"Beau Monde is a beautiful and delicious one-of-a-kind find."

Beau Monde

By Phyllis Stein-Novack

Restaurant Reviewer

One of the nicest things about marrying into a large family is you get to pick the relatives-in-law you wish to be close to. There are 208 members of the Novack family. The eldest is my fatherin-law, Ike, who is 86. The youngest is his 3-month-old great-grandnephew. There are so man), cousins, I've lost track of them.

One of my favorites is cousin Sally, who moved to Atlanta seven years ago. Sally and I were very close, almost like sisters, when she lived here. We hung out a lot, went shopping, to the movies, enjoyed dinners at our house or at her apartment, When she moved, I missed her very much.

Earlier this month, when she was in town for her college reunion, Edward and I were so happy and wanted to celebrate by eating outside. So we headed over to Rock Lobster and ultimately watched the storm clouds gather. just as it started to pour, our gracious waiter canceled our dinner. "I in used to it," he said. Since we did not want to wait for a table in the protected area, I suggested we drive over to Beau Monde, the new Breton creperie in Queen Village. It was an inspired choice.

Beau Monde means "beautiful world" in French. The restaurant is indeed beautiful. Chef David Salama, who hails from Bolivia, is also an artist. He hand-painted the walls with beautiful figures of grapes, grape leaves and oranges. The restaurant is alive with locals having a drink at the bar or selecting their meal from a large menu that satisfies even the pickiest eaters, like cousin Sally. Salama's partner, Jim Caiola, is a welcoming host. He set up a large table so we would be comfortable.

Beau Monde is the only authentic creperie in Philadelphia. Although crepes are eaten in many parts of the world, they reign in Brittany. Breton crepes are large, flat squares made with buckwheat flour. They are not rolled up like a blintz or cannelloni. Fillings can be sweet or savory. Dessert crepes are made with a plain wheat flour.

Our waitress brought an excellent baguette to the table as we perused the huge menu. We sampled a number of fine dishes, each one perfectly prepared.

I am a fan of authentic French onion soup. Unfortunately, few restaurants prepare it well. Salama is such a stickler for fresh ingredients and authentic French fare, his onion soup ($3.75) automatically gets three toques. He makes his own broth, without a hint of salt. The onions are gently caramelized with a hint of sugar and added to the stock. He placed a slice of French bread in the individual tureen and topped the bread with first-rate melted emmenthal cheese. One sip took me straight back to Les Halles in Paris.

I haven't seen escargot on a Philadelphia menu in a long time. Beau Monde's version ($5.50) arrived out of their shell, nestled on the traditional escargot plate.

           

They were served with garlic butter and a chapon. Salama had an easy hand with the garlic, which enhanced these tiny beauties to perfection. A chapon is a slice of French bread that has been rubbed with garlic. It is often used to season the inside of a salad bowl before the .Preens are added. I ate it up Since the garlic butter sauce was so good, our waitress brought more French bread to the table and I happily dipped away.

I highly recommend the spinach and arugula salad ($6), which is large enough to share. The greens were absolutely fresh and free of grit. Salama is creative with his ingredients and added delectable roasted beets, marinated onions and toasty hazelnuts to the cool plate. He topped it all off with a balsamic vinaigrette and placed a crostini, covered with ripe goat cheese, on the side of the plate. It was one of the finest salads in recent memory.

What I like most about Beau Monde is you get to create your own savory crepe from a long list of ingredients. Keep in mind, the crepes are large, so if you have ordered a soup, salad or appetizer, you may wish to share one. And, you must save room for dessert. I sampled several crepes here on two occasions and all were splendid. The shrimp, spinach and roasted leeks ($11.50) is a masterpiece of taste and the freshly reduced seafood sauce is a recipe I will try to recreate. Ham crepe ($5) is created with mild French cured ham. Add some Swiss cheese and you have a classic Breton crepe. I did not taste the grilled chicken breast with grilled vegetables and salsa verde ($10.50), but cousin Sally pronounced it delicious and cleaned her plate.

The dessert crepes are scrumptious. Prices run from $2.20 for a plain one to $6 for a Grand Marnier. We sampled fresh fruit crepes brimming with ripe berries, one with coffee ice cream, toasted almonds and a hint of coconut and a lemon curd delight topped with blueberries.

Beau Monde has a full-service bar and well-planned wine list. Sally, a port lover who totes back bottles from Portugal, was impressed to see Warre's, Dow's Vintage, Quinta Do Noval and Quinta Do Roriz on offer.

Espresso ($2.75) is rich and authentic. The house blend ($1.50) was neither too strong nor too weak. For those who prefer tea ($1.50), English breakfast, Earl Grey and chamomile head the list.

It is obvious that Salania and Caiola did their culinary homework extremely well when they planned Beau Monde. It is a beautiful and delicious one-of-a-kind find.

Three tips of the toque to Beau Monde.

Beau Monde

624 S. Sixth St. (corner of Bainbridge)

215-592-0656

Credit cards accepted

Handicapped-accessible

Reservations a good idea