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On a cold, rainy Thursday night my three friends and I go to the Belgian Cafe, at 21st and Green. We found free legal parking on the street and walked a block or two to the Cafe.

First time any of us have been here. We were cordially greeted at the door and shown to a table. The room is comfortable, with an orange glow of nude frescos on one wall and windows on the other. There may have been other frescos on the wall but the two or three nudes were what caught my eye.

Yo! whatchexpect?

The table beside ours was a mom and dad and a very well behaved four and a half year old. If it is true that little girls turn out to look like their moms, this kid will be a beauty.

Katie was our pretty waitperson, hiding her hair under a baseball cap. Not hiding was her generous personality, intelligence, and sense of humor. Which all probably had more to do with her Irish heritage than any of us with a hint of the old green place would like to admit.

We were not sure if it was the lighting or our age but all of the women in the Belgian Cafe seemed to have beautiful skin. I have to admit, I always thought all women had beautiful skin…..okay, okay, perhaps the lighting in the Belgian Cafe gives off a certain added glow.

I will have to go back again to be more scientific. As importantly, if there is a glow, does it benefit me?

The Belgian Cafe has a beer list four or five pages long, about two hundred different choices. Once again proving how important it is at an early age to read to your children and support your local school. Reading IS fundamental.

If you like beer you should come here. I am generally a wine person, but when in Belgium, do as the Belgians do. The four of us with Katie’s help tried a variety of beers. I heard no complaints.

Mussels are a speciality of the Belgian Cafe. There is one in every crowd. My friend Joe F. ordered chicken and drank Jack on the rocks. Others of us ordered ‘Mussel Bisque’. Though it was good on a cold, rainy night like this I thought it could have had a more distinct taste of mussels. It was a very good bisque and perhaps the mussels were extra mlld. My other friend, Joe G., wanted to know the difference between a bisque and a soup. Generally speaking, the bisque will be a cream and butter concoction, the soup, possibly clear. He enjoyed his bisque.

I would certainly order it again just to see if the season of the mussel makes a difference in the taste.

Three of us, including Mr. Jim, ordered Mussels Monk. Gee, guys, if you are in a restaurant named ‘William’s would you not order the dish named ‘Chicken William’s’ or ‘Salmon William’s’……so being smart, most of us had Monk’s Mussels.

The mussels were very mild in a smooth, classic garlic, parsley, and a Cantillon Geuze.

There were six other different mussel dishes to order, giving me plenty of reasons to return.

Served with a side of frits with two dipping sauces.

The frits were good as were the sauces but I have to quible a bit. I like plain well fried French fries, forget the seasonings other than a sprinkling of salt. The cheesey/mustard type dip was spicey and interesting. The red ketchup dipping sauce was too phony with an artificial smokey taste.

Besides the food, we each had a beer or a glass of wine, or, a Jack D, and four after dinner drinks.

The service was almost perfect and a gracious smile and manners go a long way in making up for any flaws. It must be mentioned that our waitperson, Katie, was not the only staff person who has the knack of making you feel welcomed. Everyone I encountered was out to make sure you were being taken care of.

I believe Evan Seplow is the Chef and, besides being a good cook, is an affable person.

Due to a slow evening, we had the table for as long as we wanted, so long, one of us fell in love with the blonde haired girl in the gray sweater sitting across the room at the corner table.

We left around 9:30 or so. I think it important to be cognizant of the table turnover. If you are going to sit long enough for two parties to have occupied the table, you had better double your tip, on a busy night. It is just the fair thing to do for your gracious waitperson.

To summerize. Belgian Cafe is a great addition to the Fairmount section of center city. Keep in mind this was our first visit. It was good enough that we will be back to try other dishes, other beers. A variety of vegan dishes and lots of other dishes I want to try. I think you should give it a go. To be sure, this is not dining but a good beer and bar food place, very comfortable, decent food, fair prices. If you live in the area this could be a home bar place, if a tourist, this will satisfy.

Bottom Line: Four diners with dinner, an assortment of drinks, tax, about $40 per person, not including tip. I apologize, I usually have a more detailed cost estimate but we were having such a good time…..I forgot.

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