A Taste of Belgium

Here at Traveler we often say the hardest part about our job is being stuck in an office while we tirelessly research exotic and exciting destinations. Instead of overdrawing on vacation days, we have to find alternative remedies to cure our wanderlust. Last week, I quelled my travel bug, and a hungry stomach, without having to purchase a plane ticket.

It was Restaurant Week in D.C., and after perusing a long list of participating restaurants I chose Belga Café, a Belgian bistro in Eastern Market. Walking through the front doors I felt transported to a modern and lively European kitchen, and with one quick glance at the menu I learned there’s much more to Belgian cuisine than waffles and beer (although I sampled plenty of the latter).

Head Chef and Belgium native Bart Vandaele opened Belga Café in 2004 with the mission to expose the American palate to a wider array of Belgian flavors. Vandaele’s menu features Flemish beef stew, Belgian endive “sushi”, and Coquilles Saint-Jacque. It is self-proclaimed imaginative yet authentic Belgian cuisine, paired with an extensive beer list compiled by Master beer sommelier Jens Piferoen. Yum.

Although the full menu looked enticing, and the mussels seemed like a popular choice among our fellow diners, my date and I stuck to the three-course, prix-fixe Restaurant Week menu. It didn’t disappoint.

We both started off the meal with the roast beets salad, accompanied by warm goat cheese, crispy frisée, and garlic croutons. It was a perfect beginning to our meal; each bite left me craving more.

At the main course, we diverged. I had the grilled salmon with fried green tomatoes and grilled zucchini. This was all served with a just sweet enough, balsamic dressing. For his main course, my date chose the grilled and slow cooked short ribs, so tender they fell apart with a touch of the fork. Paired with a corn gratineé and sautéed vegetables in a Leffe beer brown sauce, this was summer comfort food at its best.

The third and final course was dessert. We shared both the peach tart with peach beer ice cream, and perhaps my favorite of the entire evening, a Hoegaarden ice cream float Served in a tall, thin glass with a raspberry waffle. The vanilla ice cream in the float was thick and creamy, and the remnants of melted ice cream mixed with the Belgian white beer at the end made for a sweet and tasty shot. Dessert was the perfect denouement to the evening, leaving our stomachs warm and full.

My trip to Belgium was a success. I loved the modern, yet cozy atmosphere to the restaurant with its warm colors and open kitchen. The menu took us on a brilliant gustatory tour, opening my eyes to the country’s cuisine. It wasn’t until Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius

walked through the door that I remembered I was still in the US of A.

So much for treating a bad case of wanderlust; Belgium’s calling me.

Belga Café; 514 8th Street SE, Washington DC; Tel. (202) 544 0100; www.belgacafe.com

Photo: Somewhat Frank via Flickr