Waiting on confirmation for Le Restaurant. Only 20 covers per night.
Cheers!
Marshall
Interesting as Le Restaurant replied quickly but said they do not take rezzies so far in advance. ![[oops.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/1/1f129ddad071ffe5db6c99817c3cab666035a70a.gif "oops"){kind=small}
I will have to keep trying.
Cheers!
Marshall ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
P.S. I guess they felt sorry for me as I was now given a reservation! 
Had a great 8 days in Amsterdam for the IBC Show and got in a number of nice meals.
Top of list would be Aan de Poel, which is worth the taxi ride to Amstelveen. Gorgeous setting on a lake, lovely tasting menu, wine list had some decent selections, service was top notch. Not fancy or fussy, but very solid. Make your reservation for just before sundown and start on the patio with some champagne, oysters, sushi and pata negraā¦
Took a group of eight to Restaurant Lieve for the Belgian Barok tasting meal with beer pairings. Tasted horse for the first time. Going to say that it was pretty darn tastyā¦
Had a nice mid-week meal at DāVijff Vlieghen (Five Flies) which is one of the older restaurants in town. Nice pris fixe menu, but wine pairings were pretty crap. Should have just bought a bottle from the list.
On a friendās recommendation, we visited JD Williamās Whisky Barāalthough the food was recommended, we stuck to one of the 40-50 whiskies on the list, but the place has a cool vibe.
Also visited Cafe Gollem, which has a pretty great beer selection, mainly Belgians.
Mark: Thanks. It seems that many reviews seem to show Tempoe Doeloe as resting on itsā laurels. We are staying in the Museum District and Blauw is quite close. I am leaning towards Blauw.
Cheers!
Marshall ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
And now I`m back in Amsterdam for 3 weeks and the frites at Vleminckx are as great as ever.
Ken, were going to Lieve in 2 days and opted for the Mrs. Bubbles seating. Think Ill pass on the horse which is still on the menu. Also going for wine in lieu of the beer option, but suspicious of the large crystal stemware being provided. I`ve seen something like this before and it overwhelmed the wines IMO.
Hope you enjoy your meal. The horse was really tasty, BTW.
Havenāt tried Mrs. Bubbles, and the wine list looked unremarkable when I took a quick look but I think theyāll deliver for you.
Le Restaurant absolutely deserves itsā Michelin rating. Fantastic meal, reasonable wine list and outstanding service. I actually think there were less than twenty people dining and the table was yours for the evening.
Cheers!
Marshall ![[berserker.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8600bbd4810d342b8fbd4ffb62b4f0026275fd37.gif "berserker"){kind=small}
Marshall, for us, we do not eat much meat, fish and fowl and if so, there are some exceptions such as no shell fish, squid, octopus and the like. With a pre fix menu here, are we chancing a course or 2 that could challenge our preferences?
From all of the reviews, it looks like a winner, but thenā¦?
Blake; It was a seafood weighted menu. Truthfully, if you do not eat much āmeat, fish and fowl,ā then you might have a bit of a problem. You might give them a call and discuss the menu but I donāt believe they have options within. Let me double check and get back to you.
Cheers!
Marshall
Dined at Lieve last night and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We chose the Mrs. Bubbles ambience and had tables around us selecting the other 2 options, The Kitchen Table and the Baroque. Ours came with 4 courses and after looking at the wine list and deciding against a glass, carafe or bottle, we opted for the wine pairing and I have to admit, it worked albeit not too serious wines.
Our table was near the entrance overlooking the canal and offering semi privacy with a table conversation that only we were involved with. Perfect.
The server was not wine knowledgable, but did a commendable job of being services oriented. The food was delicious across the board. Cost for 2 @ 27.50 Euros per, plus 17 Euros per for the 4 wines came to 90 Euros. Worth it IMHO. Although tip is included, I always leave a bit more especially for dedicated attention which we had.
We will return and probably make similar decisions with a few different food choices for just variation of the same theme.
Proost
That`s very nice of you; much appreciated.
Blake; This is not exact but here are many of the ingredients as the dishes were quite complicated.
An amuse of potato crisp w/chicken liver mousse and black garlic followed by a predominantly seafood menu. For example squid ink āmeringueā with smoked eelā¦Coconut veloute w/ basil & tomatoā¦Hake with herring ācaviarāā¦steak tartare with avocado & potato ā¦mackeral w/Dutch razor clams & wasabi mousseā¦cod,squid and porciniās with beurre blanc and parmesan crisps and the only "realā meat course was Iberico pork shoulder plus pork belly and tarragon pureeā¦Then a beautiful cheese course and elaborate desserts.
I donāt think I am doing the restaurant justice from memory but hopefully this helps.
Shockingly, no one was taking pictures so neither did we. ![[rofl.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/a/a7452fcd8e675af869f8da01174474a545b03944.gif "rofl"){kind=small}
Cheers!
Marshall
I`m grateful for your time and energy on this issue. It will probably be best for us to talk with someone and see if our preferences can be accommodated or at least close to without compromising their commitment to a strictly fixed menu.
We love first class dining experiences and believe this place can deliver such from the reviews and feedback of some locals. I like the intimacy and quality of wine and service offered; now, if we can just get it right for the food courses.
Much appreciated Marshall.
Blake, sounds like La Rive would be perfect for you.
I went all fish, my wife went all vegetarian. Better than any other restaurant on the trip, which included La Pergola in Rome.
Barry, thats a pretty high rec and for that, Im inclined to agree and will hopefully get there before we depart in a few days. Many thanks for the suggestion.
Just got reservations at La Rive on Sunday by actually walking there to check out the ideal table for the 2 of us, got table #5 in front of the window and then spent a good part of an hour reading both wine lists to save the time when we are at the table.
One is more generic, the other entitled āCollectablesā is 3 times the size of the first one and mindful of the wine list at La Tour dArgent which is so big, its rolled out on a cart and takes 2 hands and an upper body workout to pursue it. Our last lunch there listed for 5 hours and 1 hour was spent just looking at the list while sipping a lot of champagne, the first of 2 bottles before 3 bottles of red Burgundy [for 4 of us]. Love big and good wine lists.
The morning after being at La Rive. Absolutely phenomenal. Loved every aspect from the ambience, presentation, preparation and tastiness of the food, the numerous menu options to do what one prefers, the superb wine service and knowledgeable sommelier, its the consummate dining experience. Thanks to all who contributed energy into suggesting this place. Its lifetime memorable and worth of many returns.
Thanks to all who have taken the time to post above. Weāre headed to Amsterdam for a week and then Paris for another.
Can anyone recommend a casual wine bar, (with music or without) that offers a broad selection of fine wine? Want to be able to just pop in without a reservation if possible and enjoy a couple of bottles, possibly a bite to eat; but food is not a requirement. Have gleaned many great options for meals above. Truly appreciated!
Thanks!
Roy, Ive been going to Amsterdam for many years and do not know of a place that meets your needs other than some pricy option such as the lounge in the Hotel de LEurope or some of the other high end hotels in the centrum. You might want to contact my favourite wine shop, Chabrol, and inquire from them. They would know. There is a small place next door to them that serves some wines by the glass and probably by the bottle and I believe you have an option to buy a wine at the wine shop and take it there. They do serve small plates. Contact: http://www.chabrolwines.com
Should you discover something that works for you, please pass it on.
Proost