That French Place

Can’t make it to France? Pas de problème! A new creperie and ice cream emporium, opened just this past May in Charlevoix, is the next best culinary thing.

THE SCENE

It may be small, but it’s loaded with Euro ambiance. Elegant gray walls are complemented by giant chalkboards and locally crafted French-themed artwork. Add in the worldly ambitions of co-owners Brian Freund, Gildas Berrou and Tara Ostrum-Berrou, and you’ve set the scene at That French Place, where the menu and the surroundings aim to transport you to another place.

“We call it Paris chic,” Freund explained. “Our goal is to make it feel like a French quarter café right here in Charlevoix.”

Sit down at a wrought iron table while you wait for your order (That French Place does a bustling carry-out business, but many people enjoy sticking around, too) and you’ll get a peek behind the scenes.

“We have an open kitchen so that people can watch our chefs at work,” Freund said.

THE MENU

The crepes are made two different ways, traditional and “Americanized.”

“The buckwheat crepes are more authentic, made on a true flat crepe griddle. These are the kind that have been around for 500 years,” Freund explained. “They’re used mainly for savory crepe dishes and are gluten-free; French people will have two or three for dinner, the classic being ham and cheese.”

The sweet crepes made of flour are filled with such choices as chocolate, homemade caramel, local maple syrup or apples, and are also known as pan crepes.

“Those are what Americans are more used to,” Freund said, “made in a pan instead of on the griddle.”

Whichever crepe you prefer, you can’t lose; they’re all made with fresh ingredients like eggs from the Berrou’s farm, plus veggies from the local farmers markets.

“We try to keep everything as local as we can,” Freund said.

Freund’s gourmet ice creams use local ingredients, too, including milk and cream from the Shetler’s herd of 40 cows grazing right in Kalkaska. So far, he’s tried beets, bacon, cinnamon-vanilla, chocolate habanero (“that one’s actually really popular”) and, yes, he’s the guy that made the morel mushroom ice cream that became legendary around Boyne this past spring.

“Because I only make one gallon at a time, I can try whatever crazy thing I like,” he laughed.

THE BEST

In the crepes department, café customers love both sweet and savory flavors. While the traditional French butter and sugar is always a hit, Banana Nutella tops the dessert crepes list. The savory winner is a more complex mix of aromas and textures.

“The most popular savory crepe is, by far, our Spinach and Mushroom,” Freund said. “You can get it with Swiss or feta cheese and it’s seasoned with garlic and fresh herbs.”

And what about the top ice cream flavors? Those are an easy pick, said Freund.

“Our salted caramel would be the bestseller, and then the darkest chocolate ever.”

THE REST OF THE STORY

Berrou, a native of Brittany, has been making crepes since he was four years old, and he still follows his mother’s crepe recipe. He and his wife lived in France for a while, but ended up moving to Indian River, where they opened a restaurant.

“Gildas married a local girl; that’s what usually brings somebody here,” Freund laughed.

Meanwhile, Freund was downstate going through a range of different jobs, “but none of them were things I really wanted to do,” he said.

“I would go home and watch the Food Network, and one night I saw a show about gourmet ice cream and I thought, well now, I know where there’s a hole in that market. I’d been looking for an excuse to move there anyway.”

Freund moved up north and started Brian’s Ice Cream Experience, gourmet ice creams carefully crafted and featuring un usual flavor combinations.

By that time, Berrou had moved on to his Pea and Compagnie food stand. The two met at the Boyne City farmers market.

“He was doing crepes, I was doing ice cream,” Freund said. “We were right across from each other, so we’d talk. By the end of the summer, we both realized that crepes and ice cream go great together, but don’t step on each other. So everything fell into place quickly.”

THE SKINNY

Ice cream starts at $5 per cup (up to three flavors in one cup), crepes start at $3.50, sandwiches at $7. Beverages include local Northwoods Soda, Perrier, French lemonade, tea and coffee.

is located at 212 Bridge Street in Charlevoix. They are open Monday– Saturday from 7am–9pm and Sunday from 8am–9pm (“…or until people stop coming! We’re open really late some nights,” Freund confirmed.) For more information call 231- 437-6037 or visit them online at: facebook. com/thatfrenchplacecvx.

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