Ma France Crêperie

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When it comes to dining options in summer seashore resorts, the choices are usually the less than thrilling massive feeding operations catering to vacationing families. In the hierarchy of this food chain, seafood sits on top in numbers, closed in by pizzas, Italian, anything that’s fried……Nothing has changed for these restauranteria since the day they opened. Menu, décor, food quality, and uniforms are still caught in the same time-warp, except some servers are now speaking with a heavier Eastern-European accent.

We were so pleasantly surprised when we walked into this cutsy little storefront crêperie on 9th Street in Ocean City. We were greeted by a quiet dining room bathed in a warm yellow wash on the wall with artisan paintings and drawings. There was a long couch with big pillows along the front window and a low couch in the back with a round coffee table with magazines for browsing. No high strung vacationing families, no screaming kids.

The waitress greeted us with a nicely chilled bottle of tap water at the table. A much needed relief from the 94 degree summer sun and 84% humidity with no wind blowing in any direction except the occasional breeze when a NJ Transit bus whizzed by.  

The menu had a very nice brief description of the finer advantages of the buckwheat crepes that it specializes in which alleviated Tourist Tree’s concern of any wheat ingredient that might have fallen into her food. The restaurant also makes white flour crepes available for those who prefer the more mundane taste.

We both chose the La Forestière (egg, Swiss cheese, ham and mushroom); sans the cheese for the Tourist Tree and sans egg for Aiiyah. The crepes arrived neatly folded like a carefully made dinner napkin in a fancy French restaurant with the mushrooms inviting us to dig in. They were perfectly made with the precise amount of thickness, elasticity and dryness with that slight crisp on the edge that Aiiyah loves.

We were intrigued by how the ingredients were presented in the crepes. The egg in Tourist Tree’s was folded into the batter and cooked as one. They were the neatest yellow spots in the black buckwheat batter like a reverse pattern on a leopard. Long slivers of thinly sliced ham (and the Swiss) were neatly laid out on one half before the crepe was folded with the garlic and parsley sautéed mushrooms placed on the other half. The whole presentation was like a neatly folded handkerchief with the corners tucked underneath.

We thoroughly enjoyed our déjeuner at this quaint little crêperie in the middle of this Jerzey seashore frill-less vacationland. The freshly sliced mushrooms sautéed with garlic and parsley sitting against the buckwheat crepes were a delightful change from the usual restauranteria offerings. Our two waitresses were pleasant, attentive and they also made a killer iced coffee. This quaint little crêperie has more personality than most of the zombie like vacationers we have seen all weekend. Although this may not be a place suitable for most families with screaming kids as a dining option, we hope more people wishing a change from the usual seashore food will find this charming place a vacation from the usual Jerzey shore food chain.

Ma France Crêperie

506 9th St

Ocean City, NJ 08226




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Beer Week 2010 Super Blog, Pt 7

Day Six


Local 44

I started the evening with an easy drinking Wells Bombardier on cask at another one of our favorite bars in the area. Local 44 and its sister bars, Memphis Tab Room and Resurrection Ale House, are the only bars in the area that were pouring the Wells during Beer Week. Having been drinking a good number of extreme beers for the past several days, this 4.3% bitter brewed from the water from its own well was a much needed easy drinking beer to slowly ease myself into the night.

Kite and Key


The Flyers and Black Hawks championship game was just coming on when I showed up at Kite and Key but the Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout that I was so looking forward was already gone. This rare seasonal imperial heavy with chocolate and coffee, aged in bourbon barrel for a year was one of the best stouts that I have enjoyed. At 11.2%, it would certainly wake you up in the morning or put you right back to sleep if you had a few too many.

Kite and Key was featuring three Founder’s beers on this night. Aiiyah knew better that he should stay away from the super hoppy Devil Dancer. Even at 12% ABV, there wasn’t enough alcohol to convince this intrepid drinker to dance with this 112 IBU Devil. The Red’s Rye seemed to be a more logical choice. I like rye beer but I did not expect this beer to be so hoppy! As I was making the “I don’t like sucking on this grapefruit rind” face, Tourist Tree walked through the door and came to the rescue. “Look, I have already gotten you a beer!” “What is it?” Came that look of suspicious from The Tourist Tree. “It’s hoppy, you’ll enjoy it.” She loved it!

King of Tandoor


The excitement of the Flyers game could not dampen the growling of hunger in Tourist Tree. We left the busy bar and walked a few doors down the street where the aroma of curry welcomed us into a sea of tranquility.

Lamb Dumpakht

Dumpakht is a cooking method which the vessel is sealed with pastry dough. This is the first restaurant in the area that we have encountered a dish cooked in this method.

Our lamb potpie arrived with a ballooning pastry dough completely draping over the small crock like thick melted cheese over French onion soup. A poke through the dough released a steady stream of steam and an intoxicating aroma of curry inviting us to dig further into the crock.

The curry was like any good Indian curry supposed to be; good consistency, intense in flavor, simulating spices, and a compliment to the main ingredient. Unfortunately, the meat was slightly overcooked for Aiiyah’s taste. I particularly liked the different spices in the curry and the whole cinnamon stick submerged in the sauce which probably contributed to this dish’s unique flavor. We weren’t sure if the pastry dough was meant to be eaten. It was chewy and a bit on the greasy side.

Lamb Saag

This dish had to be good. It had to be good because Tourist Tree downed it in minutes! The flavor was intense and simulating. Unfortunately, the lamb was overdone as well in the dish even the spinach was soft and tender.

Chapati


Another item that we have not seen served in the usual run of the mill Indian restaurants. This unleavened thin bread was roasted instead of grilled in the tandoori. I liked it very much with its difference in texture and taste from the other breads. It also served very well for scooping up the curry.

The hot mango archi which we ordered as a side carried a slight kick of spice with its sweetness and sourness. We also like the spiciness in the chopped onions that were part of the table compliments along with the yogurt and the brown sauce (after years of eating Indian foods, we still haven’t bothered to find out the actual name for this sauce).

There are so many Indian restaurants in the area nowadays serving similar food in similar style with similar decor that they all kind of mushed together with no distinct personality nor outstanding cooking. King of Tandoor’s food is on par with the area restaurants. I am not sure why there was a pair of salt and pepper shakers on every table in the restaurant but it does try to distinguish itself by offering a few unique dishes. We are looking forward to see if it will set itself apart by offering some solid good cooking (at least by not overcooking its meat would be a good start).

City Tap House


For after dinner drinks, we went to the City Tap House which was doing a “Best of the Best” with the best seasonal beers offered by the top ten breweries as rated by Beer Advocate. The place was not as packed as a few days ago when we were there doing the Bell’s event. We couldn’t tell if the people were there for the Flyers game or for the beer but the girl next to us at the bar drinking a cocktail did not stop talking to her girlfriend about her dramatic dating life with all her loser boys and they did not look at the game at all on the TV.

After scanning the names up and down the beer list for the night, I started with the new Saison du Buff. The beer is the result of a cross collaboration among Stone, Victory, and Dog Fish Head with each brewery doing a batch with the exact recipe but with a different release date. This 6.0% beer was a flavor full of different herbs; parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc. I felt so healthy drinking this herbal mix but unfortunately I didn’t care much about the taste.

When I was doing the healthy tonic of collaboration health, Tourist Tree made a wiser choice by going for a stronger 8.9% Belgium trippel. The Ommegang Triple Perfection was delicious with its good taste of honey and sweetness. Her bold move inspired me to go for the over the top 15.1% Avery Mephistopheles’.


The bartender delivered me a small snifter glass of super dark liquid with a huge head. I was surprised by the smaller glass and was wondering if she had given me a sample of this high octane imperial stout instead of a regular pour until I took a sip. WOW! This thing was intense. If there was an umami for beer, that was it! Complex, bourbon-ish, caramelized fruit, chocolate, sweet, syrup’ish, like sipping a super fortified vintage port. This is a beer that has nothing beer-like about it.

After many minutes of watching the game on the TV and a few more spent trying to figure out what had just happened, the championship game was over anti-climatically before anybody had realized. Congrats to the Black Hawks. Good job for the Flyers for going so far and putting up such a good fight. We are proud of you.


As the night was getting late and people emptying out of the bar, Aiiyah admitted defeat. I had tried. A few small sips at a time while savoring the rich deepness of complexity going down my mouth; but I just could not finish the Mephistopheles’. The little glass had gotten the better of me.



Day Six Beer Tally:


Wells Bombardier
Founder’s Red’s Rye
Avery/Victory/Dog Fish Head Sasion du Buff
Ommegang Triple Perfection
Avery Mephistopheles’

Beer Week 2010 Super Blog, Pt 6

Day Five

Samuel Adams Beer Dinner

Having been to several beer dinners at the Swann Lounge in the Four Seasons Hotel, we were looking forward to this dinner. We expected it to be another highlight during our Beer Week adventure and we were looking forward to a change of pace to a more civilized evening.

Although a pioneer in the craft beer world, we have not been seeing the more interesting beers from Sam Adams around town. I must admit that I do not seek out Sam Adams in bars. The only ones usually available are the lager and ale which somehow typically sit next to the Miller or Amstel Lite taps.

We were handed each a Boston Lager in its own Sam Adams glass from the specifically set up bar in the Swann as soon as the sommelier spotted us walking in. The glass is supposedly the result of several years of scientific research and taste testing which would highlight the aroma and taste of its beer with its special shape and production. I couldn’t decide if the glass actually did improve the enjoyment of the Lager but the cold liquid with its low 4.9% ABV was a refreshing treat after walking in from a hot sticky summer evening outside.

Our waiter placed several “bar snacks” on the table as soon as we sat down. The cashew nuts had a little spicy kick and were a bit guey and sticking to each other. The pretzel nuggets were sticky on the surface as well and a bit chewy. They were served with a spiced beer flavored yellow mustard on the side and would had been better if they had been slightly warmed.

The French fries were fresh off the fryer and came with a lemon something dipping sauce. There were skinny, crisp, delicious, and was an excellent accompaniment with the Lager. I never found out nor figured out what the dipping sauce was. It was very nicely prepared but somehow I found it to be an odd paring with the fries.

We loved the idea of serving bar snacks at the beginning of this beer dinner. It was such a refreshing idea instead of the more traditional amusé bouche or the stomach filling bread basket.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuna Tartare, Avocado, Crispy Onion, Lime Vinaigrette
Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat

Tuna, avocado, crispy onion, and lime vinaigrette sounded like an odd combination, somehow, this oddness did come together very well on the plate. The tuna was quite good. Although I did not find the meat particularly tasty, the flavor was complimented very well by the outstanding lime vinaigrette drizzled on the plate. I could never imagine avocado being on the same plate with a tuna tartare but this combination of flavor and texture was indeed interesting and delightful. I found myself breaking up the crispy thin tempura-like battered fried onion strips into the tuna and avocado which added another interesting dimension to this dish.

The 5.4% seasonal Coastal Wheat beer was brewed with lemon. It was delightful, light, and the citrus flavor worked very well with our seafood dish.

Maryland Crab Cake, Sweet Corn, Chili Rémoulade
Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier

There are crab cakes, and there are crab cakes! There are crab cakes full of fillings, and there are crab cakes with big chucks of meaty intense flavor meat with practically no fillers. Our crab cakes were prime examples of the later instead of the former. They were moist, flavorful, nicely packed and cooked perfectly with a slight crisp on both ends. With the in-season sweet corn and the chili rémoulade sauce, this dish was a winner.

The Blackberry Wit is something that I definitely would not have ordered at a bar. I do not like fruity beer. The Samuel Adams Blackberry Wit is made with the Oregon Marionberries for a balance of acidity and tartness. This 5.5% beer definitely tasted … blackberry’ish! With its fruity characteristic, it did go very well with the flavor of the crab cake and sweetness of the corn. I was glad that this beer was served at the dinner or I would had never tried it.

For the record, the chef made a special crab cake sans wheat or dairy just for the Tourist Tree. It was just as well made and as tasty. We appreciated the restaurant’s effort.

A Blackberry Storm or a Blackberry Wit?

Romaine Wedge, Mimolette, Bacon, Aged Balsamic
Samuel Adams New World Tripel “Barrel Series”

Grilled lettuce may sound strange to a lot of people. If done right, it is a delightful way to prepare such vegetables. The Romaine wedge was lightly grilled. It was still crispy, sweet, refreshing, and joined by the smoky salty crispy bacon, the deep flavor of the mimolette, and the sweet sourness of the balsamic vinegar.

This sweet sourness of the dressing was a good compliment to the “bourbon’ish” sweetness in the New World Tripel. This 10% bottle conditioned barrel aged beer is light in color but deep in flavor. The more serious characteristics of this beer were a good harmony to the whimsical approach of preparing this salad/veggie dish.

Grilled Prime Flatiron Steak, “Tomato-Potato”, Lancaster Asparagus
Samuel Adams Black Lager

I do not think much of flatiron steak, but I didn’t know it could be that tender. I was a bit disappointed when I saw this less–expensive cut of meat on the menu. However, my disappointment soon turned into a pleasant surprise after I took a few bits of this meat. It was tender. It was flavorful. It was juicy. It was well prepared. It was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, not all of Tourist Tree’s pieces were as uniformly tender. We also liked the “Tomato-Potato” with small pieces of potato and tomato in a tomato sauce. It was comfort-food’ish delicious.

The Black Lager was dark with strong herbal and coco flavor. It reminded me of a porter but it is not. The Black Lager is brewed in the style of a Schwarzbier. Although dark in color and flavor, this easy drinking beer was only 4.9% in ABV and a good match up with the flatiron steak.

Chocolate Beer Cake, Griotte Cherry Sorbet

Samuel Adams American Kriek “Barrel Series”

If there is one thing that we know the pastry kitchen can do very well, it is anything with chocolate. The beer cake was spongy, moist, with just the right dose of chocolate folded into the cake. And of course, cherries always go well with chocolate! A double feature of a sorbet made with Griotte, and a Kriek made with Balaton cherries from Michigan just about did the job. This 7.0% Belgium style has a nice balance of tartness and sweetness. With the flavor of cherry and the acidity, it served as a nice compliment to the chocolate and a nice digestive for the dinner.

Oh yes, just to gild the lily a little, there was melted chocolate in the middle.

Tourist Tree received her usual specially made sorbet of passion fruit, raspberry, and cherry.

We have always been amazed by the quality of meal at the Four Seasons, may it be the Fountain Room, the Swann, or just a catered dinner. With a new chef manning the Swann Lounge, we were happy to see that the food was just as well executed, innovative, and well thought out. At a price of $65.00 per person, we certainly have gotten a great value on this meal, plus more.

I must admit that neither one of us had paid much attention to beers from Sam Adams lately. With the proliferation of specialty beers in our area nowadays, Sam Adams had just slipped through our radars. This was more of a reason we were so glad that we had attended this dinner and were introduced to its more interesting offerings. The ZZ Top look-alike Brewer Bob told us at the dinner that their next Barrel Serious release, named Infinium, will be a champagne style beer that is brewed in calibration with the oldest brewery in Germany, Weihenstephan. Being a champagne style beer, the bottle has to be hand turned just like a champagne periodically, therefore, the packaging is being handled by a winery up in the Finger Lakes region. Looks like Aiiyah and Tourist Tree may have to do a procurement trip to Boston when this Infinium is released sometimes in the fall!

As we were watching a few people from the other table helping themselves to more beer at the bar, our waiter dropped off a gift bag of goodies for each of us, “…you can take everything on the table home too…” he spoke softly as he was walking away. The Tourist Tree and I looked at each other and collectively wondered….

“How can we put everything in the small bags?” No task is too hard, Aiiyah is always up for a challenge.

Day Five Beer Tally:


Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat
Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier
Samuel Adams New World Tripel “Barrel Series”
Samuel Adams Black Lager
Samuel Adams American Kriek “Barrel Series”

Beer Week 2010 Super Blog, Pt 5

Day Four


Thirty-one different Bell’s beers on tap! That alone had preempted any of our other plans to check out other Beer Week happenings for Day Four.

City Tap House

Another relatively new comer to the Philly beer scene, the City Tap House occupies the upper mezzanine level of a mixed use high-rise with an outdoor patio complete with fire pits.

There was already a good sized crowd mulling around waiting when we arrived. Our waiter gave us the regular drink menu asking if we wanted anything since they could not pour any of the featured beers until the appointed start time for the event. I kind of looked at him strangely, “Why would I want to do that with 31 beers to drink?” I don’t think that was the first telepathic communication he had received that night since he walked away with a slight grin on his face.

They could not pour the beer until 7:00PM but our waiter returned to take our order way before the appointed time. The genius who came up with this system must have thought that they would have to pour several hundred beers when the clock hits 7:00 with horde of thirsty people demanding their beers. We couldn’t let him down on his well thought out plan by ordering 6 beers ourselves as a contribution to the madness.

Strength in number. To tackle 31 beers, we enlisted Buddy Karen to bring the average number of beer consumed per person down.

Forty five minutes later, our beers finally showed up. Our helpful waiter tried to tell us which was which but after sipping a few beers, we realized that he had the order completely messed up. Beer roulette time!

Our result for the first 6 beers mix and match beer roulette: 1) Batch 6000 – A 10.5% dry hopped barley wine brewed in 2003. It’s very smooth with all the essential characteristics of a good barley wine. 2) Le Pianiste – This 5.8% malt forward beer has a good note of bread crust with a dry and crisp finish. Very easy drinking. 3) Golden Funk – Lots of peppercorn, cardamom type flavors in this 6.2% wheat. Enjoyed drinking it very much. 4) Bourbon Barrel Aged Hell Hath No Fury – To say that Aiiyah really loved this beer is an understatement. I loved the Hell Hath No Fury. Aging this beer in bourbon barrels would just make me to commit unthinkable acts just to have another one. Yes, at 10.5%, who wouldn’t want to have another one? 5) Le Contrabassiste – A 7.0% from the Biere de Garde series. A very easy drinking beer with light hints of coffee and caramel. 6) La Batteur – Another Biere de Garde beer. Another easy drinking blonde at 5.8%

We traded a few beer tales with our new friends Dave and Kevin who recounted for us their beer adventure in a bocce ball tournament in Kansas City(or was that Nashville?) as part of the Knights of the (Sacred) Malted Ball team dressed in their KKK Grand Imperial Wizard look-alike costumes/uniforms…long story. They also gave us a few ideas for our next beers.

Beer number 7) Black Note (11.0%) – It’s a bourbon! It’s a 50/50 blend of the Expo beer and the DCS beer aged in bourbon barrels for up to 18 months; but it’s a bourbon. It’s strong. It’s a WOW! It’s beyond description. It’s a bourbon! 8) Wedding Ale – Wheaty, hoppy; and at 7.0%, it wasn’t something that stood out to me on this night. 9) Harry Magill’s Spiced Stout – It’s supposed to have used spices from around the world to brew this with the oldest specialty stout recipes. At 7.5%, all I tasted was a lot of herbal notes, but still very good.

So we had tried. However, after 9 beers and a good buzz, it was getting late and we were getting tired. We threw in the towel by waving little white flags. There were still a few more one-off that we would have liked to try but we were glad that we had what we drank. Some of these beers were so rare that even Google would not return a result. On the way to the bathroom, we noticed the hallway was lined with kegs from the who’s who heavy hitters of the craft beer world. We called it a night knowing that we’d be back soon when these kegs are tapped.


Day Four Beer Tally:


Bell’s Batch 6000
Bell’s Le Pianiste
Bell’s Golden Funk
Bell’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Hell Hath No Fury
Bell’s Le Contrabassiste
Bell’s La Batteur
Bell’s Black Note
Bell’s Wedding Ale
Bell’s Harry Magill’s Spiced