Postcard From Tom: Amsterdam

Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema's monthly report from the road.

Everyone in Amsterdam knows the best way to get around the worldly city is on bikes, which are easily rented here-and helped this diner work off his meals at these fine restaurants last month.

BLAKES (Keizergracht 394, telephone 011-31-20-530210):
To reach the Zenlike restaurant of this chic hotel, guests are led through seemingly endless stairs and corridors, after which they find themselves in a former bakery of an old almshouse. The small lunch menu of Asian dishes yields to bigger, more Mediterranean-leaning plates at night. Picture halibut steamed with lime and thyme, beef with green papaya salad, and tea-smoked venison. Dinner entrees $26-$45.

DE KAS (Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3, 011-31-20-4624562):
My best meal occurred here, on the outskirts of the city, beneath a tented glass ceiling and in view of water and herb gardens. Fanatical about details, De Kas gets much of what it needs from its own nursery and local farmers. Taking its cue from the calendar, the organic menu changes daily. We struck gold with mackerel and avocado crostini, roseate lamb with rosti potatoes, and a rhubarb crumble. Three-course dinner $40.

LE GARAGE (Ruysdaelstraat 54, 011-31-20-6797176):
What Cafe Milano is to D.C., Le Garage is to Amsterdam: a convivial meeting place for VIPs and wannabes. The dining room suggests Las Vegas, circa 1975, with bright lights framing big mirrors and chain-smoking patrons squeezed into red banquettes. The kitchen offers a variety of menus, from vegetarian to seasonal and even a "one-hour power lunch." High notes include an elegant tuna pizza, robust steak tartare and asparagus soup set off with foie gras ice cream. Three-course dinner $50.