Eatin' At The Belgian Cafe
So the Belgian Cafe has a good provenance. It comes out of the (Monk's Cafe/Fergie's/Nodding Head nexus) and the Delaware Valley has been awash in new Belgian restaurants lately.
Which makes the question we must ask a simple one: Why did Craig LeBan hate The Belgian Cafe so much?
I've long operated under the belief that there are few ills in life that a chalice of high-octane Belgian beer can't cure. That, of course, was before I met the vegan "scallops" wrapped in "facon" at the Belgian Cafe. These marinated tofu plugs come ringed in a crisp jacket of soy bacon, and they are something to behold, topped with orange beads of faux caviar. But eating them is an unsettling adventure into the synthetic unknown. I'm as open as any omnivore to fake-meat cookery. I even gave three bells to Horizons, Bella Vista's pioneering vegan eatery. But this creation tasted like peppered white mush wrapped in pig-flavored cardboard.
Funny, Philly's vegan bloggers seem to like it. But at least LaBan likes the beer.
Belgian Cafe [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Belgian Cafe [MenuPages]
Belgian Cafe [Official Site]
