Cap off a perfect summer day at local crêperies.
Few foods offer as much variety as the crêpe. The soft, thin confection creates an ideal foundation for sweet, savory, or downright indulgent fillings. Explore summertime flavors at one of several area crêperies.
Flavor Fusion
At your local market this summer, a familiar blue trailer shines with fairy lights and a warm ambience: Olivier’s Organic French Crêpes. Inspired by family and friends, owners Olivier Bessaignet and Jordan Bessaignet SpottedElk honor a true fusion of lineages through their food.
Bessaignet, originally from Nice, France, provides organic crêpes so customers feel nourished from the inside out. One of the only fully organic food trucks in the area, it even offers delectable options for those sensitive to gluten and dairy.
Savory crêpes can be made with authentic French buckwheat flour and a special bechamel sauce base; the seasonings, however, commemorate a cross-cultural celebration.
“I’m Black and Native American, and some of our ingredients are seasoned with traditional Black seasonings, like cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning,” SpottedElk says. “Mix that with French crêpes and creamy bechamel, and it creates this really beautiful fusion of both of us.”
Savory crêpes include the pesto-powered la fraîche, containing fresh mozzarella. Sweet crêpes include la fully loaded, with creamy Nutella and chocolatey fruits. Even more, all crêpes are rolled instead of folded to offer the perfect bite all the way through.
The couple wants customers to feel reassured that they know who’s making their food and that they’re pouring love into it.
Cozy Community
Kaffé Crepe in Reno offers a cozy hub of delectable favorites for locals and tourists alike. Owned by Jana Sikk, originally from the Baltic states, and husband Dewey Grande, originally from Mexico, the couple flavors every bite with expertise and love.
Sikk uses her mother’s Estonian crêpe recipe. What are some of the most popular creations?
“People love the Mediterranean crêpe, which is hummus, pesto, tomatoes, feta, spinach, and avocado. If I were to order a sweet crêpe, the cookie butter is really good, and people like the banana delight with Argentinian dulce de leche.”
To hydrate between bites, enjoy coffee roasted by Peerless Coffee in Oakland, Calif.; a variety of house-made lemonades also is available to quench your summertime thirst.
“We have raspberry mint lemonade, and we always make watermelon lemonades when there is watermelon in season,” Sikk says. “We make homemade lemonades here all summer long.”
Above all, Kaffé Crepe is a place to forge connections.
“We don’t particularly feel like targeting fancy or fine dining,” Sikk says. “We want to be affordable for all the public with different incomes and backgrounds. That’s why I think everybody can find something, right? It’s like a melting pot.”
All-Ages Offerings
After the success of Kaffé Crepe, Sikk and Grande opened Tallinn Crêperia in Sparks in 2022. While Kaffé Crepe offers an intimate vibe, Tallinn (named after the capital of Estonia) provides spacious dining and an incredible Scandinavian theme that even showcases a tower. Crêpe fillings range from French fruits to cowboy carnitas, and all can be paired with a drink of choice.
At Tallinn, Sikk’s favorite sweet crêpe is the old fashioned.
“It’s lemon curd with fresh strawberries and a French-style custard,” she says. “They are just so tasty.”
For the savory specialty, Sikk says, “I love the Pärnu crêpe. It’s a base of Brie cheese, chicken, tomatoes, arugula, and balsamic glaze. It’s my favorite.”
In addition to delicious meals, Tallinn offers an elevated beverage menu. Bottled beers, wines, mimosas, and Irish coffees are available for adults, and delicious homemade lemonades are made freshly to keep anyone cool on even the hottest summer days.
RESOURCES
Craving a crêpe? Find one at any of the following locations.
Josef’s Vienna Bakery & Café
933 W. Moana Lane, Reno
775-825-0451 · Josefsbakery.com
Open 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. daily
Kaffé Crepe
1300 E. Plumb Lane, Ste. C4, Reno
775-683-9338 · Kaffecrepe.com
Open 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mon. – Wed.; 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thurs. – Sun.
Olivier’s Organic French Crêpes
775-420-6167 · Oliviersfrenchcrepes.com
Find it at Feed the Camel on Wednesdays, Truckee Thursdays, Reno’s Food Truck Fridays, the Saturday Carson City Farmers Market, and the Sunday Riverside Farmers Market in Reno.
Tallinn Creperia
222 Los Altos Pkwy., Ste. 108, Sparks
775-357-9748 · Tallinncreperia.com
Open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thurs. – Tues.
Banana Chocolate Crêpes
(courtesy of Olivier Bessaignet, cook/co-owner, Olivier’s Organic French Crêpes in Reno. Serves 4)
2¾ cups organic buckwheat flour
⅓ cup melted butter
⅓ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons table salt
6 eggs
4¼ cups organic whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 chocolate bar squares (72 percent dark chocolate)
1 cup strawberry jam
4 bananas, halved
Whipped cream, to taste
Heat crêpe pan (Bessaignet recommends the 14-inch CrepePro Full) over medium heat. Combine flour, butter, brown sugar, salt, eggs, milk, and vanilla in bowl until combined. Chill 30 minutes to 24 hours. Heat your crêpe pan on stovetop to 480 degrees F.
Pour 4 tablespoons batter onto generously greased pan and tilt pan so batter stretches as far as it can go. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then flip. Melt chocolate bar squares directly on crêpe after first flip, then cook other side of crêpe for 30 seconds.
Remove crêpe from pan. Add smear of strawberry jam and ½ a banana. Roll crêpe like a burrito or fold into triangle. Add whipped cream on top if desired.
