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January 1 - 8, 1998

[Food Reviews]

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Forget Paris

French crepes and sandwiches in downtown Worcester challenge the Left Bank

by Margaret LeRoux

La Galette
5 Pleasant Street, Worcester
890-7865
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.,
Fri. 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 3-8 p.m.
Cash only
No alcohol served
Handicap accessible

Eric's La Patisserie
250 Commercial Street, Worcester
756-1454
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cash only
No alcohol served
Handicap ccessible

To those who disparage Worcester's downtown, we point you to not one, but two little French cafes. The older of the two, Eric's La Patisserie is a popular sandwich shop, while the newest venture is attempting to reacquaint Worcester with crepes.

Let's start with the newest first. La Galette, located a few doors off Main Street on Pleasant, is a tiny bit of Paris, where you're likely to hear French spoken by other diners as well as the owner and chef. It's immaculate, with white walls, marble-topped tables, a black-and-white checkered floor, French posters on the walls, and French music on the tape player. Two of us pretended we were on the Left Bank recently as we sipped rich, strong cappuccino ($1.75) and listened to Edith Piaf.

Owners Claude Fimat, the charming gentleman behind the counter who welcomes you, and chef Guy Thierot are both French and experienced restaurateurs.

During my first visit, I chose one of the savory buckwheat crepes, spinach with sour cream and nutmeg ($4), while my friend enjoyed chicken in béchamel sauce ($5).

Crepes, for those of you who missed their first wave of popularity in the US during the 1970s, are very thin, large pancakes that can be filled with just about anything. La Galette offers eggs ($3), ham ($4) -- popular in the morning -- cheese ($4), ham and Swiss ($5), smoked sausage ($4.50), sautéed mushrooms in lemon or cream ($4.50), and seafood ($6.50; served on Friday).

I loved my crepe; it was loaded with fresh, chopped spinach. Nutmeg is one of my favorite seasonings; here it really gives authority to the leafy greens. There was just enough sour cream to hold the spinach filling together and to add richness to the dish.

My friend enjoyed her chicken crepe, though she felt the seasoning was a bit understated. With the addition of salt and pepper from the little packets provided -- all the cutlery and seasoning are throwaways here -- the sauce was much improved.

Chef Thierot's subtle seasoning was in evidence again on a subsequent visit when I ordered the soup of the day, potato and leek ($1.25). It smelled and tasted homemade, but my American palate is probably jaded from too much junk food. I also requested extra salt and pepper. This time my companion chose one of La Galette's sandwich offerings, a flaky butter croissant with ham and Swiss cheese ($2.50). The other sandwich option was sliced turkey breast ($2.80). She enjoyed the sandwich to the last bite and then tucked into a dessert crepe, made with a sweet batter, buttered, sprinkled with fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar ($2.50). The generous sample she offered me was crisp at the edges and meltingly soft in the middle. There are other fillings for dessert crepes, including jam ($2.50), maple syrup ($2.70), chocolate hazelnut spread ($2.50), and apple and whipped cream ($4).


Another friend whose packed schedule always makes me feel like such a slacker, suggested we meet for lunch at La Patisserie. As usual, she had only a brief time to chat, so speed as well as ambiance were our goals. La Patisserie, on Commercial Street around the corner from Front Street, met our requirements nicely. There are a few tables in the small dining area, though the majority of business seems to be takeout. The small lobby of the building behind the tiny shop offers a quieter place to converse.

La Patisserie's sandwiches come on French bread, multigrain bread, focaccia, or rolled up in pita bread. The French influence is found in the tarragon chicken salad ($2.35 for a half-sandwich; $4.15 for a full sandwich); brie grinder ($2.35 for half; $4.15 whole), and tuna Dijon salad ($2.35 for half; $4.15 whole). The sandwiches are garnished with Romaine lettuce, sweet red onions, cucumbers, julienne carrots, and alfalfa sprouts.

I enjoyed the grinder with Swiss cheese substituted for brie. The bread was crisp and chewy, the fillings were fresh and crunchy -- a real mouth workout here. My friend's veggies sandwich had all the above mentioned garnishes along with peppers ($3.55).

Several salads are appealing: Windsor ($4.45) combines Romaine and iceberg lettuce with grated carrots, cabbage, raisins, walnuts, and apple slices; country salad ($4.45) has alfalfa sprouts, sunflower seeds, grated cheddar cheese, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

La Patisserie also offers homemade soups -- the menu suggests you call to find out the daily special. They do a brisk business in breakfast items: muffins ($1.05), bagels (90 cents), and croissants ($1.05 for plain; $1.45 for raspberry cheese, cinnamon raisin, apple walnut, and chocolate). There are espresso, cafe latte, and cappuccino too ($1.86 short; $2.57 tall).

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