It's Not You, It's Me: Dining at The Belvidere at Broad

Have you ever had a date you were really excited about—a date with an attractive, intelligent, well-positioned someone--- fall flat? You washed the car, matched and ironed, read the front page of the New York Times before leaving the house with a sense of hopefulness not felt in months. Yet, when the date was over with Ms. Perfect, at home, alone, you asked yourself: What went wrong? Where was the chemistry? Why don’t I like her more—she is, after all, perfect. How could someone so stunning in appearance and on paper turn out to be so mediocre in person?

If you’ve had a date like this, then you know what it’s like to dine at The Belvidere at Broad, one of the “it girls” with coming out parties in 2009.

A few reasons why The Belvidere looks good on paper are listed on the cover of their menu; eclectic American dishes with world influences and a focus on fresh, local and natural ingredients prepared using French culinary techniques. Sounds good, huh?

Then why is the free-range chicken from Pennsylvania? And why, out of five appetizers, do two of them include a Roma tomato bruschetta? It’s December.

These flaws wouldn’t stick out so much if the menu at The Belvidere was a little bigger. But, with a short menu, of roughly ten main entrees, three salads, and a handful of sandwiches, I expected seasonal choices and something other than the ubiquitous mashed potatoes that came with a third of the main entrees.

Two of the appetizers I tried were delicious. The Maryland jumbo lump crab cakes, $14, were fifty-cent piece-sized cakes held together by…air?....dress tape?...ok, neither, maybe a little egg yolk, but cracker crumbs or other fillers, certainly not. They’re gluten free. The crab cakes sashayed to our table, smartly dressed, topped with sriracha aioli and accessorized with a side of colorful Asian slaw rubbed down with oil; tasty, but not fourteen bones of tasty.

When reading what other reviewers had to say (RTD, Style) about The Belvidere, one appetizer that consistently received high marks was the house apple wood smoked salmon, $10. I understand why, too. The salmon was moist, redolent with delicate smoky flavors. The apple wood’s subtle flavor didn’t overpower the translucent flesh of the deftly prepared fish; a dab of creamy dill complemented the dense, oily salmon. Score one for The Belvidere.

The bruschetta, $7, was inedible on two dates, one of which was back in September. Not only were the tomatoes mealy and nearly tasteless, but the marinating liquid was almost effervescent. Yuck. When trying the bruschettta last week, as part of the trio sampler, $14, that included an espresso cup-sized portion of bruschetta, a cold (but delicious) crab cake the size of pencil eraser, and the previously smack- yo’- daddy- good, smoked salmon, this time with a bug in its microgreens, this Woody Allan quote sprang to mind “the food here is awful—and such small portions.” Minus one, Belvidere.

From the sandwich selections, the grilled tenderloin with sautéed onions and mushrooms, $14, served with sweet potato fries and the all natural turkey and white bean burger, $9, with caramelized onions, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, feta and mixed greens, both were filling and flavorful. The sweet potato fries, spuds of love... If you’re keeping score, that makes two points for The Belvidere.

The organic vegetable lasagna, $15, arrived with a generous salad of zesty-vinaigrette-tossed field greens, but was mushy and sopped with overly-sweet marinara—and, did I mention, no bread? Minus two, Belvidere. We’re two for two now.

My dining experiences were all in this ilk. Great service, a hardworking owner who remembers her regulars, a rotating beer menu, urban-retrofitted antique décor, awesome; no bread basket, the same ol’ same ol’ wines by the glass, out of season dishes that appear to be lifted from some hotel’s corporate menu (tequila grilled shrimp, citrus grilled chicken, grilled ahi with asparagus, mushroom and red pepper stir fry), check please!

I want to like this girl, but she’s gotta up her game. There is a lot of competition in this part of town.

Will I go back? Sure, but I think I’ll date around Broad Street first.

The Belvidere at Broad

**1/2

0—don’t go

*-average

** above average

*** very good

**** excellent dining experience

Imagine learning to process caviar in Russia after a childhood of Cup-a-Soup. Needless to say, Varmit Pickeral was inspired. Thus began 20 years of restaurant gypsy-hood, beginning with Varmit’s first job as a dishwasher in an institutional kitchen and then trying out most any job Varmit could get in the hospitality industry, including; NC BBQ pit line-cook, cheese steward at Artisanal in Manhattan, grape picker, and specialty buyer for Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market in Northern Virginia.