Whenever my parents visit from out of state, they always make the same comment. "It doesn't look like there is a recession in Fairfield!" Based on the fact that it seems like more new restaurants/food spots have been opening lately than have been closing, I'd have to agree. Maybe we Fairfielders are just in a state of denial, or we just love a good meal out! Now, right in the same neighborhood there are two new choices for griddled goodness...
Chip's and
Bon Appetit Creperie.
Chip's, a family-friendly pancake house popular in Orange since 1966, has now opened a Fairfield outpost in the former Blockbuster Video space on the corner of Black Rock Turnpike and Tunxis Hill Cut Off. They have over 40 varieties of pancakes which you can order as a full stack, a short stack, or as silver dollar pancakes. They also have omelets, French toast, and Belgian waffles, in addition to a full lunch menu. I loved one of the house specialities, German Apple pancakes, which had the apples cooked right into the batter, rather than only on top. They also have several different flavored syrups, which is just sort of fun. If you go on a weekend, arrive by 8:30 to avoid a line, but if you do get there later, rest-assured that the giant line does move very quickly. The restaurant is huge and the tables do turn over fairly quickly.
Just a few blocks north you'll encounter
Bon Appetit Cafe and Creperie, now open on the bottom level of the
Billy's Bakery building at 1879 Black Rock Turnpike. I'd heard raves about it, so recently checked it out myself. The dessert crepes definitely lived up to the hype. My favorite was the simple jam-filled wheat crepes...light, sweet and delicious. My friends all loved the Nutella crepes, but there were so many delicious sounding varieties you could go back a dozen times and never have the same one twice. The entree crepes were made mostly from buckwheat and everyone in my party agreed we would have preferred the lighter regular wheat variety, but enjoyed the different fillings (I liked the prosciutto and goat cheese, and my girlfriends enjoyed the smoked salmon filled variety). The many sandwiches on offer also sounded wonderful (the Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame are calling my name), so I will definitely go back soon to try those. The cafe is definitely a welcome addition to the ever-expanding diversity of Fairfield eateries!
Read about more new Fairfield food openings in the SportsPlex (
Cinch and
The Stand Juice Company) on my blog for the
Connecticut News at :
http://blog.ctnews.com/holleran/
Posts
