I like beer. Dave likes beer. So why not try the European Bier Café? Sure, it could be regarded as a bit pretentious (especially the German and French newspaper clippings on the wall in the men's room). But if the food and the beer taste good, some things can be overlooked.
The decor is clean and comfortable, and presumably, European bistro-like. It had me wondering whether a French or German person would wander in and laugh at the attempt to make it feel like a European bistro. After all, the Outback Steakhouse in the USA is a pretty laughable attempt at replicating the typical Australian dining experience (as is Steve Irwin a dubious representative of this country - if you're gonna introduce your baby to a crocodile, at least support the baby's head properly... but I digress).
Whether or not the ambience is authentic, the place is quite comfortable and the prices are reasonable. You could argue that $8.50 a pint is a lot for a beer, and it is, but this place has about 20 beers on tap, many of which you can't find anywhere else. And the food is well priced (around $15 for starters, $17-$25 for mains).
We sampled two beers: the Leffe Blonde and Grimbergen Dubbel (both from Belgium). We enjoyed them both; for decent tasting notes you'd be best to look them up on Google or simply read the beer menu when you get here.
Dave had the Atlantic Salmon ($20.50), grilled and served over kipfler potatoes with a wasabi hollandaise sauce. Very yummy, and the wasabi made his nose tingle, meaning they didn't skimp. Good stuff, even if one of the potatoes was shaped like a banana. I had the Mussels ($18.50), steamed in a wine, tomato and cream broth, filled out nicely with plenty of chopped onion and parsley, and accompanied by three long diagonal slices of crusty french bread. I could have used a fourth piece of bread to help finish the broth, but other than that I was very happy.
For dessert we each had a Chocolate Mousse ($8.50), made with Grand Marnier and served with fresh berries and cream. I thought it was a little too sweet but I don't think Dave had any objections. The berries comprised blueberries, one strawberry each, and some unidentifiable small sticky things which looked like poached grapes (!) but tasted unfamiliar (but pleasant). Dave spit out the tiny little seeds; I just crunched through mine. The dumbest thing about the dessert was the way it was presented with a serviette under the mousse glass (not unusual in itself), and the berries and sweet glaze placed on top of the serviette, rendering it soggy, sticky, and useless for wiping anything.
My coffee was worth mentioning for the fact that it came with a fork. I figure it was a mistake, since it was a dessert fork with the same outer shape as a teaspoon, only with tines cut into the end. I still managed to use it to eat the froth on my cappuccino.
The restrooms were clean and properly stocked. No problem. I couldn't read the poncy European newspapers on the wall though.
There are a lot of beers here, and plenty more food to try as well. I certainly wouldn't mind coming back.
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Dave's summary: "What beer should I try next?"
Probability that we will return: 38 / 42
Note that the probability rating is affected by the fact that there are hundreds of places to eat around here.