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

[chickenlover]

Can you eat at the bar here? And if so, what are my chances of finding a spot for two around 7 tonight?

[mdt]

Can you eat at the bar here? And if so, what are my chances of finding a spot for two around 7 tonight?

Yes. Slim.

[crackers]

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.

Good thing you didn't wait. They are great when they come out steaming hot. Not much better than Mickey D's once they've cooled off, which doesn't take very long.

The lamb rillettes that come in a small ramekin as part of the charcuterie plate are probably my favorite item on the menu. While I was waiting for dinner one night, a nice bartender brought me out a ramekin by itself, bless his heart. It would make a fantastic stand-alone appetizer.

[Sthitch]

The lamb rillettes that come in a small ramekin as part of the charcuterie plate are probably my favorite item on the menu. While I was waiting for dinner one night, a nice bartender brought me out a ramekin by itself, bless his heart. It would make a fantastic stand-alone appetizer.

We had the Charcuterie platter as well, and I have to agree with you about the rillettes, the roasted peppers on top adds a nice complexity to the dish. As for the fries cooling down, our batch last night did not suffer when they cooled slightly. I was surprised by how creamy the interior of these small fries were.

By the way, the Rabbit Loin with Kriek (sp?) is a hell of a fine dish. It is actually a roasted loin and leg served with roasted root vegetables. The Kriek comes as a slightly sweet sauce.

[collije]

Had lunch at the bar last Thursday with a friend to check out that place. As bonaire said similarly, this will be a place I'll be visiting on regular basis.

Quite a busy afternoon there. Chef Wiedmaier & his team were preparing dishes for a photographer [can't remember for which publications, the Sunday Post insert & something else?]. Was about 5 feet away from 2 Sous Chefs & Robert plating a number of dishes for presentation, including a good-looking seafood platter.

The beer selection here is fantastic, in both their draft and bottled variety. We chatted-up with the Lead Bartender for awhile, he treated us to a few of his personal favorite beers [including one in particular that I can't quite remember. Fantastic though, will update this post with the name]. Nice selection of belgians here. Sitting next to us was Beck's beer/spirits distributor. He mentioned that Beck's was the only DC restaurant he knew that sold much more beer than liquors here [so far]. Judging what I've tasted & read on the menu, it had the quality of what I'd expect on tap from the Brickskeller.

As for lunch, food was equally yummy. Bread was very good. We shared for starters the potato gratin, with the optional pork belly [~$4 more]. Wow, so delicious but rich. The belly was tender and flavorful. Gratin was in a pool of butter/sauce. Tasty, but not good for the heart As for the mains, I sampled their Croque-Monsieur sandwhich w/ fries [leaving for Montreal Jazz Fest at the end of the month, so I'm already aching for that!] while my friend had the Coq au Vin [chicken]. The sandwhich was very good, looks like a flat [cibatta?] bread loaded with lots of quality ham and some type of cheese I couldn't quite make-out. Industrial-sized pannini-press was right by the bar. Fries were fine, and the accompanying mayonnaise dips [3 versions: regular, curry-based, and a tomato-based] weren't bad. The Coq au Vin was deeeelish. Their version comes with the bones [my friend was used to bones-removed, but I've had both types]. Rich flavorful sauce ... tender braised meat. Just a sample bite makes me wanna go back & have that myself next time.

Skipped on dessert this time [back to sampling more beer heh]. Chatted with the Chef for awhile, he mentioned that he's having "fun" with Becks, and has high hopes for its success. The last couple of weekends for him here have seen brisk strong interest for patroners. Alas, he's currently keeping a rigid policy on no-more that 6-person reservation [doesn't expect to waive that, but we'll see], but their Chef Table is available [10-person minimum I believe, about $85/pp].

Had to leave to drive the girlfriend to the airport, else I would've stayed longer at the bar. All in all I'm digging this place!

[LoganCircle]

Thanks to problems with my computer that our IT deparment could not resolve, I had to leave work and set up shop at home. Doing so afforded me an opportunity to have a terrific lunch at Brasserie Beck:

The spinach salad with bacon, onions, and maytag blue cheese was great. Its goodness was matched by the duo of cinammon-honey and chocolate mocha ice creams. The chicken waterzooi was fine, and something I'd order again, but the appetizer and dessert were standouts. Three courses and a glass of muscadet was $46 before tip.

Very nice to have this place in the neighborhood.

[edenman]

Stopped in Saturday night. The mussels gratin was the first slightly disappointing thing that I've had here. The broth wasn't very interesting (not much cream, if any), and the mussels, although plentiful, were gritty. The Skate made up for that, and the Poperings Hommelbier on tap....mmmm. Bill's also bringing in some really interesting stuff in bottles. '87 Kasteel Donker ($150, if memory serves), anyone? It's only $100 for the '94

[BookGuy]

A friend took me to Beck last night for a very early 5 PM seating. Although the place was somewhat noisy, it was not unbearably so. She had a pastry pate and I had the lamb sausange as an appetizer. For the main course, she had the skate wings and I had the moules and frites in memory of all the places I ate this dish in Brussels. We both thought it was fine food while remembering that it isn't supposed to be as upscale as Marcel's.

One thing I liked was the was they validiated the parking ticket which was added to the regular bill when you handed it to the waitier--and the car was waiting when we walked out the door. That may be Belgian efficiency.

[silentbob]

I am in the minority when it comes to the mussels. They weren't particularly meaty and the white wine broth was bland.

That said, everything else that we ordered was great. The charcuterie plate was probably substantial enough to feed several people. My small suggestion would be to have more pate and less sliced meat. I did regret not having ordered the pea soup -- it was probably the best item from the evening and I had only a small taste.

The mixture of crispy and salty on the skate was wonderful, although it still ranks slightly below the version I had at Blue Ribbon in NYC. The sauces accompanying the pork loin and the monkfish were out of this world. Curry was my favorite dipping sauce for the frites. I do wish they did not cool so quicky as some have noted.

I don't mind super-sweetness, and thoroughly enjoyed the pear tarte tatin. Bread pudding was fine, nothing spectacular.

Service was slightly uneven in pace but very friendly. I'll definitely be back.

[Pat]

We're going here for the first time tonight, with someone visiting from out of town. I'm going back back through the posts to get a sense of what to order, though that may go out the window once I have a menu in hand . Any specific suggestions?

[Pat]

I wanted to try a lot of different things last night, so we got more food than we could eat. We shared the charcuterie plate, which I loved. The rillettes and the bread, especially, I could have eaten all night. I also ordered the frisee salad to start and enjoyed it a lot. So much for not eating bacon again for a really long time . We got the remnants of that and the remainder of the meats boxed up to come home.

For the main course, my husband got the salmon entree and our guest got the rabbit, both of which were polished off. I got the skate wing , which I couldn't eat much of since I was so full. I also ordered fries to share, but it was even more than I thought. They were quite good, thin and crispy--just the way I like fries. My husband had also ordered potato gratin, not realizing the fries would be so plentiful. We brought skate and potato gratin home with the other leftovers. I'm thinking skate wing will be phenomenal in fish tacos tonight.

We had a couple of Baviks to drink, which were to my taste. And we got the pleasant surprise of a tableside visit from Ferment Everything, who spotted us off in the corner we were in (oh, was I glad for the corner--it was even loud there. I'm getting older and harder of hearing rapidly, and the loud noise in some places is starting to get to me.) We got home to the unpleasant surprise of our visitor's rental car having been towed . There was a Nats game last night! We hadn't thought about that at all, so hadn't given him the little sign to put in his car. Sigh.

[DPop]

Well, I'm sad to say that Beck's has gotten progressively worse each time I have been. The service today was mediocre at best, the charcuterie plate was fresh and tasty but certainly not worth $24, and my companion was very disappointed with their duck roullade.

It would be a damn shame if this restaurant took a real turn for the worse, as I love the concept and space and the service I got the first two times I visited. Lets hope I've just had bad luck the last two times and there truly is no issue at all.

[Heather]

the charcuterie plate was fresh and tasty but certainly not worth $24

Just curious why not...was it the amount served?

[DPop]

Just curious why not...was it the amount served?

The portion size, for the price, is a little high, but that's not my gripe. I was only in love with the dried prosciutto of the meats on the plate. I thought the lamb rillettes did not deserve the praise they got on here, relatively dry and boring, and the pate was creamy but relatively tasteless outside of the salty bacon.

Did I walk away hungry and unsatisfied? No. Would I ever order the plate again? Unless someone in my party really wants to get it, I will not.

[DanielK]

Had dinner here with a friend last night before a show at the Warner.

Arrived at 5:30; no room at the bar, so we took a seat in the dining room. I had previously made a reservation just in case, but there were plenty of tables available even when we left at 7:30. So, even on a Friday night, it seems walking in for a table is at least a possibility.

We knocked back about 8 beers between the two of us before and during the meal, working our way through most of the tap list. Unfortunately, since the list isn't on the website (heck, nothing is on the website), I can't tell you what we had. There was definitely a Bavik in there, and a whole range of things from white to spicy to sour.

For a starter, we shared the mussels with fennel and chorizo. They were good, not great. Far inferior to the mussels at Le Mannequin Pis in Olney. The bowl was a good size, but definitely short of the full kilo you get at LMP. I would say that nearly 20% of the mussels were either unopenable or just no good. The sauce was flavorful though a bit thin, but the chorizo were great. The frites were fabulous - I didn't have any problem with the consistency even after they cooled. The dips were good, but I dream about the homemade mayo at LMP.

For mains, my friend had the Duck Congolese style, and I had the Choucroute "En croute". Both were excellent and generously portioned - neither of us could clear our plates after the mussels. The crust on the choucroute stayed flaky through the meal.

No dessert. Service was excellent. Total after tax and 20%+ tip was about $130.

It's two blocks from my office, so I'm sure I'll be back. Probably too much for lunch for all but the most special occasions, but the beer list and appetizers definitely seem worthy of a mid-week happy hour jaunt.

[Pat]

We knocked back about 8 beers between the two of us before and during the meal, working our way through most of the tap list. Unfortunately, since the list isn't on the website (heck, nothing is on the website), I can't tell you what we had. There was definitely a Bavik in there, and a whole range of things from white to spicy to sour.

There's a beer list as a pdf on the publicist's web site. I don't know how current it is. Link in this post upthread.

[DanielK]

There's a beer list as a pdf on the publicist's web site. I don't know how current it is. Link in this post upthread.

Unfortunately, that list is not current.

We definitely had the Bavik, Bacchus, and the Gouden Carolus Tripple, but other than the Delirium Tremens, I don't think any of the rest of that list is currently on tap.

[TimmySmith]

To post or not to post that is the question.

I suppose I would have posted had it been a good or great night so I can share this experience with a clear conscience that was bad at best, somewhat degrading at worst.

First, yes, I am one of those infrequent fine diners. And yes, I have children. And no, I do not live in Ashburn. I am not the bread and butter of the high end restaurant industry and do not expect and generally do not receive the same type of attention as the frequent patrons. Give me good food in a timely manner. The chef need not schmooze my table. I understand this. On my end, I will be a quiet and gracious guest, and a solid tipper.

My reservation for BB on Saturday was for 9pm, I expected to be seated somewhere around 9:20, it ended being about 9:30. No problem, a couple a Chimays in the bar were the perfect start to evening.

My spider senses started tingling when were led to what appeared in my eyes to be very poor real estate. The kind of table that I am guessing did not appear on the original floor plan. A throw in. An extra grand a night. A schmucks cover. Had we not been a half hour past our reservation with 4 hungry people and a babysitter on the clock, I would have declined it.

Rough accounting, I put times with in 5 or so minutes
9:35 drink order taken
9:45 some drinks arrive, apps AND entrees ordered (simultaneous ordering is waitress idea, fine by us, we are ready)
10:05 one member at our table gets his drink
10:15 some apps arrive (Tartare and charcuterie and salad, very good we are starving)
10:40 last app arrives (WTF?)
11:00 no entrees in sight call waitress. (Surrounding tables which turned over since our seating are eating entrees) Manager comes over and says 2 minutes.
11:05 Manager comes over again and says 2 minutes. We request check.
11:10 Check does not come, servers are running (I shit you not, they are running) to our table with plates of food which they are hastily trying to place at the correct positions. This proves to be an impossible task....because....IT'S NOT OUR FOOD. Right about now humiliation has crept in.
11:20 The manager has disappeared. The check has appeared. $139.00. We pay. No tip. We walk. My wife is starving, she did not order an app. Damn. I wonder how those skate wings and frites would have tasted. I'll never know.

[DanielK]

The check has appeared. $139.00. We pay. No tip. We walk. My wife is starving, she did not order an app. Damn. I wonder how those skate wings and frites would have tasted. I’ll never know.

Wait, you paid for the entrees that you never received?

[TimmySmith]

Wait, you paid for the entrees that you never received?

Apps and drinks.

[Waitman]

To post or not to post that is the question.

I suppose I would have posted had it been a good or great night so I can share this experience with a clear conscience that was bad at best, somewhat degrading at worst.

Sounds like a terrible experience, but I would avoid the temptation to describe it as humiliating and degrading. 'Less you left something out, there's no evidence at all that this was anothing other than a very, very bad night for them. Don't take it personally.

BTW. skate wing was great the day I had it. Frites merely so-so.

[FunnyJohn]

My gawd. What I find astonishing is that they even presented you a check at all for this fiasco.

[Heather]

Apps and drinks.

$140 for four apps and four drinks? Holy cow.

I would have been up and speaking to a manager at 9:45, when one of the drinks went missing. Or 10:15 at the latest, when one of the apps didn't show up. I'm not blaming you for their inattentiveness, but if things are that bad you gotta speak up.

[The Hersch]

$140 for four apps and four drinks? Holy cow.

It would appear that it was only three apps, as his wife went totally hungry. Did the tab include the pre-dinner drinks at the bar as well?

[TimmySmith]

It would appear that it was only three apps, as his wife went totally hungry. Did the tab include the pre-dinner drinks at the bar as well?

We paid for the drinks at the bar separately. It was 4 apps and 6 drinks plus tax I guess. Without dwelling on this too much longer, it simply appeared that the the floor is/was mismanaged. I suppose if a manager is weak, incompetent or just having an off night you are at the complete mercy of the wait staff. If your waitress is also off, you are sunk. Still, it should not happen at an establishment like BB. If I was not the guest of someone I would have been a little more forceful. I did recommend the spot though.

I did hesitate to post this at all, not knowing if my vent would be to any good purpose. However most of the poor reviews I have read about Beck's (not just here) stem from lack of proper service. Add this one to that bunch. The food we received was excellent.

[Saycheese]

My party of 4 dined at Brasserie Beck on Saturday night as well -- we had a 10:00 reservation. Unlike Timmy Smith's party, we had an overall good experience. This was my 4th visit, and each time has been enjoyable - not always perfect, but very good. The skate wing, salmon, beef carbonnade and mussels & frites were all terrific. We had to ask for bread to be brought, and our server forgot the extra order of fries we requested, but we weren't charged for them and the frites that came with the mussels turned out to be enough. The first 2 draught beers we ordered were no longer available, but our server made some good suggestions for alternatives. Skipping appetizers left room for dessert -- we shared the rice pudding, pear tart and sorbet. They were good but not that special. The bread pudding is another dessert that I would like to try, however. We had no complaints about the pace of the service. My only concern was that one of our party is disabled and uses a cane, and I dropped him and another guest off at the door to get seated while my friend and I parked the car, and the host made him wait, standing, until all 4 of us were there. He doesn't like to make an issue of his disability (he wouldn't, for example, want a special note to the restaurant about it sent through open table -- and besides, who would expect that it would be necessary to do so) and we didn't complain, because the wait was only a few minutes. But I would think that as a matter of courtesy, if you see someone who walks with difficulty, you would make an exception to the "entire party must be present to be seated" rule without being asked. That being said, I have found everyone there to be very gracious and pleasant, and I love the food!

[clayrae]

Had lunch at Beck this afternoon. I could eat lots and lots of the warm (hot actually) french loaf and butter they brought to the table. I had the steak tartare which was good, but the dressing overpowered the meat, and the frites, which were also good along with the dipping sauces, but what is the point of the boatload of frites? They must throw away pounds of cold dead frites every day. My friend had the trout, which was cooked well from the piece I was able to snag.

But I've run into this twice in a week now (on Saturday at Comet Ping Pong also):

I scoped out the menu before ordering, took note of the desserts, think there is something I might like, and then, the entrée plates are cleared and the check is unceremoniously dropped on the table. No offer of dessert, no offer of coffee. No nothing. Both times I have been so put off by this, as I was ready and willing to order dessert, padding both the tab and the tip, that I just paid and left. What's up with service? Some of you have met me, it's not like I look like I don't eat dessert!

Thankfully this afternoon we just marched across the street to Corduroy and had some of Tom Power's strawberry tart and wonderful sorbet, but that's for another thread!

[Pat]

They must throw away pounds of cold dead frites every day.

When I asked to have the remainder of our food wrapped up, my husband asked if we should get the fries too. The server said, no, there's no point in taking them, that they won't keep. I bit my tongue since the server was seeming irked at the amount of food we were asking to be wrapped up, but I've found that fries reheat fairly well if taken straight home, wrapped in foil, and put in the freezer. Then I reheat them in the foil, sealed part of the time and opened the rest of the time to recrisp. It doesn't make them as good as they were originally, but it works pretty well.

Next time, I'll be more assertive about bringing fries home, so I can at least test how well theirs keep.

[synaesthesia]

Are they still doing the "team service" at Beck? I think that's one of the big issues with their service. I went once during down time and got seated in Siberia, but we had ridiculous amounts of service. We were asked how things were by two different people in the course of two minutes. I think it has something to do with the fact that when they work in teams there is a certain lack of ownership, which may make them go back to a table with regular timing. It may also be a lack of communication within the team, leaving you very neglected. The first time we went when it was busier, this definitely seemed to be the issue.

[Pat]

Are they still doing the "team service" at Beck? I think that's one of the big issues with their service. I went once during down time and got seated in Siberia, but we had ridiculous amounts of service. We were asked how things were by two different people in the course of two minutes. I think it has something to do with the fact that when they work in teams there is a certain lack of ownership, which may make them go back to a table with regular timing. It may also be a lack of communication within the team, leaving you very neglected. The first time we went when it was busier, this definitely seemed to be the issue.

When we were there, we clearly had a primary server, who checked on things with some frequency. The service overall was fine, except for the person who brought some of the food putting a meal in front of the wrong person. That kind of thing doesn't tend to bother me, especially in more informal place.

[mdt]

Are they still doing the "team service" at Beck? I think that's one of the big issues with their service. I went once during down time and got seated in Siberia, but we had ridiculous amounts of service. We were asked how things were by two different people in the course of two minutes. I think it has something to do with the fact that when they work in teams there is a certain lack of ownership, which may make them go back to a table with regular timing. It may also be a lack of communication within the team, leaving you very neglected. The first time we went when it was busier, this definitely seemed to be the issue.

If they are doing the team service thing, which I don't recall them doing, then they should check out the Great American Restaurants outposts as they have team service down to a science.

[Heather]

I've eaten there twice for dinner and not experienced team service. I wonder if it's something new? If so, it sound like they need to rethink it.

[synaesthesia]

I've eaten there twice for dinner and not experienced team service. I wonder if it's something new? If so, it sound like they need to rethink it.

While there is a primary server, I got the impression that responsibilities are generally distributed amongst a group of four or five people somewhat equally, and that it seemed to take the weight of leadership off of the primary server.

[Waitman]

I'd guess that what is happening is that you have a primary server, but whomever is in or near the kitchen when the food comes out brings it to your table. This is fairly common in good restaurants and isn't aimed at "taking the weight" off anyone so much as getting the food to the table while it is still hot, rather than waiting for a waiter to get into the kitchen from the far reaches of the restaurant (or finish wine service or whatever). Beck is clearly not the kind of place where the chef can slap a bell, yell "pick-up" and and expect the one correct waiter out of twenty to arrive immediately.

Given Wiedmaier's reputation and the service at Marcel's, I'd bet on the service at Beck improving rapidly and substantially (though I have experienced no problems). It is, after all, still new and fairly huge.

[synaesthesia]

I'd guess that what is happening is that you have a primary server, but whomever is in or near the kitchen when the food comes out brings it to your table. This is fairly common in good restaurants and isn't aimed at "taking the weight" off anyone so much as getting the food to the table while it is still hot, rather than waiting for a waiter to get into the kitchen from the far reaches of the restaurant (or finish wine service or whatever). Beck is clearly not the kind of place where the chef can slap a bell, yell "pick-up" and and expect the one correct waiter out of twenty to arrive immediately.

Given Wiedmaier's reputation and the service at Marcel's, I'd bet on the service at Beck improving rapidly and substantially (though I have experienced no problems). It is, after all, still new and fairly huge.

heh. not quite sure how to convey... but it was more than simply a handing off of food. It was a higher level interaction that I would typically expect from the primary server. Ugh... I won't say anymore.

[Heather]

The last time I was there for dinner, abou tthree weeks ago, we had one server. He may have had help running our mains, but he took our drink orders, our food orders, delivered apps, found the beer sommelier for us, brought our drinks, checked on us, took dessert and coffee orders, served dessert and poured coffee, and delivered and returned the check. This wasn't an off time, this was Friday at 8 when the place was slammed. That does not sound in any way like what's going on now, and makes me wonder what's going on there.

[txaggie]

cjsadler and I finally tried Brasserie Beck.

We shared the charcuterie plate.

For dinner, I had the pork tenderloin with a confit of cabbage and mustard sauce (I loved this dish).

Chris had the mussels with fennel and chorizo...

...which, of course, came with fries and a trio of mayonnaises.

For dessert, we shared the pear tarte tatin with cinnamon honey ice cream. The caramel sauce on the tarte tatin was a little too buttery for me and the ice cream's flavor was great but the texture was a touch icy. This was a rich ending to an already filling meal.

Overall, this was a great meal. Everything was cooked well and the service was friendly and attentive. We'll definitely be back.

[trillian68]

My husband and I finally got to Beck on Friday night too. We arrived a little early for our 7:30 reservation, so we carved out a little space for ourselves at the bar, which was packed shoulder to shoulder, and ordered some drinks. I'm not a big beer drinker, so I got a Bavik which went down smooth and fast. The front of house staff were all very friendly and accurate in when we could expect to be seated, which ended up pretty close to our reservation time. Our waiter, although pleasant enough, wasn't terribly helpful in describing the dishes we asked about. But, the courses were timed well and we didn't ever feel rushed. Plus, he kept the beers coming.

As for the food ... we decided to share the mussels in white wine as our starter. Both the mussels themselves and the liquid were ok, not great. Maybe we should have tried the fennel and chorizo which looks fantastic in txaggie's photo. I thought the frites were wonderful, but I could see how they would lose their charm if they cooled down - they didn't. I was hooked on the red mayo in the middle. I ordered the choucroute en croute, but I don't know why. It looked impressive, but there's a difference between mild and tasteless ... and the filling wandered into tasteless. Maybe the cabbage could have been sharper in its seasoning, or it needed some mustard on the side for a good schmear now and then. The pork tenderloin had been the other dish I considered, so I'm eager to try that next time. The BIG WINNER of the night, however, was the skate my hubby ordered. The texture was wonderful and the coating was crispy and light. Delish. Despite my not so subtle hints, I couldn't get more that a little taste. None of the desserts appealed to us much, so we decided to try the cheeses. Disappointing. Our waiter had no clue what the cheeses were, and the plate seemed to have been arranged much earlier (the cheeses had that sitting out on the party buffet too long texture). They were all goat, but I'd say only one out of the three was any good or interesting. Too bad I don't know what it was.

So ... a mixed bag in terms of the food, but overall we had a GREAT time. And it seemed like a lot of other people were doing the same. I go out expecting to at least have fun, but unfortunately some restaurants seem to work hard against that. Not Beck -- friendly staff, relaxed vibe, lively crowd, good grub. I'm looking forward to going back, armed with some better intelligence on what to order. One complaint: after 3 beers and a coffee, having to fight through the bar crowd to get to the restrooms ... that's just mean.

[cjsadler]

Maybe we should have tried the fennel and chorizo which looks fantastic in txaggie's photo.

I found this preparation of the mussels, which is cream based, to be way too rich and heavy for this time of year.

One complaint: after 3 beers and a coffee, having to fight through the bar crowd to get to the restrooms ... that's just mean.

Having to wade through the packed bar crowd ('excuse me... sorry.... excuse me...') to get to the bathroom was pretty annoying.

[alan7147]

Having to wade through the packed bar crowd ('excuse me... sorry.... excuse me...') to get to the bathroom was pretty annoying.

I went to BB for the first time Wednesday night and saw David Ashwell on my way to the bathroom. He made a point to tell me how great the wallpaper was.

[rbh]

I was here for the first time last week.... was quite pleased. We fortunately had none of the service problems previously described... and I was quite pleased with the service... attentative w/o hovering... without feeling rushed at all. 7pm reservation on a Thursday night. My gf and I were very pleased with the food... the portions were much larger than expected. To start, I had a spinach salad and my companion had the tomato and goat cheese. The spinach salad was good... maybe a tad too much dressing... and very large. For the mains, we had the skate wing and the trout.... my gf was very pleased with her trout... a lot has already been said about the excellent skate wing (though I admit, nothing still compares to the skate wing we had one time at Pesce). We also shared an order of frites. oh... wonderfully crisp frites, which needed no mayo (ok, I admit I'm not a mayo fan). I washed mine down with drafts of Leffe Brune and Hoegaarden. We split the pear tatin as a dessert.... at some point, my gf mentioned it was my b-day, and our attentive waiter had the dessert plate come out with "Happy Birthday" written along the edge of the plate.... it actually took a minute or two for us to notice because he didn't even point it out or anything when it was brought out.... but it was a nice touch.

I liked the coffee service - It's always fun to use a rock sugar stick to sweeten the coffee.. I'm always tempted to stick the thing in my mouth like a lollipop after using it to stir the coffee. All in all a good experience, and i think well-priced for the quality. we'll be back.....

[DLB]

Tom is reviewing this week. What are the odds of this place getting 3 stars?

[DPop]

Tom is reviewing this week. What are the odds of this place getting 3 stars?

If his experience is anything like the last 2 I had, I would say zero. This is a fun place with a couple nice dishes and really good bread and beer selection, but is not nearly as good as a couple of the places that Sietsma has given 2.5 stars to as of late.

[DLB]

If his experience is anything like the last 2 I had, I would say zero. This is a fun place with a couple nice dishes and really good bread and beer selection, but is not nearly as good as a couple of the places that Sietsma has given 2.5 stars to as of late.

Well, in my four visits it has been better than the last Bistro he awarded 3 stars. What makes Central a 3 star place and not Beck's?

[JPW]

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.

Well, in my four visits it has been better than the last Bistro he awarded 3 stars. What makes Central a 3 star place and not Beck's?

The food. I freely admit that I haven't eaten there as often as you have, but I found the food at Central to be vastly superior.

[Heather]

And I have had a bad review of Central from a person whose palate I trust implicitly, from more than one visit. So perhaps not every place is spot-on every night?

I am betting on 2.5 stars, myself.

[DPop]

Well, in my four visits it has been better than the last Bistro he awarded 3 stars. What makes Central a 3 star place and not Beck's?

A famous chef?

In all seriousness, I think the best 3 dishes that I have had at Central (the salmon, shrimp burger, and corned beef sandwich) are all cheaper and much better than anything I have had at Beck's (the tenderloin, beef carbonnade, rabbit, duck roullade, charcuterie, skate wing, and mussels). Don't get me wrong, Beck's is fun and close to where I work, so I think I'll be a semi-regular customer for lunches and happy hours, but when the best things at the restaurant are the free bread they give out before your meal and their lengthy beer list, shouldn't it really only be a two-star at best?

In my opinion, it's not even the second best restaurant in a 3 block radius. Corduroy and Acadiana are both much better in every way in my opinion and easier to get seats. Beck's is a good option, but certainly not the top in that area.

[Heather]

In my opinion, it's not even the second best restaurant in a 3 block radius. Corduroy and Acadiana are both much better in every way in my opinion and easier to get seats. Beck's is a good option, but certainly not the top in that area.

Acadiana? Are you serious?

We could discuss why Beck is being reviewed so soon after opening...

[mdt]

Acadiana? Are you serious?

Those were my thoughts too. Nothing in my couple of trips there has made me want to go back.

[Biotech]

Acadiana? Are you serious?

I agree. Two of the worst lunches I've had (from food to service) were at Acadiana. Dirtiest oysters as well. I'm interested in trying Beck for the food. Central was good, but not stellar - although it was lunch service. Maybe it hits its "A" game for dinner.