Dawn Baby Dawn

Café l'Aube

by Trey Popp

A rule of city living: Pancakes are a poor man's breakfast. As long as you have a pan and a spatula, you're good to go. Same goes for eggs. I don't care how tiny your urban kitchen is — if either of these is what you're after, there's no reason to leave home.

Take a culinary step in either direction, though, and it's a different story. On the one side, you've got waffles — but probably not enough space for a waffle iron. On the other, there's crêpes. When's the last time you pulled off a decent pair of those without filling the garbage with a mound of failures first?

Jean-Luc Fanny knows these truths, and the menu at Café l'Aube ("the dawn") reflects them. This South Street nook doesn't list half a dozen omelettes or stuff French toast with farmer's cheese. No sausages or short stacks, either. Fanny makes crêpes and waffles (and slender sandwiches), and he makes them better than just about anyone in town.

For six months, the French native has been manning his griddles, stacking the windowsill with back issues of Paris Match and L'Express, and singing the praises of team handball in this color-splashed café. Everything happens behind the counter, so you're likely to have to wait a bit for your order, but it's worth the linger. Fanny's company is as good as his Intelligentsia coffee. 

Crêpes are often just vehicles for the cargo they carry inside. The contents here are all top-notch — particularly the leek fondue and crispy bacon pairing — but it's the packaging that sets these beauties apart. Fanny's savory crêpes bear just enough buckwheat flour for that perfect nuttiness, yet they're as light as a magic carpet in midair. Sweet crêpes are all white flour, but no less excellent.

His ethereal waffles testify to the virtue of well-whipped egg whites in a minimally sweetened batter. Fanny's chocolate syrup tastes like chocolate, not corn syrup. The powdered sugar atop his lemon crêpe gives just enough sweetness to counter the citrusy tang. The dollop of crème fraîche on my last waffle was properly sour, and so much better than whipped cream.

If you want hash browns and sugar bombs for breakfast, this isn't the place. But if you want exquisitely balanced renditions of the treats that best justify a morning meal out, you won't find better.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Café l'Aube

1512 South St., 215-546-1550, cafelaube.com

Hours: Mon.-Thu., 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri., 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Crêpes, $4-$7.50; Sandwiches, $6.25-$6.95; Waffles, $3.50-$4.50

Wheelchair accessible