Crepe Heaven

Name: Crepe Heaven
Location: 217 Main St., Binghamton, NY 13905
Phone: (607) 217-7188
Cuisine: Crepes/Coffee
Price: Less than $10 per person

Review:
For years, I have been interested in trying Crepe Heaven, but getting the wife to go always proved a challenge. You see, she'd been there once a few years back, around the time the place opened, and liked it, but found it to be more of a dessert place rather than a place to head for a substantial breakfast or lunch. Thus, we often passed right by Crepe Heaven en route to other dining locales downtown. The other day, I finally got Megan to agree to go there for a late-breakfast/early-lunch. We arrived at the restaurant, located near the Price Chopper Plaza on Binghamton's West Side, around 11:00 AM, and I hoped that Crepe Heaven would live up to its name.

I was surprised by the ambiance, decor, and size of the restaurant, which carries a European-cafe vibe (with far more room between the tables than you'd find in Europe, for sure). It's a charming and classy space that stands out by comparison to most area restaurants. We ordered drinks (a french press for me, a cafe au lait for Megan) and took a look at the menu, which featured a wide selection of sweet crepes, savory crepes, and some other specialty items like chevapi (Bosnian grilled beef served with onions and sour cream on a roll).


For those unfamiliar with crepes, a crepe is basically a very thin pancake, rolled up with various fillings inside. Sweet crepes have fillings like jelly, jam, Nutella spread, honey, and fruit fillings, while savory crepes feature meats, cheeses, and vegetables and are similar to omelets. Crepes are considered a French national dish, and I had the pleasure of enjoying a crepe when I visited Paris last year while Megan was living there. In Paris, it's most common to see crepes offered as street food, akin to an American hot dog stand. Thus, I was expecting Crepe Heaven to offer more of a fast food experience; I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case. At any rate, I ordered a ham, egg, and cheese crepe, while Megan went the sweet route and got the Nutella crepe with strawberries.


Ten minutes later, we had our crepes. I admired the presentation of the dishes and was ready to dig in. Sure enough, my crepe was pretty excellent. Served with sour cream on the side, it was a great combination of flavors. I think it's best described as a more delicate version of an omelet, but definitely tastier than any omelet I could get at an area diner. I tried Megan's Nutella crepe, drizzled with chocolate sauce, which was also delicious. Our coffee drinks were an excellent complement for the crepes, and the $16 check did not exactly break the bank either.

My trip to Crepe Heaven was thankfully a far cry from purgatory. The restaurant offers a refined dining experience in a classy environment with delicious, well-presented food at an inexpensive price. Service was friendly and efficient. I regret not going to Crepe Heaven much sooner. This is easily one of Binghamton's best restaurants, and I look forward to going back to try more crepes in the near future.

Grade: A