Well, sort of…
Lauren and I went “Dutch” when we ventured over to Hilldale for dinner at Cafe Hollander before a screening of “Molly’s Game” (this is not a movie review blog, but I’d recommend the film, especially if you are a fan of Aaron Sorkin). Per its website (http://cafehollander.com/), Cafe Hollander is “a Grand Café that offers a full dine-in restaurant menu, extensive Belgian and craft beer list, award-winning weekend brunches and a full service bar with specialty cocktails and bloody marys.”
While I can’t speak for their brunch or BMs, they do know how to serve up a nice curd. The evening’s curds were fried up perfectly, not too soggy and not too hard. The cheese inside was a white cheddar that did not get lost in the breading and was just the right amount of melted for my liking. While most of the curds were a bit on the small side, I was willing to overlook this thanks to the fact that you could fully immerse your chosen curd in the delicious, right-amount-of-spice Sriracha ranch dipping sauce. While not normally a fan of Sriracha, the blend of the two condiment sauces was done perfectly and has inspired me to try my hand at whipping up a batch at home (results TBD). Bonus points for presentation in what looked like a miniaturized fryer basket, handle and all.
Kudos to our server who, despite speaking in his best library whisper volume voice, suggested four really great “crafties” for my beer flight:
- Tripel Karmeliet (Belgian Tripel)
- Lakefront Fixed Gear (Red Ale)
- Kwak (Belgian Strong Pale Ale)
- Goose Island Matilda (Pale Ale)…we can debate Goose Island’s “craft” status later
The service was excellent, food came out at a reasonable pace and the price-to-value equation was more than acceptable.
- Flavor – 9/10
- Consistency – 8/10
- Accouterments – 8/10
- Value – 8/10
- Wildcard – 8/10: great beer selection; efficient service
Cafe Hollander was a pleasant surprise stop on our journey, be sure to stop in during your next pre-movie dinner or post-Target run drink stop.
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