Pasta over pasta-burritos?

On my large rectangular plate, I had a mass of fettuccine noodles, which were piled on top of another type of pasta underneath, which were something like wide and flat pasta-burritos that encased a robust onion-tomato-zucchini sauce inside.  Around all that, a bright orange tomato-cream sauce with bits of ham lay all over the plate.  Needless to say, it was thick and rich, but it even had a little spiciness that surprised me.  At the corners were large butterflied shrimp, striated in white and orange-red and steaming hot, which tasted great when sopped with the sauce.  Finally, even further in the corners were small blocks of salty feta cheese.  Ground green parsley was sprinkled all over for color.  Interesting and very strongly flavored creation, this “pastabord Zoete Bron” (16.40 euros).

For a midday meal by the water, outside the city, it was excellent.  The sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the waitress was friendly, too.  Even the parrots chirping in their cages at the front door seemed appropriate. By the time I ate my plate down to the flat pasta-burrito things, I liked my food enough that, even when I found the dead gnat baked into one of the pasta sheets, I only paused for a second.  I thought a bit. Then I kept eating and finished it.

Don’t worry. I picked the gnat out.  I figured that I enjoyed it so much so far — why stop now?  So take this anecdote for what you will.  Great flavors and presentation still don’t necessarily rule out an occasional dead bug.  At least it was tiny.

De Zoete Bron
M. Noëstraat 15, Oud-Heverlee

Food: A-
Service: A
Price: B
Atmosphere: A-
Languages: Dutch, French

Made-to-order mac-and-cheese

If you’re visiting Manhattan in New York, stop off at tiny S’mac for some unhealthy spectacular goodness.  It focuses just on macaroni and cheese, and I was an instant fan.  This cheddar, mozzarella, ground beef, and brocolli version tasted so rich and bold that I had to take a picture.  At least now my brain can remember it in addition to my arteries.

Classy Kosmopol

The average foreigner should discover fairly quickly that pastas and roasted meat dishes ubiquitously populate Belgian restaurants.  What can they do to differentiate them all? Well, for starters, don’t be awful.  Be very good and a little stylish, maybe. Kosmopol in Leuven passes that test.

The Mediterranean pasta (~15 euros) with shrimp, olives, dried tomatoes, a rich sauce earned a very firm rating of… “good”.  Okay, the food is good but possibly a little boring.  However, take into consideration the ambiance as well.  Atmosphere earns this place its points.  The wide spaces, clean bar setting in reds and blacks, and much better than average service adds value to the meal.  Maybe going for a drink might be better than for a meal.

Kosmopol
Martelarenplain 10, across from the station, Leuven

Food: B
Price: B
Atmosphere: A
Service: A
Languages: Dutch, English