Brasserie Beck, 11th and K Street Downtown - Belgian Moules-Frites Specialists with Outstanding Belgian Beers

[brendanc]

Large, uniformly sized mussels scream farm-raised, despite being labeled "Prince Edward Island" or what-have-you. I haven't done the wild-versus-farmed mussel analysis en completio, at least not yetio, but I suspect it's only at the highest heights where wild mussels would be a better product in Washington, DC. (Can anyone with proper knowledge make a comment?)

Cheers,

Rocks.

Most of the landings in Maine are from wild mussel beds; cultured mussels, at the peak of production during the eighties, accounted for about 18% of the total landings. Wild mussels can be harvested all year, but most fishing is in the winter when the quality of the meat is best. They are taken by hand with a rake or from a boat with a drag.

Wild can be applied to mussels that are grown in maintained seed beds in Maine and not rope cultured. Most beds are found on the MWL or Mean Water Line as determinied by high and ebb tides. There are some products form "wild" producers available in the area including Johnny's Blue Mussels. These are labeled "wild", but not to be confused with hand picked mussles from tidal shores that are often not commercially available.

[mdt]

Choucroute "En croute" is a must order. White sausage, sauerkraut, smoked pork belly, and a hard boiled egg wrapped in pastry crust and baked.

Here is a photo of the dish.

[DLB]

Here is a photo of the dish.

Now I really regret not ordering this on Saturday.

[Dave Pressley]

Here is a photo of the dish.

As a person who generally has a distaste for people who photograph restaurants' dishes and post them online (it rarely looks as appetizing as a photo compared to real life), I did start salivating as soon as I saw this one. Nice photo, mdt! The dish really translates.

[Waitman]

Spent a little quality time amidst the tile and the beer and the construction workers yesterday.

[jiveturk21]

Went there on Tuesday night and I have to say that I really liked this place a lot.

The decor was cool, although the clocks seriously annoyed the hell out of me. All of the ones that I saw were working, but only one, way in the back, had the right time. It just makes you feel stupid constantly looking at a clock for the time even though you know that it is wrong.

The service was so-so, although I attribute that to the fact that it is brand spanking new. The server was good, just absent at times, so it just seemed to be a process issue that will get worked out in time.

The bar was packed! Kind of funny seeing the bar jammed with tables open, but I guess that is the place to be. All the tables ended up being filled by 8:00 or so, but when I got there at 7:00, maybe 1/3 of the tables were empty and there were no seats left in the bar.

As for the food, it was great. We had the Choucroute En Croute and whatever their version of Steak Frites is called. Both were great, the Choucroute was better, we loved it. The fries were good, not as good as the ones at Poste, but they were better than most places. We also had the Tarte Tatin for dessert, it was solid, maybe a bit too "caramely" though, lots of teeth picking. The thing that I loved about the food menu is that there seemed to be a lot of good choices at reasonable prices. You could eat shellfish all day for a heftier price tag or grab a few small plates for cheaper and still be satisfied. This is a big plus for restaurants for me.

Finally, I was impressed by the beer and wine list. While I don't drink beer (blasphemy, I know), I can appreciate a great list and I am happy to know that my beer drinking friends out there are taken care of for once. And the wine list was great as well, good choices on the menu, lots if bottles under $30 or $40, which is just a great value when going out.

Overall, great place, great addition to the DC dining scene. Anywhere that you can get dinner for two ranging between $50 and $200, with everyone being very happy, is a winner in my book!

[DonRocks]

Went there on Tuesday night and I have to say that I really liked this place a lot.

Likewise and likewise.

The bar was packed!

Say hi next time...

[lackadaisi]

Finally stopped in, and I love this place! What a great addition to the neighborhood. I had, and loved, the Choucroute En Croute, and tried several other tasty items too. I really love the tv over the bar that shows the pass. You can sit and watch food all night long!!!

Minor, selfish complaints that mostly stem from the fact that I live less than a block away: When are the clocks going to be set to the right time? Not only is it annoying when you are inside, but every morning on my delirious walk to work I get confused by the one outside. I also hate the curtains, especially around the bar area. Not a huge fan when I am inside, but what is worse is that I can't see who is inside when passing by. I hate hearing of friends who I missed, but would not have if I could have just seen through the window on my way home and stopped in for a drink (maybe this is an appreciatd side-effect). And, when is the patio going to open?

[jiveturk21]

Say hi next time...

Defintely would, except I am ashamed to say, I have no idea what you look like!

[MBK]

Finally stopped in, and I love this place! What a great addition to the neighborhood. I had, and loved, the Choucroute En Croute, and tried several other tasty items too. I really love the tv over the bar that shows the pass. You can sit and watch food all night long!!!

Minor, selfish complaints that mostly stem from the fact that I live less than a block away: When are the clocks going to be set to the right time? Not only is it annoying when you are inside, but every morning on my delirious walk to work I get confused by the one outside. I also hate the curtains, especially around the bar area. Not a huge fan when I am inside, but what is worse is that I can't see who is inside when passing by. I hate hearing of friends who I missed, but would not have if I could have just seen through the window on my way home and stopped in for a drink (maybe this is an appreciatd side-effect). And, when is the patio going to open?

lackadaisi's choucroute was delish... Other hits on parade - the merguez with lentils, the roulade of duck confit, the charcuterie, and the steak tartare. And plenty of Bavik to wash it all down. I heard the cauliflower gratin was good but was too slow to snag a taste... maybe next time. With my office only a few blocks away, I see many nights at the bar at Brasserie Beck in my future.

[Al Dente]

Defintely would, except I am ashamed to say, I have no idea what you look like!

He looks like this:

And sounds remarkably like John Forsythe. Don Rockwell never leaves his house for fear of coming into contact with cheap stemware. He has a servant who drives around town picking up plates of food from various chefs. To get the "vibe" of a joint, he dials in by speakerphone and peers in on the action via an extensive network of surveillance cameras from his underground lair/wine cellar. He has 3 other employees who act as agents on his behalf-- crackers, hillvalley, and mktye. Rumor has it that hillvalley may be replaced soon by another woman because her time is increasingly taken up by posing for swimsuit posters.

[DonRocks]

He looks like this:

Excuse me, I can't hear you - please speak loudly and clearly into my omnidirectional microphone.

[purplesachi]

went again yesterday after a very long work week. fyi: they no longer have De Koninck on tap, but instead have Kwak. They also now have Wittekerke in bottles - as well as the proper Wittekerke glasses (which were found after my beer was poured. doh!).

this place is addicting - politburo and i were only going to have one beer and then head home....yeah right. three hours later we finally cut ourselves off and headed straight for the door.

(speaking of doors, has anyone noticed that the doors, especially the two front ones, are unbelievably heavy?)

the first time we were there we had the moules in white wine. while they were good, they weren't as good as the ones i've had at monk's (in philly). that said though, i would gladly choose beck's any day over monk's - the rude attitudes and unfriendly hipster service at monk's is a complete turn off (plus i vowed never to go there again after the last obnoxiouly rude service i received), which completely contrasts the warm, friendly, "hi-i'm-...-whats-your-name" service we've gotten now, twice, at beck's.

one other minor comment is that the order of straight frites is rather large, and that there aren't enough mayos to last the entire bowl of frites. (well, at least for us it didn't.)

we'll probably be there monday after work again. hehe

[Mark Slater]

Incredibly delicious and meaty West Coast oysters last night and a marvelously eggy quiche made the perfect after work snack. It seemed like every chef in town was there at midnight!

[arleneivana]

Is the bar so crowded that one shouldn't depend on it for space for dinner? Would we look silly just getting a table for a meal of beer and moules frites or is this the sort of place where they expect to serve you three courses if you get a table?

[DonRocks]

Is the bar so crowded that one shouldn't depend on it for space for dinner? Would we look silly just getting a table for a meal of beer and moules frites or is this the sort of place where they expect to serve you three courses if you get a table?

Shhh... there are three little two-tops by the coffee bar... perfect for what you're looking for... Cheers, Rocks.

[purplesachi]

the draught beers will change often, bill told us...tonight houblon chouffe was changed to nostradamus (in time for us to sample!)

[giant shrimp]

We also had the Tarte Tatin for dessert, it was solid, maybe a bit too "caramely" though, lots of teeth picking. The thing that I loved about the food menu is that there seemed to be a lot of good choices at reasonable prices.

the pear tarte tatin is definitely over the top -- a sweet, smashed, delectable bun with soft and chewy caramel reminiscent of ann amernick's and just about as good, with enough of it on your plate that you could rake it up into a few pieces of candy. i believe there was also ice cream melting feverishly all over it. if you think you can't handle it and you're looking for something more delicate, i heard from across the table nothing but praise for the wild strawberry sorbet.

we found the portions here more than generous and, like central, this is a place where it may take more than one visit to avoid walking in with eyes that are far bigger than your stomach. steaming hot mussels as big as cats' tongues heaped into a heavy enameled cast-iron casserole are easily enough for two to share, as are the fries that come with them. everyone here seems to like the curry mayonnaise the best of the three offered, and i guess i agree, but they're all birds of a feather, one does just about as well as the next, and the potatoes were excellent. the choucroute en croute looks enormous in the photos above, but it's not that big and you'll want to keep almost all of it to yourself, the best ballpark food in the world wrapped into a pot pie. i fall for it every time: when the server places a nearly empty bowl in front of me, for a second i forget what i've ordered, and just as i'm beginning to make sense of what i'm looking at, he pours in the pea soup, flooding the bowl, turning small veal meatballs at the center, anchored in potato, into islands of sharp meaty flavor you're tongue can swim back to, intensifying the soup. this pea soup is not as thick as pea soup, and it's hardly drab.

i can't explain exactly why, but the restaurant space feels like europe to me and successfully manages to conquer what is really nothing more than a big tall chunk out of the corner of a modern office building. it is cheerfully austere all the way up to the exposed ceilings. the backs of deep blue banquettes are embellished with a lively pattern of long-stemmed flowers, as assertively modern yet as comfortable and beautiful as something dutch designer hella jongerius might embroider into one of her experimental ceramic pots. a towering panel of snowflake lace creeps up a column by the window, but i never got close enough to see what it was made of, maybe an etched acrylic. the train station clocks are dramatically intrusive, but then reassuringly playful because you don't have to abide by them, you're not heading on to antwerp or bruges; this is your destination.

the open kitchen on your way out is so open you can just walk right into it, but it is so crowded with activity that you hang back, slow down, take a hard look, and it turns into the most energetic theatre as you sort out the players and move reluctantly past the boisterous bar and toward the street.

[edenman]

steaming hot mussels as big as cats' tongues...

best.analogy.ever.

anybody else got any "what's on tap" reports? i'm headed here tomorrow and was definitely looking forward to houblon on tap, but so it goes.

[Banco]

A few questions for Beck's veterans: I see on their website that they serve dinner until midnight. Is this firm? I'm thinking of going there tonight after a rehearsal and probably wouldn't show up until 11:00 or so.

Also, are a black shirt and good jeans OK here?

[lackadaisi]

A few questions for Beck's veterans: I see on their website that they serve dinner until midnight. Is this firm? I'm thinking of going there tonight after a rehearsal and probably wouldn't show up until 11:00 or so.

I don't believe that it is firm. I have heard that the kitchen closing time has been somewhat inconsistent so far.

[purplesachi]

A few questions for Beck's veterans: I see on their website that they serve dinner until midnight. Is this firm? I'm thinking of going there tonight after a rehearsal and probably wouldn't show up until 11:00 or so.

Also, are a black shirt and good jeans OK here?

we were told the kitchen closes 10:30pm on weekdays and 11 or 11:30pm friday and saturday. you might want to call to double check that.

if you are wearing black shirt and good jeans you may be able to get away with it at the bar, but most of the clientele i've seen are a little bit more spiffed up.

anybody else got any "what's on tap" reports? i'm headed here tomorrow and was definitely looking forward to houblon on tap, but so it goes.

as i said above, i think the houblon is gone now, replaced by nostradamus, but i think bill has limited kegs of it so it won't last for long. he's also trying (really hard) to get rid of the sam adams keg, but no one seems to be ordering it (duh).

edit: i think that mostly everything else that someone mentioned above is still available on tap (except for dekonick is gone with kwak in its place)

[Waitman]

A few questions for Beck's veterans: I see on their website that they serve dinner until midnight. Is this firm? I'm thinking of going there tonight after a rehearsal and probably wouldn't show up until 11:00 or so.

Also, are a black shirt and good jeans OK here?

I think anyplace calling itself a brasserie is required by law to allow the casaully-dressed inside. As long as they can pull it off with a little panache -- are you cast or crew?

And for God's sake, no sneaks!

[Banco]

I think anyplace calling itself a brasserie is required by law to allow the casaully-dressed inside. As long as they can pull it off with a little panache -- are you cast or crew?

And for God's sake, no sneaks!

Cast, and I gave up sneakers about the same time I gave up Clearasil. I did call Beck's, and what is posted on opentable is wrong. As noted above, they close at 10:30 on Mon-Th., and I think she said they're open 'til midnight on Fri-Sat. Damn.

[Waitman]

Cast, and I gave up sneakers about the same time I gave up Clearasil. I did call Beck's, and what is posted on opentable is wrong. As noted above, they close at 10:30 on Mon-Th., and I think she said they're open 'til midnight on Fri-Sat. Damn.

A comment on brasserie-wear from GQ's Alan Richman, who is apparently doing time in Paristhese days.

More than bistros, patisseries, or fromageries, the establishments that most evoked Paris for me were the brasseries.

They were always oversized. And they were usually monumental.

Mountains of oysters. Plenty of beer - "brasserie" means brewery in French. Workmen in soiled overalls and swells with gaudy scarves around their neck sitting side-by-side - the last vestige of the democratic principles of the short-lived French Revolution. One and all drank Riesling and ate sausages and sauerkraut.

[southdenverhoo]

yeah, but--soiled workmen OR scarved swells--were any of 'em wearing "sneaks"?

signed,

love me, love my chucks

[Heather]

steaming hot mussels as big as cats' tongues

Ours were as big as cat's heads, so big that I had to cut several in half before eating. The mussels themselves were sweet but the white wine, garlic and parsley liquor strangely needed a bit of salt.

The rabbit and fried skate were fab, especially the creamy skate. I didn't taste any of the steak, but it was a rosy medium all the way through so someone in the kitchen knows what to do with it. Scott enjoyed the choucroute, and was crushed when his leftovers got pitched instead of wrapped up (only service glitch of the night). I tried a bite and it was interesting, but not something I'd order more than once - didn't care for the crust or the hard boiled egg. We all shared an order of brussels sprouts and pommes puree. The teeny little sprouts are good but I would have liked them better without cheese; the potatoes are rich but not leaden and sprinkled with crisp shallots and minced chives.

Can't remember all the beers we drank, but the beer sommelier, Bill, is a great guy and steered to to several excellent choices. One of the friends with us is not a beer drinker -- I've known her for twenty-something years and have never seen her willingly consume beer -- but Bill managed to find something that she liked enough to order twice. Very impressive.

I didn't see the tab, but it was rumored to be very reasonable in light of all the food and beer we consumed.

[JPW]

A fairly sizable posse stopped by last night and managed to snag a bar table. I think they did a spectacular job with the interior design: you are indeed in a railroad station brasserie. The beer on tap selection is more than enough for me to want to stop by regularly. Add to that the rest of the beer list and I can see CrescentFresh living in Beck's.

Our group seemed to enjoy the mussels which I did not try. The fries and trio of mayos were great. The charcuterie platter was nice. Excellent prosciutto and I adored the bacon wrapped pate. The steak tartare is one of the better versions I've tried recently. It had a great BEEF taste that so often never appears or is overwhelmed by other ingredients in tartare. The fact that the tartare was perfectly seasoned, giving the beef the leading role and having just a slight palate cleansing bite in the aftertaste made the pea soup somewhat disappointing for me as the saltiness overwhelmed its innate pea-iness. The spinach salad was somewhat of a mess -- no real sharpness to it. The shrimp salad looked good, but I forgot to snake a bite from the person who ordered it.

At this point, I was starting to get a little full so I only tried 2 of the entrees we had. The pork belly was a couple of lean scallops of pig that were grilled and served over beans. The meat was quite good. I wish I could say that I enjoyed the charcroute en croute as much. To me the sausage needed to be much more assertive to take its place in this dish. It was OK, but after all of the raves here, I expected a party in my mouth.

Of course this is just one visit to a still new restaurant, I look forward to being able to explore more of the menu, but I'd also be perfectly content to sit down and run through all of the taps while downing orders of those excellent fries and mayo.

The bar was absolutely PACKED when we arrived at 7:15 and still going strong when I left at 9:30. I can only imagine what the crowds will be like when Tom issues his inevitable 2 star review in a month.

I have to give big kudos to the service. Our waitress did a wonderful job in dealing with a party that ordered so many dishes while fighting her way through the ravenous horde at the bar. The bartenders looked to be handling said horde quite well with nary a whip nor chair in sight. The kitchen did a very nice job of turning out food at a very reasonable pace on such a busy night at a new place.

PS - Hey, John. Nice theory -- "Bar should be clearing out by 8" Pshaw!!!

[bilrus]

Beck's publicist now has the menu on her website in addition to the beer menu, if anyone is interested.

I find it interesting that in a time when every 14 year old with a laptop has their own website, that restaurants that are predictably going to get a lot of buzz and that people are going to want to get information on - Beck's and Central both come to mind - don't have more than placeholder websites. And it isn't like these are shoestring operations. A lot of money went into building the physical plant of both places. Going by the crowds streaming to both places, I guess they don't need the help filling the seats, but it seems shortsighted to me.

[Banco]

Beck's publicist now has the menu on her website in addition to the beer menu, if anyone is interested.

That has got to be one of the most luscious menus I've read in a long time. I must get to Beck soon.

[edenman]

Ours were as big as cat's heads, so big that I had to cut several in half before eating.

Ours were the size of entire cats, but luckily I can do this so I had no problems eating them in a single bite. And yea, we just barely snagged a bar table (the barstools were full) at 10 when we finally finished up at Corduroy (which is the perfect pre- or post-Beck's stop, btw). Definitely calling in advance next time, even if it's a Wednesday.

The mussels are great, the charcuterie plate was massive, and the cheese plate was tasty (portions a bit small, though). Next time, an actual meal!

And Bill says the Urthel Hop-It will be on tap soon. Mmmm....

[purplesachi]

The bar was absolutely PACKED when we arrived at 7:15 and still going strong when I left at 9:30. I can only imagine what the crowds will be like when Tom issues his inevitable 2 star review in a month.

that's why you gotta leave work a tad early, like politburo and i did, and get there at 5:30 when there's still places to sit at the bar!

[Rieux]

Quick question. Mother and 84 year old grandmother coming to town this weekend. We have a reservation at Beck's at 7:30 which I am psyched for, but I'm wondering if people who have been there think that an 84 year old (albeit an active one) would be comfortable? She's not an adventurous eater, but usually likes chicken, steaks, etc...

[Mark Slater]

Quick question. Mother and 84 year old grandmother coming to town this weekend. We have a reservation at Beck's at 7:30 which I am psyched for, but I'm wondering if people who have been there think that an 84 year old (albeit an active one) would be comfortable? She's not an adventurous eater, but usually likes chicken, steaks, etc...

Don't hesitate to take them there.

[xcanuck]

Quick question. Mother and 84 year old grandmother coming to town this weekend. We have a reservation at Beck's at 7:30 which I am psyched for, but I'm wondering if people who have been there think that an 84 year old (albeit an active one) would be comfortable? She's not an adventurous eater, but usually likes chicken, steaks, etc...

No worries. Good variety on the menu and I think she'll enjoy the atmosphere.

[synaesthesia]

cucas87 and I went to Beck's tonight. They finally switched out the Sam Adams and replaced it with Delerium Apple. I talked to the beer sommelier and they've got a few more things in that he's really excited about. If I knew more about beer I would be able to tell you what they were.

The mussels in white wine were good, but this time around I had the ones with chorizo and fennel and they were superlative. Realized the smell from the fries remind me of Old Bay.

[bonaire]

Went here last night for dinner. I will definitely go back, multiple times. I had to keep reminding myself that I COULD go back and so it wasn't necessary to order one of everything.

I haven't seen anyone mention the potato leek soup -- I had it last night and it was fantastic. It had a very smooth creamy base and had a nice saltiness without being overwhelming. The potato chunks were perfectly cooked -- not too mushy, not too hard. We also shared the mussels gratin. Definitely save some of your bread to soak up the liquid that's left over after you devour the mussels.

For my main, I had the trout with capers. My only "miss" of the night -- I found the taste on the char on the fish overwhelmed both the fish and the capers. Those who like char will love this dish, though.

Finished up with the pear tarte. It is insanely good if you like really sweet things (which I do). The ice cream (cinnamon honey) was a nice balance to the warm pear and caramel sauce.

If you go, make sure you ask for salt (even if you just want a touch). They bring you a beautifully presented dish with three compartments each holding a different kind of salt. One looked like a traditional sea salt, the second was a purple Hawaiian salt of some sort and the third was a very finely ground other type that I can't remember. I found that a few grains of the Hawaiian salt (they're pretty big grains) on your bread and butter added a nice flavor.

Our service was perfect -- we had a nice young guy who gave us some good menu tips. It was only two of us so we were sat in a nice nook that accomodates two two-person tables. I will say, it's hard to have a personal conversation sitting so close to two other people, but it wasn't a big deal at all. I'll definitely be back, sooner rather than later.

[CrescentFresh]

Hey! How's everybody doing tonight?? Great! Good on ya!

Ok. Somewhere there's probably a thread that has lots of back and forth about how long you're supposed to wait for a restaurant to get settled before you say anything about it. There is definitely some merit to that. I cannot sit idly by when restaurant critics allow comment for restaurants that haven't even opened to the public yet...which has happened. On the other hand, there's the "you're taking my money" crowd.

Anyway, so when I discuss my meal with assorted companions this evening there was a lot of "they're new" going on. Yeah. But we're now three-ish weeks into service and I've had comments on other restaurants sooner so......Sorry to let you down but...

Ain't

All

That

Which is not to say that Beck can't become killer. The crowd was packing the house tonight so clearly there's something positive happening here for folks but, for me, it was 50-50.

I loved the beer. That Bavik is just fantastic. Goes down smooth. Not too strong. Not too challenging. Perhaps my favorite lager in the last two weeks. (But couldn't surpass the Harviestoun Schiehallion that jparrot, stretch and I had in Boston recently). But that entire list is just amazing. What a great beer program. (But isn't it kinda cheesy for Beck to be serving Beck's? Can we start a pool to find out when some poor sap says "I didn't know you were a brewpub!") So, the beer was great.

Not so great -- The food. Eh. Okay, the mussels were really good. Massive. The size of hamsters. (which I understand is a delicacy in Syria!) But the steak tartare? Eh. The grind and texture were right on. Chunky and with heft. The opposite of BdC or Les Halles which is ground. But what was wrong with Beck's? Someone seemed to have forgotten the seasoning. No essence of anything remotely resembling anything in the family of herbs or spices. Sure, there was stuff around the side of the plate and some kind of "dressing." But completely devoid of any flavor that I've been accustomed to finding in tartare, such as pickle or hot sauce or, well, anything. Boring.

But the main dislike was the pork belly. When I think of pork belly, I'm expecting a piece of meat that's going to fall apart into gooey, fatty shreds just because I looked at it funny. This pork belly had the texture of an overcooked and dry pork roast. Grill marks and all. There was nothing to like about this pork belly. And I kept digging into it hoping I'd find that spot where the fatty goodness would be, but no luck. (The dish was kindly taken off of the check when I reported my displeasure with it.)

The bread basket was great. Incredible crispy crust. Flavorful soft interior. That bread may very well be the best restaurant bread I've had in the area. Amazingly good. The frites? Well, I mentioned them before I'll mention them again. Much better at BdC or Les Halles. The limp to crisp frites ratio at Beck was improperly skewed towards limp.

Another like. A serious like. The service. Stellar. Helpful, friendly, accommodating, timely and right on target. Just superb. Another dislike. A serious dislike. I couldn't hear a fucking thing in there. I don't know what the story is with the acoustics, but trying to listen to Mrs. CF who was all of about 2.5 feet away from me, if that, was impossible. This wasn't an issue with crowd. This was acoustics.

And I didn't like the layout, which seemed utterly disjointed. And the crowd? Well, I was really impressed with the woman who walked in as we were leaving dressed LIKE A FUCKING SNOW BUNNY RETURNING FROM THE SLOPES! White, quilted ski jacket, tight white pants and a white headband that looked more like earmuffs. Who goes out like that? Doesn't she have one friend who could step up to the plate and say, "uh, no." ??

Ok. So I'm a curmudgeon. But I'm not busting the bubble here because I'm meanspirited. The Mrs. and I just didn't feel the love that everyone else seems to have found. I'd go back to Beck for beers. I may even dig into another dish or two to get a better sampling. But you know what? I wandered over to Corduroy right after leaving Beck, and all became good in the world. And Corduroy has Murphy's on tap!

[Heather]

If you can tear yourself away from the beer, order a Citadelle and tonic. You won't regret it.

[Rieux]

Had an amazing meal here last week with my mother and grandmother. While a bit loud, they both loved it.

My mother and I both had fantastic beers, but I can't recall the name. (due, in part, to the alcohol content of said beer). They came in a mad-scientist-like beaker in a wooden holder.

The mussels we shared as an appetizer (the basic ones with garlic and wine) were the best and largest any of us had ever had, and between us we have 184 years of mussel-eating experience.

I had the charcroute en croute which was good, but not earth-shatteringly so. It could have used a bit more of the sauce. My mother's trout and grandmother's steak were excellent, and the steak was cooked perfectly medium-rare.

As stated upthread, the bread was the best I've had in any DC restaurant. The frites were good, but the three dipping sauces were a little bland, and the size of the sauces was too small for the amount of frites.

For dessert we had the pear tartine, which was phenomenal. I would eat this every day if I could. The cinnamon ice cream that came with it was also amazing. The french press coffees were also great.

The service was uniformly wonderful, with the waiter giving good recommendations on wines and beers, and anticipating our needs well. He was able to size up our table fairly quickly as a son out for mother's day weekend with his mother and grandmother, and could tell that my grandmother is usually not a big-city bistro gal. He made her instantly comfortable, was appropriately flirty with her and my mom, and even spoke italian to grandma when he found out she was the daughter of immigrants. He really made the night, as the Rieux-women all felt cosmopolitan, special, and well-cared for.

I think I have a new favorite restaurant in town. I've already made a reservation to go back, although I think I'll order a different main dish next time.

[jdl]

The bread at Mio is better than the bread at Beck's, though it doesn't come out of the kitchen warm at Mio.....

(And, of course, there is no greater baked product served at dinner in DC than those Parker House rolls at CityZen. Schwing!)

[ruslev]

I went last night at 5pm. The food and service were great. I had a spinach salad which is large enough to split. I also had the skate which was really excellent. The Frites with the different mayos were also very good. The food came out super hot. Had plenty of time to eat dinner - no dessert, only coffee- french press- and still caught a Nats game. Service was very good - never went below half in the water glass..people always watching--

Overall, a great place.

[Hannah]

After 3 visits, I have to say we're hooked. It's a nice, open, light-filled space, they've got solidly good food and a great beer list, and everyone seems really happy to be there and excited about what they're doing. And whoever is on their vegetable station is an artist, because the root vegetables that come with the rabbit are absolutely fantastic. Seriously. I had no idea you could make rutabagas taste that good. The other vegetables are good too, but the rutabagas are awe-inspiring.

I'm not convinced by the frites, but I tend to prefer the thicker-cut style. The Ghent mustard (curry mayo) sauce is most excellent though - if there was a way to combine that sauce with Eamonn's chips, I think we'd have the overall winner.

[JLK]

Twice I have been to Brasserie Beck now, and twice I have somehow failed to notice the clocks. Perhaps it was the beer (mmm, Bacchus!). Maybe it was the company. Or possibly it was the delicious pea soup with veal cheek meatballs that distracted me. Wow, I enjoyed every last drop of that soup! My main - beef carbonade - was pretty good. Some pieces of meat were more tender than others, but the flavors were good.

Our party of four was seated in the nook allllll the way to the rear of the restaurant. At first, we thought of it as Siberia, but we soon came to appreciate our our sheltered little space allowed us to converse. We were quietly celebrating one member of the party's birthday. Both the food and sweet service (by a very kindly, somewhat motherly member of the waitstaff) made Beck a comfortable place to do so. It wasn't perfect, but it was good.

[ctay122]

We dined at Brasserie Beck Sat night. We got there a half hour before our 8 pm reservation, so we sat at the bar and I had a kir royale and my husband got something on tap. I thought the design of the restaurant was quite amazing. Big and open, and I loved watching the action of the kitchen through the huge glass windows. In addition, where we sat at, about the halfway point of the restaurant near the private rooms, there was a tv inside one of the rooms that we watched which has a cam from the kitchen. We watched the plates as they came out of the kitchen for pickup. Although we were was at first disappointed with our seating, as we thought we were too far away from the action, we appreciated the quietness of our table as we were able to have a nice quiet dinner and conversation.

We started with the charcuterie plate as it sounded too good to pass up. I was amazed at the size, as it could have served four easily. It was delicious. Our waiter, Jamie, kept the bread basket full. We didn't want to spoil our dinner so we ended up asking our server to box up the remains. My husband had the Duck Congolese Almondine ,which was served with couscous. I had the Beef Carbonnade. Both dishes were cooked to perfection. I also ordered the frites, after hearing the reviews here. I was a bit disappointed as they were too heavily salted, not hot enough and somewhat ordinary. I'm sure we could have returned it for another order, but at this point I was filling up fast.But I loved the the mayo trio the frites were served with, and was surprised my husband didn't ask for ketchup. The portion was quite large...luckily we saw one of the other servers bringing an order out, so we knew not to order two. After listening to the next table ooh and ahh over the pear tartine, we decided to split an order along with a french press. The tartine was a little too sweet for my taste, but hubby loved it. Along with an inexpensive ($40) bottle of Catena Malbec, our total bill came to $125 before tip. We spend double or triple that at Marcel's so of course we felt like we got a great meal for what we consider a bargain price. We will definitely return. Our server was great and he did everything we asked as far as pacing the courses, we were there until 11:30 and just took our time and enjoyed.

[synaesthesia]

I had lunch at Beck today. It was a different experience from my first two times, and I wonder if it had something to do with my lunch hour. I had the pea soup with veal meatballs again as well as the duck confit. My boss ordered the mussels. The meatballs in the soup seemed smaller than before and maybe a little bit less tender, but still very good nonetheless. The confit was saltier than last time, maybe a little bit too salty.

I tried three of my boss' white wine mussels. They were terrible. Despite being quite sizeable they were really mushy and flavorless. After I ate them I felt pretty sick. I was so disappointed, especially after such positive experiences before. I am hoping that it was simply because we were there during the lunch shift.

The bread, however, seems to be even better than the first time. They truly do have some excellent baguettes there.

[Heather]

The first few times: Think I'm In Love.

The bloom is slightly off the rose as the last time was somewhat of a Let Down. Pea soup was good, but there was too much of the flabby fried parsley and the meatballs were miniscule. I also got the shrimp, tomato and avocado salad which was absolutely not to my taste. The avocado had been mashed (blech) and the whole thing was oddly flavorless. Salt and pepper helped somewhat but it's not something I'll ever order again. The coffee continues to be excellent.

ETA That's not to say I won't be back many many times.

[giant shrimp]

early on a holiday weekend evening, beck lacks the verve of our previous visit. the bar is full but hushed, and the hostess, on the icy and stern side, seems preoccupied with seating someone, anyone in the small five- or six-table nook by the window between the bar and the dining rooms. what appeared to be grandma out for a special occasion with her child, son- or daugher-in-law and grandchild declined to sit there. defining the space are double opposing two-tops, each at close quarters, pulled up to the blue floral banquettes that strike a note of cheerful sophistication throughout the place. if you have never visited this european train station-themed brasserie before, and this is where you are shown, you have every right to feel that you didn't quite make it into the restaurant. as you watch it slowly filling up throughout the hour or two duration of your meal, you may ask yourself, should my wife have worn heels and not flats? Should I start ironing my shirts? on the other hand, if the premises were packed and you didn't have a reservation, you would be grateful to be able to sit here. it's not bad. in any event, grandma had not a lick of trouble moving on to something she preferred, but it was an awkward, and unnecessary, moment. by the way, the area is walled off fairly well from a bussing station, and although this is where the servers are posted, the configuration of the space will make it difficult for your waiter or waitress to keep a sharp eye on the table without coming right up to it.

you wouldn't expect a restaurant that has only been open for a few weeks in a crowded field and should still be working out its kinks to let key members of its cooking staff take off and head for the seashore, but it certainly seemed that way.

in one of the best bread baskets around, baguette pieces were delivered to the table piping hot, ready to be slathered with butter, reminiscent of the indulgence of eating bread straight out of the oven. a salad of bibb lettuce on sliced beets was kicked with sand -- and inedible. a cylindrical salad of shrimp and avocado, firm and fresh when ordered a couple of weeks earlier, this time was falling apart from excessive mayonnaise and the proportions of the ingredients had shifted, with less avocado and more of the shrimp, which was unfortunately tough. though not bad and a cut or two above what you would expect on an amtrak dining car, grilled beef steak ordered medium-rare was cooked within an inch of dryness, the meat somewhat stringy, glazed with green pepper and cognac sauce sticky enough to catch flies but flavorless and not a good companion for the nice, hefty pat of lightly herbal butter set too far apart from two small roughly cut pieces of meat to readily melt. plain fries were plain good, but accompanying watercress was the texture of seaweed washing up on shore, way oversalted and about as palatable as seawater. roasted monkfish with traces of olive and slices of pepper was good, in a hearty and tasty sauce. however, although the sauce paired will with the fish, someone went overboard with it, a distraction running all over the plate. for dessert, for those not up to tackling the cinnamon bun of a pear tarte tatin, fruit sorbets -- wild strawberry and cherry -- have been delicious. A milky peach panna cotta with a scoop of sorbet was simple and good, if not especially peachy. raspberry sauce functioned more as decoration in this dish. it's not in the bowl containing the dessert but has been squiggled onto a white plate that holds the bowl.

naughty spanking-the-maid tiles are definitely worth a trip to the men's room.

[Sthitch]

I have to fall into the camp of loving the fries. The batch we had last night arrived quite hot, and were so addicting that we ignored our entrees for several minutes while noshing on the fries.

[DonRocks]

I have to fall into the camp of loving the fries. The batch we had last night arrived quite hot, and were so addicting that we ignored our entrees for several minutes while noshing on the fries.

Say hello next time.