Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? CREPES WITH A TWIST

062116whippedbites5-500x254-6114450A savory French crepe served at the charming Whipped Creperie & Dessert Bar.  (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

wfl-whats-for-lunch-181x220-9795463Americanized crepes? “Why not?” thought Nick Napoletano, who owns Whipped Creperie and Dessert Bar in Red Bank with Erica Lieberman.

Traditional French crepes are served sweet, with sugar, Nutella, jam or a creamy cheese filling. But Napoletano envisioned “an Americanized, savory version,” he tells PieHole. “I wanted to take familiar foods like turkey and cheese and create a more hearty filling on a whole-wheat crepe.”
062116whippedbites1-500x279-6476762 A traditional sweet crepe with a modern twist. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

062116whippedbites3-220x126-4851956So what possesses a nice young couple to set their hopes, dreams and future on what’s essentially a pancake restaurant? About three years ago, after a dinner date in Red Bank, a craving for dessert left Lieberman and Napoletano with few alternatives.

“There was nothing but frozen yogurt at the time,” he says.

So they started their own dessert business, leaning on Lieberman’s passion for baking and briefly sharing space with chef Marc Fontaine in the storefront at 6 Monmouth Street before buying him out.

The brightly painted shop, evoking the carefree days of la Belle Epoque, features intimate tables inside and out.

Have you eaten here? Leave some feedback!

Originally meaning to serve cupcakes, pastries and sweet crepes, Napoletano grew the menu to include breakfast crepes, savory crepes and several more varieties of sweet dessert crepes. Then came a broadened breakfast menu that included Belgian waffles, French toast, and hash browns.

Breakfast is now served all day long, and there’s an “aggressive” lunch special featuring any savory crepe, bottled soda or water and a bag of chips for $10, says Napoletano. Gelati, a specialty coffee menu and blended iced drinks called whipachinos round out the diverse menu.

A Francophile at heart, PieHole opted for a number 26 on the menu board above the counter. The whole-wheat crepe is filled with creamy brie, Boars Head Honey Maple ham and a sweet layer of raspberry jam.

The whole-wheat batter makes a more toothsome crepe that holds up to strongly flavored ingredients. In this case though, a sweet crepe would work just as well as the savory.

The French-style crepe has a salty-warm-gooey center that is brought up several notches by the sugary raspberry jam. Even the seeds in the jam add a textural component that works well with the other elements. A simple fresh, green side salad dampened with balsamic vinaigrette accompanies all of the savory crepes.

Sweet crepes seem to be the more popular choice, even through lunch hour. A cookies-and-cream crepe is filled with a mixture of whipped cream and crushed Oreo cookies. Garnished with chocolate sauce and a dollop of fresh whipped cream, it becomes clear why a sweet-toothed crowd is drawn to the pink and brown pancake palace.

Crepes are meant to be eaten fresh and warm, which doesn’t translate to a workable take-out system.

“On weekends, the place is bursting at the seams,” Napoletano says adding, “It’s almost time that we need a bigger spot.”

Whipped Creperie and Dessert Bar is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

susan-ericson-9177851

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...