Moules Frites a Washington, DC - Oui Oui!

Last night I ate at Brasserie Beck in DC. I love their Classic White Wine Moules Frites, but I wanted to try something new, so I ordered the Fennel and Chorizo Moules instead (top left). Apparently this is a very popular choice. Well, just fyi, if you like chorizo, you should order this. It's a little spicy, which I liked. But there was SO MUCH sausage - like, probably twice as many pieces of sausage as mussels. It was a little overwhelming. Also, for me it wasn't the chorizo that was calling me to order this dish, it was the fennel. And that's where I was disappointed. I did not get even one taste of fennel in the entire pan of mussels. In fact, I'm not really sure there was any fennel. The tiny pieces of pale veggie I found resembled celery, which tells me either it was celery, or it was the stalk of the fennel and not the bulb, which... really, what is the point? I will stick to the classic white wine next time.
My dining partner ordered the Moules a la Irwin Mushroom with bacon and truffle (to left). He had tried them before and decided to stick with a favorite.
The frites as usual were awesome, although salted a little heavy handedly, and the mayo trio featured their delicious curry mayo. The middle mayo, the tomato brandy one - I'm not sure who eats that one, because at least at our table it's always the one that's still almost full when we're done eating.
For a starter we ordered a half dozen raw oysters, a mix of East and West coast, and they were very delicious. I'm a cocktail sauce on oyster girl myself. We also shared the Slow-Roasted Beet salad which is served with a delectably creamy whipped goat cheese and caramelized walnuts. We had this salad last time and were just as happy with it last night.
For dessert we followed the waiter's suggestion of trying their special dessert, "strawberry shortcake." I'm putting that in quotes because it wasn't strawberry shortcake. It was some sort of panna cotta served with biscuits with duck fat. The biscuits were good, a little heavy, but this dessert just wasn't strawberry shortcake. When I think of SS, I think of a light and refreshing dessert, (even with cream or ice cream.) This just left me feeling heavy and regret for not ordering the Pear Tarte Tatin, the Bread Pudding, the Waffle with Strawberry Compote, or pretty much any other dessert that was on the menu.
Bottom line - go there and eat their awesome mussels and fries, and try their beers (we had the Antigoon Double Blond Ale with the mussels last night - good choice).

Brasserie Beck (and a note about TJ's)

Last night I had dinner at Brasserie Beck, one of the "hot" new places in DC. It opened in late April 2007, and has been doing very well. We arrived around 10pm I think, and there was an hour and a half wait for a table for 2! We got a drink at the bar - delicious cosmo - and then about 10 minutes later the host came and said he could seat us at a table for 2 in their "bistro" section - which is 3 tables just behind the host station and the bar. Actually it was a pretty good seat and great timing, thanks to the very friendly and hospitable host, Rick Nelson.

Our waiter, Rob, was very friendly, knowledgeable about both the dinner and beer menus, and good-looking to boot. We shared an Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad for an appetizer, which had the most delicious tiny halved potatoes sauteed in pesto - a wonderful idea I will copy in my own kitchen. For an entree I had the mussels cooked with white wine, butter and garlic. They were good but there was just too much garlic. They came with delicious crispy fries and a mayo/sauce trio, which included a garlic mayo, a curry mayo (similar to fries and curry that you might have in Ireland ~ brings back wonderful memories), and a tomato-brandy mayo. My fellow diner had the lamb shank, which was served with a sort of white bean stew. He did not care for the beans, but I thought they were delicious. I didn't try the lamb but apparently it fell right off the bone it was so tender.

After my cosmo I had a bottle of Leffe Blonde, and I know nothing of beer but it was good. My co-diner had a bottle of Duchesse de Bourgogne, a Flemish ale, and then we split a bottle of St. Louis Framboise beer (raspberry beer). That was weird, and way too sweet for me. Well, to tell the truth, I ordered it with my meal, and then realized it really didn't go well with mussels and fries, so Rob (the waiter) offered to put the glass and bottle back in the fridge until after I was done eating. Thank you Rob! That was a nice touch.

The women's restroom was very nice. Clean, with great black and white geometric wallpaper, and really modern black and white sinks. The sinks were very shallow but amazingly didn't splash! I love the stall doors, which actually closed each stall from ceiling to floor. But the best part is the little sign that changes when the door is either open or locked. For unlocked, it reads "Vacant" and for locked, it reads "Engaged" - how great is that? The towels were of such a high-quality paper they almost seemed like cloth, and they were printed with the Beck logo. I like those towels but they are a huge waste of resources. The doors to leave the bathroom and to leave the little hallway outside of the bathrooms were both push-out, which is great because you don't have to dirty your hands right after you wash them. And on a later trip to the restroom, I noticed that the wastebasket had been emptied of all towel waste, so there wasn't an overflowing volcano of dirty towels. The only suggestion I'd have for the bathroom is no more pink soap. It makes me think of McDonald's.

All in all I would return, although I think it's a good idea to have a reservation, especially on a weekend night. I would definitely order the fries again, they really were delicious. And there are many other traditional Belgian menu items that peaked my curiosity. I think the waiters are able to help you choose something if you're not familiar with the dishes. And I didn't try this either, but the raw bar looked great.

NOW - my note on Trader Joe's - just an update... I tried the Calabacita and Cheese quesadilla (they are meatless) and they are really delicious. That's it.