Bradbury’s, the new North Hamilton Street coffee shop and creperie, is doing the hard work of colonizing an underpopulated corridor off the Capitol Square.
Located in a nearly all-glass triangle on the ground floor of the Capitol Point condos, it's visible as you round the outer ring at the Hamilton-Webster-Dayton confluence, or after parking in the Capitol Square North Ramp -- that's the McCormick Ramp for you old-timers, or "that one by Cafe Momo" for the congenitally confused. This small, bright space, enlivened by hip track lighting and earthy wooden chairs, is devoted to serving a good espresso and celebrating the underappreciated (in these parts, anyway) art of the crepe.
The crepes are available in both sweet and savory -- the ham, brie, and spinach (finished with a touch of maple syrup, $5), is made with locally sourced ham from Fountain Prairie and spinach from Snug Haven Farm, and is completely alluring. This was the crepe I kept thinking about for two days after I finished eating it. The smoky ham was never overpowered by the brie, and the maple syrup worked in tandem with the pancake-like flavors of the crepe. It wasn’t that any one element was the star; it was the balance of all the flavors that made each bite like a special mini-brunch.
The apple, bacon and cheddar crepes and the spinach, blue cheese and walnut crepes also utilize ingredients from local farms -- Fountain Prairie for the bacon, apples from Ela Orchard, and Hook's cheese. Bradbury's also uses Blue Marble Dairy products and New Century Farm Cage Free eggs.
For the sweet, the raspberry and lemon crepes ($3.50) are pleasant and not overly sweet, thanks to the lemon. The crepes themselves are not based on the French variety but the similar Croatian palacinke. Bradbury's are perhaps a little thicker than the French model you may be used to; they reminded a certain city government reporter and me more of a Swedish pancake. Not, we hasten to add, that that's a problem.
Other sweet crepes on the menu are a comforting butter and cinnamon and sugar ($3) and a Nutella and fruit (choice of raspberry preserves or bananas, $4).
Besides the intense double ristretto espresso, the drinks menu includes other espresso-based drinks, fair trade organic coffees, served brewed or French press style, fair trade hot chocolate, and chai and black tea. Other than that, about the only thing on the menu here besides crepes are scones.
Bradbury's has a small menu, but the aim is to do what they do well. It's a friendly and pleasant spot for a coffee and a special treat, where you can feel good about supporting local agriculture -- and the Hamilton Street corridor.
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