Family dining in Philly: Crepes at the Beau Monde

You might not think of bringing children to the Beau Monde. Like the Queen Village neighborhood it’s part of, this bistro mixes grit and glam. Notoriously romantic at night with its gilded walls and mercury glass accents, on a sunny April afternoon it wore just the slightest tawdry edge.

The staff sports tattoos, lingerie worn as clothing, and (on our waitress) a perfect topknot worthy of one of Toulouse-Lautrec’s can-can dancers. But her smile was genuine and she and Teddy bonded over a shared love of the graphic novel series Bone.

Although the main draw here is the crêpes, Matt started with some butternut squash soup that was silky and delicious.

Then it was on to the main course. I love the tradition of putting a piece of each ingredient on top of the crêpe so you know what’s inside. Mine had grilled chicken, leeks, olives, goat cheese, and lemon butter.

Matt’s was stuffed with creamed spinach, tomatoes, grilled chicken, and Swiss cheese.

And the boys went for traditional ham and cheese.

The savory crêpes are surprisingly filling. Matt and I had no room for desert, but Teddy asked for a dish of vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce (“no crêpe around it please!”) and was served a cup of pure nectar.

The dulce de leche was thick enough to stand a spoon in. It was so good that everyone had to sneak bites.

And lick the cup clean.

(Not pictured here but of note also is the impeccable coffee.)

On the corner of South 6^th and Bainbridge Streets in Philadelphia, the Beau Monde isn’t really near anything you might be doing in the city, although if you’re kids have stamina or you’ve got a stroller you could walk there from the Independence Hall area (we’ve done this before). On this particular afternoon we drove over from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It can be a bit tricky to find parking; your best bet is to get within walking distance and then take the first spot you see on the street. One thing I love about this place: It’s open all afternoon, so you can easily grab a late lunch or an early dinner. They serve brunch until 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sunday and their Bloody Mary’s are said to be dy-no-mite. You know. If you like that kind of thing.

I’m joining up with my fellow traveling foodies at Wanderfood Wednesday from Wanderlust and Lipstick. Satisfy your hunger for some yummy words and pictures there.