Park Brugge

Last night I was working late. DB~ planned to meet her aunt for dinner and asked if I would like to join them. The place they selected was Park Brugge, which is the sister restaurant of the fantastic (and still relatively-under-the-radar) Point Brugge in Point Breeze.

Park Brugge is located in Highland Park (see the pattern) and has a French flair to its menu in contrast to the Belgian tint of Point Brugge. Old favorites from the Point are still on the menu, such as the mussels (Moules Frittes), but one of the 3 possible preparations is a Creole-style with andouille sausage/trinity/tomatoes. Foreshadowing!!

They also have these little flatbreads using a recipe from the region in France known as Alsace. The flatbreads are called Tarte Flambees and there are also 3 preparations. We selected as an appetizer the one with carmelized onions, shaved cheese, ham, and chives with a topping of creme fraiche. It was pretty fantastic and enough for 2 people to enjoy and for 3 people to share (meaning I was ready for my entree).

I did end up ordering the mussels creole-style. You get a pound and a half of the tasty little hinged black sea creatures. This was only my second time every having mussels, with the first being when I made them a few months ago for DB~. The sauce and veggies infiltrated every one of the mussels, so you actually get excited to pop them open fully and scoop out the goodness inside. It also comes with frites (french fries) and mayo, plus a chunk of crusty bread. I was uncomfortably full when done.



DB~ made an interesting choice by selecting the Vegetable Pasta, minus the peas which are the bane of her culinary world. She was quite pleased by the huge size of the pasta, which were rather large as pasta shells go. She got it topped with some grilled chicken.



Her aunt went with the Roasted Half Chicken that came with an order of frites and vegetables. The presentation on the plate was quite pretty when it was served. The remnants of this dish are sitting in our refrigerator and will probably be my lunch sometime this weekend.



If you've ever been to Point Brugge, you know that it is a real feat to get a table. It's a small space and has a borderline cult following. Park Brugge has more seating, but it was still a 20 minute wait on Thursday night. We chose to dine bar-side instead.

Highland Park is an area of town that I have not frequented much in the past, but with Park Brugge there and the Smiling Banana Leaf right next door, we'll probably be back in this neck of town.