I can’t say I’ve been especially impressed with the food culture in the Netherlands. The Dutch don’t seem to be “foodies” in the way I’m used to and nearly every cafe in town offers a basic menu with basic options. Even the Indian, Thai, and Indonesian restaurants are pretty bland. So when I was searching for a place to go for dinner for my birthday, I wasn’t especially optimistic about my culinary options.

I found Cafe De V through the Wiki Travel page on Delft. I checked their website (Dutch) and was extremely impressed. The website was fresh and contained all of the necessary information (unlike many other restaurant websites.) I met several friends there and the wait staff was friendly and ensured we had a table for five.

I wanted to try all of the appetizers (Dutch) and we ended up ordering three: Zucchini Pancakes (Courgette Pannenkoekjes), Carpaccio, and the Curry Cream Soup (Kerrie Roomsoep.) The first two were tasty but the soup was stellar. The sweetness of the mangoes mixed with the spiciness of the curry was fabulous.

Curry Cream Soup

For our main courses (Dutch) we ordered: the Black Angus Burger, the Club Sandwich, the Sirloin and the steak. The club sandwich was not, in any sense, a Club sandwich. It was more like an exploded spanakopita. However, it was really, really tasty. The Sirloin was perfectly cooked and was served with a large wedge of spinach pie. The steak was unremarkable and the burger was well prepared, but served on a Foccacia roll, which I didn’t care for.

Black Angus Burger

Then we all ordered dessert (Dutch.) We had: pear cake, vanilla curd, and creme brulee. The pear cake was delicious and served warm. The vanilla curd was sour but served with honey and grilled pineapple. Eaten all together, it was delicious. The creme brulee was medicore.

Creme Brulee

I didn’t check the wine list. The beer selection was adequate; their list wasn’t impressively long but some of what they had was good quality. The price may have been the best feature. The meal, for five people with drinks, came to around €160. If you’re in town, it is certainly worth checking out.

Jameson, of course.

Cafe De V
Voorstraat 9
Delft

“I have learned the difference between a cactus and a caucus. On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside.” – Morris Udall

The Caucus Room is one of those DC institution type restaurants where you’re likely to run into some House committee chair lunching with a lobbyist.

The meal was stellar and the company even more so.  I had the salmon. It was delicious and perfectly flaky.  Dining companions had the filet mignon, which was really good, high quality beef.

The real rave, however, was the sharable sides.  We got the mac and cheese, which was made with a good, sharp cheddar and we also got the onion strings. Those were awesome, crispy and made with sweet onions.

Other than getting a bunch of sides, there’s no good vegetarian option on the menu, so keep that in mind before dining.

“Ye diners out from whom we guard our spoons.” -Thomas Babington Macaulay

Capital City Diner has gotten tons of fanfare. Two guys bought a diner on eBay and had it shipped to DC. They opened up the only sit down restaurant in Trinidad. They only hired locals to work in the joint.

However, in all honesty, the fanfare should be about the food.

My trip took place late on a Saturday afternoon.  I went with my best friend and we met his mom and one of her friends there.  We were stoked after all the hype the place had gotten. Mom and company were slightly less stoked, especially after parking their car next to a very obviously intoxicated gentlemen slumped over on some stairs.

We came in and were really wowed by the ambiance. You really feel as though you’ve walked into 1952 (except for the black people and white people sitting next to each other at the counter.) The decor is great.

We were greeted by a talkative and funny waitress who took excellent care of us. Since I’m from Philly, I reject the notion that you shouldn’t sell a cheesesteak outside the city boundaries. Fortunately, Capital City sells a steak and cheese sub, which the waitress recommended to one of my dining companions. I had the Belgian waffle with cinnamon apples, my friend had the Western omelet, and his mother had the tuna salad.

The omelet was well- made, fluffy and didn’t skimp on the filling. The tuna salad was well- seasoned and had big chunks of onion and celery in it.

The steak and cheese got two thumbs up from this Philly native. The bun was excellent and flaky. The steak was coated in melted cheese. The sub was served with waffle fries, which were perfectly crunchy.

My Belgian waffle was amazing. It was light and fluffy and had a slight crisp. It came with homemade whipped cream. The real stunner, however, were the cinnamon and apples. They were made with tart apples and weren’t overly sugary.  They had been excellently seasoned. I scraped up every last bit.

For two guys who have never owned a restaurant before, owners Matt Ashburn and Patrick Carl can cook some serious diner food. Don’t go to this place just to support local business. Don’t go just to support a neighborhood. Go for the food.

See more pictures here.

PS: I spent the better part of an evening discussing Anthony Bordain’s disappointing DC show. I love “No Reservations”, but the DC show was atrociously bad. The majority of the restaurants weren’t in DC, which is like doing an NYC show and having most of the restaurants being on Long fucking Island. Bourdain was also trying to avoid the whole “politics scene” for the show, yet managed to avoid nearly all of the non-political food culture that DC has to offer.

At the time of the show, Capital City Diner wasn’t open, but if it had been, it should have been a place the show featured. Because nothing is more anti-Capital Hill than Trinidad. And the food is amazing.