Rachel’s Cafe & Creperie

Early this year I visited the Skinny Pancake, a sort of bohemian creperie and performance space along Lake Champlain. I hope the shows are good, because the crepes don’t hold a Bunsen burner to Rachel’s Cafe & Creperie in Lancaster. Her skinny pancakes come out of the kitchen piping hot, satisfyingly chewy with lovely crisp edges, folded into neat cones, and packed with more than a dozen different savory or sweet fillings—but I would happily eat one plain.  

Rachel’s was smart to move from well-worn twin storefronts on Queen to a lovely window-lit house on Walnut. Their redesign features bright trendy chandeliers and wall coverings, a fenced outdoor seating area and off-street parking. Even though they added many more seats the lines just seem to get longer. In summer the host uses a buzzer system to call patrons to their tables.  

Even with these fine accomplishments, I would humbly suggest an improvement in each category above: 

• Food: With crepes this good, there really should be excellent coffee. The regular tastes bland to me, and the expresso drinks are hit and miss. Storm clouds are the only designs drawn in this steamed milk. Could French press be an option?  
• Service: My regular breakfast companion often mentions how promptly some restaurants bring water and take drink orders. It is a simple sign of welcome. The service at Rachel’s is not bad, but things fall through the cracks. People who have waited to be seated should not have to wait to get their morning caffeine.

Oh also—the hash browns are silly. No one wants to pay a buck for three bits of grizzled starch the size of quarters.

http://www.rachelscreperie.com/menu/