About Frodo Joe's
Our Cafe welcomes everyone, and provides the perfect answer to the question, “Where will I meet you”. Our creperies are nestled in the city of Fremont and the (unincorporated area of or Village of) San Lorenzo bringing a quality dining experience in a relaxed and casual environment. Our menu is designed thoughtfully pairing the textures and flavors of fresh ingredients along with its elegant presentation to celebrate the food. Our energy and love of coffees, sees its awesomeness from bean to cup. We let our food and beverages communicate with the customers' palates to showcase our efforts to serve you only the best.
We offer savory crepes with variety of savory fillings (fresh vegetables, herbs, seafood and poultry), sumptuous dessert crepes, mouthwatering sandwiches and healthy salads. Our fresh brewed Mr. Espresso coffee, refreshing herbal teas, yummy smoothies, kicking cocktails and simple yet rich wines are must have.
We are so grateful that you came to see us and we want you to feel like a guest in our home. We hope you have wonderful experience with us and continue to share the Crepe experience with your friends and family - it’s why we do what we do.
From the Press
history of Crepe
Almost every country has its own version of the crepe, but it was in France's Brittany region where the tools and techniques were created and perfected, elevating the crepe to an art form.
In the early days of the crepe, white flour was an expensive product, reserved only for royalty that why savory crepes were traditionaly made with buckweat , a esay to grow plant..
As farmers became wealthier, they began to enjoy sweet white flour crepes as an after-dinner treat or with coffee for breakfast.
In Paris and the South of France, crepes were essentially a dessert, served in fine restaurants, thanks to Henri Charpentier who in 1895 as a young man from the South of France, went to Monaco to work for the Café de Paris with his uncle, the famous chef Escoffier.
One evening , the Prince of Wales requested a crepe for dessert. Henri raced to the kitchen and prepared a crepe with an orange sauce flambé. He named the Suzette in honor of the beautiful young lady who accompanied the Prince. The rest is history...the Crepe Suzette became the most celebrated French dessert. Chef Henry Charpentier retired in Redondo Beach where all the rich and famous wited sometine months do get a table at his small restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway.
The future of the crepe is still wide open, constantly being re-imagined in kitchens around the world. For 15 years, Frodo Joe,s has taken their expertise and experience to infuse the history of the crepe into its future.
The Coffee
OAK WOOD ROASTING
The most common source of fuel used to supply a coffee roaster with heat is gas. We are, however, the first and only roaster in the United States to roast coffee beans exclusively over a fire fueled by Oak Wood. The differences are not what one might initially expect. Unlike cooking with a wood oven or grill, where the smoke from the wood imparts a flavor to the final product, the main difference between wood and conventional roasting lies in the quality of the heat delivered to the beans. Heat derived from wood has higher moisture content and is better suited for slow roasting.
The more oil preserved within the bean, the more exquisite the final flavor will be. The natural humidity within the wood seems to envelop the beans during the roasting process, hence preserving more of the lipids within. Meanwhile, the slow roasting aspect ensures the coffee is lower in acidity and higher in body. The result is most apparent in our espresso, yielding more crema, fuller flavor, and a smoother finish. For drip coffee for which we actually wish to retain the acidity of the coffees, we subject the beans to a faster roasting time.
The unique advantages of wood roasting do not come without challenges, as the use of such an inconsistent fuel (i.e. wood) creates difficulties in maintaining consistency between roasts. A nightmare for an inexperienced operator, years of experience of roasting with wood are required to develop the intuition and instinct necessary to master the process. Luckily for us, with 30 years of wood roasting under our belt, we are able to claim this as an advantage; since through the unpredictable nature of roasting with wood, we are required to be attentive and obsessive with each and every roast: nothing can replace the skilled guidance of our experienced roasters. However, never the ones to be overconfident, we still go through extra steps to ensure consistency and quality.
We begin by selecting well seasoned wood from responsible suppliers. We then utilize thermocouple data collected at key locations on the roaster along with VFD motor control, which allows to make fan and drum speed adjustments during the roasting process. The wood smoke emissions are then abated by high powered afterburners which are in full compliance with local air quality standards. Combining these tools with our years of experience, we are able to maintain control of the roasting process with a very high level of consistency. As you can see, wood roasting is an artisan craft where human experience using old world methods, combined with the latest technological advances in roasting, delicately blend art and science. We hope you will enjoy a distinctive coffee experience which is impossible to duplicate.