Crepe Amour or Crepe Eh?

After months of driving by the recently opened Crepe Amour on Maple Avenue West in Vienna, I finally stopped in today to give it a try. By all accounts, it should have been a wonderful experience. First, I was with my husband and youngest son - a rare weekday treat. Second, they serve nothing but crepes and coffee. How can you go wrong with that? And third, Nutella makes several appearances on the menu. But still, instead of walking away with a full stomach and a smile on my face, I left thinking...eh.

Crepe Amour does some things right, and some things just not quite. To start, there is virtually no space to sit down (or even stand) in the "restaurant" - maybe 9 seats total, 4 of which are bar seats at the window. On the streets of Paris, or even Georgetown, where the restaurant first opened, this works. Grab a crepe wrapped in foil and dripping with butter and sugar and take a leisurely stroll down the Champs Elysee, or even M street. But in Vienna, VA, land of 1960's strip malls, mattress stores, and traffic lights, a leisurely stroll is not quite as appealing. There aren't any benches outside yet, but I was told they are working on a permit for those, which should help the grab and go style a bit.

In addition to the very tiny space to sit, there is room enough for about 3 people to stand in line before you're on the other side of the door. As long as it doesn't get too popular, that's fine, but if things start to pick up, you can expect a nice appetizer of car fumes from the parking lot before you get your hands on a crepe.

On the bright side, the decor is modern and cute and almost makes you feel like you've found a gem in the city. The menu is quirky and varied, offering many choices of both sweet and savory crepes. I had a spicy tandoori chicken crepe with red peppers, cilantro, and spicy mayo. The filling was good and flavorful, but the crepe was lacking that traditional texture - soft and slightly chewy. The Crepe Amour version appears to be whole grain and a bit crispy. If there is a next time, I think I'll go for the tried and true Nutella and banana crepe. You can't go wrong with Nutella, right?