Joan of Arc, new creperie, opens in Irving

by Teresa Gubbins

IRVING — Joan of Arc is a creperie and cafe in Irving from young, enterprising Joan Tri, 26, who has jumped into restaurateurism with gusto.

She had worked in corporations and other rat-race jobs and decided she wanted to do something different. She chose crepes because she hadn't seen too many places in town doing them, and went to Los Angeles to learn the art of crepe-making from a caterer that specialized in them.

"My friend said, 'If they can do it in Paris from a cart, why can’t you make a restaurant out of it?" Tri says. "I had never even had a crepe before."

Half of her menu is crepes. Her best-seller is the Santa Fe crepe, filled with sauteed chicken and onion, housemade salsa, cheddar cheese, and avocado, in a lime cilantro dressing. "We have about 16 dessert crepes, 6 or 8 savory, then sandwiches, salads, and a soup every day," she says. "Most people love our batter, we do French style crepes, but inside, they’re fresher and lighter because we use no cream sauces. We have people who come in and just eat a crepe. Where we’re located in Las Colinas, we're surrounded by a lot of people with money who travel. A Frenchman said they tasted like they're from France."

Joan of Arc is in a shopping center next to the Four Seasons, and Tri says she'd love to see one particular neighbor stop by.

"I'm still waiting for Tony Romo to come eat here, he apparently lives across the street, maybe he’ll come in with Jessica Simpson," she says.