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| -Gazette photo by Maureen Vastardis |
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Crepe Lovers Find Variety at La Muse
By Larry Hill
Gazette Restaurant Writer
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
• Location: Located near the corner of Linden and Ocean in the historic Cooper Arms, La Muse Café is at the gateway to the now well-established East Village.
• Staff/Service: Staff is friendly, fast and knowledgeable.
• Food/Drinks: The menu consists of crepes, panini, sandwiches, salads and pastries. It is broad enough to satisfy the vegetarian and the carnivore, while classy enough to take your mother. The range of crepes is large, from the Bon Jour with eggs and bacon to the Aegean with snow crab and bay shrimp in garlic cream with cheese; the Thalia with eggs, cheese, ham and mushrooms to the Oscar with asparagus, cheese, ham and eggs. There are sweet crepes like the Calliope with butter, sugar and cinnamon to the Erato with Nutella, bananas, and strawberries.
Salads include the Bozeman Special with mixed greens and granola and the Pear, Walnut and Gorgonzola salad.
Sandwiches and paninis include the Saucisson et Cornichon with spiced ham and cornichon pickles, the Tartine de Chevre with goat cheese, garlic, Herbes de Provence all lightly broiled, a veggie special and a hot dog Parisienne.
• Atmosphere: Inside the dining room is cozy, perfect for cool coastal evenings. There is a fine wine bar. In contrast, the outdoor garden patio is perfect for balmy days and breezy evenings: coffee under the stars. The outdoor garden patio is just the kind of place that Jack and Karim might enjoy their espressos after walking Lexi and Picasso, their pampered dasc-hunds.
• The Taste: I stopped Saturday afternoon after a long morning teaching math in Van Nuys and two Sig alerts on the 101 and the 5 blocking my way home. I needed to decompress a little and sat in the garden enjoying a cool breeze reading the latest C.J. Box, while out on Ocean a young woman in a convertible bug blasted Neil Diamond — Jennifer’s favorite singers are Neil Diamond and Neil Young.
I ordered the Aegean crepe. It came with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers topped with a drizzle of the house vinaigrette. The simple salad reminded me of summers on the reservation in Canada, quite tasty. The crepe was large and was topped with some of the crab and shrimp filling. I tasted the filling. It was a fresh, slightly sweet form of shrimp and crab. The cream sauce was light and added a delicacy to the filling. The crepe itself had been seasoned with what tasted like Herbes de Provence. All in all, it was an excellent lunch or dinner crepe.
I ordered a Tartine de Chevre and a Saucisson et Cornichon to go. Jennifer loves both sandwiches and rather than choose one, I figured I’d spoil her with a taste of each. They were served open-faced and had mixed green salad accompanying each. She thought they were both excellent.
We’ve always enjoyed La Muse, but don’t get there as often as we’d like. It’s a nice stop if you’re strolling downtown or visiting the East Village art shops.
• Price: Breakfast, lunch, or dinner for two with drinks is $15 to $25.
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