Are you dreaming of eating in the French countryside but you can’t afford to take a plane across the Atlantic? You may be in luck…if you so happen to be anywhere close to Williamsburg. This is where Pates et Traditions is located. A small, quaint and kitsch French restaurant serving delicious savory and sweet crepes and other french comfort foods.
The restaurant is very small and cozy. If you don’t want to be getting up close and personal with your neighbors then this restaurant is not for you. Me? I don’t mind overhearing other people’s conversations once in a while. Especially in the morning when I’m barely awake enough to communicate with the Count. Our friendly server came over and shared all his favorites on the menu. Shortly thereafter, I was served with my badly needed latte. Creamy milk froth and strong coffee greeted my mouth. A few minutes later, I was a little bit more alert and started taking in the very cute decor surrounding me.
The walls are lined with postcards, paintings and kitchen utensils. The seats covered with colorful pillows.
There are two menus: sweet and savory (see menu). The savory was brought out first from which the Count ordered the croque chevre and I ordered the orientale crepe with the addition of chevre (because everything tastes better with goat cheese).
The orientale crepe was presented open face and consisted of spicy merguez sausage, peppers, sausage, tomatoes, eggs, Swiss cheese and my addition of goat cheese. The crepe itself was prepared with organic buckwheat flour and was cooked to perfection. All served with a side of green salad. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of this and although the portion was large enough to feed us both on that particular morning, I ate ever single bite and still had room for more.
The Croque chevre on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment. The Count ordered it because he loves anything that uses goat cheese as a main ingredient. Although the menu stated that the dish was served with tomato sauce we did not expect it to be poured on top of the sandwich. The bread was that cheap white airy toast which when topped with the tomato sauce became a soggy mix that really was not the best combination.
For dessert we shared the chocolate and almond crepe. The crepe was served with a gooey dark chocolate mix in the middle topped with more dark chocolate, almonds, sugar powder and a side of whipped creme. So good, so rich, so filling. And me: so happy!
