insides were quaint and simple, service was very friendly and quick, even a crying baby in the corner did nothing to dull our mood. The ingredients are also much more interesting than your average sandwich shop, with panini packing duck confit, meat loaf, and cherry-pepper relish. If you really want to have a heart attack, the Duckfat poutine will kill you just by thinking about it. Wines, beers, Numi tea, french press coffee, and a variety of desserts turns Duckfat into a true destination on the cheap.

Maple's Gelateria: A stone's-throw from the local Coldstone is this good local gelato shop. Situated in a small, mall-like building, with music, comic, and other stores, Maple's was recently awarded Best Ice Cream by the Portland Phoenix. Sure, but it's gelato. I make a distinction. Regardless, Maple's was damned good. Again, some of the best gelato I've ever had. I still think our own Roba Dolce! is better, but they're pretty much on equal grounds. Rich, creamy, and full of flavor. I only wish they had a few more, dare I say it, normal varieties. Yes, Turkish fig and Orange is very nice, how about peanut butter cup? God dammit I'm uncultured.

The insides were sparse, but wide and airy. I especially liked the lighting. Beauitful, wooden tables make the place feel even more artsy, and a corner full of games and toys for kids makes this place emminently family-friendly. A stack of more adult-oriented board games and cards mean the grown-ups have something to do as they nurse their espresso or affogato. I got a chocolate affogato, and the espresso was dark and earthy, but they didn't put very much gelato in the cup. Consequently, it melted a bit too fast and the last half was more a coffee-ish milkshake.

Big Mama's Diner: We broke our fast at Big Mama's Diner, a popular local breakfast place that has more customers than seats. Not as bad as, say, the Brickway (GAH!), but we had a few minute wait. Diner inside, Diner outside, there's nothing to surprise you at Big Mama's. Everything was well-priced and well-cooked. I was very happy with my omelette, which was cooked with fresh ingredients, and was still moist inside, as opposed to the dry husks that I so frequently get. French, FRENCH, do you people know what a French omelette is? It's only lightly browned and still wet on the inside. This wasn't a true French omelette, but still better than most I've had. All in all, Big Mama provided us with an affordable and good breakfast.

Breaking New Grounds Cafe: My cafe experience was fantastic. There were tons of cafes along seemingly every street, and I knew I had to try at least one. On the way back from Big Mama's, Breaking New Grounds seemed good. Nothing special. Austere interior, with a few mis-matched chairs. Sitting area in back. Some pastries. All of the things you would expect of a normal cafe was present and accounted for. The La Marzocco machine gave me my first hint that this place was a very serious shop. We ordered a peppermint mocha and a latte. The peppermint mocha was too strong on the peppermint syrup, and it left an oily residue floating on the surface of the coffee. Nothing was wrong with the texture, but the peppermint flavor was overpowering and, at that level, tasted artificial. Not a bad mocha, happy enough with it, but I've had much better. The latte was where the fun began. Deep and flavorful. They used a light roast for their espresso. I prefer the darker stuff, but whatever they chose was perfectly roasted.

The milk was a masterpiece. Thick, velvety, and rich, all topped off with a leaf. Yes, a leaf. I got latte art. In all of Providence and the surrounding area, I've never gotten latte art. This guy was a true barista. He didn't fuck around with a spoon. He free-poured like a rock star. I must say, I've had better lattes, but that's probably associated with the roast. But none of those other lattes were made with the degree of skill that is required of latte art. Coffee by Design won the Phoenix's award for best coffee, and being their own roaster that may be true, but the barista makes the drink, and they'd be hard pressed to beat the athlete at Breaking New Grounds.

Stonewall Kitchen: I finished my visit with a quick drop into Stonewall Kitchen. Manufacturers of gourmet jams and jellies, they have an excellently appointed interior and a friendly staff. They win you over with their sheer variety. It's actually a bit awe-inspiring. They have jams made from just about every fruit known to man, as they do jellies. Toppings for sundaes, spreads for sandwiches, and tools to make your own. I bought some strawberry jam which was very good. Sweet, thick, and with perfect texture, it's some of the best jam I've had. It is expensive though, $7.50 for my jar, and enough so to make me think twice about this over, say, Smuckers, which I also think is pretty darned good. I mean, come'on, with a name like Smuckers, it has to be good. Just not as good as Stonewall. They have a selection of utensils, like spoons and spatulas. They also sell other things, like over-priced bowls, storage nooks, hand soap, moose-shaped doorknob bells, catnip, and gardening supplies. This is... weird. I can't tell if they're trying to be Linen's & Things or Williams Sonoma. This isn't a place to decorate your home. This is a place to buy jams, and a damned good one at that.

And in closing, a really creepy flier I saw.

CASE STUDY: Espresso Continued

This is a follow up to my earlier post about bad espresso, this one is about good espresso. While I don't own the world's best espresso machine, it's pretty damned good and produces a good study in how espresso should look as it comes from the machine.

STEP 1: Preparing the cup

Most espresso machines, and I'm not talking about the machines you get at Target, will come with a cup warmer on the top for eliminating the chill of the cups. This is CRITICAL. The hotter you can get the cup, the better. The hotter the cup, the less heat it will immediately sap from the espresso upon pull.

Since the cup warmer on the Capresso Z5 is really bad, I usually use the steam wand to blast raging-hot steam into the cup. I'm using a standard espresso cup with a fun design because this is the cup most people think of when you say espresso. I'll use a clear shot glass later to illustrate the heart and body. Regardless, it will be apparent how the general quality of a shot can be judged even in an opaque cup.

Step 2: Pulling the shot

I'm not actually pulling shot, here, the machine is doing it for me, but you get the picture. Look at the swirling, and the reddish tan color of the espresso as it comes from the machine. It should look like an oil coming from the spout.

Remember, espresso is a colloidal mixture of oils, proteins, sugars, and water. These do not naturally go together, which is why the crema, not so apparent in this photo, will float to the top upon finishing the pull. It's also the reason you need to get this drink to the customer as quickly as possible before separation occurs.

Step 3: Analyzing the shot

Look at that crema! Now that is a good shot. Remember the pathetic, watery crema from shot I showed you, now compare it to this. It's colored perfectly, it forms a dense, oily foam, and completely conceals the goodness below.

No matter the size, you should see this layer form on top. If you're producing a large espresso drink, use two shots. An Americano? Pull the shot directly into the hot water. Even with a lungo, the top should fill with crema. This is the single, most important metric by which to measure a shot of espresso. You can sweat the details of beans, roasts, and grinds, but once all of that is cleared, or you are a barista with no power of those decisions, this is your metier. Crema. Learn it. Know it. Love it.

TEMPERATURE TEMPERATURE TEMPERATURE!

Temperature is both your friend and your enemy. While it is what allows espresso to exist, the loss of it destroys everything you've worked hard to achieve. As you can see in the photo, the crema completely coats my finger in its oily goodness. This is because of the temperature allowing the oily, sugary, protein-ey mixture to co-exist. In lower temperatures, the various phases of the colloid will separate into various types of disgusting.

As you can see, I pulled the shot and it sat in the cup, the hot cup, for about 90 seconds as I prepared the various photos. A flawless barista will get that espresso to you at 150 degrees, give or take a few. If I gave this to my customer, I was not flawless. Less than two minutes in the cup resulted in a temperature of less than 138-139 degrees. The espresso has already begun its quick, inexorable journey to nastiness and time is against you. Get that espresso served!

OPEN HEART SURGERY:

I used the opaque cup before to prove a point. I'm now using my chosen method for producing espresso: a clear shot glass.

The clear glass lets you see into the very workings of the espresso shot. Here, you get an even better impression of the oily, viscous nature of espresso and see how truly different it is from drip coffee. At this point, it's a swirly, tan-colored mess of various substances suspended in the hot water. It doesn't look even remotely like coffee because it's so amazingly turbid. If at any point during this early production it doesn't look thick and, well, like this, you're doing something wrong. Maybe your temperature is off, maybe you didn't grind the beans fine enough, maybe your machine sucks and can't produce enough pressure, it doesn't matter. You need to produce better espresso.

Look at that! Look at the dance of colors and textures. It looks more like a freshly draughted Guinness than a coffee. It's at this point that you can see the separation of the heart and body. The heart is the dark, almost black part at the bottom, while the body is the swirling mass of particles that slowly gets consumed by the heart. Think of them as the three, separate phases of the espresso. The crema on top, the mixture of crema and heart in the body, and the body at the bottom. Taking a sip when this swirling is ongoing is one of the best aspects of home-brewed espresso.

In this photo, you can see that the heart has fully consumed the body. Settling is finished and you have only two parts, of which the crema is the only indication of the shot's quality. By this time, the shot should either be in your stomach, on its way there, or in the customer's hands. This settled, side shot also gives you an excellent indication of how thick a well-formed crema should be. In this shot, the crema was over .5cm tall. Anything less and you've got to recalibrate your process. Obviously, the amount of surface area must be considered. A wide-mouth cup would have a thinner layer, and a thinner shot glass could have a bit more.

I hope this has given you an idea of why the shot I got was so bad, and, if you didn't know already, taught you how analyze a shot you may get in a cafe. Making good espresso is at once very simple and very complex. It is something a dedicated coffee connoisseur can do at home, and something you damn well better be a master of before even considering opening a cafe.

Roba Dolce's Dolce Vita

I've known of Roba Dolce! for some time thanks to the freezer at Dave's Market. I knew they were from Providence. I knew they made gelato! I did not know about they're Italian-styled cafes on Thames in Newport, and Thayer in Providence.

During a recent four-location food bender on Thayer street, where I pumped myself so full that I had a hard time sitting in my car, I had to finish my run with some espresso. Too bad I chose to get said espresso from Roba Dolce! Too bad that espresso came in the form of an affogato. Affogato literally means 'drowned.' I know this because I used Babelfish. And that's pretty much what they do. They drown a healthy scoop of gelato in a shot of espresso. I got chocolate. Just what I needed.

Roba Dolce! makes some of the best gelato I've ever had. It's soft, rich, creamy, and bursting with all the right flavors. For example, the chocolate is a deep, darker chocolate flavor. It's not the most sweet thing on the planet and for a real chocolate lover, that's fantastic. Combined with a well-pulled espresso, this was one dynamite affogato.

Also on the menu was cappuccino. He free-poured it! A real barista! So impressive. Apparently, in the recent Starbucks re-training sessions, they were supposedly going to be taught how to free-pour a drink. Well, all I ever see is spooning. Not here, though. It was a very good cappuccino. One of the better I've had in Rhode Island. They used a lighter roast, how European of them, instead of the darker roasts popular in this country. Not better or worse, but my own proclivities lie in darker varieties. I preferred Coffee Exchange.

Coffee Exchange cannot hold a candle to what else is available in Roba Dolce!, though. A wide selection of scrumptious gelato, sandwiches, panini, and the self-styled "best lasagna on Thayer Street." A large variety of cakes, pastries, the omni-present tiramisu, and sweetbread-gelato sandwiches would keep my busy for weeks. This is a very unhealthy place.

So in conclusion, I didn't have enough even for a Quickview, but I'm definitely going back. A full review will come soon, but don't wait! Go! It was really good. A very wide selection, fun atmosphere, even if the refrigeration unit shakes the floor like a 4.7, and some of the best gelato in New England make Roba Dolce! a must-try.


UPDATE: 11/10/2008
As of February 16th, 2008, Roba!Dolce is out of business. The eviction notice was placed on the door and referenced a law suit between the owner of the cafe and what I imagine is some investment group or perhaps the owner of the property. Reagrdless, it's unfortunate. This adds to the growing number of vacancies on Thayer and it's kind of scary.

http://www.robadolce.com


View Larger Map

178 Angell St
Providence, RI 02906
401-272-0777