Possible Pancake Perfection??

Who is that devilishly handsome bald guy?

Have you ever taken a walk through downtown Austin? Have you ever passed up the opportunity to eat at a food cart while doing so? If you have, you may have missed out on the best food you have never eaten. The trip we take down Tasty Lane this time is a good example. This week dear friends, we will discuss Crepes Mille. I love a good crepe. I believe that crepes are what pancakes probably tasted like in the Garden of Eden. Crepes Mille is the definition of a perfect crepe. They are tender, light and mild in flavor. In short, these crepes are good enough for a crepe snob, like myself. Also I would like to mention right off the bat that all of the fillings and meats are cooked to perfection.

Panang Curry

Beginning with the French side of things, we'll talk about the chicken burgundy and creamy cremini. The chicken burgundy contains a mix of white and dark chicken in a red wine and gorgonzola cream sauce. This wonderful crepe is the epitome of proper French flavor. It is well balanced, mild, creamy, and wonderfully delicious. Neither the red wine nor the gorgonzola overpowers the base flavor. To be perfectly honest, everything in this dish plays nicely together, like you wish your children would. The creamy cremini is pretty much the same idea. It is a cream sauce of cremini mushrooms and fried onions over a crepe stuffed with wilted spinach. The dish is served with a lemon wedge on the side and when you squeeze that little yellow beauty on your food, the entire dish just sings. The spinach in this crepe was perfectly wilted, not raw and not overdone to the point of having the consistency of wet plastic wrap.

Chicken Burgundy

Onward and upward to southeast Asia! The panang curry crepe is stuffed with your choice of chicken or shrimp and garnished with shredded carrots. It is then topped with a panang curry that has to be one of the best I have had in Austin. The curry is perfectly balanced, just enough spice to make you take notice, not enough to send you fleeing to the nearest bucket of water. The obvious attention to detail requisite in a phenomenal dish is there as well. The creamy, mildly sweet and beautiful flavor of coconut milk sings through the other spices and mellows the flavor perfectly. Another Asian crepe they serve is the Beef Bulgogi. Tender bbq beef bulgogi is wrapped in a crepe with just enough spice to get your attention, but not burn your tongue off, and drizzled with a mild spicy sauce. The bulgogi crepe is ridiculous, to be perfectly blatant. Like just about every other item on the menu, this is worth trying.

Sticky Rice and Mango

 No wonderful meal is complete without dessert, mind you, so we had to try some of the sweet crepes offered at Crepes Mille. I had the sticky rice with mango. Sticky rice is one of those foods I will fall to my knees and beg for a serving whenever I see it; mango is another. The crepe comes topped with powdered sugar, chocolate sauce, sliced almonds and just a hint of corn flakes for texture, which work surprisingly well together. The filling is beautiful sticky rice and a slice of fresh, ripe, sweet mango. This is another dish that is a perfect symphony of flavor. We also tried the Caramelized Pear. Warm caramelized pears, stuffed into fresh crepe and drizzled with a warm caramel sauce with whipped cream on the side. The flavors are simple and clean, and chances are you can imagine exactly what it tastes like. In fact you probably are right now. Be careful not to drool into your keyboard. Hopefully this will be motivation enough for you to get out to South Congress and try 'em out.
Everything we have had here was fantastic, just a little slice of heaven on a beautiful French pancake. You are looking at spending about $6.00 to $8.00 per item, but the portions are large and very satisfying. One is enough for a normal human, two for me usually. One caveat, they only take cash, so be sure to stop at the ATM before you head out, friends. Emphatically and without reservation - Anthony Bourdain, please don't sue me for that - I can say that this is a place to try as soon as you possibly can. All in all, Crepes Mille is an excellent way to kick off an evening of music and entertainment in Austin's legendary downtown scene.

  AFJ rating:

5 Points out of 5

Crepes Mille Website
Google Maps Location

1318 S. Congress Ave.

Austin, TX 78704
(512) 919-2416

Check the website for Hours of operation