Crepes de Paris, 540 W. 1st St. (at Oberlin), Claremont

A touch of Paris now graces Claremont in this crepes restaurant in the Packing House. It’s part of a small chain — based in Orange County, there’s a location in Victoria Gardens — but this version, which opened in August, has a lot of charm, some inherent to the Packing House and its wooden floors, floor to ceiling windows and plank-like walkway, some attributable to the restaurant layout and decor.

Outside are cafe tables and a take-a-book-leave-a-book cart; inside are wicker chairs and tables with tablecloths and fresh flowers. At the counter I ordered a spinach crepe ($9) and a blood orange soda bottled in France ($3.25).

A good, light meal, made more enjoyable by the French movie projected on the far wall on a flatscreen TV bordered by a “Cinema” frame. It was “The Red Balloon,” followed by “Chocolat.” For more free entertainment, you can watch them make your crepe through a window into the kitchen. A sign by the window encourages customers to mail postcards from Paris for display.

A reader of this blog was at another table with her family. She thought her St. Louis crepe could have used a sauce, but her crepes suzette for dessert was pronounced excellent. You can view the menu here; it has no descriptions, so it’s not very useful.

One of my fond memories from my trip to Paris earlier this year was buying a crepe with Nutella and banana from a sidewalk stand. It was served in a paper cone for walking. The prices at Crepes de Paris aren’t as good — $6 to $12 for a savory crepe seems high to me — but then, you won’t get jet lag visiting Claremont.