The newest vendor at the Le Fantome Food Hall in Riverdale Park specializes in croque monsieur, a decadent hot sandwich popularized in French brasseries in the early 1900s.
Born in Gabon, French-Gabonese owner and author Serge Pambo worked as a chef in France for many years before starting the Holy Croque, initially as a food truck in 2021. The pop-up recently held its grand opening at Le Fantome.
Along with the traditional croque monsieur, made with grilled ham and cheese, Pambo serves variations based on African, Asian and American flavors, including a pork belly croque, a French dip croque, a croque burger and a whiskey-braised pulled pork croque. There are also breakfast options like a bacon croque.
Traditionally, croque monsieur comes with a fried egg on top, which is optional at Holy Croque. The sandwiches are made with béchamel sauce and cheese, but there is a vegan option with coconut béchamel and vegan cheese.
Side dishes include yucca fries, zucchini fries, plantains and pomegranate onion Brussels sprouts, while drinks include Bissap, an African hibiscus tea; and a pineapple ginger drink.
He told the Wire he hopes to run the Holy Croque pop-up at Le Fantome for a few months and then move into a more permanent space in the D.C. area.
Pambo, who is also owner of Pure Kitchen Culinary Concept, a D.C. area catering company, has made several appearances on the Food Network, attended Domaine du Gue à Tresmes, a top culinary school in Paris, and has worked for many notable chefs both in the U.S. and France.
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You can order from the Holy Croque on Le Fantome’s website or on DoorDash.
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