Sizzling new spot by Jenn Smith, Berkshire Eagle Staff Berkshire Eagle Wednesday July 12, 2006 LENOX — With little fanfare, a new crêperie has crept into a cozy little corner of town. Baroods Restaurant and Crêperie, the only one of its kind in the county, has opened in the former home of What's the Scoop Ice Cream & Coffee Shop at 18 Franklin St., next to Berkshire Bagel Shop. And after a whirlwind year, it's the newlywed owners' dream come true. Melissa and Sylvain Noel recently moved to the Berkshires from Westchester, N.Y. Melissa, 30, commuted to her job at a fast-paced marketing firm in Stamford, Conn., while also waiting tables and bartending. Sylvain, 27, often worked 12-hour shifts at the premier La Panetiere restaurant in Rye, N.Y. While visiting friends in Lenox last summer, they noticed a "For Sale" sign at What's the Scoop. "It's always been a dream that we would open a restaurant," said Melissa in an interview yesterday. "There was no crêperie here. We wanted to do something nice," Sylvain said. So when the couple moved to Lee in October, the first thing Sylvain did was to check if the spot was still for sale — it was. They were married in January and bought the restaurant in March. On June 1, they became an official corporation. Last Friday, they officially opened their doors. Melissa said that "Baroods" is her husband's nickname, given to him by a friend. It is a derivative of the French word "baroudeur," which means "to be restless" or "to wander," which she felt was representative of the restaurant's free-spirited ambiance. "Some people wander in and really don't know what (crêpes) are. But when they try them, they really like them," said Olena Volyk, 21, a waitress there. Sylvain, a chef of 10 years, explained that the thin, pancake-like wrap originates from Brittany, just north of his native town in the Bordeaux-Cognac region of western France. The restaurant decor reflects the coastal brilliance of Brittany with its terra cotta-colored floors, copper-painted wood paneling and sea-green walls. In Brittany, the crêpe is to Bretons as the pizza shell is to Italians. "It's a base," Sylvain said. "I can make a dessert. I can make a burger. Eventually, I would like to put one with steak and blue cheese on the menu." The crêpe begins with an egg batter. He uses a regular flour to make sweet crêpes and a buckwheat flour for savory crêpes. The batter is spread thinly on a special round flat griddle and cooked until one side becomes golden. The couple offer other breakfast sides, such as fruit and croissants; soups such as chilled cantaloupe and thyme; ice cream; sandwiches, and gratins baked en casserole. Calling it an "evolving menu," they hope to eventually include a rotating wine list and late-night specialties. Patron Estelle Miller said she was pleased to have stumbled upon the new spot, especially after seeing the site change hands every few years. "This is the nicest I've seen yet. I hope they stay," she said. |
July 12, 2006
Copyright © 2006 Baroods Inc. All rights reserved.
| BAROODS 18 Franklin St. Lenox, MA 01240 Phone 413-637-8266 . Fax 413-637-8992 |
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November 1, 2006
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April 12, 2007