Eulogy Belgian Tavern
136 Chestnut St.
215-413-1918
Credit cards accepted
Bathroom up a flight of stairs
www.eulogybar.com
Belgium invented one of America’s favorite side dishes — French fries. Local Belgian restaurants, most notably Monk’s on South 16th Street, serve fries with mussels steamed in beer — two other prominent Belgian ingredients.
I’d read about another Philly Belgian, Eulogy, in Old City, and I finally got to experience it, along with some very professional company — Stacey DiPlacido, the lunch chef at Caribou Caf�. DiPlacido was born and raised in South Philly and graduated from St. Maria Goretti High and The Restaurant School.
On a hot and humid late afternoon, we pulled into a packed parking lot and took delight in seeing how crowded with tourists Old City was that day. The bar area of Eulogy Belgian Tavern has saffron-colored walls, a long wood bar and several high-top tables covered with black and saffron-colored linen. Our waitress brought us menus and silverware wrapped in linen napkins — a nice touch for a tavern.
We began our meal with asparagus with Ardennes ham ($6.99) and a Caesar salad ($5.99). I’d never heard of Ardennes ham, but it sounded French. I received an oval platter containing six nicely steamed asparagus stalks, fanned out prettily on the plate. The asparagus were room temperature and should have been chilled; the sauce was a bit heavy on the balsamic vinegar. The ham was a large, chewy slice that was difficult to cut.
Stacey said her Caesar salad — a generous portion in a large wooden bowl — also contained too much vinegar. Caesar salad is normally prepared with fresh lemon juice. This version also contained no ground anchovies. All we tasted were torn pieces of romaine and vinegar.
We wanted to share one of the mussel dishes. We nixed the one prepared with blue cheese because it sounded too weird. The mussels, by the way, can be ordered two ways: 1 pound for $7.99 or 2 pounds for $14.99. They don’t come with French fries.
We decided to share the mussels steamed in Belgian beer with garlic, celery, carrots and onions. Under the lid were ordinary farm-raised mollusks. The ones from New Zealand and Prince Edward Island are top-quality for taste, texture and juiciness. Some of these were scrawny; a few were chewy. The sauce lacked flavor, even though the chef added a sprig of fresh thyme.
Our burgers ($8.99 each) fared better. You get a choice of two toppings. I am a purist and like cheddar and bacon on my burger. I ordered it medium-rare and it arrived well done, on the same soft baguette-like bread we received with our mussels. Stacey’s burger, with cheddar and fried onions, arrived on a round brioche-type bun, which she enjoyed.
The French fries were glorious. Somewhere between thick and thin, they were crisp, grease-free and piping hot. All they required was a sprinkling of salt. We received two dipping sauces: a tasty mayonnaise and an interesting twist on Russian dressing.
Three desserts were on offer, chocolate mousse cake ($4.99) among them. The plate contained a good-sized slice, though, according to Stacey, the "mousse" was more a chocolate pudding to which gelatin had been added. The plate was decorated with squiggles of caramel and dollops of real whipped cream topped with chocolate sauce.
Service was pleasant and efficient. Still, I thought of the restaurant’s name. We know the definition of eulogy. Obviously, more care should be taken with the food.
One tip of the toque to Eulogy Belgian Tavern.
