A trip to Europe on Forest Avenue

People are constantly approaching Elle at the gym to discuss the great short ribs, the spicy crab cakes or the lousy service they had last weekend at this or that restaurant. Her foodie friend Fritz has been nagging her for months to try Brussels Bistro on Forest Avenue’s “restaurant row.”

Down a few steps from the sidewalk, located in the old Kachina space, Brussels Bistro also has a small outdoor patio that’s great for summer nights, and they have added a five-seat eating bar on the street.

The restaurant is casual with brick walls, adorned with Belgian beer posters and small tables in bright crayon colors. The bar scene is lively, due in part to the fabulous selection of Belgian Beers and, on weeknights, to an excellent assortment of jazz groups.

Beer is to Belgium as wine is to France. Being unfamiliar with these beers, we asked our server for a recommendation. He described the beers using the kind of specific and poetic language one might expect from a sommelier in a fancy French restaurant.

We chose the two lightest draft beers, a Hoegaarden and a Stella Artois. Each beer comes in its own specifically shaped glass with its name on it. The Hoegaarden was delicate with a discernible clove aftertaste. The Stella was a golden lager with hops on the finish. Both were delicious and were perfect with the food.

We ordered an appetizer portion of the mussels and were delighted to find them plump, juicy, tender and just the right size. They came in a light broth with butter and onions.

Other appetizer choices include the Flemish style white asparagus with mimosa eggs in parsley butter sauce or North Sea grey shrimp croquettes and Chimay cheese. There is also a cornet of Belgian fries with two sauces.

We tasted the tomato and saffron fish soup, which is served with croutons, rouille and cheese on the side. Rouille is a highly spiced sauce loaded with garlic and hot pepper. The waiter said that traditionally this soup is served in a tureen and the soup is poured over a large piece of toasted bread smeared with the rouille. Then he said, “and the cheese is for the tourists.”

The soup was a puree of tomato, thinned with fish stock but the saffron was indiscernible. It was a pleasant enough soup, yet it needed some zip, which unfortunately was not provided by the addition of the bland rouille.

Most of the salads seem hearty enough to be eaten as an entree, including the classic salade Ligeoise, composed of green beans, bacon, potatoes, onions and white wine vinegar, or the fresh spinach salad with Gouda cheese and smoked ham.

There are three rich pasta dishes. The vegetable lasagna features fresh goat cheese and smoked ham, and the spaghetti carbonara has a smoked bacon cream sauce. The Bolognese, Brussels style, adds pork and Gruyere to this Italian classic.

Fritz raved about the burger, and he was absolutely right. It is a prime candidate for the best burger in town. The beef tasted as if it had just been ground. It was incredibly juicy and flavorful. In addition, the bun was the ciabatta style that has become popular lately and is a giant improvement over the usual soft white cottony buns. Another layer of flavor was achieved by the sweetness of caramelized endive.

It was served on a wooden plank, accompanied by a side salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette and a cornet of Belgian fries with garlic mayonnaise.

On the lighter side is an entree of grilled vegetables flavored with a balsamic reduction served on a salad with a tasty balsamic vinaigrette. The vegetables were nicely grilled and not too soft. The only complaint was that the selection of veggies was somewhat limited.

For hearty appetites there is a chicken dish in a creamy mushroom sauce with a puff pastry hat also served with fries; meatloaf with morels served with a trio of vegetable mashed potatoes, or the stuffed crepes duo with ham and cheese plus chicken and mushrooms.

Of the three fish dishes offered, the parsley-crusted salmon in a cherry beer sauce sounded quite interesting.

Any proper Belgian dessert menu has to have a chocolate mousse and something with crepes. In this case there are crepes Mikado with vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate, and crepes flambe in Mandarin Napoleon liqueur.

The service was also European in style as it took 2 1/2 hours to have our meal. The jazz is good, the beer is great and the food can transport you to Europe without airports or euros.

Elle Harrow and Terry Markowitz owned a la Carte for 20 years and can be reached at themarkos755@yahoo.com.