It’s become a kind of tradition as of late for me to venture downtown on early Saturday/Sunday afternoons to grab something to eat before starting work on those days. Usually, I walk up the bike path, making my way downtown. But yesterday, the weather sucked. It was cold, with a biting wind blowing out of the north. I decided to cut my walk short and just pick up some food from somewhere close to home. I turned ’round and trudged up the hill at the top of Orcutt Road. I was thinking about picking up a sandwich at Cool Cat Cafe, but it turned out that they were closed. I decided to check out nearby Le Ciel Crepe Cafe instead.

I didn’t dine in, so I can’t say too much about the decor. The place is kinda small, but the table I sat in while waiting seemed comfortable enough, and the staff were pleasant and helpful. (The girl who rang up my order even offered me a printed menu to look at before I had a chance to ask for one. This was great, as there was no way I’d be able to read the menu board hanging right behind her.) After some serious contemplation of Le Ciel’s menu, I decided on the “Bishop’s Peak,” which the menu describs as follows:

herbed baked chicken breast, portabella mushrooms w/ roasted garlic, caramelized onions and mozzarella cheese– served w/ roasted rosemary potatoes and mixed green salad or soup

I chose a green salad with balsamic dressing, as the cafe was offering Minestrone for the day’s soup, and I’m not a fan. I took a seat in front of the beverage case:

Before long, my food was ready. I picked it up from the counter and walked back home.

I ate the green salad first. It was pretty simple. Normal (”green”) lettuce mixed with that weird purple/black lettuce in a standard plastic container, dressing on the side:

I picked the evil non-green lettuce out of the salad and poured some of the dressing over what was left. The lettuce was fresh and the dressing was sweet but not too overpowering. I actually used very little of the dressing. Next up was the crepe and rosemary potatoes:

I stabbed a couple of the potatoes with a fork. They were tender but still firm enough to be held by the fork. I actually enjoyed the potatoes a lot. They were well-seasoned, but they also maintained a nice balance with the potatoes’ natural flavor. I then decided to forgo utensils and simply picked up the crepe like a sandwich. It was warm, but not too hot to handle. My first impression of the chicken-and-veggie-filled crepe was that it was… OK. The mushroom and caramelized onions created a kind of flat bitterness against the chicken and the crepe wrapper. Speaking of which, the crepe made for an interesting experience. It was similar to a flour tortilla, but lighter in texture and flavor. I quickly finished the “crepe sandwich” and chased it with a few hits of Cherry Coke Zero. The verdict: Meh. It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t have it again. There was something about it that reminded me of the food you’d find at one of those generic Greek diners in suburban Chicago. In other words, it’s the kind of thing that can be easily tolerated by many, but truly enjoyed by very few. And given the rather hefty price tag of $11.26 (total, with tax), I can’t see Le Ciel becoming my Sunday go-to eatery. Still, I will return at some point to try one of the cafe’s sweet crepes. But I’ll avoid the place when I’m looking for a “real” meal.