We spent this weekend in Liege. Liege is home to the Liege style Gaufre (waffle) and Boulet Liegeoise (Meatballs in a brown sauce with raisins). It also seems to be home to police sirens and public urination, but perhaps that was just coincidence. She who must be obeyed is from Detroit and has a softspot in her heart for urban decay, so I think she liked Liege more than I did. Frankly, I found it a little too seedy and run down. One can only witness so much al fresco micturition whilst dodging copious quantities of dog poo before it has an impact on your impression of a city.
We did however, have a wonderful meal at La Table a Francois in the city center which made up for some of the town's shortcomings. This is a great little place proving my theory that one should venture down the side streets to find the best restaurants. They had a prixe fixe menu for 25 euro per person with appetizer, entree and dessert and not a soul in the place who spoke English. We started off with the amuse bouche which was a salad, with a slice of homemade terrine and a really amazing cauliflower soup. Appetizers followed, she who must be obeyed opted for a tomato and mozzarella salad with outstanding mozzarella but a February tomato. I got the mille feuille of salmon tartar with truffle oil. Entrees were the Lamb shank for my bride and rouget in lobster sauce for me. Both excellent. The menu rounded off with Chocolate fondant for her and creme brulee for me. A total bargain for 50 euro and worth staying in Liege overnight to experience it. A definite Four and a Half Drunk Monks!
I may be working from a fairly small sampling, but in general, it seems that Walloonian towns like Liege are generally a bit more in need of repair and a little dirtier than their Flemish counterparts. Both have historic old buildings, cobblestones and quaint little town centers, but in Flanders there tends to be more construction and everything seems on the upswing. Walloonia has excellent food but may lack some energy. So it is a trade off. I think that is what makes the Brussels area a nice place to live. We have the vibrancy and the food. We just don't have a government.
She who must be obeyed had a mission for our trip. She had read about Boulet Liegeoise and wanted to try them, so we found Brasserie for lunch that had them on the menu and open air seating. Boulet Liegeoise are pretty large meatballs with quite a bit of filler and are served (predictably) as a pair, with frites. I opted for crepes champignon paired with a Val Dieu Triple. As you can see from the photo above, the Val Dieu pours a bright golden color with a small head. At 9% this is a pretty strong beer, but it does not have much alcohol bite to it. This is offset by a distinct sweetness. There is a bit of hop and some pronounced fruity and citrusy notes, but it is the sweetness that you really notice. If you like that, then this is a great beer. For me however, I just found the sweetness a bit too much. Three and a Half Drunk Monks.
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