Naturally, after a luncheon like that, we had no dessert—merely café espresso and a fine, in this case a remarkable old Armagnac. It was a most rewarding experience, with perfect food, excellent wine, and complete relaxation.
Dinner the other night was a complete contrast. It was simplicity itself. First a filet of English sole grilled to the second. It was moist, as it should be, and firm. Lightly crumbed, it gave a crispy sensation at first, succeeded by the true flavor of the most noble of all fish.
To follow this there were sweetbreads maison. The sweetbreads were sautéed in butter and served on a bed of braised celery, anointed with a sauce maison which has a cream base lightly perfumed with sherry. The dish is placed under an intense flame for a few minutes to develop a brown crust on top, and it comes to you bubbling and hot. A small portion of wild rice to accompany and mix with the sauce was the correct complement to a dish which is simple, delicious, and thoroughly satisfying.
With the fish and the sweetbreads, my dinner guest and I chose one of the pleasantest of the lighter white wines, a 1945 Liebfraumilch, which, besides being a wine of great character, is as light and agreeable to good foods as any I know.
A few leaves of salad followed, dressed with the correct balance of oil and vinegar—by that we mean a male hand with the oil and the most delicate of female hands with the vinegar—which is a blessing in any restaurant. Pagani suggested our dessert—it was the exquisite cake named after the patron saint of pastry cooks and bakers—a gâteau Ste. Honoré. With its delicate pastry and surrounding bubbles of páté à chou beautifully glazed with spun sugar, the eye appeal was tremendous and the taste was fully as rewarding. The cream was diaphanous in its lightness and the pastry as tender as a maiden’s glance. André swore he had eaten two large pieces of the gâteau for his dinner, and while we didn’t follow suit, we could have begged for a piece to take home for a late snack.
Small cups of steaming black brew and again the Armagnac—a most pleasing end to a day. We discovered we had spent three hours over our dinner and that the time had slipped by with unaccountable speed. That, my friends, is really dining.
Luncheon at the Brussels is prix fixe from ＄2.25. There is a pleasant selection of hors d’oeuvres or soups and a bountiful list of entrees. Try the anguilles au vert and the escalopes de veau viennoise or almost anything you may find on the list. Dinner is à la carte, and there is a large number of things to intrigue the palate and to satisfy the gnawing pangs. The saddle of lamb niçoise is always delicious, and for those who love beef perfectly prepared, the entrecôte à l’os comme à la villette—this dish is for two—is an excellent choice. English sole is prepared in a number of ways; in fact, you will find the menu a most unusually well balanced and diversified one. As we have said before, the wine list is chosen with taste and great care, the selection of both imported and domestic wines being representative of only the best. Dinner for two should amount to around ＄15 or ＄20, with a bottle of wine.
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