Virtual Gourmet
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THIS WEEK
BRUSSELS NEW YORK
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BRUSSELS
by John Mariani LA GRAND PLACE Brussels, whose name in Old Dutch meant "home in the marsh," was founded as something more than a village around 979, quickly growing into a critical location for trade with other northern European countries and becoming a strong walled city by the end of the 14th century. Flanders nobility intermarried with other European bloodlines, and Charles V became the archduke of the Hapsburg and Holy Roman Empires. For hundreds of years afterwards Brussels would be fought over by varying factions, including King Louis XIV of France, who nearly bombarded the city out of existence. In the 19th century, revolutionary movements led to more liberal government control, with Leopold I ascending the throne in 1831 and adding measurably to the city's size and scope. Independence followed, and in the 20th century, through two world wars, Brussels emerged as a city that became a stasis point in which concepts of international cooperation could flourish within vast bureaucracies. You get a certain sense of that in Brussels' post-war architecture, which is stolid, gray, and imposing, but in the historic architecture built up over centuries you see the diversity of a true Dutch culture, medieval in its origins but always open to change, especially after successive wars took their tolls on the city center and its beautiful Grand Place, since 1988 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here you'll see the great Gothic town hall, where the many guilds of craftsmen met and, by virtue of their shared interests and wealth, ruled the city's destiny with economy foremost in their minds. Nevertheless, great art was part and parcel of their self image, and so over time Brussels has become home to more than 80 museums, not least the Museum of Modern Art, which is part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (above) The former's "modern" art begins in the 19th century, with an impressive collection of Belgian and other artists ranging from Jacques-Louis David and Ingres to Courbet and the Impressionists, then onward to Fauvism, Symbolism, and the avant-garde in Belgium. The oddly named Museum of Ancient Art is impossibly rich in van Dycks, Jordaens, Breughel, van der Weyden, Campin, Rubens (right, "The Martyrdom of St. Livinius") and other masters, from the 15th to 19th century. Everyone makes a pilgrimage to the city's beloved Mannekin Pis (left), the bronze sculpture of a boy pissing into a fountain, about which you may read extensively in any guide book. Crafted in 1619 by sculptor Hieronimus Duquesnoy, the figure's symbolic meaning has never been determined, although legend has a little boy heroically pissing on the heads of invading foreign troops. The thing has been stolen on several occasions, and now it must suffer the indignities of being dressed up in different outfits throughout the year, like a Ken doll, to the sound of a brass band. Good for tourism, I suppose, like the statue of Rocky atop the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts. Higher cultural attractions in the city flourish in institutions like the Brussels Theatre, the La Monnaie Theatre and opera house. THE FOOD SCENE Probably the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Brussels are its eponymous sprouts, a small cabbage developed in the city as of the 14th century. Next would come Belgian waffles, which are of a far more recent invention. Next would be the Belgian way of eating French fried potatoes (which, by the way, the French did not invent: in the 19th century the English word "french" meant to cut up a vegetable into thin slices). In Belgium they are served throughout the day with myriad toppings, from mayonnaise to vinegar and salt. Moules (mussels) are rampant. Chocolate stores, including many of the world's most famous, like Neuhaus and Godiva are native to the city and displayed in exquisite storefronts. Brussels beers are also a proud product of the city, and no beer aficionado visiting Belgium can afford to miss the city’s museum of the Geuze, run by the Van Roy-Cantillon family since 1900, where the living microorganisms in the air cause the spontaneous fermentation of the traditional so-called Geuze lambic process, which begins with raw wheat, malted barley, and dried, three-year-old hops. The beer is pumped into chestnut barrels, where the fermentation begins, during which carbon dioxide seeps out through the wood; thus, the beer is not oversaturated with the gas. The company claims its Greuze can age and improve for more than 20 years. Brussels teems with pubs and beer brasseries, including one called Delirium Café (right)—on the appropriately named Impasse de la Fidelité--that lists more than 2,000 beers from all over the globe, every one described in text, including the Belgian Pink Killer, made from grapefruit. As everywhere in Europe now, there is not a cuisine you cannot find among Brussels' 3,000 restaurant options, along with scores of bars and coffee houses, and brasseries serving those local beers. The most recognizable Belgian dishes would include waterzooi, a rich stew usually made with chicken or seafood, cream and eggs; Boterhammen, slabs of bread spread with a variety of toppings and eaten with a knife and fork; and the hearty beef stew called carbonnade. Such dishes are the kind found in many of the narrow streets around the cramped, bustling Rue des Bouchers, which is touristy but not untypical in its menus. A quick peek down an alley called Impasse St. Nicholas, is requisite for barflies to visit, for it is said to be the city's oldest eatery or tavern, Au Bon Vieux Temps (left), whose look and looming façade does put you in mind of what such places were like back in the 16th century. A better choice for restaurants is the Rue des Dominicains near the Cathedral, also frequented by tourists but more popular with the locals. Here you'll find Bifanas (Portuguese); Steak Frit' (beef); Scheltema (Belgian); and the classic old Restaurant Vincent (below) founded in 1905 at Number 8, which would be hard for anyone with a good appetite not to love, if just for its old tiled walls alone, picturing game and seafood, mariners and cooks, its beautiful ceiling, and its Movado clock in the shape of a life preserver. It is well lighted, there is bustle, all the guests seem quite like old-timers, as do the waiters in white shirts and black aprons; and the menu hasn't changed very much in decades, aiming more for perfection and consistency than novelty. The wine list of about 50 bottlings is exactly what it should be, geared to the food and the clientele. Prices are moderate. (As everywhere in Belgium, service and tax are included in the price of your meal, so tipping is not necessary.) You might begin with some Landes goose liver, or cold lobster with mayonnaise. There are always oysters of many varieties, and the shrimp croquettes are seriously addictive. There are six mussels dishes, from classic white wine to Provençale, all with a side of French fries. For seafood, whatever was freshest in the market that day will be your choice, perhaps cod or sole meunière--and Belgian butter is superb--or a special like eels in green sauce. The meat section features a flambéed rump steak with a creamy peppercorn sauce (I forgot how wonderful this dish is!) and beef carbonnade, which is dished out and replenished as you wish. Juicy, caramelized, and cooked for hours, it is everything a stew should be. And then there is the to-be-expected waterzooi of chicken, gently cooked with egg yolks in broth, vegetables and its own juices, as satisfying and comforting as food can ever be. A dozen grilled items follow, from tournedos Henry IV to steak tartare. The desserts will not astonish anyone for novelty but their dependability is assured in plates of house-made ice creams, crème caramel, and a selection of crêpes. A glass of Sauternes is suggested. If you go to Vincent for lunch, plan on a good walk for the afternoon. That's what my friends and I did, for another few hours, hardly tiring of the sights of the city, yet lured to taste just one more chocolate bonbon in that cute spot over there, maybe that shop's frites, or a shot of "half-and-half"--a glass of spumante and white wine, the specialty of Le Cirio, opened in 1886--and maybe if we just shared a single waffle. . . . We arrived sated and weary back at our hotel, the modern and very well run Dominican (below), right behind the Theater Monnaie and and conveniently located near the Grand Place and all the sights of city center. Off the lobby, it has a Grand Lounge restaurant where we enjoyed a generous breakfast buffet. The rooms are spacious, the bathrooms very well equipped, and everywhere are amenities of media and Wi-Fi. Our friends stayed right around the corner at the newly refurbished Sandton Hotel Brussels Centre, with 70 rooms, which, aside from interior construction noise, they found to be a good hotel with the promise of being a very fine one. Its underground parking lot is a boon. That night I had occasion to return to an old favorite in town, Royal Brasserie Brussels (left), which years ago was a high-end, handsome seafood restaurant much frequented by a business crowd. A couple of years back, the restaurant was bought and changed into a far more casual all-purpose restaurant, where seafood still forms a good part of the menu, while the rest gets more continental in its scope. I suppose it does meet the outer limits description of a Belgian brasserie, though the in-your-face promotion of Pommery Champagne makes it more a Champagne bar and restaurant. To eat well here, eat simply: platters of fresh shellfish will do the trick--oysters, prawns, langoustines, whelks, periwinkles--and the shrimp croquettes here are very good. From there on, it depends on what you are in the mood for, which can range from sushi to Iberian ham, from rabbit rillettes to roast pigeon. It's a very affable place and the Italian-born owner keeps it that way by bouncing from table to table of regulars he knows well (often neglecting those he does not). If you do choose to eat outside, as is the case everywhere in Brussels, smoking is allowed, and anyone and everyone who smokes in the city will be out there, making the enjoyment of anyone else's meal difficult. So you walk, slowly, through the city at night, its old buildings lighted, its trams and taxis humming by, and watch the waiters at the cafés piling up their chairs. Brussels becomes quite quiet, sleepy, and its charms even more apparent when you take the time to look for them. ❖❖❖ NEW
YORK CORNER NEW
YORK'S MOST
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Sixty
chefs in Yekaterinburg, Russia constructed a sushi
roll 2.521 meters, 74 centimeters long (over a mile and a
half), beating the record of 2.033
meters set by the Council of Japanese Postal Workers’
Union in 2007. The Russians used
No, Wait! In Brooklyn, apparently
stripey jerseys
and aprons are . . . People!!! "The biscuits are one of the most moreishly flirty things a bread can aspire to. I had mine stuffed with bacon, egg and cheese. . . . If you like the dish, you can buy the ingredients in a shop at the front, like Star Wars memorabilia. They have taken it one step further; the leather from your burgers is made into handbags and belts. There are stripey jerseys and aprons, possible made out of old waitresses."--A.A. Gill, "Table Talk: Marlow & Sons; Diner, Brooklyn, NY," London Times Magazine. Any of John Mariani's
books below may be ordered from amazon.com.
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FEATURED
LINKS: I am happy to report
that the Virtual
Gourmet is linked to four excellent
travel sites: Everett Potter's Travel Report: I consider this the best and
savviest blog of its kind on the web. Potter is a
columnist for USA
Weekend, Diversion, Laptop and Luxury Spa Finder,
a contributing editor for Ski and a frequent contributor
to National
Geographic Traveler, ForbesTraveler.com
and Elle Decor.
"I’ve designed this site is for people who take
their travel seriously," says Potter. "For
travelers who want to learn about special places
but don’t necessarily want to pay through the nose for
the privilege of staying there. Because at the end
of the day, it’s not so much about five-star
places as five-star experiences." THIS WEEK: NEVIS; SARDINIA.
Eating Las Vegas is the new on-line site for Virtual Gourmet contributor John A. Curtas., who since 1995 has been commenting on the Las Vegas food scene and reviewing restaurants for Nevada Public Radio. He is also the restaurant critic for KLAS TV, Channel 8 in Las Vegas, and his past reviews can be accessed at KNPR.org. Click on the logo below to go directly to his site.
Tennis Resorts Online: A Critical Guide to the World's Best Tennis Resorts and Tennis Camps, published by ROGER COX, who has spent more than two decades writing about tennis travel, including a 17-year stretch for Tennis magazine. He has also written for Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, New York Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Money, USTA Magazine, Men's Journal, and The Robb Report. He has authored two books-The World's Best Tennis Vacations (Stephen Greene Press/Viking Penguin, 1990) and The Best Places to Stay in the Rockies (Houghton Mifflin, 1992 & 1994), and the Melbourne (Australia) chapter to the Wall Street Journal Business Guide to Cities of the Pacific Rim (Fodor's Travel Guides, 1991).
ALL YOU NEED BEFORE YOU GO
MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET
NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John
Mariani.
Contributing Writers: Christopher Mariani, Robert Mariani,
John A. Curtas, Edward Brivio, Mort Hochstein,
Suzanne Wright, and Brian Freedman. Contributing
Photographers: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery,
Bobby Pirillo. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.
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