In early February, Sarmentine Bakery’s Petaluma outpost rolled out a new crepe menu as authentically French as its croissants and financiers. Though there have been previous attempts at traditional Breton crepes in Sonoma County from the much-missed Bistro 29 and short-lived Creperie Chez Solange, none of them quite stuck. Hopefully, Sarmentine is about to change that.
The French-owned bakery has brought in a master crêpier trained at the International School for Crêpes in Saint-Malo, Brittany (which is actually a real place if you’re considering a career change). Using a traditional billig — a circular griddle designed specifically for crepe making — each thin pancake is prepared to order. The process takes a few minutes, so order a café au lait and relax.
Alongside familiar sweet options like chocolate-hazelnut and lemon curd, the expanded menu puts traditional buckwheat crepes from Brittany at the forefront. These savory, naturally gluten-free crepes have been made for centuries using buckwheat grown in northwest France. (Despite the name, buckwheat is not wheat, but a seed.)…