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Has anyone been lately? I am going for a work related trip at the end of April (just for a 3 nights) and we are looking for some good recs. We have 2 nights/2 days in Brussels and 1 day/evening in Bruges. Nothing fancy, just some good, solid, un-touristy cooking. Bars and other food-related establishments wanted also. Much appreciated!
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"Jean Bourgain, Problem-Conquering Mathematician, Is Dead at 64" by Kenneth Chang on nytimes.com -
I will confess--I have always been infatuated with Audrey Hepburn. The pixie cut, the cigarette pants, those eyes! I grew up wanting to be her, and now, in my 50s, I still emulate her gamine fashion style. I first became smitten with her when I saw her Oscar-winning performance in the 1953 romantic comedy, "Roman Holiday." She was just 24 when she landed the role of Ann, a princess who sneaks away from her royal duties for a day of fun in Rome with Gregory Peck. She went on to receive five Oscar nominations throughout her career, but this was her only win. She won a Tony award that same year for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance in Ondine. She remains one of the few people who have won Academy, Tony, Emmy and Grammy Awards. Since I was a young girl, "Roman Holiday" has been one of my favorite films. It won three Academy Awards: best actress, costume design and screenwriting. I watched it again this week, and I still love it. It isn't the most complicated story. There aren't any special effects. But the chemistry between Peck and Hepburn is compelling, and the shots of Rome are delightful. The thing that makes this film a classic--the standard by which romantic comedies are judged, and often found lacking--is Audrey Hepburn. She isn't the most beautiful film actress of her era, nor is she the most talented. But she is graceful, charming and beguiling. She has that "it" factor that makes it impossible to take your eyes off of her when she is on the screen. She radiates loveliness, kindness and approachability. I have never been one to follow celebrities. When she died in 1993, I bought a copy of the commemorative People Magazine about her. I felt like the world lost a true icon, a woman with a spirit and style that inspires people to this day. I enjoyed her performances in "Sabrina," "Charade," and "Wait Until Dark." I am not a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" fan, although that role is one that established her as one of the world's top fashion icons. Born in Brussels, she lived in German-occupied territory during the second World War. She later became a ballet dancer, a model and an actress. Perhaps because of the adversity she faced as a child, Hepburn became an advocate for children in her later years, devoting much of her time to UNICEF. -
I read with interest Dave's thoughtful post here about whether Muslim's need to self-police. I wish I had something to contribute - my instinct says "yes," but I really don't have an answer. This incident is serious enough where I want to get a post out about it today, but I really don't have much more to say - in the words, of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?" But I can merge the Rodney King incident and the Belgian terrorist attack - I think - by saying that regardless of what your stance is on Muslims: are they "all" bad? Are "some" bad apples bad? Are "none" of them bad and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the religion, I see a parallel between the way people should think of Muslims, and the way people should think of American Police: are they "all" bad? Are "some" bad apples bad? Are "none" of them bad and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the profession? It seems to me there should be a consistency of thought between the two. Clearly, there are those who have grown to distrust all Muslims, and clearly, there are those who have grown to distrust all American Police. I am neither - I care for my fellow person, regardless of their chosen religion, and most certainly because they chose the profession of protecting our well-being. Call me a naive optimist, but that's what I *want* to think. I've slept two hours this evening already, and just woke up, so I may not even be thinking clearly about this issue right now - it just seems serious enough where I should acknowledge it in this forum. It's something I was thinking about earlier this afternoon in the car, and it just seems like, while the circumstances are different, they both involve a small percentage of "bad apples," and that we should all love our brothers and sisters. I hope this makes sense; I'm not sure it will tomorrow morning because I'm pretty tired. Peace be to everyone.
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I sent out the bat signal for some sour recs, and I figured why not start towards the top of the mountain? Here if we have my first international beer for the VBT, the Oude Gueuze Tilquin í L'Ancienne. Admittedly I don't know much about he history of gueuze and the grand Belgian traditions, so this posting will be a lot of copy and pasting. From the Tilquin website: "Installed in Bierghes in the Senne valley, the Gueuzerie Tilquin is the only gueuze blendery in Wallonia. A gueuzerie, or Geuzestekerij in Dutch, is an enterprise where Gueuze í l'ancienne (or Oude Geuze) is blended. Freshly brewed worts are purchased from different producers in the region (Payottenland and Brussels), and pumped in oak barrels for fermentation and ripening, during 1, 2 or 3 years. The lambics obtained are blended and bottled to give, after 6 months of refermentation, the Gueuze Tilquin í l'ancienne, which has 6.4% alc / vol and is available in 37,5cl and 75cl bottles." From The Beer Advocate entry "Oude Gueuze Tilquin í l'Ancienne (6.0% alc/vol) is a spontaneous fermentation beer, produced from the blending of 1, 2 and 3 years old lambics. It is unfiltered and unpasteurized, and refermented in the bottle for at least 6 months. The lambics used were fermented and oak aged in our installations. These lambics are coming from worts brewed by Boon, Lindemans, Girardin and Cantillon breweries." I found it pretty easily here, but the Total Wine in McLean has it as coming in Sept 2013, so keep any eye out. My bottles are dates 2012, so perhaps the 2013s are on their way. Obviously these are aged, but I'm not clear if the bottling dates and vintage dates being like wine. Looks it it's priced around $10 for the small bottle and $20 for the big one. If anyone has some they've been aging, feel free to crack them open as well. I'm pretty sure I might head back to my local store and pick up a few more for the cellar. op uw gezondheid, Eric -
Poured into a 20-ounce pilsner glass for the first and last time, a slow, side pour produced about 10 inches of head, and 1/2 inch of beer at the bottom of the glass. Purchased with trepidation for $6.49 for a .375 ml (12.7 oz) bottle at the original Lost Dog Cafe in Arlington, this beer smells and tastes like it's in good shape, but I was shocked that the carbonation is mostly visual (this has happened to me before with "flat" Champagnes that are otherwise perfectly drinkable). This isn't flat, mind you - there are innumerable tiny bubbles - Champagne-like - that roar, and then canter their way to the top when swirling the glass - but the carbonation does not tickle the palate at all, and I could have sworn that this beer is supposed to be a little bit more petillante, isn't it? The head is extremely frothy, and the froth remains persistent in patches clinging to the sides of the glass even ten, fifteen minutes after being left all alone as the level of the beer receded. It has a pale golden hue, yeasty aromas, a sweet, malty mid-palate, and a slightly (but not overtly) sour finish. It's clearly an artisan product even though it has fairly wide distribution. At 6.5% ABV, it's certainly not a session beer, but it drinks lighter than it is - always a good sign to me, both with beverages and cuisine. It takes a good while to get through a single bottle, but mainly because there's so much complexity to search for, that you want to take your time and ponder things. "Active" beers such as this one can do funny things in the bottle, and this particular example had about 1/8 ounce of slightly darker-brown, throwaway sediment at the bottom of the bottle which is expected and normal. Incidentally, I went into the new Lost Dog Cafe in Merrifield a few weeks ago, and it's much more modern looking - hopefully with increased business and volume, the storage issues will go away at *all* of their stores (based on my terrible past history with storage issues at Westover, this Saison Dupont was perhaps a foolish purchase). This chain is surely making a ton of money, and there's no good excuse for them to sell so many beers in such poor condition. I'm like the little dog that keeps sauntering back, tail wagging and tongue lagging, even though the poor thing keeps getting kicked by its owner. Beer Advocate Profile
