Restaurant: Creperie Beau Monde

The second of my two dinners in Philadelphia was again a return to a place I've been on more than one occasion: Beau Monde. I can't say that this would have been my top choice, but in the spirit of getting along, we went to the creperie and had a good time, only sullied by an awkward waiter and the stink of beef soup. One of my goals before my next trip to Philly is to research some new restaurants, as my trips back are becoming increasingly frequent -- I'm taking suggestions!

Enter Beau Monde through a heavy gold-colored curtain sectioning off the entryway and you find yourself in a large room that is warm and inviting, with a fireplace ahead and a bar lit with twinkle lights to your right. We sat along the windows facing Bainbridge Street; it wasn't very crowded on our Tuesday night visit and the hostess was careful to separate all the diners so as not to be bothered by other tables.

We started with a shared grilled pear salad, which has endive, spiced pecans, roqufort, and a delicious and delicate pear vinaigrette.


The savory entree crepes are made with buckwheat flour and have your choice of fillings: meats, vegetables, cheeses, nuts. You can choose your combination or take the suggestions from the menu.

I typically go wrong choosing my filling because I like certain things that don't really go well together. I ordered broccoli, mushrooms, and olives, and got funny looks both from my dining partners and the waiter who nearly insisted I add a cream sauce or cheese, although he finally allowed me to order as I wished. I'm still trying to figure out why he insisted I need this when the mushrooms on the menu are listed as a saute of mushrooms and sauce, but he certianly ensured mine arrived to the table as dry as can be. Even so, I very much enjoyed my crepe and the broccoli was cooked perfectly.

They fold the stuffings in the crepe and fold it into a square, then place a few pieces of filling on top to indicate what's inside.

Even after the salad and crepe, we are usually nippish and want dessert. There are sweet crepes, made with wheat flour, and again you can choose your fillings or take a suggestion. They offer ice creams, fruit and berries, and sweet sauces. Alex and I split a crepe with bananas and dulce de leche.

They divided the crepe onto two plates for us, and this was heavenly, even with the overly generous dumping of powdered sugar (a major ick factor for me). I love warmed bananas.