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Broken Spoke Cafe (CLOSED)

MY REVIEW: I went a couple of times when it was under the old management and thought it was pretty good. Last night I went for the first time with the new owner/manager and think it's even better. The service was perfect -- friendly without being cloying, quick without being rushed. Their specialty is mussels and my moules mariniere were very good, as was the chicken cordon bleu that followed, as was the poached pear with ice cream and belgian chocolate sauce. Ambiance was not that of a typical French bistro that so many French/American restaurants try to emulate. It is more like a rustic French provincial bar. I quite liked it. Entrees run $18 to $22.

NAME: Macossay
SUBMITTED: 6/14/2012   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/2012
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: I went for lunch. Was very quiet and the service was superb. The food is the best food I've had from a restaurant in a very long time. I ordered the escargots and they were super rich and buttery. The Bouchee Ostendaise and it was really flavorfull and rich. For dessert the chocolate mousse. There is not much I can describe, but the flavors were amazing. I will definetely go back with company the next time. I also loved the paintings on the ceiling. It gives it a nice touch. The service seemed relax but very efficient and attentive. I can't really say 1 bad thing about this place. And the pomme frites........ there is not enough I can say about those.

NAME: Vanessa
SUBMITTED: 10/18/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I seem to have had a much different experience than the last two. We showed up on Saturday night in the middle of the rush with no reservations. The bartender, a nice French man, took very good care of us while we waited. Overall the wait ended up being around 20-30 minutes.

The food was phenominal! I have the Carbonade, a beef stew with a brown beer-based gravy. That along with the fries was one of the best restaurant meals I have ever had. My wife had the Bouchee de Bruxells. It was like a chicken pot pie that exploded. It was very fresh and had chicken and veggies in a cream sauce. The service was good but not necesarily great. I blamed that on the Saturday night rush. Either way, we received all of our stuff in a timely manner and ended up having a great time! There was even a guitar duo that sang French music! All I can say is that you have got to give this place a shot.

NAME: Professor D.
SUBMITTED: 4/13/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Obnoxiously Loud! Service bad. I had to get up and get my wife water from the bar. Extremely limited choices for vegetarians, they used to have more. What happened to the Belgian pomme frites? Just soggy fries now. Between being abandoned by the waiters and the inability to carry on a conversation above the noise, we didn't want to wait on dessert. Won't be back.

NAME: formerfan
SUBMITTED: 11/6/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Don't know what happened - this was a fabulous place before, but tonite's meal was a total disappointment. My cordon bleu had the texture of a microwaved meal, instead of wonderfully crispy pomme frite I was served just plain old fries, the bread was stale and the salad limp. To make things worse it was so noisy even the wait staff couldn't hear a thing I said. We skipped out without dessert for the first time ever. I hope this was a one-time thing, but fear something has turned the Broken Spoke into just another over-priced mediocre restaurant.

NAME: mary c
SUBMITTED: 11/6/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/06/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Food just OK to dreary this trip. not nealy as good as when last there. also, BEWARE, they will NOT allow you to bring WINE in, inspite od touting themselves as a BYOB, they told me that was only for HARD liquor NOT wine!

NAME: inflightgal
SUBMITTED: 10/6/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: Oct. 1, 2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Mussel fans, rejoice! The fantastic fare from the former Cafe M*ontrose has moved to the Washington strip and been renamed Broken Spoke Cafe. Yeah, I don't get the name, but the fare is all Belgian and the mussels are the best I've had anywhere, including overseas. The proprietor is in fact the same lady from Cafe M*ontrose, now a Mademoiselle instead of Madame (thus the change in restaurant).

She's kept the important things on the menu, including the moules and frites for about $16 in about 8 varieties. My friend had the roquefort mussels that are in a creamy sauce and were amazing. I chose them in tomato sauce which were also excellent, just not as decadent as the roquefort ones. The proprietor is friendly as always and her heavy accent only adds to the charm. The wine list has about 20-30 wines, many of which are in the mid-$20 range, which is always a plus.

The only 2 small disappointments were the onion soup (which wasn't so gratinée as it could have been) - not bad but nothing to write home about. And, our waiter lacked a little decorum but was pleasant. We ate on a weeknight and I'm sure the weekend brings better waiters too. All in all, it's a fantastic place. Huge list of Belgian beers, quaint Euro atmosphere. Go.

NAME: tallguy
SUBMITTED: 9/30/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: September 2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Good food & service. One of my guests ordered entrecote that was very cold & tough. I called the owner over & told her about it - she very quickly tood care of apologizing, removing the plate & brought back a perfectly prepared replacement. all went well.

Oh - this is no longer a BYOB. we'd brought a good bottle of red & were told that they now have a license & we could not drink ours. got an "ok" bottle of Bordeaux for $25.

NAME: inflightgal
SUBMITTED: 4/21/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/10
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: went in and was greeted gruffly, "what you what!?" Ask to see the menu, She said "French food". The list on the menu looked good and I decided to stay. placed and order, beer to drink. She asked in the same manner I was greeted " what do want to eat?". I gave my food selection and assumed, at that point, that's the way she talks and I ignored it. The food took 15 minutes but it was very good. Few minutes later, she asked, "it's good?", the same way of course. I said very good. The place is very nice, the food is excellent, I think and I'm going to try it again. I go back with few more people.

NAME: Esfandiar
SUBMITTED: 4/21/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This is one of our favorite places to eat. Love the mussels & the fries. Good beer selection. Comfortable room & funky decor, not pretentious. Owner is always there & very nice. She greats us with a smile. The bartender is very helpful & a nice fellow. Service can be a little laid back at times but we know that & expect as such when we go. Great food in a comfortable place is a perfect for us.

NAME: Max Russell
SUBMITTED: 3/26/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/17/10
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: First time at this location. This place is even better that the old Cafe M*ontrose. The mussels "marinieres" were excellent and the french fries delicious...made the correct way, crispy outside, chewy inside.

The service was perfect.

We will visit this place often and very soon.

NAME: The French girls
SUBMITTED: 3/19/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: The restaurant is in a sketchy area of the neighborhood. The decor was wacky and busy. The beer selection is great, with excellent beer on draught. The mussels with creamy taraggon sauce was absolutely delicious. We ended the meal with mocha ice cream with caramel, delightful. I can't wait to eat there again.

NAME: Glatt80
SUBMITTED: 3/2/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: No strong points - long wait, both to get a table and to order. Soggy vegetables, disagreement with the wait staff regarding their tip. They were lucky to get one at all, but to follow a customer out and demand more is a bit much. Surely follow the customer out and find out why the bad tip?

NAME: Ilovefood
SUBMITTED: 2/24/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: December
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Had some apps, soup, dessert...and Belgian beer, of course!

This place is a gem for anyone who is looking for a low-key, honest atmosphere with simply good food. The mussels were fantastic (although I would recommend the garlic butter over any other version), the parmesan croquets were great, and the soup was excellent. We had the onion and white asparagus soup and both were more than enough to serve as a full meal.

As for service, we went in during a slower hour, but we were well-attended to. Catherine initially welcomed and sat us, making my us feel at home. From that point on, we had at least four people tending to us.

Overall, the Broken Spoke is a great place for anyone who is looking for great food, beer, and service. I have NO complaints.

NAME: Wash Ave Wino
SUBMITTED: 1/30/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: January 2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I definitely recommend ordering La Complet Belge. Loved it! One of the last times I ordered it was in the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium and in Waterloo.

Catherine you did a wonderful job decorating your new eaterie!

The ambiance is great! Definitely reminds me of being in a cafe/brasserie in Belgium.

NAME: Mrs. D
SUBMITTED: 1/4/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: December 26, 2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once