a chill wind from Brussels

Not exactly big-city black, but boy was I glad I'd brought it! Brussels was cold and drizzly when we arrived, sunny and colder thé next day, anxious-looking non-tourists milling about itopping that someone would say something of financial significance.

On a more cheerful note: dinner! Our first night, we charged back to Comme Chez Soi, where we'd last been in June. Too much of a good thing? Not hardly. In brief, the food was just as wonderful, the crowd a little cooler, more somber. Not a picture-taker in the place. Fall dishes were (natch) featured, and the amuse-bouche was a savory little pumpkin mousse. It's tough to make pumpkin taste like anything, and I dreaded starting with something that tasted like pumpkin pie. No worries, this was light, fluffy even, and tasted mildly vegetal and like, um, itself. A good omen. For first courses we repeated what we'd done in June, and my main course was delectable venison, in two services.

The first plate was arranged like a woodland scene, but despite the cuteness the meat was medium rare and hearty. The second plate was more venison, this time accompanied by a generous serving of sautéed wild mushrooms.
to be continued