Brussels Sprouts: Part II (And Now the Good News).

It may have taken a few hours to get from the Thalys to our hotel, but once we did, we were in the middle of Brussels. And this town has some energy. Not a Barcelona or Amsterdam kind of energy, but it’s certainly enough for me. Brussels has some great things to offer any busy Parisian looking for a weekend to unwind and blow off some steam. Food is good and plentiful, beer is whatever you want, chocolate is everywhere and the architecture gives a nice gabled backdrop to your culinary fantasies.

Chocolate

Brussels is home to chocolate store after chocolate store. They hire people to stand out on the street, giving free samples to lure in tourists. I need no luring, so I just helped myself to free sample after free sample. Of course I also bought boxes of chocolate from several different stores. The only thing—as far as I can tell—that is missing is mint chocolate bars. Gots to go to England for that. But that’s okay, because Belgian chocolate is still a chocoholic’s dream.

Another thing Brussels is big on is gophers. I mean, waffles. Gaufres. Warm waffles with chocolate washed down with hot chocolate after snacking on a box of chocolate. You can walk around this town double-fisting chocolate snacks and nobody gives you the stink eye. Walk around Paris like that and people will look at you like, “Oh, that’s so sad, she’s eating and walking. Must not have friends.” In Brussels, anyone and everyone—from the town drunk to the town mayor—walks around with a chocolate-covered gopher in one hand and a beer in the other.

If you want to buy large quantities of chocolate (to share with friends or just to hoard like I do), check out a chocolate store called Galler, which is near the Grand Place. For buying a few pieces (and sharing none), there are four Pierre Marcolini stores (always full of rich Japanese tourists snatching up the chocolates as if the Euro were the sinking currency).

Beer

So let’s talk about beer. I have to admit that I’m not a fan of Belgian beer. I prefer stout. The darker the better. Brussels’ beer is not only light, it’s fruity light, which tastes like cough syrup to me. But a lot of people like it and when in Rome . . . There are several places in Brussels that serve an endless variety. We tucked into A La Mort Subite, located at rue Montagne-aux-Herbes Potagères 7. I had the raspberry beer, which was fine. But the bar’s décor is even better.

Manneken Pis

If you go to Brussels, it’s hard to miss Manneken Pis. It is, as symbols go, to Brussels as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. It is a statue of a little boy for some reason pissing into the wind. Occasionally, under cover of darkness, people climb over the black wrought iron fence and adorn the little kid in costumes. You can see a display of his over 600 outfits at the Museum of the City of Brussels (also called the Maison du Roi) in the Grand Place.

As a good feminist, I feel compelled to point out a lesser-visited landmark that falls into the same category of Statues That Pee into The Wind. Her name is Jeanneke Piss and she’s a modern fountain engaging in the same activity as Brussels’ pride and joy Manneken Pis. You can find her on the Impasse de la Fidélité. She has pigtails and she’s very pleased with herself.

I don’t really understand why the people of Brussels (and the tourists) are fascinated with urinating children, but my kids thought these kids were hilarious.

Real Food

After you’ve stuffed yourself with chocolate and filled your stomach with beer, you should buckle down and get serious. Brussels is full of restaurants—from very touristy places on small streets in the Ilot Sacré area and near the Grand Place to more local and serene restaurants around the stock market. But even the touristy places won’t disappoint too much. After all, you probably came here for the mussels anyway.

So if you want run-of-the-mill mussels, head to the narrow, winding rue des Bouchers. Now you know why they call it Belgian Block. It’s a bit like the Latin Quarter, with hosts competing for your patronage. It should also be noted that Brussels has a lot of international cuisine options, so if mussels are not your thing, you can find some spicy Indian food at the Bombay Inn at Rue de la Fourche 38 Greepstraat (They have such good, spicy vegetarian dishes that we had to eat there twice).

For an afternoon tea or coffee, head over to the stock exchange where you’ll find Le Grand Café at Boulevard Anspach 78 Anspachlaan. It looks and feels like a Parisian café and even has rude waiters, old ladies with little dogs and pay toilets in the basement. The upside is the décor and the fact that you can spend hours here sipping the same cup of coffee and no one will ask you to leave, no matter how busy they get. After your coffee, walk around the stock exchange to Fritland, where you can get a very good paper cone of fries with mayo.

Over on rue de Rollebeek, you’ll find pretty gables and some nice restaurants. In particular is the l’Estrille du Vieux Bruxells, which is located in a beautiful old building, behind an arched doorway. You can eat in the courtyard on a sunny day or inside under the exposed wooden beams in the winter. Either way, you’ll get some good French food with a Belgian twist. That’s at number 7. When you’re done, go to 5 rue de Rollebeek and buy some incredibly good tealeaves at The Tea House. Their homemade Christmas tea (sold only during Christmas season) is truly unforgettable.

Then, what the heck, head back to the Grand Place for more chocolate.