Thursday, October 28, 2010

A bevy of beer at Belga

After a day of requisite and enjoyable sightseeing around the United States capital earlier this month, we met up with friends and family (upon one of their suggestions) at the elegant but cozy Belga Cafe in Capitol Hill, Washington D.C.


The beer list here was jaw dropping, and pricey. Not an on-the-budget watering hole by any means. It is, in fact, the kind of restaurant that you perhaps go to on a special occasion to splurge a bit, unless of course money is never an object in your dining experiences.

I am always partial to open kitchen views. This particular view was taken from the bar, as we drooled, with some confusion, over the beer offerings.



On this particular night, with a rotating table of guests, an appetizer feast was in order. This evening, we reconvened with family and friends who are D.C. residents and there is something very festive and communal about catching up over a spread of appetizers. Pommes frites were obviously the way to go (particularly with children in the mix). As well as a cheese platter. The pot of Garlic Butter mussels lasted through the entire feasting session and I found myself spooning out the delicious celery broth after the mussels were gone. I like mussels though I am no certainly mussels aficionado. But I don't slurp mussel broth for no reason at all. It was indeed that good.

At the end of the day, upon a return trip to D.C., I would try to fit Belga cafe into my culinary adventures. I would also ensure that my wallet had ample funds, so I could sample the Belgian beer spread freely. One of my dining guests settled on ordering Stella Artois throughout the evening, a good but mundane beer in the spectrum of this restaurants offerings. Big mistake considering that a Stella here is an astounding 7 bucks or so a bottle. You are better off spending a bit more for the truly unique beer offerings.

Now that we have moved across the Atlantic, I think a culinary weekend adventure in the Belga Cafe's chef home country of Belgium is in order.


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