Misunderstood

's Hertogenbosch, June 13, 2009—

NETHERLANDERS HAVE BECOME serious and enthusiastic diners, and there are several magazines and websites devoted to the restaurant scene. From a fairly quick survey of three of these we decided to try 't Misverstant in this southern city where we're visiting friends met last summer walking in the Alps, where dining was very different.

I think an important change is taking place among restaurants. The old Michelin-based star system still obtains; there are those temples of cuisine with their three stars (several in this country, in fact), and the anxious ones hoping to be promoted from two, and the even more anxious hoping to hold on to their one. The three-star temples are polished and correct, I hear: we haven't been to one in years.

But I sense the old star system changing, certainly here in the Netherlands. Restaurants here tend to be rated on twenty- or hundred-point scales somehow, probably following the Zagat model but based on more select surveys; and the search for the "best" has given way to one for the really good: interesting, comfortable, sound, tasty. So there are potentially many winners, as many as chefs and backers; big cities, regional cities, and small towns — even the countryside — provide plenty to choose from.

Salentein, last Tuesday, was an example; 't Misverstant was another. But they are very different. 't Misverstant is more clearly a contemporary version of the three-star, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Michelin taking notice next time 'round.

After the amuse-gueles— olives and balls of goat cheese covered with carrot "frosting" — we had the chef's menu, which is served only to the entire table:

Vitello tonnato with grilled tuna and caesarsalad

Poached sole with tomato chutney

Beefsteak with potatoes, shredded celeryroot, and aioli

Strawberry-filled chocolates with croquante "canneloni"

Each course was garnished and sauced, presented with great attention to the visual aspect, and accompanied by its wine. Silver was brought by a white-gloved waitress; courses were introduced by a cook; wines poured attentively from bottles kept at a central serving table.

Everything was quite delicious. The presentation borders on the precious, but doesn't get silly or pretentious. And we left, after nearly four hours, comfortable and content and with a sense of having been nourished.

Angosta (Valencia): sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, moscato, and verdejo, 2008
Chenin blanc: Nibijgelegen (South Africa), 2008
Syrah: Antu (Chile), 2007
Chenin blanc doux: Kanu (South Africa), 2008

We sat in comfortable armchairs at good-sized tables well separated from one another in a calm room with a sense of company but quiet enough to converse easily. The name of the restaurant translates as "The Misunderstood." It refers to the building in which it opened, six or seven years ago: the date of its building, some centuries ago, was long misunderstood. The restaurant moved to its present quarters a couple of years ago, and kept the name. There was no misunderstanding in the kitchen, or the dining room either.