Brasserie Kensington
1131 Kensington Rd N.W.   
403-457-4148

Price range:?$4 – $49
Rating:***1/2

The owners of Muse, AKA and Winebar have another success with the new Brasserie Kensington.

My companion and I sat along the large windows overlooking busy Kensington while tucking into French-inspired dishes.

This is not a lunch to be hurried. Opulent poutine ($11 – $17.50) is made with duck gravy or foie gras. Mussels ($16.50) come with crispy, salty pomme frites.

My bison dip ($16) was nicely complimented by gruyere and grainy mustard. I actually wanted to drink the dip, an au jus made from lobster.

My non-meat-eating companion was very happy with the vegetarian burger ($15). It was packed with lentils and legumes, and wasn’t pretending to be meat. Crispy onions gave it a great zing. A few unique beers are also  on offer (brasserie is French for brewery).

We enjoyed our server’s recommendation of Duvel ($9.75), a refreshing Flemish pale ale. Fresh beignets with sugar and wildflower honey ($6) ended our leisurely meal. The only hiccup was an odd  $3 per person charge for filtered still water.