Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Easter in Belgium



Well, not really Belgium, but it sure did feel like it! After church on Sunday, Jeremy and I headed over to the Belga Café, located on Capitol Hill. Since it wasn't too far from the church that we've been visiting-- which holds its services in the downstairs of Ebenezer's Coffeehouse by the way, how cool is that--I thought it would be the perfect place for an Easter Brunch. I have always thought of the idea of Easter brunch as very quaint, if very American, so the night before when I was looking up restaurants on Open Table (my new fave website), I decided, "Easter in Belgium! It'll be perfect! Belgian waffles, mimosas, how very European!"

Belga Café is nicely perched at 541 8th St. SE. Cafés and cute shops line the surrounding streets, including a quaint-looking café with a piano bar we'll have to check out next time...Banana Café and Piano Bar.

When looking up directions to the restaurant, I was kind of thrown off by "Coming from Belgium, take United Airlines flight #951 from Brussels to Washington Dulles". I wasn't sure if this was legit, but if not, what wit!

I was very excited to find an authentic Belgian restaurant in Washington, DC. If I can't find authentic Filipino lumpia, then give me an authentic Belgian waffle at least! The website I'd perused the night before boasted of being "the original Belgian restaurant in Washington DC and a great place for authentic Belgian food and Belgian beers...a little bit of Brussels on the Hill, with an open kitchen and sidewalk café". Ok, so if I wasn't sold on traditional Belgian waffles and the best beer this side of Brussels, the sidewalk café totally was a bonus. I could write a whole separate post on sidewalk cafés. I love them. I couldn't wait to sit down, sip a mimosa and people watch the heck out of Capitol Hill.

So you can imagine my disappointment when we arrive to find this tiny café cluttered with droves of people in their summer clothes, inching every which way into the street and down the sidewalk. Oh no! It's a tourist trap! How could I have possibly? All for discovering a new gem and keeping it under wraps, I was slightly worried that this small taste of western Europe would be nothing but a quick bite for the cherry blossom festival crowd. But then I snapped out of it, reminding myself I have only lived in the DC metro area for 5 months; who am I to become all haughty at the thought of anybody but the locals eating here? How food snob of me. (Plus, I did find the restaurant on Open Table after all). So I swallowed my pride and stepped right up.

Thankfully I had even bothered to make reservations! The poor hostess, who couldn't have been more than 5 feet tall, was clutching her clipboard to her chest, addressing customers standing in lines everywhere, obviously upset that they had to wait so long. Thinking Jeremy and I could simply waltz right up and be ushered over to our specially reserved table, I put on my best sympathetic smile, gave her my name, and waited to be escorted. Think again. The restaurant had obviously been overbooked, and there were people in line that had been promised tables 30-45 minutes prior to when we arrived. So already, I was perturbed. Why even make reservations? The couple in front of us were livid. Apparently, they had booked reservations on Open Table the night before and had received a phone call confirmation, yet their name was nowhere to be found. I felt pity on them, as I dreamed of that big, fluffy, syrup-drenched stack of goodness. The poor dears.

You know it's bad when the chef himself shouts over the crowd to the hostess "How many, next?" (in his thick Belgian accent by the way, a nice little touch, despite the wait), then whips a table out of thin air, plops it down onto the brick sidewalk, and whisks us over to be seated in a flash.

I started out with a mimosa and Jeremy ordered a light Belgian beer. The server was having a grand ole time recommending beers to Jeremy, especially since they each had different tastes in beer. It was comical to see the server suggest one, then Jeremy would say "Uhh, sure, that sounds good..." then oop, the server suggests something else. This went on for a good 5 minutes.


For the appetizer Jeremy ordered for us the Tomaat Met Grijze Garnalen. In English, this is a tomato stuffed with Belgian baby gray shrimp on a bed of spicy salad. I liked the salad, drizzled with a yogurt dressing, but wasn't a fan of the baby shrimp stuffed into the tomato. (Jeremy called the dish "an explosion of baby shrimp", which I like...he should be the writer!) The focus of the dish was definitely the succulent baby shrimp, doused in dressing and housed in a hollowed-out large tomato. After enjoying the frisée salad, Jeremy pulled the top of the tomato off like a pumpkin and took a great big bite out of the tomato base. The combination of tomato, shrimp and frisée salad infused with the balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil concoction on the plate was delicious for him. The shrimp tasted soft and tender, and was a nice complement to the meaty flesh of the tomato. Maybe I didn't like it so much because when I think of shrimp, I imagine colossal shrimp dipped in cocktail sauce. However, this dish is a Belgian classic, so we were happy to try something not commonly eaten, or even heard of, in the U.S.

For the main course Jeremy had the Waterzooi Van Vis, a waterzooi of fish with winter vegetables in a light anise sauce. A waterzooi is a classic stew of Flanders, typically made with fish or chicken and leek, potato and carrot. "Zooien" is Dutch, meaning "to boil". As Jeremy said about the stew, "oh man, there is so much fish on this plate". There were at least four kinds of seafood: scallops, mussels, a white fish, and salmon, kind of piled up into a mountain shape, accompanied by a thin broth. I've never seen Jeremy so full at the end of a meal! Usually he will nibble at my leftovers, but this time I had to get a doggie bag (eco-friendly, recyclable takeout container) for my remaining portion.


I ordered 2 baguette sandwiches filled with piccolo prosciutto, arugula, and fresh parmesan. The sandwich was flavorful and satisfying, perfect for a light Spring day. The baguettes were fresh, the prosciutto sliced thin and tender. The arugula provided a spicy touch. Just the zest needed for an otherwise pretty tame sandwich. And that mimosa, made with fresh-squeezed orange juice and Champagne, was the perfect Spring cocktail.

We had no room for dessert, though next time we may just split the banana-chocolate dish. Or finally try one of those Belgian waffles!

Be Merry,
Shannon

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Easter in Belgium



Well, not really Belgium, but it sure did feel like it! After church on Sunday, Jeremy and I headed over to the Belga Café, located on Capitol Hill. Since it wasn't too far from the church that we've been visiting-- which holds its services in the downstairs of Ebenezer's Coffeehouse by the way, how cool is that--I thought it would be the perfect place for an Easter Brunch. I have always thought of the idea of Easter brunch as very quaint, if very American, so the night before when I was looking up restaurants on Open Table (my new fave website), I decided, "Easter in Belgium! It'll be perfect! Belgian waffles, mimosas, how very European!"

Belga Café is nicely perched at 541 8th St. SE. Cafés and cute shops line the surrounding streets, including a quaint-looking café with a piano bar we'll have to check out next time...Banana Café and Piano Bar.

When looking up directions to the restaurant, I was kind of thrown off by "Coming from Belgium, take United Airlines flight #951 from Brussels to Washington Dulles". I wasn't sure if this was legit, but if not, what wit!

I was very excited to find an authentic Belgian restaurant in Washington, DC. If I can't find authentic Filipino lumpia, then give me an authentic Belgian waffle at least! The website I'd perused the night before boasted of being "the original Belgian restaurant in Washington DC and a great place for authentic Belgian food and Belgian beers...a little bit of Brussels on the Hill, with an open kitchen and sidewalk café". Ok, so if I wasn't sold on traditional Belgian waffles and the best beer this side of Brussels, the sidewalk café totally was a bonus. I could write a whole separate post on sidewalk cafés. I love them. I couldn't wait to sit down, sip a mimosa and people watch the heck out of Capitol Hill.

So you can imagine my disappointment when we arrive to find this tiny café cluttered with droves of people in their summer clothes, inching every which way into the street and down the sidewalk. Oh no! It's a tourist trap! How could I have possibly? All for discovering a new gem and keeping it under wraps, I was slightly worried that this small taste of western Europe would be nothing but a quick bite for the cherry blossom festival crowd. But then I snapped out of it, reminding myself I have only lived in the DC metro area for 5 months; who am I to become all haughty at the thought of anybody but the locals eating here? How food snob of me. (Plus, I did find the restaurant on Open Table after all). So I swallowed my pride and stepped right up.

Thankfully I had even bothered to make reservations! The poor hostess, who couldn't have been more than 5 feet tall, was clutching her clipboard to her chest, addressing customers standing in lines everywhere, obviously upset that they had to wait so long. Thinking Jeremy and I could simply waltz right up and be ushered over to our specially reserved table, I put on my best sympathetic smile, gave her my name, and waited to be escorted. Think again. The restaurant had obviously been overbooked, and there were people in line that had been promised tables 30-45 minutes prior to when we arrived. So already, I was perturbed. Why even make reservations? The couple in front of us were livid. Apparently, they had booked reservations on Open Table the night before and had received a phone call confirmation, yet their name was nowhere to be found. I felt pity on them, as I dreamed of that big, fluffy, syrup-drenched stack of goodness. The poor dears.

You know it's bad when the chef himself shouts over the crowd to the hostess "How many, next?" (in his thick Belgian accent by the way, a nice little touch, despite the wait), then whips a table out of thin air, plops it down onto the brick sidewalk, and whisks us over to be seated in a flash.

I started out with a mimosa and Jeremy ordered a light Belgian beer. The server was having a grand ole time recommending beers to Jeremy, especially since they each had different tastes in beer. It was comical to see the server suggest one, then Jeremy would say "Uhh, sure, that sounds good..." then oop, the server suggests something else. This went on for a good 5 minutes.


For the appetizer Jeremy ordered for us the Tomaat Met Grijze Garnalen. In English, this is a tomato stuffed with Belgian baby gray shrimp on a bed of spicy salad. I liked the salad, drizzled with a yogurt dressing, but wasn't a fan of the baby shrimp stuffed into the tomato. (Jeremy called the dish "an explosion of baby shrimp", which I like...he should be the writer!) The focus of the dish was definitely the succulent baby shrimp, doused in dressing and housed in a hollowed-out large tomato. After enjoying the frisée salad, Jeremy pulled the top of the tomato off like a pumpkin and took a great big bite out of the tomato base. The combination of tomato, shrimp and frisée salad infused with the balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil concoction on the plate was delicious for him. The shrimp tasted soft and tender, and was a nice complement to the meaty flesh of the tomato. Maybe I didn't like it so much because when I think of shrimp, I imagine colossal shrimp dipped in cocktail sauce. However, this dish is a Belgian classic, so we were happy to try something not commonly eaten, or even heard of, in the U.S.

For the main course Jeremy had the Waterzooi Van Vis, a waterzooi of fish with winter vegetables in a light anise sauce. A waterzooi is a classic stew of Flanders, typically made with fish or chicken and leek, potato and carrot. "Zooien" is Dutch, meaning "to boil". As Jeremy said about the stew, "oh man, there is so much fish on this plate". There were at least four kinds of seafood: scallops, mussels, a white fish, and salmon, kind of piled up into a mountain shape, accompanied by a thin broth. I've never seen Jeremy so full at the end of a meal! Usually he will nibble at my leftovers, but this time I had to get a doggie bag (eco-friendly, recyclable takeout container) for my remaining portion.


I ordered 2 baguette sandwiches filled with piccolo prosciutto, arugula, and fresh parmesan. The sandwich was flavorful and satisfying, perfect for a light Spring day. The baguettes were fresh, the prosciutto sliced thin and tender. The arugula provided a spicy touch. Just the zest needed for an otherwise pretty tame sandwich. And that mimosa, made with fresh-squeezed orange juice and Champagne, was the perfect Spring cocktail.

We had no room for dessert, though next time we may just split the banana-chocolate dish. Or finally try one of those Belgian waffles!

Be Merry,
Shannon