Over at the Inquirer, Craig LaBan decided to try the distinctly traditional Belgian cuisine at Society Hill’s Zot. So it turns out the name is pronounced “zult” and it’s Flemish slang for “madman.” As for the food, recommended picks include the characuterie, stoempf (Belgian-style mashed potatoes) and, of course, mussels. But LaBan had a bone to pick with the restaurant’s beer selection:
It’s a good thing there are 300 or so beers available to calm the nerves - though that’s actually a middling selection by local Belgian bar standards. And Zot doesn’t have the proper glassware for most of them. But Dehaene stresses that the beer cellar is still in serious growth mode, with plans for as many as 500, and a new 36-tap draft system on the way to replace the current meager four. Zot also has a surprisingly more serious wine cellar in the works than most beer bars tend to bother with - 130 labels, heading up to a well-rounded 300, and a growing focus on by-the-glass flights and half-bottles.There are already plenty of good libations to choose from, though, whether you’re looking for a bracing DuPont saison, a big bottle of Van Steenberge’s spicy-sweet Piraat golden strong ale, or a Flemish sour brew imported by crosstown rival Monk’s Cafe. It turns out that Monk’s owner, Tom Peters, was actually Dehaene’s inspiration for coming to Philadelphia from suburban Washington, D.C., where he operated a Belgian restaurant called Mannequin Pis for eight years.
Zot [Inquirer]
Zot [MenuPages]
Zot [Official Site]
[Photo via Ed Hille / Inquirer]
