The Scene: Belgian Frites,Cherry Beer and Chocolate with Visit Flanders
During the waning days of summer, LuxuriousPrototype received an invitation to attend a three-day event filled with beers, chocolate and amazing food by the kind folks at VisitFlanders.com. Situated in the north of Belgium, Flanders boasts six beautifully preserved historic cities: Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Leuven, and Mechelen. From the world class beers to medieval castles, there is something to enjoy for everyone, check out their website and browse through all of the things to do in Flanders, www.visitflanders.com.
The event series was held at the beautiful Residence Inn/Courtyard Marriott located at 1717 Broadway, New York, if you have not had an opportunity to go yet, I encourage you to check it out and have a cocktail in the 4th floor bar bistro space.
On day one of the event we were given complimentary frites with delicious mustard called “Dickinson’s Stone Ground Mustard”, which paired perfectly with the thick cut frites. The mustard very rich and creamy and not too tart. I accompanied my frites with two pours of the Brooklyn Brewery Beers. I also highly recommend trying the Brooklyn Summer Ale.
Kitchen Rebels with Julie
On August 27th, we attended the eight course tasting menu offered by Kitchen Rebels winner Julie Baeklandt of Kitchen Rebels fame. Julie is an excellent Chef with a track record of sourcing quality fresh ingredients and providing accessible food at reasonable price points.
The evening began with a few pairings of cherry beer and dark chocolate. This was one of the best parts of evening. Flanders is known for its Red sour/ cherry beer and this did not disappoint.
My favorites of the evening included a freshman salmon salad garnished with radishes and fresh crème fraiche. This dish was so fresh and so amazing plated, I couldn’t help but give it 5 stars. This is high praise as I am normally not a salmon eater, but this was absolutely an exception to that rule. Coming in a very close second was the seared pork belly sandwich on a roll, there is nothing to say except pork belly, on a roll, with a delicious sauce! Oh and I had two!
The other dishes were also very nice, but the two I described above were the standouts to me and I would love to experience them again. Fortunately, I will be in Belgium in November and I plan to sample Julie’s cooking again. For those that are interested:
C-Jules
Markt 15, 9620 Zottegem
T. +32 9 279 11 18
info@c-jules.be
www.c-jules.be
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Pro tip: Check out the Michelin Guide that Julie and C-Jules are featured in to see what’s a must order, but really allow yourself to be guided by the seasonal ingredients and try something new.
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