CLOSED: Get a taste of France at The Crepe Co. in Provo
Does anybody not like crepes? Yes, my daughter, for one, won’t eat them, because she once got sick to her stomach at a creperie. It was before she’d eaten any crepes — before we’d even gotten our food — but the association is still firm in her 8-year-old mind. When she’s a little older, I’ll take her to The Crepe Co. in Provo, give her a French Kiss, and that will obliterate her mental block like a tsunami of liquid cookie and Oreo goodness.
No, of course not that kind of French kiss. The French Kiss is the devilishly delicious dessert crepe that is probably already the signature menu item at The Crepe Co. Also, the liquid cookie thing is a for reals true ingredient that I am not making up. The French Kiss includes a dollop of biscoff, which is a spread sort of like peanut butter, except that it’s made out of cookies.
(See, we already use cookies as a major component of breakfast cereals and ice cream. This is just one more reason why cookies ought to be considered their own distinct food group.)
At any rate, my point is that if you like the sound of a crepe filled with biscoff, vanilla ice cream and your choice of Oreos or bananas, then there is already a very good reason for you to stop in at The Crepe Co. We made our own visit on a recent Saturday afternoon, beating the dinner rush by an hour or so.
The Crepe Co. occupies a small storefront in Alpine Village, the townhouse complex on Freedom Boulevard in Provo where the old turtleback Reams store used to be. The dining area is relatively small, with a handful of tables and chairs and a wraparound bench along two walls.
The crepes are of two varieties, sweet (or dessert) and savory (or dinner), although a couple of the diners in our party of five adults noted that those descriptions apply more to the filling and dressings than to the actual crepes — a crepe is a thin, slightly elastic pancake — which seemed to be uniformly slightly sweet.
Everything comes in two sizes: Which one you choose depends on whether you’re feeling Kinda Hungry or Pretty Hungry. There doesn’t seem to have been any consideration of diners who might be Ravenous (although you could always just order a couple of Pretty Hungry-size crepes) or Intending to Order Something But Just Nibble Around the Edges Because This Is Our First Date and I Don’t Want to Look Like a Hog (although you could always just order a Kinda Hungry-size crepe and, you know).
On the savory side, all three of the turkey crepes — Turkey Pesto, Turkey Bacon Avocado and Turkey Bacon Ranch — are particularly good. Being a sucker for Mexican, I also enjoyed the Southwest Chipotle Chicken and Fiesta Chicken crepes. The dressings for all of the savory crepes are tangy and flavorful.
If you’re making a decision between stopping by for dinner, or dropping in to get dessert, however, definitely make your first experience a sweet one. On the sweet side of things, there’s the French Kiss, which (as noted above) kinda blew our minds. It’s definitely not, however, the only dessert crepe to sink your teeth into at The Crepe Co.
There’s a concoction called Cookie Don’t You Want Me, which has cookie dough, chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream (the vanilla ice cream idea is a dash of brilliance that I, for one, have never encountered elsewhere) that, to answer its implied question, yes. Yes, I do want you. The Strawberries & Cream and Oreo & Creme crepes are also delicious, as is the Notorious Nutella.
The Crepe Co. is open late, so if you’ve ever complained of not being able to feed your crepe craving after 9 p.m., then you’re in luck. If you’ve never complained of craving a crepe, well, I know of a place that could fix that for you.
The Crepe Co.
Where: 1364 N. Freedom Blvd., Provo
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday
Prices: $3.99 to $5.49
Info: (801) 528-1718, www.thecrepeco.com