frumiousb

B. really wanted to visit this museum while in Brussels. I have to confess that I was a little bit reluctant. Something about anthropology museums tend to leave me cold-- seeing artifacts out of context is meaningless to me. I find myself only able to look at the exhibits as objects.

The museum's willingness to take a critical look at the country's pivotal and destructive role in the Congo was noteworthy, as was the section of video interviews with people who live in the region today. Less points for the extensive nasty old stuffed animals sections.

The purpose of our dinner extravagance was to celebrate the fact that our mortgage and the paperwork have all gone through (Thursday) and we are now the proud owners of what is currently a large muddy hole in the ground.

Anyhow, Comme Chez Soi has been on our list for a very long time. We haven't gone before, partially because of the normal weeks long wait for reservations (Frommer's remarks that it is easier to get a table in the kingdom of heaven), and partially because of the pretty huge price that goes with the pretty huge reputation. (Example of the reputation, The New York Times listed it as one of the restaurants worth the airfare just to eat there.)

The restaurant has had three michelin stars since 1979. It lost its third star in 2006 when Pierre Wynant retired-- apparently a normal thing, since the third star is generally a tribute to a great chef. His son-in-law, Lionel Rigolet, is now in charge and he's going to have to earn that star back in his own right.

The big question when you spend money like this on food is whether it is worth the admittedly astronomical price. I'll spare you the suspense, and say that I think that it was-- although it will be another few years before I can say that I feel like we could splurge like that again.

The restaurant is very small and the interior is warm Art Nouveau in style. You sit very close to your neighbors and thankfully there did not seem to be any smokers. Cozy would quickly turn to claustrophobic with too many smokers. And it was clearly very full. I'm not sure who died and allowed us to get a reservation with such short notice, but I'm thankful to them-- whoever they are.

B. didn't wear a tie (although he did wear a jacket), which clearly put him in the minority. However, some local celebrities came in later with tee-shirts and blue jeans, so it wasn't that stuffy. We took the five-course menu, which was...well, expensive. But they do have a small set menu wich also looked lovely for just 68 euros per person.

We started with champagne, and decided to keep drinking champagne-- Moet & Chandon Millesime Rose 1999. It was delicious by itself, and went well with all the courses.

We started with an amuse that featured a mousse of smoked ham, a small cake of raw tuna, and a shellfish with a hint of what I'm fairly sure was lemongrass. The rest of the menu was as follows:

• Langoustine and carpaccio of sole with sweet spices, lukewarm wok of vegetables with tarragon. The langoustine was amazing-- I've never tasted anything like that. There were spices seared into it that I couldn't identify and it was almost worth the price of the menu just to taste that first bite.
  
  
• Fried sea bass fillet and razor shells with fenel seeds and chardonnay vinegar.
  
  
• Grilled John Dory with thyme, mixed king crab and crustacean coulis with coriander. I'd like to say that I normally don't really like fish, but I loved this.
  
  
• Suckling pig with fresh morels and broadbeans, light juice with savory. The combination of the meat with the morels was spectacular. When the waiters saw how much we enjoyed it, they reappeared with more meat slices and sauce. (The service was perfect, by the way. Friendly, attentive, and they never made you feel awkward for any reason.)
  
  
• The sweet trilogy. The name doesn't do justice to the dessert. Everything was wonderful about the food, but the dessert was indescribably good. The first course of the dessert (it was three courses!) was a pineapple and mango mille feuille. As I write about it, I can still taste it. The second dessert course was a strawberry ice cream with a hint of carmel and some other fruit I wish I could identify and a grapefruit sorbet with a lemon cream topping. The third dessert course was chocolate-based, and even though I am not a big fan of chocolate, I loved this. I'm going to commit heresy by describing the central piece this way, but the chocolate course featured what I can only describe as a hand-made incredibly expensive Ho Ho. It was layers of chocolate cake and cream with a smooth chocolate exterior and topped with gold flakes.

The dessert didn't actually stop with the dessert, by the way. With the coffee they brought us a plate of little sweet things that were nearly as delicious as the formal dessert. I finished with mint tea.

Really wonderful food experience. Recommended highly, with the obligatory warning about the price.