Gaia Bistro wraps up a veggie-friendly brunch, French-style

Gaia Bistro, the French eatery that draws eaters from all over the city to this busy stretch of South Pearl Street, is renowned for its brunch offerings, particularly the crepes. And vegetarians will be pleased to learn that many of those crepes are veggie-friendly -- in fact, there's much on Gaia's menu that appeals to meat-free palates. And the lovely patio setting appeals to everyone. But if you want to snag an outside table, you'll have a better chance on a sunny Saturday than Sunday, and the earlier you show up for brunch, the better.

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Then again, if you have a wait, you can put it to good use: It could take a while to decide what kind of sweet or savory crepe you want to order.

Veggie lovers can order the savory crepes -- made with buckwheat flour, and with a gluten-free option -- in a variety of ways: plain with butter, with creamed spinach, or wild mushrooms, or tomato with poblano chiles. Pictured above is the potato, roasted tomato and white cheddar savory crepe. The potatoes are sliced thin, seasoned and cooked like country potatoes before they're slid into the crepe with the sweet roasted tomatoes and tangy cheese. And that fluffy, divine crepe wraps up this deliciousness like a blanket.

All of the sweet crepes (made with organic white flour) are vegetarian-friendly. Options include cinnamon and sugar; Nutella with bananas and chantilly cream; lemon ricotta with blueberries; peanut butter, banana and honey; and apples and brown sugar with walnuts (pictured above). The Granny Smith apples add a tart flavor when folded into the crepe with the crunchy walnuts and the sweet sugar.

You can also get house-made granola (mixed with cream or fruit and yogurt), oatmeal, egg scrambles and more. And if you're leaning more toward lunch, Gaia offers a vegetarian sandwich that showcases plenty of fresh ingredients.

Gaia Bistro is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; call 303-777-5699.

• Vegetarian