HFF Quickie: Squat & Gobble

This chain of suggestively named creperies in the city seems to be ever growing, with locations in West Portal, the Castro, and two in the Haight (and one coming to the Marina soon). I'll admit that I'm a fan of a similar establishment, Crepevine over in Rockridge, and I think it offers a significantly better quality product at similar prices--but Squat & Gobble just seems to be right where I am when I'm looking for food (in this case, wanting food and a draft beer with the wait too long at Magnolia).

Squat & Gobble offers a wide selection of sandwiches, burgers, salads, omelettes, other breakfast fare, and (naturally) sweet & savory crepes. The first (and most striking thing) is that, despite it being a "chain" and in the Haight, they manage to keep the place pretty damn clean. None of the crepe options jump out you the way Crepevine's do--and some seemed rich (even for crepes)--but they all sound good. Feeling like a pussy, I ordered the tofu veggie crepe with sauteed peanut sauce, opted for the side salad, and, to restore my manhood, a generous pint of Speakeasy's Prohibition Pale Ale.

The draft beer really is a major draw of all these establishments--as it's usually rather inexpensive (2.75 for 16oz. at Crepevine, 3.50 for 20 oz. at Squat & Gobble) and it usually is exactly what you're looking for. When I get late night food I almost always just as much want a draft beer as I want the food.

So I'm not really talking about the food that much because, well, it was unmemorable. The tofu was good but rather soft (I've had smoked or at least extra firm tofu in similar crepes before) and the other veggies (an Asian-esque assortment of broccoli, peppers, and cabbage) were cooked until very soft, giving the crepe an overall uniform mushy texture. Not terribly exciting. The "peanut sauce" it was sauteed in was unlike any peanut sauce I've had--it tasted mostly like a sweet & sour sauce with just a hint of peanut. That was the biggest disappointment after expecting a more traditional, slightly spicy Thai-style peanut sauce. The crepe did come with a large mixed green salad (a good European-style mix with frisee, arugula, etc) with a decent dressing.

But at the end of the night it was fresh, filling, and diverse food. And a beer. For just $12.

Get the info on the various locations at: www.squatandgobble.com.