Heard nothing but good about new (opened Nov 17) B.Cafe from half a dozen friends - booked it Saturday night - asked for 8:00 - nothing until 9:00 - that alone was a great review in today's NYC restaurant universe -
The space is long - narrow - it was packed - hostess seated us at a cozy four-top - as soon as we walked in - i.e. - made to feel - we were expected -
Ordered drinks -
- Duval on Tap - always a treat -
- August Kesseler Rheingau Riesling - 2007 - light - sweet - clean - refreshing - great against the mussels - instead of beer - fair price at $37 -
- Jack Daniels - they were out - waitress suggested Crown Royal - we smiled - she was not a brown spirit drinker - settled for a VERY Dirty Martini (Ketel One)
Ordered supper from the simple Belgium bistro menu -
- Hand Crafted Crab Croquettes fresh crab, chives, radish remoulade - three pieces - warned by the waitress - alarmingly small portion - but - good taste -
- Crunchy Fried Calamari tomato garlic sauce - very crunchy - good sized portion - mild sauce - worth a reorder next time
- Belgium Endive red & white endive leaves, stilton, walnuts, creamy dijon vinaigrette - shared with smiles by our friends -
- Moules Hoegaardenly Garlic hoegaarden, garlic, parsley - thumbs up -
- Moles Malay Laksa red curry, coconut milk, white wine, cilantro - thumbs up - again -
- Moles A La Poulette mushrooms, tarragon, cream - sauce not as thick as I expected - or - wanted - mushrooms were a bit hard to find - but the mussels were big - sweet - perfectly cooked -
- Antwerp Fishermen Bouillabaisse haddock, calamari, salmon, mussels, shrimp, leeks, vegetables, pernod, tomato, cream - reported to be on the mild side - until the point was made that we were eating in New York - not in Marseilles -
- Frites - worthy - particularly when brought to the point of well-done -
Ordered desserts -
- Apple Beignets with Vanilla Ice Cream - crisp - baked apple - ice cold vanilla - what more could you want -
- Melting Belgium Chocolate Cake - delivered to the other end of the table - to-be-shared - it-was-inhaled - I never got a bite -
Bottom line - B. Cafe is a bistro - hearty comfort food - not quite perfect - but it doesn't matter - its more than you expect - with a relaxed atmosphere - fair prices - its not going to bankrupt you - no reasons not to smile - and - come back for more -
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