3,  cheap eats,  financial district,  french,  restaurant reviews,  scandinavian

Crêpes du Nord – French/Scandinavian – Financial District

It only makes sense that the ladies behind Goodies First and donuts4dinner would team up for a crepes luncheon, right? And we even had the good sense not to skip straight to dessert.

Crêpes du Nord opened about a year ago just a few minutes from my office in the Financial District, but that whole Stone Street restaurant conglomerate sort of scares me with its frat house feel. The street is closed to traffic and filled with umbrella-shaded picnic tables, which would be lovely if they weren’t constantly crowded with light blue dress shirts and uncomfortable heels. But that’s New York, I guess.

I had a gift certificate, which made the decision to go quite a bit easier, and it turns out you can enter the restaurant through the William Street side, which is considerably more relaxed. The restaurant can only hold about 20 people, so I recommend getting there well before or after the lunch rush. And if you get a table near the front, you can watch your crepe being skillfully made.

Crepes du Nord
Prosciutto di Parma, ricotta, arugula, black pepper, lemon

Krista described her openface prosciutto crepe filled with ricotta as a nice sandwich alternative that “certainly” beats the offerings at Subway, which I’m not sure is much of a compliment, but she did say she liked the buckwheaty heftiness of the crepe.

Crepes du Nord

Crepes du Nord
Country Herb Chicken, ricotta, ratatouille

The reviews I read all suggested the Country Herb Chicken crepe, and while I felt pretty pedestrian ordering fowl when there was herring, shrimp, and short rib on the menu, I just had to hope the reviewers weren’t all Statue of Liberty visitors with Ohio palates. I couldn’t have expected more from the crepe, though; side by side with tender summer squash in an herbed tomato sauce, the chunks of chicken were juicy yet firm to complement the creaminess of the cheese.

Crepes du Nord
Dulce De Leche, caramel, fresh banana, whipped cream

Again, this was probably the boringest of the dessert crepes, but it really hit my soft spot for caramel. The whipped cream could’ve been thicker for me, but once you’ve had the Peter Luger schlag, all other whipped cream is a fail.

Rating One StarOne StarOne StarBlank StarBlank Star

My co-workers were concerned my lunch date wouldn’t be able to keep up with me in the gluttony department, but it turns out I couldn’t finish either of my dishes. For $5 to $12 each, the crepes were just as filling as any generic sandwich but with twice the taste and skill required. Plus, the subtle but sleek decor makes it a great place for a lunch date.

Crêpes du Nord
17 South William Street
New York, NY 10004 (map)

7 Comments

  • Heesa Phadie

    Damn. I’ve always wanted try a savory crepe, and that country Herb Chicken, ricotta, ratatouille looks amazing. How moist was the chicken? Looks perfect.

    …and of course that dolche de lechi crepe is right up my alley….too bad it disappointed….needs more sauce (always the correct answer).

    • plumpdumpling

      More sauce. More cowbell. The answer is always more.

      The crepe somehow felt so much more healthy to me than a piece of bread or a tortilla, but I’m sure it’s just as bad. Twice as delicious, though. You’ve gotta try one. Or make one yourself!

  • Krista

    The crepes were a hundred times better than a Subway sandwich. I just always associate that little stretch of S. William St. with Subway. And bizarrely, after I read your post I scrolled to a photo of that block in my RSS feeds. I’m being haunted by William St!

    • plumpdumpling

      Aside from the really inappropriate blurring on the edges, what a neat picture. Even the ugly orange parking arrow looks romantic.

      I seriously love Subway, though I’m a bit biased because of my summer as a Sandwich Artist my junior year of high school. The one on Water Street is the only place in NYC where I can count on one of my sandwich-makers telling me he or she is happy to see me.

  • dbdtron

    I have given this place a few shots. Dunzo. Oh so bohring.

    Agree on the Stone st general feel, and doubly agree on Schlag.

    Wonder if they have it at Wolfgangs? :)