27148477
I thought I had seen it all since starting in this business 30 years ago. Nouvelle cuisine, the rise of Northern Italian cucina, new Asian, Asian fusion, the healthy fare of the Mediterranean, Pan-Asian, new American bistro, comfort foods like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, Cuban, South American — the list goes on.
After my cousin Carl and I left Beneluxx Tasting Room, he articulated exactly what I had been thinking:
"What was that?"
"I’m not sure, but I think it is a place for 20-somethings to drink beer," I responded.
Sometimes a menu does not interest me. At Beneluxx, where the small bill of fare lists two soups, a salad, a few sandwiches, fondue, pizza and sausages rolled in a buckwheat crepe, I was not enthralled. Cheese can be purchased by the ounce; Why and what for? A cheese plate is my favorite way to end dinner, not to nibble on in lieu of a meal. The only sweet is chocolate, also purchased by the ounce.
That’s it. It was the strangest menu I’ve encountered in a long time. There was no focus.
The beer and wine lists read like "War and Peace." Beneluxx is a place for beer and, if you are hungry, you might find something to take the edge off before the next tasting.
The grotto-like atmosphere is trimmed with stained glass, matching lamps over the bar, a cheese case and very uncomfortable banquettes. The tables are nailed to the floor so if anyone under 5-foot-4 tries to settle in, as I did, it would be difficult to reach the table.
We perched ourselves on high bar stools more my speed. I ordered a martini ($8.99), which wasn’t bad considering the bartender said she doesn’t sell many. She did locate the lone martini glass among the glassware. What’s nice about Beneluxx is patrons are offered a taste of beer or wine before going for a glass. We both liked the small brandy snifter of Lucifer ($2.56), a dark beer from Belgium.
We started with cups of beer cheese soup ($5.99) served in circa 1950 Horn & Hardart small white cups and saucers. It was tasty, laced with beer that enhanced the flavor. Bits of celery, carrot and onion rounded out the texture, which was neither too thick nor too thin. The soup was topped with unsalted popcorn.
I then sampled a 2005 Saumar Reserve des Vignerons Cabernet Franc that proved to be rich and smooth. The five-ounce glass was just $5.04.
Eileen the bartender told us there was an additional salad to the beet, cheese and candied walnut one on the menu. We opted for the salad special ($7.99) — baby spinach leaves tossed with spicy arugula and topped with bits of blue cheese, candied walnuts, dried cranberries and tossed in a light vinaigrette — which the cook divided for us. It was OK, nothing to write home about. At least it was not overdressed.
The next beer we tried was a Youngs Double Chocolate stout from England ($2). It was served in a small snifter as well.
Next up was a dreadful Croque Monsieur done panini style ($8.99). A Croque Monsieur is a buttery rich grilled ham and Gruyere sandwich. This one, dry and lifeless, was inedible. Over-the-hill, salty, razor-thin slices of ham were topped with a microscopic amount of cheese. It was set on the press and then topped with b�chamel sauce. Oh, dear. The sauce, which looked like runny mayonnaise, was cold. The sandwich, which should have been piping hot, was cold. Carl and I tried to cut the bread with a knife and fork and could not.
The next beer was our favorite, a light and tasty Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar from Oregon ($1.84).
We decided to try a "duck robiquette" since both Carl and I like duck. We received a sausage, which was not properly seared, stuffed inside a cool buckwheat crepe. Since it looked like a large pig in a blanket, you could opt to pick it up or eat it with a knife and fork.
Since the large beer list and good-size wine list are bigger than the menu, I hesitate to call Beneluxx a restaurant. The menu really needs work, as the food comes off as an afterthought.
One tip of the toque to Beneluxx Tasting Room.
Beneluxx Tasting Room
33 S. Third St.
267-318-7269
