De Rooden Hoed

De Rooden Hoed is the oldest restaurant in Antwerp and has a very rich history.  Located near the picturesque Handschoenmarkt and with the iconic cathedral, this newly renovated café offers many great seafood options, so we sat outside to enjoy some mussels and beer.

At Home: Belga Café Mussel Pots

Next on Restaurant Recreations...At Home, I tackle one of Belga Café’s most popular dishes - Mussel Pots. Lead by another Top Chef alum, Belgium native Chef Bart Vandaele, the melded rich culinary traditions of Belgium with the comfortable, relaxed attitude of Barracks Row has made this neighborhood gathering place a huge success. During last year's Barracks Row Culinary Education Crawl, Chef Thijs Clinckemaillie (who leads the kitchen at Chef Bart's newest restaurant in Logan Circle, B Too) demonstrated how to make these mussels.

Belga Café

This original Belgian restaurant in Washington DC, Belga Café, is a great place for authentic Belgian food and Belgian Beers. Combining an intriguing atmosphere with excellent, light, healthy, and interesting food. The restaurant has a clean, modern, simple atmosphere with an outdoor patio for those warm days. Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Brasserie Beck

Brasserie Beck is a contemporary European style brasserie in the heart of DC's burgeoning McPherson Square neighborhood. Serving French/Belgian cuisine, Chef/Owner Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel's opened this casual, contemporary brasserie named after his younger son in Spring 2007.  Beck is an ideal place for a meal anytime of day - from oysters at the raw bar to hearty veal osso bucco.  Also enjoy their comprehensive beer list featuring nine beers on draught and over 100 by the bottle.  Closest Metro is McPherson Square.

Ippokampus

Last date I was here: 05/23/2011

Restaurant: Ippokampus

Location: Heraklion - Crete, Greece

Total Rating: 4.15
Food: 4, Price: 4, Service: 4, Ambience: 5, Accessibility: 5

Summary: This charming restaurant is just a short walk from the port and Venetian Fort area. With seating outside, patrons have a great view of the seaside and sunset over the mountains. We were very anxious to try some fresh seafood and Ippokampus did not disappoint. The service was very friendly and prompt. The food was very fresh and flavorful - one of my favorite meals while in Greece. We even considered coming back the next evening, but of course decided we should go somewhere new. As is customary at most Greek restaurants, we concluded our meal with a complimentary dessert and shots of Raki, aka "fire water" - a strong Greek liquor made of fermented white grape skins.

What I ate:

Eggplant Salad

smashed smoked eggplant spread with onions and garlic

Mussels

steamed with tomatoes and onions

Seafood Pasta

spaghetti in tomato sauce with mussels, cuttlefish, and shrimp

Plus Keith ate:

Red Mullet

four lovely pieces of fish lightly breaded and grilled, served whole

Granville Moore's

Last date I was here: 1/7/2011



Restaurant: Granville Moore's (http://www.granvillemoores.com/)



Location: H St NE



Total Rating: 4.35
Food: 5, Price: 4, Service: 3, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 4


Summary: Granville Moore's kitchen proves that good things come in small packages. With only 150 square feet to work with, Granville's kitchen pumps out over 1200 pounds of mussels and over 1400 pounds of potatoes every week. This dark pub style restaurant also serves sandwiches, steaks, seafood, salads, soups and appetizers. Their menu changes with the seasons, and Granville Moore’s selection of Belgian Beers is one of the largest in the Mid-Atlantic. Closest Metro Station is Union Station.

November 2009: This was our second visit to Granville Moore's. Most popular for their traditional moules (mussels) prepared in multiple ways and frites (twice-fried fries, hand-cut) with various dipping sauces such as truffle aioli or chipotle. The mussels were amazing, full of flavor and freshness, and one of the biggest portions for a better price than other area restaurants. The frites are offered separately - the large portion is big enough for 3 people - yet flavored nicely and served fresh, not soggy, like some other places. A great restaurant for a date or with friends; I would definitely come back again.

UPDATE: We went back to satisfy my mussels craving, and it was just as good. Keith opted to try something else on the menu, and was a little disappointed. The bison meat was a little bland and the bleu cheese overpowering. He regretted not ordering the pork chop special. Oh well, we will still come back another time.



What I ate:

Moules Marinere

Steamed mussels in White Wine, Herb Mix, Butter

♥Moules Champignons♥

Steamed mussels in a mushroom cream sauce with Hoengarden beer

♥Frites♥

with truffle aioli, chipotle, and horseradish sauces

Plus Keith ate:

Clamcakes

New England style, deep fried clam fritters, serve with tartar sauce

Bison Burger Deluxe

freshly ground bison, topped with cheese, served on a potato Kaiser roll

with mushrooms and bacon, served with frites

Moules Fromage Bleu

Steamed mussles with Bacon, Hook’s Blue Cheese,

Shallots, Spinach, White Wine, Lemon Juice

Moules Moraccan

Steamed mussels in a spicy curry sauce with leeks, and lamb sausage

Pizzeria D'on Vito

Last date I was here: 05/30/2010

Restaurant: Pizzeria D'on Vito (http://www.don-vito.com/cms/projekt01/index.html)

Location: Alcudia-Mallorca, Spain

Total Rating: 4.6
Food: 5, Price: 4, Service: 4, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5

Summary: After our mishap at lunch, we were hoping to find someplace better for dinner. D'on Vito to the rescue! Keith had noticed this restaurant earlier when we went to the beach and it seemed popular. We quickly looked at a menu posted outside and I eyed a lady's dish who was sitting on the patio. It looked fresh and promising, so we decided to give it a try. I thought we couldn't go wrong with Italian.

We sat outside on the patio which gives great views for people watching. Our server was very attentive and we ordered some appetizers to share since we were pretty hungry and a bottle of their house red wine. After enjoying our first course, our entrees arrived with bountiful seafood - It was all very good and fresh. This was one of the best meals we had in Spain.

What I ate:

Antipasto Salad D'on Vito

mixed greens with salami, cheese, beets, carrots, olives

♥Baked Mushrooms with Gouda Cheese♥

in a tomato sauce

♥Spaghetti with Clams♥

big fresh clams sauteed in garlic and wine with tomatoes and served over a bed of spaghetti

Plus Keith ate:

Seafood Spaghetti

mussels, shrimp, calamari, clams in tomato sauce served over a bed of spaghetti

Bonefish Grill

Last date I was here: 07/25/2009

Restaurant: Bonefish Grill (http://www.bonefishgrill.com/)

Location: Centerville, VA

Total Rating: 4

Food: 4, Price: 5, Service: 4, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 2

Summary: Enjoy modern interpretations of market fresh fish, grilled specialties, and cocktails at this chain restaurant. Advertising "polished casual", the first impression of Bonefish was not too shabby. With a large dining area and bar, Bonefish was already crowded when we arrived at 6:30pm for dinner. We had reservations and were seated right away at a nice booth. Our server was very friendly while she described the menu. She took our drink and appetizer orders first and those came out right away. The portions were generous for the price, so I mark them high in this category. Located in a suburban strip mall area, Bonefish is not super accessible for the DC urbanite. Although our appetizers were good, the entrees were drowned in their lemon butter sauce - all over the fish, the potatoes and even the vegetable granish. It made the meal almost too heavy to eat, even though my fish was cooked very well. I tried the wood fire grilled piece of grouper that my mother ordered and it was much lighter and the wood grill flavor really came through. I also liked that they offered a large (9 oz.) or small (4.5oz) portion of the fish. All in all, Bonefish was a decent chain restaurant - although I would only come back for lunch and have some appetizers with drinks.

What I ate:

Bang Bang Shrimp
Tender, crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce

Mussels Josephine
Prince Edward Island Mussels sautéed with tomatoes, garlic, basil and lemon wine sauce

Imperial Longfin
Royal delicacy pan-seared, baked and stuffed with shrimp, scallops and crab meat

Served with garlic whipped potatoes and zucchini and red pepper medley

Bistro du Coin

Last date I was here: 03/27/2009

Restaurant: Bistro du Coin (http://www.bistrotducoin.com/)

Location: Dupont Circle

Total Rating: 4.5
Food: 5, Price: 4, Service: 3, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5

Summary: Bistro du Coin is a Neighborhood restaurant where you can eat good food at a fair price. With a motto of "French, Fun and Friendly", Bistro du Coin serves classic bistro food in a loud and fun party atmosphere. Closest Metro Station is Dupont Circle.

After reading that Bistro du Coin has the second best mussels in the city, we had to try it. On a rainy Friday evening, we trekked over to Dupont Circle and arrived early enough to be seated without a problem. Surprisingly large in size, the dining area is packed with many tables and there is a second floor with more seats and a foosball table. The bar is on the main floor and is wide enough for about 18 or so to sit and expands the room with its massive mirror behind. The walls are yellowish-brown to mimic the classic European bistro feel. The service was ok, considering it got packed about 30 mins after we were there. The mussels were amazing, full of flavor and freshness. The main course comes with fries, but you can also order a slightly smaller portion sans fries as an appetizer. A great restaurant for a date or with friends; I would definitely come back again.

What I ate:

♥Moules Normandes♥
Steam mussels in cream sauce with celery, leeks, mushrooms, potatoes and bacon

Plus Keith ate:

Moules Catalanes
Steamed mussels in white wine with onions, peas, peppers, tomatoes and chorizo