La Belle Crêpe

Photo by John Abernathy

Seeking a daily escape from your rut-lovin’ life is a key to surviving the obliteration of your fun budget, and with it any plans to travel farther than Wisconsin. With the opening of La Belle Crêpe on Nicollet, you may have found your raison d’être. With thrift, simplicity, and portability, crêpes live up to the reputation. This Minneapolis crêperie may be small, but it packs ’em in at lunch.

The perfectly thin buckwheat crêpes easily fold around pilings of savory fillings, including the cordon bleu ($5.99) with chicken, ham, and Gruyère, or the smoked salmon ($6.99) with creamy goat cheese and a bright lemon vinaigrette. Nutella junkies will be able to get their fix and even upgrade with bananas ($3.99). Portions are big enough to satisfy, and you’ll most likely have to take it on the run, as only a handful of stools crowd against the wall. But a sunny day on the Mall, international snack in hand, is a worthy escape for any desk warrior.