Melange Creperie to move, launch brick-and-mortar Kickstarter

The mozzarella and basil crepe with egg and a pepita vinaigrette at the Melange Creperie cart. The mozzarella and basil crepe with egg and a pepita vinaigrette at the Melange Creperie cart. Photo: Alison Cook Photo: Alison Cook Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Melange Creperie to move, launch brick-and-mortar Kickstarter 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

Sean Carroll disclosed today that he'll be moving his highly regarded crepe kiosk - number 10 on the Chronicle's most recent Top 100 Restaurants list - from the corner of Westheimer at Taft. Since he opened in 2010, Carroll has dispensed his wares from beneath a triangular tarp in the parking lot of Mango's live-music club, which will close on March 28.

Carroll said he and his wife, Tish Ochoa, are organizing a Kickstarter campaign for February to raise money to start a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Fans of his intensely personal and local take on the classic French pancakes may welcome the chance to grab a crepe without standing in rain or broiling sun, and to sit in a chair rather than perching on a parking-lot barrier.

OK, maybe those difficulties were part of the charm of Melange; you had to work for what inevitably turned out to be a glorious reward. But anyone who has witnessed Carroll laboring mightily through heat and cold, while always maintaining his showmanship and cordiality, cannot help but be pleased at the thought of watching him work in a more stable and forgiving environment. He's earned it.

Don't worry, you'll still be able to tell your grandkids you waited in line for a crepe at Melange when it was the real outdoor deal.