Few can walk into The Shop and not be immediately charmed by its dim hanging lights, cozy brick-wall interior and colorful artwork. Once you walk inside, your eye is drawn to the expansive bar that serves a wide array of both espresso drinks and alcoholic beverages.
The Shop can be found on Washington Street near other student-favorites like Lost Dog Café and Garage Taco Bar. The Shop combines the best of both types of eateries, serving everything from coffee and crepes during lunchtime to flatbread pizzettas, cheesy melts and beers at dinner.
I came in for lunch this Restaurant Week a little after noon. The lunch menu consisted of three courses, with three options for the appetizer, seven options for the entree and two for dessert. It should be noted that one of the choices of appetizer was a beer, leaving you with the choice between a soup or a salad if you opt for a food item as an appetizer. Also, the two options for dessert were two different cookies — chocolate chip, or gluten-free double fudge.
Personally, I wasn’t sure that I was hungry enough to eat three courses, so I went with the beer for my appetizer. The menu gave a choice between a Catskill Brewery short draft of pilsner, black lager or IPA. In my true Brooklyn-loving fashion, I ordered the IPA, which came in an adorable short glass. For my main course, I chose the red pepper eggplant whip, swiss and Havarti crepe. A note to my vegetarians out there: three of the seven main courses were vegetarian-friendly, which gave me some wiggle room unlike those restaurants that only serve salads for nonmeat-eaters.
While waiting for the meal — as the restaurant played Kate Bush in the background — I was apprehensive about the crepe, as I’ve only ever had the the sweet dessert kind. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a main-course crepe. However, when my food arrived, I was quickly impressed by the presentation. The burnt orange color of the crepe filling really popped next to the small pile of leafy greens on the plate. Its pleasant appearance matched the taste, as the cheeses and red pepper eggplant whip were perfectly paired in the savory crepe, making my first savory crepe experience a pleasant one. No one flavor was overwhelming; everything just complemented one another. The IPA’s sour also presented a good contrast to the crepe’s savory. The only minuscule complaint was that I wished the crepe itself were warmer.
When dessert-time came around, the chef kindly offered us an option from the Restaurant Week dinner menu: a Nutella crepe. When the sweet arrived, the presentation was, again, impeccable. Powdered sugar was sprinkled all over the warm crepe and plate, and a small tin of whipped cream was provided on the side. I appreciated that the whipped cream came on the side and allowed us to control the amount to use. As is typical with Nutella crepes, some parts were just a bit too sweet for my tastes, but I was left satisfied after the last bite.
Don’t let The Shop’s laid-back ambiance fool you — from the quality of its food, it’s clear that the chefs put in a lot of work to create unique dishes with contrasting yet complementary flavors. The excellent service was the cherry on top, or the whipped cream on the crepe. Overall, it’s no surprise why The Shop has such a stellar reputation. I’m confident that it’ll be packed this Restaurant Week — and for good reason.