Crepe Escape: Totally creped out

One of the endearing attributes of Crepe Escape in East Sacramento is its ability to, in fact, escape from crepes. The massive L-shaped chalkboard above the long L-shaped counter that fronts the open kitchen is jammed with any number of other colorfully chalked options—to say nothing of the daily specials listed on the white board kitty-corner to the register.

Not that there isn’t a reason for the name that graces this establishment and its mate at 3445 Freeport. Indeed, the restaurant serves a panoply of crepes. Of particular note: the California crepe. This is a vegetarian delight composed of spinach, avocado, mushrooms, mozzarella and pesto with a hatch work of sour cream on top and, by request, a mound of jalapeño circles, which, regrettably, clearly came from a can.

Nonetheless, while not short on calories, the combination is long on flavor. With some of the house salsa slathered about, it makes a perfect meal at breakfast, lunch or dinner—all of which Crepe Escape is happy to provide.

Portions are north of generous. “Splitting a crepe might be wise,” daughter Katie deadpans, assessing the task ahead to make her chicken pesto crepe disappear. And virtually any crepe imaginable can be created at customer whim. But, it gets pricey—fast—when building on the $4.95 basic crepe of cheddar and onion at 95 cents a throw. That said, should one wish to concoct a crepe containing artichoke, mushroom, pesto, black olives, sun-dried-tomato pesto, pineapple, salmon or prawns, curry, jalapeños, ham, feta, marinara, cream cheese, cottage cheese, salsa, sour cream, spinach, garlic basil, eggplant, and chicken-apple sausage, it can be done. Only $25.95.

Crepe Escape’s East Sacramento space is intriguing, even arresting. Only the most doleful diner wouldn’t want to step up from the table, totally creped out, and step before the back wall’s floor-to-ceiling rendering of a bucolic landscape of verdant rolling hills. Large trees dot several spots on the walls with spindly branches extending three-dimensionally into the restaurant. One has the eerie expectation that a Granny Smith apple, like the ones used in the magnificent and monolithic apple dessert crepe, might get winged at any moment.

Back to the food. Rosemary-garlic potatoes are a choice entree accompaniment option, whether dining on dinner crepes or morning omelets and lunch sandwiches—the grilled chicken (ask for onions) is money well spent—and ordering them at least once is essential. Forcing oneself not to order them again is a mighty struggle. Crepe Escape’s muscular salad entrees are also served with Focaccia bread, which whether oriental, Caesar or the memorable grilled salmon cobb, feature romaine lettuce—except for the mixed-green-with-nest-of-shredded-carrot house, a modestly smaller version of which can be substituted for the taters.

In addition to salads and sandwiches, other non-crepe opportunities include several pasta dishes. A chicken carbonara that appears periodically on the special white board is hard to finish, both because of its rich, creamy and cheesy sauce and also due the meal’s sheer size. The dish is a variant on the menu’s Chicken Sauté Pasta, which consists of breast, chicken-apple sausage, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy pesto sauce. And if some artery somewhere still remained unclogged, it’s all topped with parmesan.

Speaking of Italy, Crepe Escape’s garlic bread is artfully crisped and moderately garlicked. There are also a handful of beers on tap, a good choice of designer nonalcoholic beverages and pricey but oh-so pleasurable fresh-squeezed O.J.

Ordering happens at the counter and, if the clientele mounts, the oft-solo person back there finds him or herself harried. Crepe Escape is a predictable but pleasant, what-you-see-is-what-you-get eatery with creative splashes. Fun for the whole family.