One of the city's better niche restaurants, Crepes in the City (at 14th and St. Charles), has indeed--and unfortunately--closed, according to this confirmation in Steve Patterson's post on urbanstl.com this morning.
What did SLM think of Crepes? Quite a lot. It was featured in the "Cheap Eats" feature last June. And in this month's "Best New Restaurants" issue, the restaurant received a rare double billing, being named one of the area's 15 "Best New" restaurants and also receiving a favorable Frugal Foodie review from critic Rose Martelli in the Food and Drink section.
So why the demise? My guess: underexposure and poor marketing. (A restaurant in 2009 not having a website? C'mon.)
While it's true that many locals loved Crepes' wide-open-and-cheery interior space, and others found their "new favorite place" on its hidden little pocket patio, I found that even after being open for more than a year, Crepes was still on most folks' "yeah, been meaning to get there" list. Now they'll never get the chance. Equally upsetting, they may have missed the opportunity to get to know the owner, Jose Castro, one of the nicest and likable guys in the restaurant business.
Are there plans to relocate? I know of an available space that would be ideal for the concept; for better or worse, though, it's in the County. -- George Mahe
