Belgian restaurant and bar Tripel Brasserie opened its doors at 1801 Park Ave., at the end of June in Lafayette Square, as reported by Ian Froeb of the Post-Dispatch.
With decades of combined industry experience, Tripel is the first ownership venture for partners Terry Oliver, Jim Darst and chef Max Crask. Their original concept evolved significantly as the men discovered a world of Belgian beer in the past three years. “A little French bistro is what we started with,” Oliver said. “Everyone thinks of French as being kind of expensive or fine dining. We wanted to be more laid-back and casual. We wanted to do what a brassiere is: an upscale look with a down-home feel.”
“And then it kind of blew up,” Darst said, laughing. “The whole Belgian concept expanded our menu.”
Crask’s menu focuses on classic Belgian fare, which is influenced by French, German and Flemish cuisine, with modern preparations. Dishes include Escargots à la moelle (escargots with marrow) and Kippenwaterzooi (Flemish stew with chicken). Tripel also serves a changing selection of oysters and mussels, flown in daily from Maine. “It’s French quality with German quantity,” Darst said. “That’s the Belgian way … We consider ourselves teachers on a lot of levels. People don’t know [Belgian] beers and food, so we have to educate people on what we’re doing and why.”
Tripel serves up a full range of Belgian-style beers, as well as French and German wines and handcrafted cocktails. Hundreds of different glasses hang above the extensive bar; Oliver, who was formerly bar manager at Olympia Kebob House, obtained the proper stemware to showcase each style of beer. “Belgium is the size of Rhode Island, and there are 200 breweries, each brewery kicking out 10 to 16 styles of beer,” Oliver said. “Each beer we have is served in the exact glass it’s supposed to come in… We’re almost treating the beer as wine.”
Oliver and Darst plan to add patio seating in the near future, as well as lunch and Sunday brunch. However, their immediate goal is to offer a late-night menu of Belgian street food after dinner service. “I want to be known as a place that serves really great food until 1 in the morning,” Oliver said. Tripel is open from 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
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This article appears in July 2013.