Steak needed

I will be in Brussels this weekend and am looking for slab of red meat. The French do a good pork and lamb but the steaks are lacking and I am in need, (must be the little texan part of me). I recall having a good steak last year in Brugges so I know it can be done in Belgium. Ideas? Merci

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I%26#39;m not sure I dare venture to respond to another restaurant question, but supposedly the best steak restaurants in Brussels are up by the abattoir in Anderlecht (e.g. Chez Maria, Avenue Clemenceau 50,

1070 Anderlecht, tel. 02/521 3199; near Clémenceau metro station and not all that far from Gare du Midi; be warned, it is not a very pleasant area).

More accessible, perhaps, I heard from an American that the Midtown Grill Steakhouse at the Marriott Hotel opposite the Bourse does excellent steaks, but can%26#39;t vouch for this myself.

Other than that, if by any chance you would be visiting any of the museums around Place Royale (e.g. the new Magritte Museum), I believe the self-service restaurant at the Musée d%26#39;Art Ancien does steak-frites - which it describes as Belgium%26#39;s national dish - every day. You don%26#39;t have to pay for the museum to go in, just go up the front steps from rue de la Régence, pass the ticket desk into the main hall and turn left. This is not the same as the Museumbrasserie on Place Royale itself, although it is run by the same people.

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Thanks for sticking your neck out. I appreciate it. My belly will thank you later.

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I always think french is good at steaks, am i wrong?

First time to hear steak is national food of belgium.....

Is there other food i can taste in brussels that%26#39;s not seen elsewhere that often?

I%26#39;m looking forward to taste horse meat in amsterdam....

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I%26#39;m not sure what is usual or unusual for you but well-known Belgian specialities include frites (most famous friet-kot is Maison Antoine in Place Jourdan, down the hill from Schuman), especially with mayonnaise; dishes made with beer including carbonnades flamandes and rabbit in Kriek, a beer made with cherries (Belga Queen has an entire beer-themed menu including salad dressing made with beer and beer-flavoured ice-cream...); stoemp, or mashed potato with vegetables, known as %26quot;bubble and squeak%26quot; in England, at least when made with cabbage; chicons or chicory/endives, especially %26quot;au gratin%26quot; in the winter, i.e. wrapped in ham and served in a cheese sauce with mashed or boiled potatoes; %26quot;fondus au fromage%26quot; or cheese croquettes, often served with fried parsley; ditto with shrimp; %26quot;filet américain%26quot; or raw ground beef mixed with seasonings (similar to steak tartare); waffles, the best place for these being Dandoy in rue de l%26#39;Etuve, 2 blocks from the Grand%26#39; Place opposite the Amigo Hotel...

La Taverne du Passage in the Galeries St. Hubert in Brussels is a decent restaurant that serves Belgian specialities.

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Thanks for the Belga Queen suggestion. We are loading up on Belgian beer so might as well eat some too. Even bringing a carrying case to %26quot;import%26quot; our own.

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try this one http://www.metjeaninne.be/ (close to the EU area) or this one http://www.restaurantvincent.com/ (the very citycenter, more traditional belgian restaurant), I have good experience with both

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one question before you buy any beer or wine, can you bring liquid on the plane?

i know in most of the retarded USA, u still cannot bring any form of liquid on the plan.

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Security rules are virtually the same worldwide, except for the territory within which they apply. When leaving BRU, you can only take in your hand-luggage up to 10x100 ml containers in a sealed transparent plastic bag; PLUS anything you buy %26quot;airside%26quot;, e.g. in duty-free shops, at the airport itself (that is, after the security control - goods in airside shops having been through separate security controls).

If changing planes anywhere, note that you can take through any EU airport items bought %26quot;airside%26quot;, on the same day, at other EU airports, as long as these are in sealed bags and you haven%26#39;t broken the seal. But if you change planes at an airport outside the EU (e.g. in USA), items bought outside the country concerned would not be covered by THEIR security rules and would not be allowed as cabin baggage.

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I second the recommendation for Vincent if you want good meat - I had really excellent entrecote there, with lovely frites and %26#39;legumes a la Vincent%26#39; - green beans sauteed in butter, shallot %26amp; garlic - which I%26#39;ve made many times since when having steak-frites and a fine Belgian beer at home!

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Thanks again, written down the lovely suggestions. Full report on Monday.

we get to bring our beer back on the train. I have lots of success with wine in the checked luggage both ways across the atlantic. bubble wrap or lots of clothes around the neck especially.