best galettes (as in buckwheat crêpes)?

[Robert Lauriston]

With Toutatis and Ti Couz gone, where hereabouts can I get great Breton galettes, preferably washed down with cider on tap?

[ernie in berkeley]

Nizza La Bella does a nice breakfast galette with ham and cheese inside and an egg and greens on top.

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Nizza La Bella
827 San Pablo Ave, Albany, CA 94706

[originalfig]

Thought you'd be interested in knowing (if you missed the Tablehopper piece on it awhile ago) that a gourmet-minded creperie is about to open around the corner from Rye, downtown. I checked out the space yesterday (one of the owners is a friend) and met the young Breton crepe-meister who is one of the partners. His restaurant in Brittany is closed during the winter months so the venture makes perfect sense for him...

It's not a full restaurant - you'll order at a counter and then grab a table - their goal is to satisfy the lunch crowd and then morph into a wine bar-ish space in the evenings. The most exciting thing to me was hearing about the flour they'll be using for the galettes. They've contracted with Giusto's (the Oakland mill) to do a custom grind of 100% buckwheat. It's almost impossible to find 100% buckwheat galettes in the U.S. (apparently the buckwheat flour available here is generally too coarse to make great galettes, so it's typically blended with white flour).

The space has some cool arty touches to it too (like a bunch of giant branchless birch trees they've installed, a nod to Brittany's birches they said)...Like I said, one of the owners is a friend, so my enthusiasm is definitely biased. But I think even if I didn't have a personal connection I'd be psyched about it opening up.

Oh, and yes they will have cider - though I don't know if it will be on tap or by the bottle. Here's a link to the Tablehopper piece:
http://www.tablehopper.com/chatterbox...

I will post after I've had my first taste...I am jonesing for a "galette complete" (ideally accompanied by cider and followed by some kouign amann) for a little trip down the Brittany isle of my memory lane....

[escargot3]

sounds exciting: 100% buckwheat is my kinda crepe. thanks for posting.

[originalfig]

The chef said that the batter consists of just the buckwheat flour, sea salt and water-- nothing else. I was super-surprised at this, as every galette recipe I've ever seen calls for eggs and maybe a bit of milk, too. It sounds really hard-core and traditional, which I like.

[ChowFun_derek]

looks like it's coming soon...an update...

New license issued for GALETTE 88

SEP
29
2011

Status change dateSeptember 27, 2011
License number 512663
Business name GALETTE 88
Primary owner GALETTE LLC
Original issue date September 26, 2011
Expiration date August 31, 2012
License type On-sale beer and wine - eating place

[drewskiSF]

supposed to have opened yesterday
http://www.thrillist.com/food/san-fra...

[Robert Lauriston]

Sounds great, kind of like socca. "The true galette is made from just buckwheat flour, water, and salt. ... They’re not easy to make ..."

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/02/...

[originalfig]

I love that post! Sheesh, if David Lebovitz found it impossible to make them then I'm not even going to try. I have a whole new appreciation for the art. (Though I am tempted now to try my hand at socca, despite the lack of the "essential" fireplace oven. Maybe on my next camping trip?!)

[Robert Lauriston]

11-3 M-F, "happy hour coming soon, available for private parties."

http://www.galettesf.com/

[Robert Lauriston]

This is the real deal. Better than in Paris.

[tjinsf]

any word on when they are extending hours?

[Robert Lauriston]

TBD, probably sometime next month. They're on vacation next week.

[jman1]

Sorry to see that there were no local responses. I'm searching as well. There used to be a recent option on Fillmore street (was it La Boulange?), but their menu doesn't list crepes.

Did folks tire of crepes during the mini trend?

I ordered a crepe at a Douce France (perhaps a bad choice, but I was walking by) and was disappointed. That reminds me, Bistro Maxine in Palo Alto was acceptable, but not great. Not up to Ti Couz or the various Le Gamin locations in NY or Boston (back in the day).

Speaking of acceptable, there is always The Butler and the Chef or Chez Maman.

Are the Creperie Saint Germain locations any good? Haven't been.

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Chez Maman
1453 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Douce France
855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Bistro Maxine
548 Ramona St, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Creperie Saint Germain
546 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94105

[sugartoof]

Plenty of crepes around, but none replace Ti Couz's perfect Buckwheat crepes with cider.

Butlerand the Chef would be interesting though. I love their quiche and Croque Monsiuer.

[meemster]

I don't know if you consider this "hereabouts" but Bistro 29 in Santa Rosa has them: http://www.bistro29.com/

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Bistro 29
620 5th Street, Santa Rosa, CA