Cafe Bruges

Photography by Fitz

It was unanimous. Burger of the Year 2012, according to Tami and I both, is the Bruges Burger at Cafe Bruges in Carlisle. So fantastic is this burger that I will now end this paragraph so I may pause to reflect on its deliciousness. Gimme a minute.

Located in historic downtown Carlisle, Cafe Bruges is to my knowledge the only authentic Belgian restaurant in central Pennsylvania. We have visited the place three times, and not once have we failed to receive perfect food. Perhaps it helps that we order the same thing every time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Here's what we always get: frites with house made dipping sauce (Tami gets mustard mayo, I get Dijon mustard), fried cheese croquettes, the Bruges Burger, and a dessert waffle. And, of course, I always get one or two of their Belgian beers on draught (they also have hundreds in bottles). There are certainly other interesting items on the menu (soups, mussels, pork loin, stew). But as Tami likes to say, it's a bad idea to stray. The Bruges Burger is not just the burger of the year but also perhaps the burger of the decade. They use locally farmed beef, and the flavor/seasoning is just unbelievable. When I taste a restaurant burger this good, it pisses me off that other places can't even come close to delivering a similar burger. The frites come out in a big old cone, and they've been crispy and piping hot every time we've gotten them. Best fries of the year? Probably! The fried cheese croquettes, made with Gruyere and Parmesan, are crazy-good. And, really, is there any better way to end a meal than with a freshly-made Belgian waffle? Any of these components, individually, would be worth the 45-minute drive. But put them all together, and you've got the best meal a person could ever ask for. And if you can't find a beer to like in a Belgian restaurant, you might as well be drinking Coor's Light! I just had the Troubadour imperial stout, which was divine.

Alright! On to the FABS scale!

Food- No further elaboration necessary! 25/25
Atmosphere- A really cute, cozy set-up inside a historic building. Inviting place full of happy customers. 25/25
Beer- Ten taps. Palm, Bavik, Troubadour, Monk's Cafe, Wittekerke, and more! 23/25
Service- Three trips so far, and every time every aspect of the service has been outstanding. Great staff! 25/25 

Total- 98 (out of 100)

We apologize sincerely for the lack of a waffle picture. We were so excited to eat it that we neglected to photograph it!

 
-Josh

http://www.cafebruges.com/

Bully's Restaurant and Pub

Bully's in Columbia, Pennsylvania is a classy bar/restaurant with a casual feel. Around these parts it's well-known for its tremendous selection of craft beer. If you're looking for a decent beer with a meal, this is the place to go. On tap yesterday were Dogfish Head Saison Du Buff and Festina Peche, Founders Centennial IPA, Bell's Oberon, Sea Dog Blue Paw, Cigar City Jai Alai, and quite a few others. But while that's fine and dandy if you're a beer lover like me, what if you don't drink beer? Tami's not a beer drinker, so the key for us is to find places where the food and the beer are on-point. How did Bully's rate in our book?

We met my mom and dad at Bully's yesterday at 2:30. The place was pretty much empty, so we had a great deal of attention from our servers. Given that this was the first establishment I was reviewing for this blog, we decided to put Bully's to the ultimate test: wings and burgers. If you can't do wings and burgers right, you're in trouble. Overall the wings were good, but the slightly underfried skin made them just a little chewy. We prefer a crisper chicken wing. Minor points off. The sauce flavor (we picked medium) was nice. Tami and I both ordered a medium-cooked burger with bacon and cheddar. Tami's burger was a tad overcooked, while mine was pretty well right on the money. We found the taste of the burger to be above average but less than exceptional. We both really liked the brioche roll, and the fresh cut fries were absolutely spectacular. These were definitely some of the best fries we've had anywhere this year. My dad ordered fish and chips, which looked tremendous. We did notice that he didn't care for his chips, which were seasoned potato wedges that he barely touched. For dessert, Tami had a creme brulee. She thought it was good, but that it could have used some fruit for balance. I had some sort of parfait that looked much better than it tasted.

Will we be going back to Bully's? Probably. At the very least, the place passed the wings-and-burgers test. Granted, it was more of a "B" pass than an A+ pass. But those fries will pull us back in. And I can't think of another place within 500 miles where I can get a Founders beer on tap. Next time I'm trying the chili!

How did Bully's do on the FABS scale?
Food- All in all not bad, but the fries were the only thing that was exceptional. 19/25
Atmosphere- A nice-looking place with classic pub decor. Music was a little loud. 23/25
Beer- It's hard to beat this place in the beer department. 24/25
Service- We had no complaints, but at 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon you should be getting good service. 22/25
Total Score - 88 (out of 100)

In addition to our FABS scale, if my father is present for a meal we'll also include the George Scale. Asked to rate his overall experience yesterday, he said it was "fine". This is roughly equivalent to four out of five stars, since "pretty good" is generally my dad's highest form of praise for a restaurant.

-Josh