Move over, cupcake, here comes le crêpe

Are crepes the new cupcakes? Thursday, Muncheez Mania will join a fast-moving trend -- Georgetown restaurants serving this sweet or savory French treat.

Muncheez Mania general manager Karim Najjar isn't sure why the crêpe craze didn't take off sooner. He told The Georgetown Dish, "For awhile, I lived overseas. I couldn't find crêpe places here," but now, "It's no longer this exotic thing. It's been accepted."

Muncheez fused together mural artwork by a local artist, UV lights and house music to attract college students and young professionals, Najjar said. Duke University grad and owner David Nammour said, "We wanted to provide D.C.  diners with a unique and unforgettable experience."
 
To set Muncheez Mania's crêpes apart, Najjar said he is focusing on doing a few things well. He said that their  six or seven crêpe flavors have an authentically French taste.

Customers wandered in from Wisconsin Avenue to sample food from Muncheez Mania during their soft opening this week. Najjar said, "Most people really liked the consistency of our crêpes."

Ron Burgundy would be appalled, but Georgetowners won't have to journey far to satisfy their crepe cravings. Three other crepe-making establishments, Crêpe Amour, Snap and Cafe Bonaparte, already have shops in Georgetown.

Cafe Bonaparte cooks for a sit-down clientele. This afternoon owner Omar Popal stood casually in his restaurant before the dinner rush. The Georgetown Dish asked him what he thinks of the new crêpe competition. Popal said, "What's that phrase again?" After pausing for a moment, he finished, "Imitation is the best form of flattery."

"They saw how busy we were and wanted a slice of the pie," he said.

The second store to open up, Snap, started preparing crêpes several years ago. It wasn't until this year that two more shops opened up. 

Sri Suki transformed his Indian restaurant into Crêpe Amour in February this year to serve "an item that cater to all palates." Suku said crêpes are "one of those products you can get anytime, and it's filling."

Suku's family is originally from India, which influenced their menu.  He said, "We have an Indian spin." They use ingredients like eggs, rice and lentils. One of their crêpes is filled with Tandoori-marinated chicken.

Muncheez Mania, like Crêpe Amour, will feed the hungry late-night crowd. Even though they will be open until 4 a.m. on weekends, they won't be pouring any alcoholic beverages. Brittany Garrison, a representative for ThreeLockharts, said, "They wanted to be a place to sober up."

Tomorrow from 12 until 2 p.m. at 1071 Wisconsin Avenue, Muncheez is giving away free crêpes and sandwiches including Nutella crêpes and three-cheese munchies wraps.

French-food enthusiasts can only hope that the crêpe lines don't reach the lengths outside Georgetown Cupcake.