Lunch at Hof Van Cleve

This was the last event of the trip for us, although the rest of the group was headed back to Paris for lunch the next day at L'Astrance. The restaurant is literally in the middle of a corn field about an hour's drive from Brussels. We were coming from Paris, so we took a TGV train to Lille, which took about an hour, even though we were going about 180 mph most of the way, and a 30 minute taxi ride from the train station to the restaurant. We had great fall-like weather and we started with a wonderful champagne (I forgot to get the name, but it was not from a big house) and a few amuse bouche out on the patio before heading to our table.

Champagne and amuse bouche on the patio

The first of 3 amuse bouche

The Menu

Our Table

The Empties

• 1996 Kientzler Riesling Geisberg 92 Points

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  Very melon like on nose and palate with a little honey on the finish. Big acidity.

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• 1989 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune Vendanges Tardives 95 Points

  France, Alsace

  Light honey color with floral, tangerine and honey on the nose. Sweet smoky palate with ripe white fruit.

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"Rose de Berne" Tomato with Sardines / Buffalo Mozzarella / olives

Atlantic Tuna with Wasabi / Cumcumber / Yuzu

• 1998 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune 92 Points

  France, Alsace

  Stone and white flower on the nose. Peach and plum on palate with strong minerality and acidity.

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• 1996 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune 88 Points

  France, Alsace

  Sour milk on nose and huge acidity that blocks out all flavors. I know this is a '96, but the acidity on this is crazy.

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Sea Bass with Mussles / "Colombo" Curry / Bouillabaisse

• 1990 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Oxidized

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• 1989 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Glycerin and duck pate on nose. Big mouthfeel with tomato and big acidity on palate.

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North Sea Sole with Breton Lobster / Courgette / Tarragon

Prime Black Angus with Shallots / Sage / Chanterelle Mushrooms

• 1982 Château Magdelaine 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Classic aged bordeaux, cedar nose, some sweet fruit in the mid-palate, dark, long finish. Tannins completely resolved.

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• 1982 Château Trotanoy 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Another good example of aged bordeaux. Tannins were a little dustier and fruit was a little less dominant than the Magdelaine it was paired with.

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• 1976 Weingut Fritz Allendorf Winkeler Jesuitengarten Riesling Beerenauslese 93 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  Last wine of the trip - This was a great match given that we had already eaten a lot of food and we still had 3 sweet desserts to go. This BA had great color, as shown in the picture, and enough acidity to balance the sweetness of the desserts. The wine had nice honey, lilies and apricot up front, with a cleansing lemony finish.

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The Cheese Cart


My Cheese Selections


A Mohito Palate Cleanser


Dessert #1 and the Rheingau BA


Close Up of the Rheingau in the Bottle and Glass


Dessert # 2


Dessert #3


The Chef and Our Host


The Cigars


And no trip to Belgium is complete without moules and frites


And beer...


At the Delerium Pub

In summary, this was an amazing trip. And to end on such a high note at Hof Van Cleve was perfect. This was easily one of the top 5 meals of my life and the best meal for this trip. Everything was done to perfection and nothing was amiss. I will gladly go back again, and again. Thank you Bipin.