Ah.. the Belgian experience. If you're familiar with it, you probably appreciate its peculiarities. If you're not, well why pass by a country and not try "local" as the kids like to call it these days. I've never seen a country handle potatoes better than Belgium and I've tried fries overseas. Trust me when I tell you that there's a technique to it that many countries do not master, unfortunately.
Now, the Belgian experience.... You need a restaurant called a taverne. A place where the "menu of the day" might be a grandmother's vol-au-vent, stoemp with sausage or another variety. You'll need lots of-and I mean- lots of beer; the classics and the crafts for the more modern folk. You wouldn't want to miss the one thing that make tavernes so recognizable: the deep green over deck that covers you when the inevitable Belgian rain comes pouring down. It's lovely how many different faces you'll see at restaurants like these. It ranges from groups of women grabbing a cup of coffee while bikering about whether or not one of them should call off her wedding. A huge family that had to have a family meal right there and then with the rowdy kids to match or couples, that desired to create intimate bonds through the one thing they'll always agree on: good food. Does it matter that the sauce that accompanied the duck had way too much alcohol in it for my taste? Or that the over deck was a tad bit too short , which caused half of my body to be wet from the rain? Or that this place wasn't that special but I liked it anyway? Because when I look back, the tad bits of "just good enough " that I found at Dynasty created a moment that I cherish in my heart. read more
