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ARTS & CULTURE
10
KANSAN.COM
Crepes and Taters owner shares inspiration behind restaurant
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
The banana/chocolate crepe from Crepes and Taters on Massachusetts Street is one of 20 offered at the restaurant. Crepes are a type of thin pancake often with fruity or sweet fillings.
KELLY CORDINGLEY @KellyCordingley
Whether they're in Qatar, Dubai or Germany, the Chahines wake up every morning to get a taste of the local crepe scene. As they stroll the streets of any given city across the world at night, they stop at a Belgian fry stand to grab a cone of their favorite late-night treat.
But on May 1, Bassem Chahine and his wife, Elizabeth Chahine, opened Crepes and Taters at 1016 Massachusetts St.
"We travel everywhere, and my wife always came with me and her hobby was that she loved to buy crepes in every country we went to. Literally every morning she would drag me to go have breakfast and have crepes because she loved them," Bassem said. "When she saw the opportunity over here, she was like, 'Lawrence doesn't have a crepe store, so let's do one.'"
Crepes and Taters, previously Lebanese Flower owned by Bassem's father, operates in the kitchen of Fatso's. When Lebanese Flower closed, Elizabeth saw the opportunity to bring her love of crepes and Belgian fries to Lawrence.
"Those are the two things we really like to do, especially when we travel. Belgian fry stands in Europe are like hot dog stands in New York," Bassam said. "At night time when we're out strolling and having fun and we got hungry, we'd go for the Belgian fries and mornings were for crepes, so that's why we have the two together."
General Manager at Crepes and Taters Brooke Magdaleno said she's loved crepes since she began working at HOP at 16 years old and automatically loved the idea to open a
crepes-specific restaurant on Massachusetts Street.
"I think it's a really unique thing, definitely meant for a city-type area," Magdaleno said. "If we tried to open this outside of Mass Street, I don't think it would do as well. When we first opened, it was the last week of school so we had a lot of nighttime traffic. Right now we're bringing in a lot of couples and families."
Crepes and Taters offers sweet and savory crepes as well as Belgian fries with numerous dipping sauces. Bassem said the variety of options makes the new business even more exciting.
"It's not any crepe; it's gourmet. It's not just jam or Nutella on a crepe," he said. "This is very local, so we need to let the lunchtime and breakfast people know we exist. It's crepes; everyone loves crepes."
Bassem and Magdaleno said they anticipate late night traffic to pick back up when University students come back for the fall semester.
"With summer it kind of died, but when the locals came that's what saved us in the summer," he said. "Right now, we're aiming at the whole population here, whether you're out partying and want to sober up and have a Belgian fry at 2 a.m., or the working people who come to get a crepe in the morning."
Bassem said he thinks part of the draw people have to Crepes and Taters is the unique name and off-the-wall combination of crepes and Belgian fries.
"It's a catchy name; it's something very random," he said. "I hope it's helped business. I think the people who come here are in shock every time, but they love it."
TASTE OF CREPES AND TATERS
Blueberry Crepe
Although the blueberry sauce drizzled across the top was pretty, it was cold. Fresh blueberries would have made it better, but it seemed as if the blueberries were frozen and taken out to thaw only a few minutes before.
Sweet Mango Crepe
This was a perfect, heavenly combination. I added strawberries into this, and it was beyond delicious. I could have eaten eight of them. It was packed with mangos, delicious cream cheese and drizzled with some glorious orange-like sauce.
Banana/Chocolate Crepe
If you're a chocolate lover or don't mind having Nutella on your face, go for this one. It was fantastic, but so rich I couldn't finish it. No complaints, but know what you're getting into if you order this one. In hindsight, I would have added strawberries or another fruit in there to balance out the richness with something more fresh.
Apple Crepe
If I were trapped on an island and could choose between the Sweet Mango Crepe and this one, I can't say I could make a quick decision. The brie cheese in combination with the cinnamon drizzle and apple mixture was enough to keep me coming back every morning.
Shawarma Crepe
This was basically a gyro in crepe form. You can choose between chicken and beef as your meat option; then it's stuffed with cucumbers and tomatoes and drizzled with tzatziki sauce. The crepe was wrapped in a burrito-like form, and it was a perfect savory treat. The only problem I found was it left me happily full but craving a sweet crepe as dessert.
Fries with Avocado Ranch
These complimented the sweetness of the crepes perfectly. The fries had a unique flavor, not quite like a regular french fry, but also not something I'd ever had. They were delicious. Even without the dipping sauce they'd be a crowd pleaser. The regular size is large enough to share with three of four people, and the large is enough for nearly 10 people. It took near 10 minutes to chose a dipping sauce from the elaborate list, but avacado ranch was a wise decision. Nothing was oversalted, and the fries were just crispy enough.
Check out Crepes and Taters' hours at Kansan.com
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