Enjoying an excellent coffee in peace, I gazed out the L’Aube bay window. Dreaming about the latest male passerby in bike shorts I was startled when Jean Luc entered the door.
Jean Luc is loud, the type of man that fills a room with electricity and new conversation. Energetic with a big smile and a gap in his teeth, he is robust with life and full of pride when talking about his coffee.
“How is it? Do you like it? I roast it myself.” He boomed at my 16-ounce.
Owner of café L’Aube, seated between 15th and 16th streets on South Street, Jean Luc found his previous life as an actuary less than fulfilling. After quitting his job, he found happiness studying with a roaster in Belgium. Now he wakes L’Aube patrons up with his own an 8-bean house blend.
For two dollars per 16-ounce cup, L’Aube café is the place I would want to do my waking up in anyway. Name meaning “the dawn” in French, fresh mint and sunny tamarind walls are lined with French Art Noveau- inspired posters and collage artwork. The huge window seat is piled high with magazines and just on the other side of the pane there are little outdoor tables for coffee and crepes alfresco.
The French-inspired “carte” is such a long list of gustatory crepes, sandwiches, and waffles we wonder if Jean Luc spent some time in Paris as well.
Made for flavor, the crepes are filled but not bursting with contents and the wise filling combinations are divine. Among the list of 17 savory crepes, ingredients like Camembert, crème fraiche, caramelized apple, and fondue of leeks appear. The combination in Le Nordique ($9.95) even stands out. Mixing salmon, crème fraiche, chervil, and spinach the succulent crepe triangle is balanced and flavorful.
Less complex, but delicious in its lemony simplicity, Sucre Citron (mixing sugar and lemon) is only $5.95. Café favorites however, lie in all crepes involving Nutella, and ones pairing strawberry or banana are both available for $6.95.
Even if not in it for the crepes, the café has little muffin and cookie treats as well, and that two-dollar coffee is nutty and flavorful, as exuberant in its cup as Jean is in his skin.
L’Aube is sweet, serene on a section of South Street that is above perpendicularly running Broad Street. In a neighborhood above what becomes the city playground, this is where one should spend a lazy afternoon. Siesta before the night, but just don’t let your face hit the plate. That spoiled crepe would be a sore loss and Jean Luc is best met while chatting, not napping.
- Eating Everywhere
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