My date and I went there on Saturday night. Opentable didn't have anything at 7 (6:15 or nothing!), so I called and they told me they could take a reservation for 2 at 7pm. When we arrived about ten minutes early, the place was relatively empty, but the hostess invited us to have a drink in the bar. The space is impressive--open, yet chilly. It didn't have the warmth I expect from a Belgian restaurant--my benchmark is Monk's in Philly, so I admit a unique, if not high, standard.
The beer list is great. No complaints about that whatsoever. I do, however, think that all staff need a little more time to work out their knowledge of the beer list. Knowing my beers fairly well, I started with a Bacchus Flemish Sour on draft at the bar, so didn't need any guidance from the friendly staff. My date informed the bar staff that she wanted to start with something bitter and hoppy. The bartender brought her a delicious, while 100% off the mark of what she had asked for a Tripel whose name I cannot recall.
After about 10 minutes, the hostess informed us that our table was ready and we were escorted by a suited gentleman to our table. I did appreciate the attention to service at this point when they took our drinks and carried them to the table for us.
We arrived a nice table next to a window that allowed us to watch the action, which was very nice. Our server inquired about water, and we ordered a bottle of still. I like the fact that they serve Fiji. Unfortunately, not more than ten minutes after pouring it, same server came by and topped off our 3/4 full glasses with iced tap water. Because I am not really a water snob and only ordered the bottled to impress my date , I didn't make a stink about it.
Again with the beer--our server didn't seem to be very familiar with the beer list either. I don't think I am extra picky, but I enjoy restaurants where a server can guide me through the unfamiliar territory of a wine or beer list or at least recommend something--ours seemed surprised that I would ask. So I ordered something I knew--Rochefort 10, a delightful and strong Trappist ale. I was a little bummed when the server poured it at the table, completely upending the bottle (a matter of preference, but I try to reserve the extra yeast in the bottle when I drink bottle conditioned ales--I know that not everyone does it that way, but I do, and would have preferred that he at least ask). My date ordered a Bacchus, because she enjoyed my first one from the bar so much and also wanted to keep it relatively light.
We decided to share a few dishes--we began with the mussels steamed in white wine and garlic, and were not disappointed. The mussels were huge, perfectly prepared, and served with a bowl of frites and three dipping sauces (one was plain mayo) that made Pedro happy.
We moved on to the shrimp croquettes, which were utterly disappointing. I commented to my date that I felt like I was eating Van De Kamp's fish sticks with extra lemon. The crunchy breading was interesting--I wonder if it might have been a very coarse panko...I liked it, but I think there was too much lemon zest and the shrimp seemed to me minced to a point that they were unidentifiable as shrimp. Also, the dipping sauce (might have been a harissa or sambal aioli) was overbearing and didn't seem to compliment the dish. My date finished hers, but agreed that the recipe needed work.
From there we decided to share the rabbit loin in Kriek. When I asked, the server informed me that the dish included both a leg and the loin, and that the textural differences were the chef's emphasis. The dish was delicious, but I think we would have preferred 2 legs instead of the leg and the loin. The loin was slightly dry, and relatively not impressive compared to the leg, which was sweet, moist, and heavenly...it made me want to try cooking a rabbit at home.
We skipped dessert and opted to share a St. Bernardus instead. Again, the beer list impressed us...
I think we will give them some time before we re-visit for dinner, but we will definitely be back for beer and mussels in the meantime.
