As a nice alternative to the usual steamed mussels, Dehaene broils a panful on the half-shell beneath a gratineed crust of herby cheese as an appetizer.
Dehaene has a penchant for daring flavors that should appeal to adventure diners - like the four-inch-long half- slice of a veal bone filled with creamy marrow topped with herby bread crumbs, a dish so primal it's hard not to like it. Dehaene also makes some of the most tender sweetbreads in town. And buttery, Duvel-sauced escargot, as well.
For more traditional eaters, the onion soup steeped with Orval beer is excellent, as is the creamy leek soup filled with fingerling potatoes and thick bacon. I also enjoyed the cold tomato stuffed with a tangy salad of tiny North Sea shrimp. Avoid the cheese croquettes, though, as the thick, deep-fried crusts were hollow and cheeseless inside.
I also had mixed luck with the entrees, which are affordably priced, at $19 or less. The best of them was the grilled pave, a classic French rump steak cut to the shape of a brick and cooked to tender perfection. I also loved the succulent duck breast, the spicy merguez, and an impressive homemade luganega sausage served with truffled salsify and Israeli couscous.
The little lamb chops, though, were overcooked, as was the unimpressively thin ribeye steak. The bouillabaisse special was rather pedestrian, and, except for the garlicky rouille-smeared toast, hardly worth the cleaning bill.
The seared rockfish was a nice choice, especially with a side of roughly mashed potato-bacon stoempf that is Zot's best side.
Skip the potato croquettes, which came to us twice still frozen in the middle. And the frietes (a.k.a. "fries") were inconsistent, the thin-cut sticks suspiciously pre-frozen-tasting on my first visit, but significantly better on my last (now that they're being made in-house).
One could say frietes are just as crucial a Belgian test as mussels. But so are waffles and chocolate. And Zot splits this dessert test as well, with beer-infused waffles that were thin and soggy, countered by a stellar Callebaut chocolate pot de creme that was like eating cocoa silk.
So it isn't perfect. But you don't have to be a Belgian madman, either, to appreciate Zot.
Contact restaurant critic Craig LaBan at 215-854-2682 or claban@phillynews.com.
Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/craiglaban.
