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Food

Say bonjour to new crepes cafe now open in West Dallas

Julien Eelsen doesn't want to create a food revolution, he says; the French transplant just wants to sell "French comfort food" in his new home of Dallas.

The s'mores crepe at Whisk Crepes Cafe is topped with blowtorched marshmallows.
The s'mores crepe at Whisk Crepes Cafe is topped with blowtorched marshmallows.(Rose Baca / Staff Photographer)

Crepes, or paper-thin French pancakes filled with sweet or savory ingredients, are one of the French foods Eelsen misses most. His Whisk Crepes Cafe will sell a simple menu of four sweet crepes, four savory, and with build-your-own options. The shop's specials will change regularly.

Whisk opens Tuesday, Oct. 6 in the Sylvan Thirty development in West Dallas, near Interstate 30 and Sylvan Avenue.

Eelsen doesn't have formal culinary training, but he says growing up in Paris and eating crepes often for lunch or dinner is enough practice. "I've had a lot of crepes in my life," he says. ("I've also had a lot of diets.")

Consider this lunch: Whisk's chicken crepe with a zingy tomato salad and balsamic glaze.
Consider this lunch: Whisk's chicken crepe with a zingy tomato salad and balsamic glaze.(Rose Baca / Staff Photographer)

Eelsen and his small team of chefs will make traditional crepes, such as the savory ham-egg-cheese, as well as ones with Texas influence, such as a barbecue crepe with pulled pork, caramelized onions and queso fresco.

Some of the sweet crepes might be a State Fair-inspired one created by chef Christina Turknett: cinnamon apples, cinnamon cream cheese, caramel and pecans wrapped in a thin crepe. Patrons will also find traditional dessert crepes such as Nutella and banana or pear poached in white wine sauce, topped with salted caramel.

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Crepes will cost $7 to $14 each. The shop will be BYOB for the first few months.

Look inside the teeny, 647-square-foot cafe:

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Whisk is located next-door to another teeny West Dallas shop, Ten. Ten is the standing-room-only ramen restaurant from chef Teiichi Sakurai, of Tei-An.

Also near Whisk is Cibo Divino, a grab 'n go wine market and pizza place. Eelsen buys some of Whisk's ingredients from Cibo.

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Tacodeli is expected to open in the development soon.

Follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich for more food news.