Frown Part 2

I remembered a very good lunch at a place called "Blue's" but when we got to it, there it wasn't. We read the menu at La Creperie Cafe, whose sign proclaims them to be a "Bohemian Bistro Bar" and went in.

They have a sidewalk patio in front of a big, inside dining room and long bar. We decided to eat on the patio as it was a lovely day. We watched the passing scene - pedestrians and vehicles - while sipping a Stella (Richie - $4.75) and from a flute of Pul Clement Brut ($7) which was lovely - crisp, citric and a faint hint of peaches. Service is very friendly, but somewhat leisurely. No matter, we were in no hurry. Richie said to me, "This counts as a Vacation Day!" and we clinked glasses.

Unusually for us we ordered the same thing. We started with lunch-sized Caesar salads ($4) and then the crepes au homard - three small crepes of lobster meat with shiitake mushrooms, leeks and a lobster bechemel sauce. ($16.95)

We agreed we'd eaten better Caesar salads. Not enough of the rather insipid dressing but the lettuce was fresh and crisp.

The crepes, picture above, would have been a great deal better if the chef hadn't substituted green onions for the leeks! Here's a traditionally sweet meat, paired with unoffending mushrooms and that would have been fine. Enter the strident chopped, raw green onion and ... it takes over. They were listed as "crepes" but that part certainly tasted like won-ton wrappers to me. Same texture, too.

The lobster bechemel sauce had a faint flour back taste. I don't think the chef cooked that batch long enough. The lobster though was plentiful.

We finished of by sharing an Apple Pan Perdu ($7.95) which you could easily make at home. Make French toast - add a bit of cinnamon and sugar to the milk/egg mix, then top the finished toast with a layer of heated, canned apple pie mix, whoosh with clouds of whipped cream and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle of the toast.

Richie shoved the tab under my nose, pointing emphatically at it. I looked down, pointed my own self, "Richie that was your Stella and..." "No! No! - look at the name!" Our server's name is Krzysztof - pronounced Chrish-toff. He's from Pasadena, of Polish descent.

La Creperie Cafe, 131 Pine Avenue, Long Beach 562-437-8648 Other locations in Belmont Shores and Chino.