Puttin' on the Frjtz

That's not a typo; "Frjtz" is the name of the restaurant where we ate dinner this evening.

I was walking around the Mission district today, saw the sign, looked at the menu, and knew we had to eat there sometime this week. It's a Belgian cafe which specializes in amazing French fries which they call "frjtz," which is probably playing off the French word "frites" which is French for "French fries." Did you know that French fries were actually invented in Belgium?

Now that we're done with linguistics and history, let's get down to the food.

It was in-freaking-credible.

We shared a starter of frjtz, of course...with garlic and white truffle oil, and a pesto dipping sauce (there were probably a dozen sauces from which to choose). Let's just say we will be safe from vampires this evening. My goodness, there was a ton of garlic! Not that that's a bad thing, but the truffle oil was kind of lost in the mix. However, the frjtz were piping hot, really tasty, and served in a paper cone, just like in Belgium. (Not that I've been there...just seen it on TV, so it must be true!)

For our mains, Glenn had a crepe with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and chives. The crepe was sooo good; really light in texture, surrounding very flavorful salmon. Somehow they managed to fold the crepe into a perfect square, which looked really nice on the plate. I had mussels in a Thai-inspired broth flavored with coconut milk and lemon grass. The portion was very satistying and after eating through all the plump and juicy mussels, I could dip the accompanying slices of French bread into the savory broth. Finally, I just ate the rest of the broth with a spoon. Delish.

After enjoying the savory crepe so much, Glenn pondered aloud if we should perhaps indulge in a dessert crepe. (Twist my arm!) We couldn't agree on which one to split -- quelle surprise -- so two were ordered. Glenn's had strawberries with creme fraiche and a berry coulis (fancy name for puree/sauce). My crepe contained roasted pears, Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread) and sliced almonds, with puffs of whipped cream on the outside. I swooned on the first bite and never looked back. OH MY GOSH. What a taste sensation! Creamy, crunchy, chunky, nutty, fruity, chocolatey. I was so enamored with my dessert that I forgot to ask Glenn for a bite of his! He did seem to be enjoying it very much...and neither of us could finish our crepes. We were so full, and completely content.

I loved this place. It is about a block from where I'm staying.

Blessing or curse?

:)