Belgium 2009 - Day 1

This is our first post ever, so forgive me for making it an epic one. As most people know, we are traveling to Belgium for a week. Several of our friends have asked us why and been skeptical...see below for the answers. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. If Dru and I also enjoy the posting, we will continue to write about food & travel--we hope you like it as much as we do!

5/23 2:30 PM - We have arrived in Brussels after a long night and day in the air...BNA to ORD to LHR to BRU. Layovers were reasonable, but we've spent a long time on confusing airport trains in Chicago and London.

We took the train into the city and walked about 10 minutes to get to our apartment, which is a 5th floor walk up, with stairs like a ladder. Dru gave me a hard time for being out of breath when we opened the door, even though Miss Marathon was winded too. We took a nap and then headed out for a beer (obviously).

7:00 PM - Nowhere to go

Problem #1: We got in on a Saturday afternoon and our place is in the middle of the EU district...everything in the neighborhood is built around the government workers. Imagine Washington on a weekend without tourists. We were a little concerned going to the apartment, because it was like a ghost town. This is in the middle of a big city, and we saw maybe half a dozen cars drive by after we left the train station.

So, we walk out of the apartment, wander up the street and find nothing. There are a few Italian and Asian places, but everything is closed. Past a university and down what appears to be a main fashion/shopping street, very much like Via del Condotti below the Spanish Steps in Rome. Completely closed up, on a Saturday evening!

Problem #2: We eventually realize that cafes and restaurants here don't have big signs out front to advertise. You just have to know that they are there. We got lucky by seeing a few chairs out on a sidewalk with a menu, so we popped in to a place called Belga Queen. Which of course expects reservations. Belga Queen has loud Euro music playing in a bar that could best be described as "modern chic" and one of the bartenders looked like he was in Autobahn, with the other nihilists. Yeah, we were a little out of place with our jeans, sweaty shirts, and harsh American accents.

But that was cool

...because they had beer. Lots and lots of beer. Belgian beer. And no American Pisswater or Pisswater Light in sight. Belgians love their beer and I love Belgium for that. Before I wax poetic about beer's wonderful qualities, I will commit to a post or three in the future dedicated to the beer here. Anyways, here is Dru's brew:

Eventually we got a seat at the oyster bar, which made me appreciate Dru's somewhat-limited-though-extensive-compared-to-me grasp of French. She understood that they were asking for her "nom" when they stuck us in the bar. If I was alone, I would still be sitting there, trying new beers.

The food was outstanding. We split a half dozen oysters (fine de claires), which tasted intensely of the sea with a lot of minerals, like a very dry white wine.

Here, I need to dedicate a paragraph to the butter. Oh yeah. European butter is absolutely delicious. Full of fat, really salty, creamy, and they put it on the best bread around. Except for desert (see below), the bread and butter might have been the highlight of the meal.

Next up, Dru had Open Ravioli with Crab. Dru says: Essentially big sheets of thin perfectly chewy pasta layered with fresh crab and a light truffle cream sauce. Very delicious!

I had Eels with Green Sauce (anguilles au vert), supposedly a Brussels specialty (which I had never heard of before reading the guide book). I'll tell you what...they are also delicious. I wasn't sure what to expect, but they came as four sections of eel, maybe 3 inches long, stewed in the green sauce. The eel was cleaned with the spine left in, and you just pull the meat off (the other bones are so small and soft that they were not a problem). The sauce was salty and made with herbs, cream, and I think a little spinach. It was very different than the eel that you would get at a sushi restaurant, and much better (if that is possible).

Finally, desert was noir des iles. It was layers of dark chocolate mousse, light chocolate mousse, and coffee-chocolate mouse, covered with chocolate ganache.

Dru says: I really appreciated that this ganache was soft and the perfect covering to the light, airy mousse. Too often ganache is hardened and that makes breaking into it difficult, but this was a delightful complement to the dessert. It was accompanied by pieces of Belgian chocolate, raspberry sauce, and creme anglaise. yum.

One other note...the dish came with mint, currants on the stem and a little orange fruit wrapped in dried petals (like a tomatillo). The fruit had a waxy skin and a flavor that was a cross between blueberries, green apple, and a pear. It is in the picture to the left, on top of the chocolate...let us know if you recognize it.

That is all for now, since it is time for another beer and Dru is giving me the hairy eyeball. I'll be back later with snails, more beer, and goodies from day 2.