Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the historic south end of Charlotte near the Dilworth neighborhood to Crispy Crepe. 

Exterior

Dora here. Hey, I recognize that cute guy in the red shirt! :)
I would've preferred to sit outside, but the Saturday afternoon of our visit was a scorching 95 degrees. The interior was cozy and air conditioned. Check out that giant bottle of chocolate syrup along the wall. How cool is that? 

Interior

This unique eatery not only serves crepes, but also waffles, salads, flatbreads and sandwiches. 

Making Crepes

I chose the Egg n Turkey Bacon Waffle which is served with two eggs, turkey bacon and fresh fruit. Now this waffle is not an ordinary waffle. It is a Liege waffle, named after a city in Belgium, and is made using brioche style dough and caramelized Belgian sugar, and pressed in a cast iron press. 

This waffle was outstanding, definitely the highlight of the dish, and reminds me of waffles from our trips to Europe. The soft scrambled, not runny eggs and bacon were perfectly cooked. 

Egg n Turkey Bacon Waffle 

Dora here. Isn't that plate huge? I couldn't let Ernie eat that whole meal by himself!  He definitely needed help with the waffle. Wow! Yeasty and yummy and my fork kept sneaking over to his plate. :)

I strategized my order. I knew we were going for a sweet crepe, so I ordered the Smoked Turkey with White Stilten Cranberry Cheese sandwich. Doesn't that sound intriguing? I know, right? And look at it. Sweet caramelized onions, cranberry cheese...need I say more? Yummo! And to be fair, I did share. :)

Smoked Turkey with White Stilten Cranberry Cheese sandwich

The Chocolate Peanut Butter crepe was filled with mini chocolate peanut butter cups, vanilla cream & drizzled with caramel. The chocolate and cream, almost like a donut cream, all mingled together for a sweet ending to a great meal. Check this out!

Chocolate Peanut Butter crepe 

Dora here. The crepes don't normally come split like this. Somebody was a bit too quick with the knife. Lucky I snapped a picture because this crepe vanished within seconds.

The coffee was a different story. Too weak for me. Bummer. 

Three hours of free parking is available in a garage around the corner. Service was a bit slow because of the packed restaurant, but you won't need that long to eat. :)

Parking

We rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food. 

Have you tried a Liege waffle? What about crepes?

Do you have a favorite? Sweet or savory?

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

This edition of “Excited about Eating” has me stepping out of my comfort zone as we visited Hazelnuts Crêperie.  

Now, I wouldn't consider myself a crepe-type guy. I tend to steer toward BBQ and chicken wings, but I am willing to try anything once. If you have never had a crêpe, it is a very thin pancake, usually made from wheat or buckwheat flour and is cooked on a crepe griddle. Their consumption is widespread in France. 

Hazelnuts Crêperie is tucked inside the lobby of a skyscraper in downtown Charlotte. 

Their menu offers a variety of sweet, savory, and vegetarian options. I chose a breakfast crepe, “The Mariachi”, which incorporates scrambled eggs, black beans, bacon, tomatoes, mozzarella, red onions, avocados, and Jalapeno cream inside of a perfectly cooked crepe. 

My wife also chose a breakfast crepe, the “Chevre & Mozz”, which integrates scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms, olives, red onions, and goat and mozzarella cheese. 

As for my first crepe ever, “The Mariachi” was surprisingly good. I can truly tell you that I was not expecting the depth of flavor that melded together. If fact, I have never really liked avocados, but mixed with the Jalapeno cream, the taste was exceptional with just the right amount of kick.

The Mariachi

My wife’s “Chevre & Mozz” also had very deep flavors. For the most part, I do not like mushrooms or olives, but this combination was outstanding, and the goat cheese definitely was the star of the show.

Chevre & Mozz

For dessert we shared “The Chunkster” which consists of peanut butter, bananas, chocolate chips, trail mix and maple syrup. As a peanut butter lover, this crepe was a little on the sweet side. 

One dessert crepe cut in half

My wife, not being a peanut butter lover, felt that the peanut butter overwhelmed the crepe and for the most part, it tasted like a warm pb&j minus the jelly. Not one she would try again.

Overall I would highly recommend this restaurant for the crepe connoisseur or for anyone that has never tried a crepe. I would rate this establishment 4 spoons out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food.

Dora here, adding my two cents. Although I was excited to try a crepe, I really thought I'd be raiding the pantry by mid-afternoon, but that wasn't the case. The Chevre & Mozz and half the dessert crepe were hearty enough to last me until dinner. The fridge and pantry were safe. :)

Unlike last week, we left Bruiser at home, but still, parking was an issue. We ended up parking in a nearby garage and forking over $5. So, if you're heading here, make sure you factor in the cost to park.

Have you tried crepes? What fillers do you enjoy in your crepes? Do you prefer sweet or savory?