Cock and Bowl – Occoquan, Virginia

Over the weekend I ate at Cock and Bowl in Occoquan, Virginia. Occoquan is a quaint town of about 1,000 residents. It houses a variety of small, boutique stores, restaurant choices, and a few ice cream shops. While it has carved out an identity as an artists’ community it blends quickly into the suburban landscape. The historical district is listed on the National Register of Historic places, but if didn’t also border the Occoquan river it would likely have long ago been swallowed whole by sprawl of the suburbs. The “downtown” district occupies only a few blocks before quickly giving way to both new and old residential areas. The town is frequented more heavily during the summer as the restaurants and ice cream shops spill onto their patios. The town also play host to several craft and art events as it holds fast to its identity as an artists’ enclave.

While I live just a few short miles from historic Occoquan and drive by it frequently, I have actually never eaten at any of the restaurants.  While looking for “something new” nearby, my wife came across Cock and Bowl and thought I’d like it since I lived several years in the Netherlands and spent significant time in Belgium.

The restaurant is a small establishment housed in an old residence at the end of an open alley with current residential units surrounding it.  Some might even call it “cozy” or “cute.” There is a large patio area outside that I’m sure is quite full long into the night in the summer months. The main floor has 4 or 5 tables and could accommodate 20 or so people. Upstairs there are another 4 or 5 tables – accommodating 20 more potential diners.  Upstairs is the house’s restaurant’s single restroom which still contains a bathtub – highlighting the underlying origin of the building.

As a Dutch and Flemish speaker, I spent all of my time in the Flemish-speaking region of Flanders. The decor and food of the restaurant pulls from both regions which probably sits fine with most patrons but given my personal experience living in the region, it felt just a little strange. The menu was in French and English, but there is both a Flanders salad as well as a Walloon salad which felt more touristy than authentic.

I don’t drink alcohol, but the restaurant appears to have a rich beer menu. I overheard the waiter talking diners through the vast beer menu and in looking around at the few occupied tables it seemed like there was a wide selection available and I imagine this is a strong attraction of the restaurant.  I noticed a stack of books on beer as well as a stock of magazines so I imagine the owners of the restaurant are well read on the topic.

We started with pommes frites and shrimp croquettes. The frites were good – even potentially authentic – though not quite hot enough.  Even the small size was overflowing. They were served with mayonnaise – nearly like we ate them frequently in Belgium.  I couldn’t quite tell if it was authentic Belgian mayonnaise.  The croquettes were equally delicious.

I din’t take many pictures, but following the frites and croquettes I felt compelled to order mussels and so ordered the Moules de Terre. While several of the entrees on the menu sounded good, they didn’t seem authentically Belgian recipes.

As the the photo shows, the bowl was nearly overflowing with mussels. It was a very generous portion and I found them cooked perfectly. I thought the addition of spinach, bacon, and tomatoes turned the dish into a near-hardy soup.  I would return to Cock and Bowl for mussels alone and would love to try their other varieties.  I would expect they are each delicious.

We couldn’t eat at a Belgian restaurant without finishing with “wafels”. Here I was sorely disappointed.  Brussels is of course famous for their waffles. Here are some photos of authentic Belgian waffles in Brussels.

Authentic Belgian waffles – I almost want to refer to them as authentic Brussel’s waffles because that is where I ate them most frequently – are very specific.  What Cock and Bowl serves are what Americans call Belgian waffles. They were light – where authentic Belgian waffles are a bit more dense.  The chocolate is also very different. I think Cock and Bowl was using chocolate syrup whereas a real chocolate on a real Belgian waffle is thicker, melted chocolate.

Besides the huge waffle let-down, Cock and Bowl is a great little find. The portions are large and the prices reasonable.  I will definitely be going back.  Just skip desert.