Brasserie Beck (DC)
Brasserie Beck
1101 K St. NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 408-1717
Website (beware, loud music commences upon loading the page)
Menu: Click ‘Menu’ on the main page
Cuisine: Belgian
Appetizers $8-$24, salads $10-$12, entrées $16-$24, seafood platters $17-$95, sides $7, desserts $8
Wine list: Excellent, with plenty of bottles under $45, but the real draw here is the beer.
The hyped-up brasserie from Robert Wiedmaier, who also owns the pricey Marcel’s, lives up to expectations with tasty Belgian dishes and a wide variety of beers that will pique the interest of even the most avowed beer-hater.
Don’t be overwhelmed by said variety (nine beers on tap and over 100 by the bottle), as the knowledgeable bar and wait staff are happy to guide you through the maze. One nudged me from the pleasant Campus to the Bavik 6, an even smoother pilsner, and I was the better for it.
It’s hard to keep from filling up on the crusty bread that arrives warm — sometimes still steaming — from the oven, but do what you can. You’ll be thankful when you lay hands on the dreamy duck confit appetizer, served atop pureed potatoes and garnished with micro greens. As one of my dining companions wisely remarked, it is hard to go wrong with duck confit, but this was absolutely mouth-watering.
The huge spinach salad boasts delicious caramelized shallots, slices of hard-boiled egg, and a slight excess of mustard vinaigrette. Shrimp croquettes are less exciting, with a texture best described as squishy.
Nab the crispy skate wing for your main dish, as it’s great. The fish is breaded, lightly fried, and served in a light cream sauce alongside chunks of fresh tomato and cooked spinach. A side of traditional Belgian frites (fries), flecked with parsley and accompanied by three flavors of mayonnaise, is perfect for sharing with your tablemates.
Though you may be too full for dessert, the warm pear tarte tatin is too good to miss. It comes with a scoop of cinnamon-honey ice cream that melts over the plate, creating a wonderful soup you’ll want to slurp up with a spoon.
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By Alison L. McConnell
Alison L. McConnell is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. A native of New Jersey and upstate New York, she attended Bowdoin College in Maine and the London School of Economics before settling in Washington, where she works as a financial reporter and pursues her zeal for cooking on the side. Some of her favorite things to make are risottos, roast chickens, and cakes. She abides by a long-standing family motto: McConnells always finish their desserts.
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