Restaurant of the Week: La Creperie
La Creperie, 3968 Grand Ave. (at Spectrum East), Chino
Currently the Inland Valley's only French restaurant, after the demise of La Provencal, Brasserie Astuce and others, La Creperie is -- sacre bleu! -- a chain, with two locations in Long Beach. Its third and sole other location is in Chino, of all places, where it opened early in 2011 in the Spectrum Marketplace center.
La Creperie Bohemian Bistro and Bar, as it's called, took over a former Black Angus steakhouse that has street frontage on Grand Avenue. There's an outdoor patio and copious floor space inside, faux chandeliers, a bar, comfortable booths and French murals. The vibe is casual.
I met three friends there for lunch recently. The menu has savory and sweet crepes, omelets, quiches, soups, salads, paninis, and a half-dozen dinner entrees. You can get escargot as an appetizer. Chino will never be the same.
Three of us had crepes -- the Parisian (chicken, spinach, red peppers, mozzarella, basil and feta cream sauce, $11, pictured), the Crepe Monsieur (ham, cheese, bechamel sauce, $11) and the Ratatouille (tomatoes, onion, roasted red peppers, zucchini, pesto and herbs, $10) -- and the fourth had an omelet, the Belmont (spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, Feta and ricotta cheese, $10).
Well, we all liked our meals, although the Parisian's sauce didn't agree with me, making me the least enthusiastic of our group. The one who added a cup of French onion soup ($7) pronounced it fantastic. (Or perhaps "fantastique.") Service was fine and water glasses were refilled frequently. The desserts, by the way, sounded delicious (one passed by, bound for another table) but we were too full to try one.
La Creperie isn't great French cooking, but it's okay, and far better than no French restaurant at all. It's a nice, not to mention unexpected, addition to Chino.
A mural in the bar area.
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A journalist for more than two decades, David Allen has been writing a column for the Daily Bulletin since 1997 and blogging since 2007.He lives in Claremont.
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..."in Chino, of all places." What? Is Chino not worthy of French dining?
[Of course it is, but with two La Creperies in Long Beach, and no other locations anywhere, Chino was perhaps not the most obvious choice, was it? -- DA]
Hmm. No opinions on sweet crepes? The savory sound so filling. I'll really have to think this one over.
[Take your time. -- DA]
I would say that Christophe's in Upland would qualify as French dining as it is called in the Rancho Cucamonga Shopping Guide as "French Fusion Cuisine," as mentioned in the Cooke Enterprises Publication. Unless Upland has seceded from the I.E., or we have voted them out, then I would say there are 2 French restaurants in the I.E. But to charge $7 for a cup of french onion soup...well I hope you get bread with that, oh sorry, wrong subject. I just hope Chino is "French worthy" of this restaurant and they support it.