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Ten years ago, Tom Peters opened Monk’s Café on South 16th Street and within days word spread throughout he was serving Belgian beer and mussels with french fries.
Mon Dieu! I never tasted Belgian beer before reviewing Monk’s and I never ate mussels with a side of fries.
Zot recently opened on the former site of Le Champignon. Chef/owner Bernard Dehaene, who was born in Brussels, gutted the building and named it Zot, which means "a bit off kilter" or "a bit eccentric" in Flemish. The place is casual with a copper-topped bar and a friendly tender named Charlie. Eating at the bar or in the front room, which has a piano, is available.
My husband Edward, my mom Berthe and I were shown to a roomy spot in the well-lit back dining room complete with banquettes and original brick walls. Tables were covered with crisp, white linen and matching napkins. Our water glasses were "zot," as they dipped to one side — sort of Leaning Tower of Pisas made from glass.
The menu is pure Belgian with lots of French influence (my favorite kind of food). The list of beers is astonishing, but don’t be overwhelmed. Charlie will make recommendations and match your dinner with the appropriate beer.
We received a metal, cone-shaped receptacle lined with paper filled warm French bread, which we enjoyed slathered with whipped butter.
We began our culinary tour of Belgium with potato, applewood smoked bacon and leek soup ($6.50), "asperges a la flamande" ($9) and "frisee au lardoons" ($7). The soup was prepared with homemade stock and chock-full of chunky potatoes, strips of heavenly smoked bacon and sautéed leeks. It also contained a bit of cream for richness.
The asparagus appetizer was quite unique. Dehaene steamed about six fresh, white spears until they were tender, but not mushy, and topped them with a tasty sauce made with finely chopped hardboiled egg, minced parsley, wilted leeks and melted butter. Brilliant! A fabulous first course that will bring "wows" to my next dinner party.
The frisee salad was delicious, indeed. Dehaene placed a handful of fresh greens in the center of the plate and topped it with warm lardons, which the French call bacon that has been diced, blanched and fried. The dressing was a simple shallot vinaigrette with a perfect balance of olive oil to vinegar.
After we finished the appetizers, we sampled another because I can never pass up country pate ($7) and all the trimmings. The platter contained two good-sized portions of perfectly seasoned rough pork pate; toasted bread, warm from the oven; several cornichons and jumbo pearl onions; and a dollop of Dijon mustard. It made me want to book a flight to Paris as soon as I got home.
Mom has had Stella Artois on a few occasions so we shared a bottle of this famous Belgian beer ($5). Since Edward ordered duck for his entrée, he asked Charlie to make a recommendation and he chose Rodenbach Grand Cru ($8) (grand cru also is part of the French terminology for wine). The ale was a bit heavy for me but tasted better with the duck. Zot also has a few beers on tap (which is still unfinished because the restaurant opened two weeks ago).
Mussels are available as an appetizer ($9), an entrée ($17) or a mega entrée ($27). The last two come with "frietes," Flemish for fries, and there is a list of 23 worldwide styles to provide flavorful accents. I chose Bangkok, which was mussels prepared in lemongrass, cilantro and ginger — three of my favorite flavors. The $17 pot was really big and the server told me 1 kilo of mussels was used in making it. They were hot, plump, juicy and the sauce was extremely good. The piping-hot fries, nestled in the same cone-shaped container, were salted just right and the homemade garlic mayonnaise was a culinary dream.
Mom ordered salmon prepared in a tarragon cream sauce ($16). There are 19 sauces on the list, running the gamut from Bearnaise to creamy delirium. I have no idea what the latter is but I’m sure someone at Zot does. There also are 12 choices of starches. Mom loves "pommes gratin," a classic side dish in French restaurants, and I was delighted to see it on the menu. Her fish was well prepared and the tarragon cream sauce was a fine foil.
Edward’s duck magret ($17.50) arrived as a rare (as ordered) boneless breast that was seared and pan-roasted. Edward asked our waiter for Dehaene to select the appropriate sauce and the duck arrived topped with a green peppercorn mixture, which was classic and very tasty. My husband loves French fries so he selected "frietes," as well.
We asked to meet Dehaene, who formerly owned an eatery in Maryland called Mannequin Pis, and he came over and greeted us with a smile.
Dehaene and I chatted about classic French and Belgian fare. I told him I had sauerkraut at home in the refrigerator.
"When you come back," Dehaene said, "you bring the sauerkraut and I will make the sausages."
Three tips of the toque to Zot.
Zot
122 Lombard St.
267-639-3260
Visa and MasterCard accepted (American Express was expected to be accepted by this week)
Closed Tuesdays
