Monk's Jr.

Tom Peters and Fergus Carey have run off a copy of their beloved Monk's, Belgian Café, and installed it in Fairmount.

by Trey Popp

If I had a dollar for every time I heard the words "Let's go to Monk's" during my first few months in Philadelphia, I could have eaten there every weekend while turning a profit. But when my out-of-town friends started coming back for their second visits, inevitably requesting a trip to the mussels-and-beer mecca, I found myself steering the dinner party elsewhere. Too many people smoking too many cigarettes (pre-ban), and the wait was always twice as long as the host's estimate.

At long last, co-owners Tom Peters and Fergus Carey have run off a copy of their beloved institution and installed it in Fairmount. The sign says Belgian Café, but the place might as well be called Monk's Jr. It reproduces just about everything crucial about the original, only at about one-half scale.

Taking over the space formerly occupied by Tavern on Green, Belgian Café has retained the cozy bar atmosphere while dressing up the small dining room in an arty theme. As with the shift in square footage, so with the menus — food and beer options alike are about half as extensive as the offerings at Monk's.

Of course, that still translates into more than 200 brews, so Chimay lovers needn't fret. Yet even with all the Belgian stuff on tap in and bottles, what I like best is the Café's domestic offerings. From the spiciness of Founder's Red Rye to the succulent sourness of Jolly Pumpkin's Oro de Calabaza, there are plenty of American gems to try. Better yet, draught beers are available in smaller glasses as well as pints, so you can actually drink a top-notch brew for $3.

Food portions seem to run a little smaller, too, but manage to feel right nonetheless. A simple organic beef stew with carrots and potatoes gains complexity from a Belgian bock ale, and sticks amply to the ribs at $18. Most everything else is in the $7-$15 range — a realm I wish more restaurants would shoot for.

There are seven mussel preparations, plus a bisque that was unfortunately on the cusp of congealing the night I tried it. A hamburger topped with beer-brined cheese and sprouts was much tastier — and came on a brioche bun that was, surprisingly, the perfect size. (The last time I had a burger at Monk's, half of my bites were nothing but bread and condiments.)

But there's one area in which the junior-size metaphor does not hold: french fries. At Belgian Café they're as thick as your finger, not your shoestring — but the flavor is familiar. And wouldn't you know, they still have a way of making that bourbon mayonnaise disappear way before you want it to.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

The Belgian Café

2047 Green St., 215-235-3500, thebelgiancafe.com

Hours: Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-mid.; Sat.-Sun., brunch, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m., dinner, 5 p.m.-1 a.m.

Appetizers, $3.50-$9.95; Mussels, $9.95-$18.95; Entrées, $11.95-$18.95

Wheelchair accessible.