Therefore, the "Eat at a restaurant at least twice before you write about it" rule is officially out the window.

That's lucky for you, because last night, my friend Sharon and I ate at Paris 66. And today, I'm writing about it to tell you how good it was.

First of all, when I walked in the door, there were people speaking French. I've been a Francophile since the 8th grade, when I begged my mom for French lessons because I couldn't wait until high school to start learning. A trip to France with my high school French class inoculated my love for Paris, and a semester abroad in college cemented it. I even minored in French literature in college - a course of study that prompted the French people I met to proclaim that I spoke the language like a 19th-century novel.

During my time in France, I became a bit of a street-cart crepe expert*, favoring oeuf-jambon-fromage for a meal and nutella-banane for a late-night treat. Paris 66 specializes in crepes, offering both sweet and savory treatments, but these are no street-cart crepes slopped on plates. While Paris 66 has the traditional offerings you might expect, they've also added their own touches, yet still managed to keep the whole experience distinctively French.

Sharon and I both ordered savory crepes as entrees**, though other options were available, including quiche, a French pizza called a "pissaladiere" and a scrumptious-sounding salad topped with an over-easy egg that was hard for me to resist. Sharon's "Paris 66" crepe was filled with egg, cheese and ham, then topped with mushrooms and tomatoes provencale and a bit of salad. My "La Marais" was a totally different take, the buckwheat crepe topped with a heap of baby greens, sundried tomatoes, walnuts, and raisins in a sour cream dressing.

For dessert, we shared a Nutella-banana crepe - "La Boulogne" - and would have added on a luscious-looking chocolate mousse if the girl at the next table hadn't ordered the last one. (Out of politeness, she assured us it was awful. Then she practically licked the glass.)


Paris 66 is BYOB, with a mild $5 corkage fee. So the best part of the night was that our dinner for two only set us back $35 before the tip. While Paris 66 says "everyday French cuisine" right on its front window... it's not often that I find French food I might almost be able to afford everyday. The most expensive crepe entree is $10.50.

So the verdict: cozy atmosphere +BYOB + delicious crepes + under $20 a person + people speaking actual French = BIG WIN for LB. I already made a point to tell Scheidt about it, and the man is in Spain for 27 more days.

Paris 66
6018 Centre Avenue
East Liberty
412.404.8166

*This was my second attempt to eat at Paris 66. In an attempt to rectify crimes against my stepdad - namely, not taking him to get a crepe from a street vendor in Paris - we attempted to hit the new restaurant for brunch two weeks ago. When we saw the line out the door, we went elsewhere. This was, of course, against my better judgment, because when I see a line out the door at a restaurant, I want to be in the line.

**Of which I managed to take NOT ONE in-focus photo.