Long Island Restaurants

Fresco

The folks who own Fresco, a Long Beach creperie, are fully aware that it's no longer 1974, so if you go expecting something in the way of the long-defunct Le Crepe or Magic Pan, know that you won't find any waitresses dressed in traditional Breton garb serving hubcap-size crepes. At Fresco, everything, from the sleek contemporary decor to the light and flavorful thin pancakes enclosing any number of fillings, is geared to modern sensibilities.

The simple menu offers crepes both sweet and savory. If you want to get a little fancier, you can start with the soup of the day. It can be a surprisingly light French onion soup, which floats a crouton and is laced with just enough cheese to give it character.

The tender, delicate crepes are made with a batter containing a touch of buckwheat, imparting a pleasing nuttiness. Savory crepes come with small, well- dressed mesclun salads, making for a balanced and satisfying meal. Try the smoked salmon crepe with mascarpone cheese and chives, which takes bagels and lox to an upscale level. You'll also enjoy the chicken crepe made with lots of tender poultry, spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. A sausage crepe has a pizza-like filling of tomato and pepperoni, more Italian than French; then again, the restaurant's name is Italian, not French.

The dessert crepes containing chocolate have fillings that can overwhelm the flavor and texture of the delicate crepes, distinctive in their own right.The fruit-filled crepes, though, are entirely irresistible. A contender for best is the orange and caramel version containing slices of fresh citrus drizzled with warm caramel sauce. The cinnamon apple crepe (think of it as apple pie in a pancake) is wonderful, too. So is the Viennese-style crepe with apricot preserves. And a crepe made with nothing more than fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar is a simple knockout.

Conveniently located across the street from a cinema, Fresco qualifies as an ideal before- or after-movies stop on weekends. Even if you're not catching a 7:30 showing, consider an all-crepe lunch or dinner as a mid-week treat, to be savored either with friends or alone (the owners have installed a rack full of magazines for solo diners to peruse). Know beforehand that the restaurant doesn't accept charge cards. So go with cash; you won't need a lot.

-- Joan Reminick

Hours

Assessment

Cuisine

Major Credit Cards Accepted

Price Range

Reservations

Special Features

Wheelchair Access