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| - If you visit Trente-Cinq, you may well find yourself asking the question that is posed on the white board in the men's room: "Is this restaurant half empty or half full?" I've been to Trente-Cinq twice and both times the restaurant was no more than half full. That may be due to the fact that Belgian food is a novelty in Phoenix, but I think it also has to do with the value-for-your-dollar that this restaurant offers. Four of us had three salads, two appetizers, three entrees, two desserts, an iced tea and five glasses of wine. With tax and tip, the tab came to just under $200. It's like the menu is in Euros instead of US Dollars given the current lousy exchange rate. The problem is that we're dining in Phoenix, not somewhere in Belgium. Factoring in the "transitional" location on 7th Street, $200 is too much to pay for the meal that we had. No wonder there's always plenty of tables at Trente-Cinq.
Chef Lionel Geuskens states on his website, "I have always wanted to cook all of my favorite dishes." That's a laudable goal, but Chef Lionel needs to remember that his restaurant is located in the Valley of the Sun and not Belgium. He needs to add some seasonal dishes to his boilerplate menu. When I first visited in the fall, the hearty dishes were perfect for the season. When I recently had dinner with the BF and two friends at T-C in June, the menu seemed heavy and clunky. If the chef insists on keeping his hearty menu, he'd do well to close for the summer and wait for the weather to cool off before serving his stick-to-your-ribs fare.
I started off with the Boulettes ($10) appetizer. The menu says it's a dish of "mini" meatballs served in an herbed tomato sauce with mixed greens on the side. Three meatballs arrived that were as big as tennis balls. This dish was a good value as it could have been an entree, if you like eating thee meatballs for your dinner. The side salad was a weird accompaniment and very much appeared as an afterthought. The BF ordered the Salade D'endive ($9), which featured Belgian endive tossed with mixed greens, herbed goat cheese and candied walnuts with a raspberry vinaigrette. The portion was large, but the BF said my meatballs were a better choice.
For my entree, I ordered the Waterzooi ($23). This dish was also the entree I ordered on my first visit to T-C. It's basically a hearty fish soup of salmon, halibut, shrimp, scallops, mussels and vegetables in a saffron cream broth. Unfortunately, it was much tastier the first time. This time the sauce was fairly flat, which is a real disappointment given the saffron. The BF ordered what the menu purports to be the "national dish of Belgium," Moules Au Vin Blanc ($19). It is a bowl of mussels steamed in white wine with leeks, celery, green onions and fresh herbs. It was a large serving of mussels and the BF felt it was a fair deal. Unlike the French version he's had at other places, the broth in this dish was not at all enjoyable on its own.
For our dining companions, one friend ordered the Coquilles Ostendaise ($12) appetizer as his entree. I had this dish as my appetizer on my first visit and it looked good this time as well. But then again, how can you go wrong with scallops baked in a cheese bechamel? His BF ordered the Steak Au Poivre ($28). The filet mignon was served with a green peppercorn sauce and fries. The steak was petit for the grand $28 price tag.
Our meal took a real dive in terms of value with dessert. The BF and I shared the Mousse Au Chocolat ($6). As billed on the menu, it was a trio of white, milk and dark chocolate mousses. The surprising part was the portion size. Given that this dessert is basically chocolate pudding, it was a bit surprising for it to arrive in what was essentially a double shot glass. It was good, but not $6 good. Our friends decided to share the Tropezienne ($8). The menu claims that this dessert is French brioche pastry filled with creamy vanilla custard. I'll allow for some hyperbole in menu writing, but this dessert was anything but French pastry filled with custard. It was really a slice of flat vanilla cake that had been cut in half and filled with what tasted like vanilla pudding. Ironically, our friend who ordered this dish is a pastry chef and it goes without saying that he was not impressed with this dessert.
If only the decor was as fun and inviting as the restaurant website would lead you to believe. This place either ascribes to a minimalist aesthetic or there wasn't budget to make the space interesting. It has a lower mid-range European hotel feel.
The service was attentive. However, that wasn't enough to off-set the over-priced menu.
It is interesting to have a Belgian restaurant in Phoenix. If only Chef Lionel would alter his menu to reflect the seasons and discount his prices so that they appear to be in US Dollars rather than in Euros. Then Trente-Cinq would be good to go. Hopefully these changes will occur before T-C shutters its doors for good.
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