BELLINGHAM - Human beings around the globe seem to be rather fond of serving their food in edible wrappers: enchiladas, blintzes, spring rolls, California rolls, moo shoo pork, gyoza, stuffed grape leaves and manicotti come to mind.
Let's not forget the crepe. For years, albeit in the increasingly distant past, Fairhaven was home to a place called "La Creperie," remembered by old-timers with varying degrees of fondness.
Now, Magdalena's is offering this French standby with a Whatcom County twist: Many of its crepes are made with organic whole wheat from the Fairhaven flour mill.
The restaurant occupies a pleasant, high-ceilinged space across the street from Fairhaven Village Green. Its lengthy menu includes breakfast crepes as well as other varieties categorized as "savory," "baked" and "sweet." The menu is also augmented by daily specials on the blackboard.
The breakfast crepes come with a variety of ingredients such as yogurt, granola, applesauce, eggs, vegetables and ham.
I chose a smoked salmon crepe, $10.25, with ricotta, cherry tomatoes, arugula, asparagus, olives and capers. It was a big, busy mélange in a triangular fold of whole wheat crepe, with a generous proportion of salmon that made for a satisfying lunch.
Our other selection was a baked crepe special, $12.50, that was similarly full of variety, with ham, kalamata olive tapenade, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan topped with a thick, rich layer of béchamel cooked to a golden brown.
Frankly, neither of these combos sounded especially appealing to me on the menu, but they both tasted great on the plate, with fresh ingredients that harmonized nicely.
The menu also includes sandwiches and pierogis.
There is a wine list, but the place shuts down at 4 p.m.
We ordered a pot of French-press coffee with our meal and it was a real standout - rich and aromatic and not to be missed if you like coffee with your meal.
MAGDALENA'S CREPERIE
Address: 1200 10th St., Fairhaven
Phone: 483-8569
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Price Range: $8 to $13
