Roeg's Picks for 2012: Best Belgian Cafe

Best Belgian Café: I fell in love with mussels and frites only after I turned 40, having watched Zane Lamprey on Three Sheets enjoy himself in Belgium.  Belgium has the world’s best beer; potent, diverse and flavorful.  Now I have the pleasure of exploring new places for both great food and great beverages. 

Gold: Belgian Café, Philadelphia, PA – Of all the great Belgian bars in Philly, the Belgian Café (http://www.thebelgiancafe.com/) is my (and my mom’s) favorite.  One trip I got the Bloody Mary Mussels, seasoned with horseradish and celery salt, to accompany my Flying Dog The Fear, and Imperial Pumpkin ale that was very impressive.  The next I got a Belgian burger to go with two beers from Lost Abbey; Judgment Day and Angel’s Share Brandy on draft.  For the food and beer selection, this one was my favorite.

Silver: Hopleaf Bar, Chicago, IL – The Hopleaf Bar (http://hopleaf.com/) is #24 on Beer Advocate’s list on where to have a beer before you die, and continually listed on Draft magazine’s top 100 bars in America.  Hopleaf is in the process of expanding, taking over a neighboring property.  They specialize in Belgian food, but my friend Brian and I were there too early for dinner.  There beer selection was outstanding, mixing up Belgian imports with local specialties.  I started with the Five Rabbit Viva Y Muerte Muerzerbier, a spring marzen from a local brewery while Brian had the Three Floyds Das Klein Schwatz Einhorn, a black lager from the famous Indiana microbrewery.  But this was a Belgian bar; I tried the Dupont Posca Rustica on draft, while Brian got the Barbar Winter Bock.  Local brewing reps were in and out, and the bartender was fantastic, answering our questions and telling about all the beers that they had. A must stop on any trip to Chicago.

Bronze: Merry Monk, Albany, NY – The folks that own Wolfs Biergarten (German) and Olde English Pub (English) now has opened a Belgian bar in downtown Albany.  The food is decent, although I did prefer the Belgian burger to their mussels (even if they are two pounds for the price of one on Wednesday).  However, their claim to fame is their offering of Ommegang beers on draft.  Ommegang provides their normal lines as well as their limited editions.

Honorable Mention: Monk’s Café (http://monkscafe.com/) has the same owner as the Belgian Café, and at times they have a better selection of beer.  However, the waiters are so much snobbier that I prefer the Belgian Café more.  And this year, I didn’t make it to Monk’s so it would not be appropriate to put them in my top 3 places.  However, if anyone wants to take a trip into the city, please let me know and I’ll be there.

"From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world." – Saint Arnoldus