By Diane Abu-Jaber
The Oregonian, November 10, 2000

 
So, the long nights, dark days, preholiday blues coming after you? Well then, you might just want to get yourself into this new place called Le Happy.

No, it's not a metaphysical state, but it is a restaurant with a really excellent name, and you know what Descartes said? Loosely translated, it's something like: I eat crêpes, therefore I am le happy. Descartes, who should have been more concerned with Raisinettes than raison d'etre, had a point. Straddling the transcendental dividing line between the Pearl District and tne Northwest on Northwest 16th Avenue, Le Happy balances cool with cozy and achieves a higher plane.

Owner John Brodie had previously managed Muu-muu's; Le Happy, he says, is "quieter and cozier, more of a restaurant."

Le Happy's chef, John Roos, had been the chef at Muu-muu's and before that ran his own crêperie outside of Nice. Their menu runs from savory classic ham and cheese crêpes to sweet poached pear, chocolate, almonds and whipped cream concoctions.

"A gang of us loves crêpes, and this place just sort of evolved. It morphed," says Brodie, who grew up in Portland and worked in bakeries and bars, eventually going on to manage local music phenoms such as Pink Martini and 3 Leg Torso. He feels there's a natural connection between his work in food and work in music, pointing out, "In both cases you want to create a warm and social environment, something magical and mysterious. And, most important of all, he adds, "We don't take ourselves too seriously."

 
Article © The Oregonian, 2000.