San Diego's Li'l Belgium

Our own 30th Street is beginning to develop a reputation as the place to enjoy the great tastes of Belgium.  The tiny country of Belgium has a giant reputation for it's beers, the and quality, diversity and creativity of it's offerings have served as an inspiration to our amazing local brewers.   If you want to try some of the great beers imported from Belgium, or some of the great local ales inspired by Belgian brewing traditions, just take a stroll down 30th Street, where you'll find witte, saison, dubbel, trippel, Flemish sour, lambic and more on tap and in bottles.  From Alchemy in South Park all the way to Jayne's Gastropub, nearly every bar on 30th Street offers at least a few delicious Belgian style ales.  Look for sour beers from Cantillon or Giardin, Trappist ales from Westmalle or Rochefort, farmhouse ales from DuPont or Fantome.  Try anything from the Lost Abbey; their beers consistently dominate the major national and international blind tasting competitions.  North Park's own Chuck Silva brews some fantastic Belgian style beers at Vista's Green Flash brewery. 

In addition to great beer, Belgium produces delicious cheese, chocolate and pastries, and Belgians probably invented the 'French' fry.  But no food is more closely linked to Belgian cuisine than steamed mussels, and there's no better place than 30th Street to try some.  On any given day, you might smell fresh local mussels cooked with white wine, garlic, butter, saffron, tomato, creme fraiche, curry, bacon, ham, dill, parsley, basil, leeks, chile pepper, clams, fish, squid, sausage, beer (Belgian style, most likely), bell pepper, or anything else the chef thinks might taste good in a pot of mussels.  Try a bowl the next time you're out tasting beers on 30th Street!

Sea Rocket Bistro has a couple events in the works to celebrate the Belgian influence on San Diego's bars and restaurants.  On Tuesday, May 26th, Sea Rocket will be welcoming guest bartender David McAtee, who will bring with him a keg of Allagash Curieux from Maine.  This is a Belgian style trippel, a strong golden ale in the tradition of Westmalle Trippel or Chimay Cinc Cents (White), that has been aged for eight months in oak barrels that formerly hosted Jim Beam bourbon.  Please come by on Tuesday night for a taste of this beer or one of our other Belgian style offerings on tap, which currently include Lost Abbey Lost and Found, AleSmith Horny Devil and Little Devil, and Green Flash Trippel.

On Wednesday, May 13, Sea Rocket will be offering the second in our series of Belgian- San Diego dinners, which feature Belgian style beers and food made here in San Diego.  We'll be offering six courses of Belgian inspired food made with fresh local ingredients, and pairing them with great local ales.  Sea Rocket's own Dennis Stein, a former resident of the Kingdom of Belgium, and Chef Christy Samoy, our in house expert on all things culinary, are putting the finishing touches on the menu right mow, and then I'll have to find delicious beers to pair with each course.  It's nothing but work around here!  The last time we did this the dinner sold out in two days, so please send me an email at chris@searocketbistro.com if you would like to attend this dinner.