Adventures in My Mind
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May 9, 2008
Belgium Comes to a Tree-Lined Pittsburgh Street
Sami and I went out last night for a rare parents-only getaway. It was a nice quiet evening that, although way too short, led us to an out of the way place favored by one Sami's friends. Stuck right in the residential heart of Point Breeze, Point Brugge Cafe is a nice little place to go. It boasts a small, but packed full of flavor menu and popularity among the more discerning dinner crowd. The Thursday night crowd buzzed quite a bit and lined up 2 deep at the bar at one point.
Serving a wide variety of Belgian beers and wines from around the world, the drink menu is much more expansive than the dinner choices. The wines are available both by the glass and the bottle. Sami chose a glass each of the Peter Lehmann Shiraz and the Airlie Pinot Noir. I stuck to the beer menu and had a Lindemans Framboise, a raspberry lambic that is expensive at $10 a bottle but worth every penny!
For our meal we stuck with a few small plate favorites, including a cheese board with grilled fennel rubbed sausage, macaroni gratin, and their famed twice-cooked Brugge Frites. We followed that with a shared Cafe Chicken sandwich that ended the meal quite nicely.
The cheese board included several cheeses I've never had but went very well with the accompanying walnuts and apples. It also included a couple of cheeses I don't much care for: Chevre and Maytag Bleu. There was a mustard cheese with mustard seed in it that was an excellent match for grilled sausage.
And for more cheese (I love cheese!)The Macaroni Gratin was the best mac & cheese this little Pittsburgh boy has ever had. With a blend of gruyere, parmesan, and cheddar; it was toppped with grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley and baked until golden brown. It may speak to simple tastes, but the gratin was by itself reason enough for the trip.
The Brugge Frites are a true French/Belgian delight. First parcooked at a low temperature and then quickly cooked at a high temperature these French Fries are related in name only to the ones served at your local McD or greasy spoon. The frittes are served with a very continental basil mayo that was bursting with fresh basil flavor.
After looking at several of the delicious sounding entrees we settled on splitting the Cafe Chicken sandwich with fresh mozarella, roasted red peppers, romaine lettuce, and more basil mayo. It included a mixed green salad tossed in the house lemon vinaigrette. By this time we were pretty full so half of the sandwich now sits in th fridge.
The only drawback I experienced was the clientelle: a mix of older professionals and younger yuppies, few of whom I would've wanted to share my table with. And given the small space and necessary intimacy I felt as though I was indeed sharing my table with them. But I suppose the perceived pretension was in keeping with the Belgian inspired menu. A menu that I want to explore more on future visits.
Entrees like Steak Frittes, a traditional bistro favorite of steak and fries, and Carbonnade Flamande, beer-braised beef, warrant more of my time. The specials included a pan seared yellow tail tuna served over mushrooom fennel couscous that sounded fantastic.
The house favorite is clearly the Moules or Mussels. The wait staff carried plate after plate from the kitchen. Diners have the choice of three delicious sounding sauces that are served with a delicious crusty bagette bread. I'm not a fan of mussels, but watching those huge piles of beautiful black shells being set on surrounding tables almost made me want some. Such is the power of suggestion!
Check out Point Brugge Cafe the next time you're looking for a good drink and an inspired Belgian style menu.
Point Brugge Cafe
401 Hasting St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-441-3334
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 12:12 PM
