The Early Word on Bart Vandaele's B Too

People were already interested in the fact that longtime Belga Cafe owner Bart Vandaele would be opening his second restaurant, B Too, on 14th Street when the concept was announced. Then Vandaele appeared on Top Chef and the buzz got even bigger. Are diners in for a second Belga, or something new? Here's what the first diners had to say about B Too on blogs, Yelp and beyond.

The Slow Service News: B Too is currently earning 3 stars on Yelp with 12 reviews in. One is from Nick W., who says, "The portions were small, but the food was good. I tried the mussels, steak tartare, and had the duck breast as an entree. My friends and I didn't enjoy waiting 30 minutes for a table when we had reservations. This was followed by staff rushing us to be seated once it became available. Not an amazing start." [Yelp]

The Pleasantly Twee News: Says Monica L., "The menu is pleasantly twee, with fun facts about frites and such scattered among descriptions of "self-shake jars" of salad dressing. BF ordered the steak, while I opted for the B Too mussels (spring onions, bacon, shiitake, thyme). I don't recall the steak all that well (he liked it), because I was having a love affair with my mussels, which were the fattest, poppingest mussels I'd ever eaten. The pot they came in seemed never-ending; I was fairly full before I was even halfway through. They don't come cheap, though... at $23, they were also the most expensive mussels I'd ever eaten, but it was worth it." [Yelp]

The Scathing News: Ian C. calls his trip to B Too "The worst dining experience I've ever had in DC. Somehow the staff at B Too failed to notice that my girlfriend and I even existed and at the same time still gave their full attention to the two tables on either side of us." [Yelp]

The Facebook Rave: Fan Megan says of her experience, "It is rare that you visit a restaurant in its first week and it doesn't have a miss step. Thoroughly enjoyable - from the attentive, friendly, yet professional service to the delicious food and thoughtful beer and wine list. The dining room is beautiful too. Can't wait to go back!" [Facebook]

The Lobbyist News: The Hungry Lobbyist reviewed the restaurant and had a blast. "A perfect night is the only way to describe it. The decor was thoughtfully purchased, care was taken (to the tune of a $60,000 custom noise reduction) to reduce echos and make the area much quieter than it should be, and the food was amazing." [THL]

The Similar to Belga News: DC Wrapped Dates said of the restaurant, "On some levels, very much another Belga Cafe in our neighborhood. If you like waffles, that's great news. If not, prepare for some up and down dishes." [DWD]

The Weird Dessert News: Eat More Drink More wasn't quite sure what to think of the chocolate waffle with pistachio ice cream dish. "The waffle was great, and I loved the pistachio pairing, but there was a glaring shredded orange pile on the plate that kept making me think 'one of these things is not like the other.' It looked like carrots which I thought couldn't be, and turns out it was a type of orange. However, I didn't think it added anything and thought it should have been left off the plate." [EMDM]

The Many Mussels News: Thrillist observes, "Like mussels, but feel like you'd get bored after trying them prepped in only six to seven different styles? Then this is your place, as they've got eight. Start with theses white wine/ shallots/ garlic/ parsley Marinieres." [Thrillist]

The Rabbit Rave: A Yahoo critic loves the rabbit stew. "After my first bite, however, I forgot all about my eyes as my taste buds exploded. The stew was hearty and flavorful, with the feeling of a real meal. Onions cooked to mush provided simulation with each additional bite. I thought it maybe could have used some potatoes to fill it a little, but other than that, it was perfection in a bowl." [Yahoo]

The Let's Review Without Having Been to the Restaurant News: A critic on UrbanSpoon opines, "If paying top dollar at a restaurant because the owner is a "Hollywood" TV Chef is your thing, then B Too is for you. Local Logan residents will skip it and let the tourist, scenester's and resident Virginian's wallow in their desire to impress and be scene. $23 Mussels, $25 Entrees, $10 Sides, $15 Salads, $3.50 Sauces, Beer- $10-$15 (Stella- $7.50) Cocktails- $10-$15. With a menu like that at the front door, I will admit, I skipped it, so no "food" review here." [US]
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