3553 SE Hawthorne Blvd

http://www.chezmachincreperie.com/

Date of visit: September 29, 2009

Price for two (with tip) $26

I’ve never been to France, but I did take two years of French in High School, so I feel I am fairly qualified to comment on the authenticity of Chez Machin. Based on what I assume and have seen on the episodes of 90210 where Donna and Brenda went to France, it definitely felt like an authentic French cafe. A little bit cramped, red-checked table clothes, provocative art on the walls, whole nine. Oh yeah, and the menu is in French (although not the food descriptions themselves, which is good because I have forgotten most of those two years of French.)

The menu at Chez Machin Creperie obviously includes crepes, as well as soups, salads, sandwiches and a bistro menu of more hearty items. I felt compelled to order a crepe myself and went with the La Saucisse consisting of sun-dried tomato-basil pork sausage, mozzerella, scallions, spinach, roasted red pepper and  garlic coulis. I should note it was the most expensive savory crepe on the menu at 10.95, but the nice thing about doing this blog is I can totally justify the cost (or at least write it off my taxes.) The crepe tasted like a really delicious bolognese sauce in a perfectly crispy crepe, but honestly, for $11, seemed a little small. Of course, I was completely full after eating it, but compared to the plate across the table from me I felt like I’d been a bit gypped.

That said, Jared got the Croque Vegetarien, a grilled avocado and swiss sandwich that came with a side salad. He also got a cup of the french onion soup, oozing with crunchy bread and melted swiss. The soup is actually vegetarian, and even though it didn’t include real food, tasted pretty good. Chez Machin was definitely one of those places I’d been wanting to try for awhile now, and there’s a good chance I’ll go back, maybe even sit on the patio next time.

Veggie Options: Yes, and vegan, gluten free crepes if you are into that sort of thing.

Speed: Not fast. You know what they say about the French (wait, are they stereotypically slow?)

crepes La Saucisse

french onion soup

Croque Vegetarien