Table at Third & Fairfax is a weekly dining column in 2023 where Food and Drink editor Patricia Kelly Yeo will eat her way through the Original Farmers Market. Each column will drop on Thursday for a week-by-week recap of her journey through the classic L.A. tourist attraction. Last week, Kelly visited Charlie’s Coffee Shop.
It feels like half of the people I know are in Europe at the moment, so I’m feeling a little FOMO as I visit the Original Farmers Market the day after the 4th of July, the whole place filled with tourists from elsewhere. They speak other languages, carry designer bags, arms full of shopping bags from the Grove. This is their vacation to La La Land, not mine. For the most part, I’m staying put in L.A. this year in order to work on a novel. Though the choice is wholly mine (and makes visiting the market 52 times in 2023 far more feasible), I find myself drawn to the savory buckwheat crepes from the French Crepes (est. 2000), which superficially resemble the ones I had at Breizh Café while visiting Paris last year.
From past experience, I know a crepe at the Farmers Market is likely to have nothing in common with one I’ve had abroad. The stall’s sweet crepes, one of which I tried in January, don’t even measure up to the relatively tasty Millet Crepe, which has locations along Sawtelle and in Little Tokyo. Still undeterred by this fact, I decide to order the Mamy Lisou ($17), which combines Emmental cheese with jambon de Paris and a fried egg, sunny side up. While I’m waiting for the crepe to be ready, I finally get around to trying something from Michelina Artisan Boulangerie (est. 2017), which is directly across from the crepe stall.
Over the last few months, I’ve eyed the French bakery’s pastry case, so I know exactly what I want: Two eclairs ($10 each), one chocolate and one raspberry. Excitedly, I bring them over to the counter at the French Crepes. Taking a bite into the raspberry eclair, I’m immediately struck by how hard the choux pastry is. The fruit flavoring—fairly unique in L.A.—reels me in, however, and I end up eating most of the first eclair. The chocolate one, however, is fairly pale brown, and the milk chocolate filling inside lacks the velvety, deep cacao flavor I prefer in chocolate desserts. Like the first eclair, it’s hard and almost unappetizing, so I take just a few bites before digging into my savory crepe, which arrives after a few more minutes’ wait.
Since it’s almost 2 o’clock, I’m struck by how breakfast-y each bite of ham, egg and cheese feels to my palate. The crepe batter, though delightfully crispy around the edges, has little to no buckwheat flavor. On its own, it’s rubbery and almost tasteless. It’s a poor excuse for a savory crepe, and not exactly cheap either. It makes me wish I could point readers to a decent savory crepe, but I’ve yet to find a good place in Los Angeles. (If you know of one, please email me!)
Meals from Table at Third & Fairfax fall into three categories: Skip It, Worth Trying and Must Have.
Vendor: The French Crepes
Order: The Mamy Lisou (savory buckwheat crepe filled with Emmental cheese, jambon de Paris and a soft fried egg)
Verdict: Skip It. While the sweet crepes are okay, the market’s creperie churns out terrible savory ones.
Vendor: Michelina Artisan Boulangerie
Order: Chocolate and raspberry eclairs
Verdict: Skip It. These were hard and overpriced.