[Update March 2105: Village Crepe has closed.]
Village Crepe (Facebook / @Village_Crepe)
21 N. Center St. (map it!)
Pickerington, OH 43147
(614) 833-1111
Open daily 8a-2p (also open Fridays 5:30-8:30p for dinner)
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y
Date of Visit: Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 11:00 a.m.
Aha! Finally, with a Saturday morning free we made our way out to to Pickerington, just outside of Columbus, for breakfast at Village Crepe. The experience was exactly what I expected it to be, and I mean this in the very best way. I’ve had the opportunity to write about the restaurant for (614) Magazine a couple years ago, so I had a good sense of what to expect when finally visiting, and the food, decor, service, all it matched what I had in my head. Sometimes it’s nice to be surprised, and sometimes it’s great to get exactly what you want.
Village Crepe is so named because it sits at the center of Olde Pickerington Village, a small intersection of shops and restaurants and a tiny village green. The restaurant sits at the corner; the space is bright with a big wooden floor, an open kitchen, and lots of tables. It wasn’t quite as busy as I expected for a Saturday, but a steady flow of customers still came and went.
I asked for an orange juice, and received probably the fanciest regular orange juice I’ve ever been served. I was given a glass bottle of fresh squeezed OJ and a champagne flute. My wife, meanwhile, ordered the coffee; they just announced they’ve begun serving roasts from Cafe Brioso.
The menu understandably features the crepes. You can expect to find about six sweet varieties and three savory ones, plus a rotating special. The sweet crepes include variations on fruits, cheeses, and honey, while the savory ones include herbs, cheeses, vegetables, and meat. If crepes are your thing (or even if they aren’t), you’ll find at least one you like on the menu. Crepes can be ordered as singles or doubles; we ordered four singles so we could try different things. First, the lemon curd, ricotta, and honey crepe. The ricotta is a nice blank slate to combine tart lemon with rich honey. The whole thing is drizzled with blackberry sauce.
On the savory side we sampled the ricotta and spinach crepes. The savory crepes are made with an herbed crepe batter, which is very flavorful. This one was then filled with ricotta, romano cheese, and spinach, all in a nice proportion. It’s topped with a little more cheese – just the right amount without drowning it – plus chunks of tomato and fresh garlic. This one was a real winner in our book.
Back to the sweet… the salty caramel combination is a big hit with central Ohio anyway, so we had to try the salty caramel crepe, too. This crepe is very well balanced, between the cream cheese and caramel filling with a dash of sea salt. They nailed the flavors here.
And then one more savory with the four cheese crepe. Again the herbed crepe, this time stuffed with a very good mix ricotta, romano, goat cheese, and gruyere.
For our boys we ordered off the kids’ menu. There are crepes on the kids’ menu, too, but we wanted to try something different, so our eyes were immediately drawn to the fried PBJ&B sandwich. It’s essentially a peanut butter, jelly, and bananas sandwich dipped in French toast batter and fried. Our boys love Nutella, so we actually swapped the PB for it. Needless to say, our boys devoured it. Even though I was dining on crepes, I was jealous.
Of course, our children are in the process of eating us out of house and home, so we couldn’t order just one plate of food for them. Enter the scrambly eggs: cheesy scrambled eggs with toast, homemade sausage, and homemade preserves. The sausage was particularly good – I stole most of it from my 1.5-year-old. (Shhh…) The thick patty is well seasoned and a bit spicy. And a note on the preserves, too: Village Crepe makes all of theirs in-house, so look for rotating selections throughout the year. We tried the strawberry and peach preserves – both delicious.
Okay, we had to have just one more crepe. The owner recommended the special for the day, the espresso crepe, made with espresso in the batter and filled with cream cheese and chocolate. Actually quite fitting as an end to the meal.
We had the chance to chat with the owner Wayne Moore (in the middle above, busy at work). Village Crepe came out of his love for making crepes for his kids at home, and that same love translates clearly into the running of the restaurant. He and his staff are very friendly and welcoming, and they’re turning out an excellent product.
While we sampled quite a few crepes, there is still more to explore. The breakfast menu includes omelets, frittatas, and French toast, too, while the lunch menu adds sandwiches, salads, soup, and more. Plus, it’s spring and the restaurant has a patio. All of these are reasons to head out to Village Crepe, although quite honestly, any one of the crepes is worth the trek alone.
