Yay!  This is the site’s first restaurant “rave”-view!  I had always wanted to see how other people use local ingredients in their cooking, so what better place to learn from than a restaurant that features local ingredients?  Hopefully, this is the first of many reviews.  I have a list of restaurants that are committed to using local ingredients and I plan to make many visits and will hopefully be able to post at least one review per month.  I love that these businesses are supporting local family farms and making such tasty food.  I also love that highly trained chefs will tell you that if you work with local, delicious food, the flavor is already there, you just need to compliment it!

So, our first restaurant “rave”-view is….Pejamajo Café in Holliston!  They’re located at 770 Washington Street and there is plenty of parking behind the café.  Definitely check out their website, there is a ton of information on it.  Pejamajo Café is an all day crêpe café that features delicious sweet and savory crêpes, specialty teas and coffees, soups, paninis, salads and baked goods.  They use plenty of  local ingredients, so their menu changes with the seasons and there will always be something new to try!

They also have a bar that serves wine and beer on the weekends in addition to entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights via a space to hold open mic nights and have singers/bands come to play.  It’s beautifully decorated inside and features artwork for sale by local artists.

My husband and I went there for lunch over the weekend.  It was our first foray into a crêpe café so we had no idea what to expect.  We were greeted by the friendly gal behind the counter and we chatted as we looked over the menu that is posted on chalkboards above the counter.  I did happen to gaze at the coffee counter and menu….I was almost done in when I saw the Nutella Espresso!  Oh yes…I am a Nutella fan!  They have a wide coffee selection and you can fix it yourself with a variety of add-ins.  They also had a cute kids menu and several pastries and sweets for sale.  The sweet crêpes  that were posted included  Nutella & Banana, Lemon Drop, S’Mores, Nuttie Professor (Nutella and peanut butter…I may pass out…that sounds amazing!), and a seasonal feature: caramelized local apple!  You also have the chance to build your own with lots of additions available including local honey, Nutella, berries and graham crackers.  I’m thinking some late night sweet crêpes might be in order in the near future!

As we were there for lunch, I got to get a great look at the savory crêpe, sandwich and salad menu.  The salads use “seasonally in-sync ingredients to help you eat locally all year long”!  I was more than stoked to read that.  Perfectly put!  They included organic baby greens with carrots, red onion, local apples and sherry vinaigrette, an apple & almond salad with baby greens, goat’s milk feta, golden raisins, and low-fat zinfandel vinaigrette and a candied walnut & Berkshire Blue salad with baby greens, dried cranberries, pears, and maple balsamic dressing.  Quite the selection utilizing tons of local ingredients!  They also had a butternut squash and apple soup availble which sounds delish.

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So…for our lunches, my husband had a Signature Crepesadilla with Vermont cheddar, chicken, sour cream, salsa and red onion.  I had The Billy Goat with Westfield Farms Goat Cheese, local honey, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, field greens and balsamic vinegar all on a locally-sourced buckwheat crêpe.  Both were FANTASTIC!  The crêpes were light, fluffy and very flavorful on their own.  The fillings were fantastic and I loved that some were called out specifically for being local.  I almost got the Cranberry Turkey with organic field greens, Berkshire Blue Cheese and mayo…so I think I’ll try that one next time.  I also love that all of their meats are humanely raised, have no preservatives, no added nitrites or nitrates, and no artificial colors or flavors.  Click on the blackboard pictures above to zoom in and see all the sandwich, salad and sweet crêpe concoctions.  You can also check out their menu online as well as their upcoming events and entertainment schedule.

I can’t wait for my next trip to Pejamajo Café!  They have a wide selection of food and beverages to satisfy any palate.  They use fresh, flavorful and local ingredients, have a beautiful, clean café, inventive dishes and the food is delicious!