BOUCHɅ CREPERIE & CAFɍ 3510 Fremont Ave. N., 206-632-5220, FREMONT Brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sun.; Lunch 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.; Dinner 6-11 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 5-11 p.m. Sun.
NESTLED IN A SHINY new building on Fremont Avenue, Bouch饠Cr갥rie & Caf頩s adorable. Co-owner and manager Tiffany Diamond is adorable. The food is . . . well, less definable—in a word, anyway.
Bouch饠serves brunch, lunch, and dinner, the best of which is lunch. Lunch is without flaw (aside from its perplexing brevity—between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays). After only five months in business, lunches at Bouch饠(it means “mouthful”) bustle, the quiet chatter of diners filling the long, airy, high-ceilinged space. Sun filters in the window softening the low-lit, burgundy-walled cafe. The tables are covered with butcher paper and equipped with crayons. There’s a fun Frenchy tapestry covering an expansive sidewall. Like it or not, there are signs of whimsical Fremont scattered throughout—a shimmery windcatcher here, a pastel, medieval-princess-style headdress there—looking like lost remnants of Fremont festivals past.
Francophiles be warned: Diamond and co-owner/husband Michael, inspired by a 1999 trip to Paris, aren’t going for authenticity. The menu revolves around cr갥s, but the Diamonds are not afraid to use cr갥s in very nontraditional ways. Including stuffing them with pub-style sandwich fixings such as chilled smoked salmon ($9) and—in one dish—bacon, avocado, and sour cream ($6.50). So does nontraditional mean sacrilegious? Maybe to some, but truth be told, that BAS lunch cr갥 is as delicious as it sounds.
Bouch饠makes four basic cr갥s: buckwheat, whole wheat, classic, and sun-dried tomato. Stick with the buckwheat—it’s strong enough to hold up under cheesy, overstuffed conditions, and its fibrous flavor never overwhelms. The three other varieties are flimsy, bland, and pointless, respectively.
A lunch companion and I were hard-pressed to find anything unpleasant. A cheesetastic panini with goat cheese, spinach, tomato, and caramelized onions ($6.50) was pleasurable; a creamy squash soup ($3) was spicy and good; a spinach salad ($5) was fresh and well-rounded, with chunky tomatoes and artichoke hearts, shaved fresh Parmesan, a tangy house-made red wine vinegar, and the most exquisite, voluptuous croutons I’ve ever encountered. Lunch prices are reasonable.
Unfortunately, brunch and dinner are slightly more problematic than their lovable midday sibling. A special brunch cr갥 with ham, eggs, Gruy貥, and spinach ($7) sounds like a good idea but is laden with too much ham and spinach. The create-your-own-breakfast-cr갥s menu option ($7) is advisable (pick bacon, Gruy貥, and tomatoes, and remember to stick with the buckwheat). Dinner cr갥s are unremarkable and, considering they’re the same size as the lunch choices, too pricey ($9.50-$11.50). Of course, the sorrows of a mediocre dinner can most certainly be drowned in a great beer list (Belgians!), respectable wines and cocktails, and delightfully sweet dessert cr갥s. The candled nighttime atmosphere is romantic, and no matter when you choose to drop in, the service and presentation are extraordinary for Fremont. And good ingredients are never skimped.
