Friday evening, we met some friends at Tripel, the relatively new Belgian inspired restaurant located at 1801 Park Ave. Since we were early, we decided to try one of their classic cocktails after first perusing their extensive Belgian beer list. The list can be long as there are around 450 breweries in the small country that is about the size of Rhode Island. But instead of beer, we went for two of their signature drinks. I had something called the Smoke Wagon which is bourbon, Amaro, maple, and bitters. It is poured into a glass containing molded ice and the smoke is from a Chai plum tea. I was able to remove the top glass when I had it smoked to taste and really enjoyed the drink as a lover of smoky whiskies. But it was a bit of a short pour considering the price. My wife had a Clouds Over Manhattan, which is made with white whisky, blanc vermouth, orange bitters and a topping of Cointreau-Cognac foam.
Once our friends arrived, we were seated in the very impressive dining room. It is very old school and traditional with wood and classic architectural touches throughout. Our friends ordered the terrine as a starter which was chicken liver and was very nice. We all had the French onion soup which was very classic, thick but not overly cheesy. My wife and I split an order of mussels (Moules Specialite Maison) which were cooked in a blue cheese and calvados broth. They were tasty, rich and really nicely done. I am now anxious to go back and try the other mussel variations on the menu. We had a nice and decently priced French wine, a 2012 Mas Des Bressaudes. I was quite impressed and expect we will be back soon so that I continue this review. I will skip the cocktails then and maybe try to taste a chocolate dessert as it is Belgian after all.
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