Hello
again, Food F3wL fans! Ali and I are back after a (nearly) year-long hiatus.
We’re back and as ready as ever to eat, to enjoy, and of course—to review.
We’ve got a good one for you today, and this morning’s menu is a bit different
from some of the meals we’ve taken on in our previous reviews. Why, do you ask?
Well, today, readers, we’re doing breakfast…gluten-free breakfast at Oby Lee!
Welcome to Oby Lee!
I
stumbled upon this restaurant when looking up gluten-free options in the area
(on Yelp!). Oby Lee’s reviews on that site were decent, but when I realized
that the restaurant specialized in crepes, I knew that Ali and I had to pay the
place a visit. After a short drive to Clarendon and a slightly longer search for
a parking spot, we arrived at our destination. It was crepe time.
Now,
I should tell you all that Ali always goes for the savory…and I’m the one with
the sweet tooth. So while Ali ordered a (gluten-free) crepe with eggs and
smoked salmon, I opted for one with strawberries and whipped cream. My crepe
also had this delicious, creamy sauce drizzled on top of it—and I commented to
Ali that it tasted like a (delicious) combination of honey and whipped cream.
The sauce was lovely, as was the whole crepe. It was literally just what I was
looking for—sweet, but not too, too sweet—and perfect with the bottomless cup
of coffee that I ordered. I was also surprised by the fact that this crepe was
gluten free. I don’t know what I was expecting exactly, but it wasn’t a crepe
this soft and chewy with that perfect, fluffy-bubbly crepe texture (if that
adjective makes any sense at all to our readers). Despite my uncertainty as to
what I was going to find on my plate at Oby Lee, I was pleasantly surprised by
what I got.
My sweet crepe...
...and Ali's savory crepe!
I was
also surprised by the atmosphere at Oby Lee. Once again, I don’t know what I
was expecting, but it wasn’t what I found. For some reason, I thought this
place might be a sit-down, get-waited-on type of restaurant, but no. Ali and I
came in to find a “place your order here” counter with a cute, helpful woman
behind it. We asked her for recommendations, and she was very kind, telling us
about a lot of items on the menu.
Spotted: A Food F3wL conversing with an Oby Lee employee!
We
learned that Oby Lee specializes in two things in particular: crepes and wine.
The restaurant’s décor really emphasizes the wine focus, with many bottles (and
photos of bottles) lining the walls. Ali and I weren’t visiting Oby Lee for
wine, but I really liked other aspects of the design of the place. It was very,
very mod. Ali and I sat on comfy, couch-like seats that could be moved around into
different positions, and the whole restaurant had a hip, chic sort of vibe.
Sure, it wasn’t a sit-down, get-waited-on restaurant, but it felt like a pretty
classy place!
Oby Lee specializes in two things: crepes and wine.
So back
to the food—I enjoyed it. I particularly enjoyed it because it didn’t make me
feel too full and it wasn’t overwhelmingly sugary. Despite that, I do have to
say that my strawberry and whipped cream crepe didn’t prove to be the best
breakfast I’ve ever had. It was yummy, yes, and I really liked it—but I’m not completely raving. That being said, I would recommend Oby Lee to anyone looking for a crepe in Clarendon. I would also recommend it with a cup of Oby Lee’s coffee, which complemented my sweet crepe very, very nicely! So now for the numbers...
Food: 8/10
Service: 9.5/10
Décor: 9/10
Overall: 8.8/10
And now for Ali's review!
What's up readers! I know you guys have been patiently yet eagerly awaiting the next installment of Food F3wLs (special shout out to our readers from Russia– I see you!), and I'm glad to say it's finally here. The delay is due to the unfortunate lack of quality restaurants out there for us to review (just kidding), after Miyagi we never ended up going anywhere else (except for a certain place called Cava, which will be discussed in future posts ;)). But after I found out that I may only be able to eat Gluten free, we had to find new options. Fortunately, Oby Lee was there to help, as it boasted in specializing in possibly one of the best culinary creations of humankind: crepes.
This is not a picture of a crepe.
Oby Lee was a little deceptive in how they portrayed their establishment. Judging from the website online, one expected a spacious environment with many customers busying their selves in the quandaries of their days. However, Rebecca and I both agreed that the ambience was anything but. It is very quiet and quaint, with mostly white decor that screams simplicity while leaving a touch of extravagance. The white walls, the strange white couch-like seats, everything gave off a clean yet sterile aura. Librarians everywhere are probably trying to figure out how Oby Lee does it. I liked it, but it was definitely a far cry from many of the other crepe places I have been to, and will definitely come off a little badly for those who prefer a more homely place to eat.
If this looks like home, then you must live at the MOMA
We went during breakfast time, but I ended up craving something a little more on the salty side (Rebecca has the sweeter tooth among us...probably fuels her personality). The menu had many interesting options, and I believe that it will most likely cover any crepe lovers palate. The best thing about the menu was that literally ANY item on the menu could be made GLUTEN FREE for an extra dollar. That's killer. Major props goes to Oby Lee for being so accommodating of this food fool, really. Thus, I went all in on my breakfast and ordered the fancy smancy Smoked Salmon Lox & Eggs Crepe. Rebecca wasn't feeling as adventurous as I was, and she decided to go for a Strawberries & Whipped Cream Crepe.
Gluten free is the way to be
Hold on there. I bet you, as the reader, have the same confused look that I had on my face when she placed that order. But yes, you read that right. Rebecca made the grave mistake of ordering a sweet crêpe WITHOUT NUTELLA. I expected her to backtrack and change the order, maybe there would even be a divine intervention, but nothing. What made this travesty even worse was that the price between the plain Strawberries & Whipped Creme Crepe without the Nutella was the SAME as it would have been with the delicious Nutella. We're talking free Nutella here folks. Last time I checked, Nutella doesn't grow on trees (it grows on love). Let's just say after this incident, I never looked at Rebecca the same. People may say I'm nuts for Nutella, but I'm going to stick to my guns on this one.
There was literally no service, but the lady at the counter was nice and friendly. No complaints, but since I was expecting service I was caught a little off guard. At Food F3wLs, we strive to make sure that your food experience will be great if we recommend a restaurant and service is a very important aspect of that recommendation. Because of this, I'm not going to take the service into account in my overall rating of the establishment. However, this is by no means problematic and just requires that I move my lazy self up to pick up the food from the counter. Well they did go through the trouble of making it all Gluten free...guess you lose some and win some.
How a real sweet crepe should look like
After picking up the food, the first thing of note is how beautifully arranged the crepe is on the plate. Words don't do justice, but the pictures that RB snapped show off how artistic Oby Lee is. You are truly eating art. Since I was starving, there was little time to look; it was time to taste. The first bite of my Smoked Salmon Lox & Eggs was amazing. It hit my savory spot right on the mark, and it wasn't long before I had devoured the whole thing. If there was one complaint, it was that the Smoked Salmon was a little too smoky, but that wasn't that huge of an issue in the long run. Rebecca, against all odds, seemed to be enjoying her crepe. Maybe I need to give her the benefit of the doubt– after all, she knows her sweet tooth pretty well.
Food: 9/10
Service: 8.8/10
Décor: 8/10
Overall: 8.5/10
