Eating Our Way Through Belgium (part 1)
Mussels, frites, and beer. That's what most people think of when they think of Belgian cuisine. Well, at least it's what I thought. But we only managed to have that classic combination once during a two-week stay in the country; turns out you can eat very well in Belgium if you put your mind to it. Actually, even if you don't put your mind to it. The country is passionate about food.But if you want to really put your best foot forward in the eating (and let us not forget drinking) department, you really only need two guide books. Michelin's Red Guide for Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg), and Stephen D'Arcy's guide to Brussels bars (which also includes restaurants, and also covers Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges).
Everyone knows about the Michelin guides, but who is Stephen D'Arcy? Among other things, he's a Belgian resident who's a committed member of CAMRA, the England-based Campaign for Real Ale. This is a group of people who work to keep real ale, not the highly commercialized stuff, alive and well. So he's clearly passionate, and his guide reflects that. He lists bars throughout Belgium in his guide, and has comments on all of them. If you're planning on going to Belgium, . At only $8, it more than paid for itself on our trip.
We were of course happy with his bar reccomendations, but we were equally happy with his restaurant tips. Our favorite from his list was De Gouden Ecu in Antwerp, which has also found its way into the Lonely Planet guide for Belgium. We stopped by while walking around town to make reservations for that night. Imagine our surprise when a crazy-looking, somewhat disheveled man answered the door, eyeing us suspiciously.
"Is it possible to make reservations for this evening?"
"Yeah. 8:00pm. Don't be late."
Turns out that our doorman was also the chef. And the wait staff. And the busboy. When we arrived that night we had to ring the doorbell, which gave him time to amble out to greet us from the kitchen. Needless to say, this one is below the radar of the Michelin guide.
But we got some fantastic traditional Flemish cuisine. I had a rabbit cooked in gueuze (a type of beer; see part 2 or part 3), and my girlfriend had waterzooey, a Flemish stew that can either be fish- or chicken-based. One of our dinner companions had a guinea fowl cooked with cherries and kriek (a cherry beer), which she raved about for the rest of the trip. The meal was accompanied by Augustijn, an abbey-style beer (except for the person with the guinea fowl; she naturally had more kriek to accompany her dish).
Before leaving Antwerp we hit what D'Arcy says is the best bar in the city--the Kulminator. Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, this bar features over 300 beers. And just to give you an idea of how mamy different beers Belgium produces, that really only includes beers from the Flemish part of the country. As we sat with some friends, chatting for an hour or two and enjoying different beers, we raised a glass to Stephen D'Arcy and his spectacular guide.
- Michelin Missed The Mark
Ok, so I've finally gotten a chance to really dive into the Michelin Guide San Francisco: Bay Area and Wine Country 2007 and I now have a bit more of an opinion. While most critics and bloggers are focusing on the issue of "who got how many stars"...
- Michelin San Francisco And The Bay Area 2007
So here's the big news. Michelin's first West coast guide and the second in the United States will be released in October of this year. The Guide will cover hotels and restaurants in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Berkeley, as well as...
- North Coast Brewing Company
Melissa and I visited Fort Bragg this weekend because I was covering Winesong! for The Wine News. We rolled into town late on Friday night, checked into our hotel, picked a restaurant out of the visitors' guide, and drove down the main road in this...
-
Eating Our Way Through Belgium (part 3) Cantillon beer is an acquired taste. And I'm not sure I've acquired it yet. A beer-loving friend (who I last saw with a bottle of it in front of him) says it is "like chewing on a lemon." This is not...
-
Eating Our Way Through Belgium (part 2) Comme Chez Soi. Ask anyone with reason to know what the best restaurant in Brussels is, and they're likely to say Comme Chez Soi. They'll probably even say that if you ask for the best restaurant in Belgium....