La Bonne Table De Sophie

French connections make for great food connections around the world :) My friend's friend's daughter (does that make sense?) spent some time living and working in France and came back to the US around the time I left for Paris. We finally met her in the US and she talked about one of her friends who opened up a French Creperie in Westwood, so of course we had to try it out! It turns out that Irina, the owner, is Russian, as is my neighbor and her child so there will be another international introduction shortly! La Table de Sophie is named after Irina's mother, Sophie, so the place is named in her mother's honor:)

Irina serves authentic Brittany crepes, using organic buckwheat flour for the savory galettes, and even the flags at the entrance proclaim her allegiance to the origin of the delicious crisp holder of savory delights.

I started off with a cappuccino and the wonderful flavor and texture was a good portend of the food to come.

One of us had the forestière with free range chicken, egg, mushrooms, gruyère, and onions cooked in hard Cider for $21. Sophie obligingly cooked up the egg that is normally sunny side up (au plat in Paris, or mirroir in Brittany) for the American palate.

I chose the Printanière with gruyère, egg, spinach, asparagus, zucchini,sweet peas, and bell pepper for $20. The galette was probably the best I've ever eaten, perfectly crisp and the ingredients were so fresh and beautifully presented that I didn't want to disturb the artwork! It was also a large portion, so I had no room for dessert :(

They have several items from Farm Shop for sale, so I took a pain au chocolat home to enjoy the next morning :) They were voted the best pain au chocolat for good reasons; flaky layers around valrhona chocolate make for the answer to your dessert or breakfast pastry quest.

I also took home a bar of Bovetti chocolate, just because I loved the design as well as the quality of the chocolate bar!

La table de Sophie has a marvelous gem of a bar adjacent to it and they serve happy hour between 5-7pm, so you can taste a bit of the French tradition of apéro in Los Angeles. La Table de Sophie made me a bit less homesick for France :)

Parisian Apéro & Crêpes

When Americans think of an apéritif, they are likely envisioning a cocktail before dinner. In France the apéro is an afternoon gathering that includes cocktails, food, and friends in a social gathering that easily segues into evening. It's the French version of happy hour, but it may be at someone's home, a park, by a canal, or at a bar or bistro. 

A few steps from the Place des Vosges is the Royal Turenne whose apéro offers both incredible deals and delightful fresh flavors on a perfect people watching corner. With very efficient servers, a lovely terrace for the rare days when Parisian weather is perfect. 

You may choose a light albacore tataki, 

 or traditional fish and chips made with haddock,

 or a wok stir fried Asian inspired sautée of chicken and vegetables. Two glasses of wine, coffee, and all three bites during their apéro, came to under 50 Euros.

Another French classic bite is the crêpe, which may also have a completely different connotation than what you may find in the US. Savory crêpes are called galettes and always made with buckwheat flour, whereas actual crêpes are made with flour, egg, milk, and sugar (like cakes). For a quick bite or a full meal at nearly any time of day, you may pick one up at a street vendor or enjoy an inexpensive meal at a crêperie all over France.

Les Embruns serves classic buckwheat galettes with the usual suspects of ham, cheese and egg and is an easy 2 blocks away from the Gare de Lyon, so many people stop by before or after a trip to get a satisfying meal served by very competent staff in a tight but light filled space. They have lunch specials for around 15 Euros, and nearly every item on the meal is not only well executed, but in some cases very very copious!

The biggest salad I have ever seen in Paris (they are famous for them); seriously this herring salad was big enough for a family of four to share!

Dessert was a lemon and sugar crêpe at another crêperie Au Beurre Salé about 2 blocks away.

 With a digestif of calvados ;)

I made meals out of "snacks" throughout the day because between jet lag and my shrunken Californian appetite, I couldn't handle a large meal most days. Apéros and crêpes were both good ways to socialize, eat, and drink very well nearly any day of the week!