188626 Mon Mar 22 12:22:09 -0800 1999 16 18 Manhattan 0 1006936 read the sunday styles section of the times yesterday and was wondering if anyone knew of belgian frites places along the east side of manhattan, anywhere from uptown to downtown. by the way, great belgian chocolates can be had at the neuhaus shop at saks fifth. they also have a store on madison in the 60s i believe. best damn chocolates out there. you'll never eat godiva again (unless you're like me and trying to win diamond stud earrings for your girlfriend). didn't win. can't finish the chocolates either. i've learned my lesson. although more expensive than godiva, they sometimes go on sale for 50% off at saks. definitely worth it, even if not on sale. Mon Mar 22 12:22:09 -0800 1999 0 wonki kim 1 1006937 Welcome to Chowhound. I definitely enjoy your style. The fairly new restaurant called Belgo has Belgian frites. I'm only familiar with the Belgo outside of London, but those were fabulous, as were the mussels and of course the Belgian beer. Maybe someone can comment specifically on their frites in NYC. pat Mon Mar 22 14:05:25 -0800 1999 1006936 0 pat hammond 2 1006951 I haven't been able to access the Chowhound site for months. My computer was dying and I just got a new one yesterday. I am glad to be back...and coincidently we are going to Belgo tonight for dinner. Another couple suggested it, they live on Mulberry ndsay it is great! Do you need reservations? How is the food? Anyone? Michele Wed Mar 24 11:16:42 -0800 1999 1006937 0 Michele Fuchs 3 1006953 I have only been to Belgo once, but I was completely unimpressed. The service is horrendous, the crowd was composed mostly of foreign tourists the night I went, and the food is mediocre at best. The mussels themselves were pretty good - plump and tasty. The sauces were not up to par. I had a cloyingly sweet and thick tomatoe sauce (yes, it was more of a sauce than a broth). The fries were cold and soggy. The beer selection is good, yet be prepared for the waiters to screw up your drink order more than once. All of the other non-mussel dishes that we had were not very memorable. I don't mean to rain on your parade (or your dinner tonight), but there are now so many great Belgium places in NY serving much better moules frites in a non-theme park, non-touristy, non-caverernous setting, that it seems kind of a waste to go to Belgo. Wed Mar 24 11:49:29 -0800 1999 1006951 0 Alex 4 1006955 Well, that certainly answers my question about the americanization of Belgo! Asimov in today's NYTimes seconds your motion. Too bad. The one in the Chalk Farm section of London is also terribly busy but it runs well. pat Wed Mar 24 12:18:52 -0800 1999 1006953 0 pat hammond 5 1006964 Pat, remember me? It has been a while... Anyway, what did he say exactly, haven't read my paper yet, left it at home. Wed Mar 24 16:29:54 -0800 1999 1006955 0 Michele Fuchs 6 1006969 Hey Michele! I didn't see your post until too late to make any difference. By now you've eaten at Belgo and read the review. There definitely were some good things to eat and I'm betting Wed. night was a good time to go. So, what did you think? Pat Thu Mar 25 09:43:48 -0800 1999 1006964 0 pathammond 7 1007019 Sorry it took so long to post...I have been EXTREMELY busy at work and haven't had the time to do this justice, so here goes... Let me begin by saying the food was good. We had the onion tart, mushroom tart/pastry(?), and the lobster/shrimp seafood melange (?) to start. They were all very good. We accompanied these with different biers and champagne, many rounds due to the food arrival time being so SLOW! No fault of the extremely sweet waitress Bonnie, who felt SO BAD! Then, both men in our party ordered the steak frites and both women ordered the poached sole. The steak frites was the way to go but the sole was very good, it came with muscles and shrimp on the side. I don't like muscles and the shrimp was overdone. The sole was delicious but the dish was not for me, it wasn't the restaurants' fault I liked the steak better, AND THE FRITES! What was their fault was the terribly slow kitchen and though I shouldn't be mean, the attitude of the hostess at first (sorry Jim). They tried to seat us in the basement dining area which was at least 100 degrees and half empty, the wait upstairs was 40 minutes to an hour because they take walk-ins and that is where the action is (the bar, the people in the know). Since we had reservations, they sat us in 30 minutes. All in all we had a good time, the director of operations, Allison Vichers came over to apologize and then comped the meal! Very nice, but very appropriate. BTW: Communal tables, hard wooden benches and VERY loud! Nice concept though, GREAT bier/wine list. All levels, from $8 to $80. On the way out, Allison introduced us to the chef, who was also very charming and we had a bit of a laugh at the whole evening. I would give it another try, maybe I would wait a few weeks but after extending herself to us and of course the comping of the meal, I do believe I owe it to them to try again, and I repeat, we did have a great evening overall. Tue Mar 30 17:38:09 -0800 1999 1006969 0 Michele Fuchs 8 1007030 Great overview, Michele. I plan to go when I'm town later in the spring. The management sounds eager to please and I'm betting they'll get it sorted out before long. pat Wed Mar 31 11:55:17 -0800 1999 1007019 0 pat hammond 9 1007031 Thanks Pat, I was trying to be fair, honest and not too hard on them, though I didn't want to lie or mislead anyone. I do like the concept and the nabe. BTW: Jubilee on East 54th also has great moules(sp?) frites and steak frites, etc. Thursday night Jazz,if they still do it. Cute small space. Used to be Cafe Europa (not the cafeteria style place) an eclectic little restaurant that I used to frequent for lunch when I worked near there. Nobody remembers it ( I think?), they used rocks for the coat check and they had the best baby lamb chops with these incredible noodles like luction, macadamia crusted fish, any fish,depending on the day etc. but they are closed so "who cares"? Anyway, hope you enjoy! Happy holidays! Wed Mar 31 13:27:07 -0800 1999 1007030 0 Michele Fuchs 10 1007047 Cafe Europa! And here I thought *I* was the only one who remembered it! I miss that place more than almost any other ex-restaurant in town. Besides all the stuff you mention, they had an incredible wine list, stuff you never thought you'd have a chance to try (old burgundies etc.) at prices even I could afford. For an anniversary dinner I ordered a Vina Tondonia Reserva (or was it a Gran Reserva? we had a lot to drink) 1970, and it was incredible. I've often wondered why they closed. If anyone involved with the place is reading this -- you are remembered with gratitude! Fri Apr 02 12:54:37 -0800 1999 1007031 0 steve d. 11 1007055 I also thought that my ex-boss and I were the only ones who remembered as well, except for those we brought there for lunch. We always had a great time. Do you remember those tiny noodles they used to serve, even my mothers luction cannot compare. The wine list was wonderful, sorry I forgot to mention it. Do you have ANY idea what happened? Also...what kind of restaurant was it exactly? I remember it being eclectic something? I cannot recall what they called themselves. I second the fond rememberance! Michele Sun Apr 04 11:16:33 -0700 1999 1007047 0 Michele Fuchs 4 1006957 Well, you didn't rain on my parade (or dinner rather)...mother nature is taking care of that herself! But...you may have saved me from a horrific dinner! Any other suggestions, I cannot find the Times article that was from a week or two ago discussing Belgian restaurants. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks again! Wed Mar 24 13:10:51 -0800 1999 1006953 0 Michele fuchs 5 1006959 Waterloo has great moules frites. The setting is kind of industrial and sparse in a very downtown kind of way (if that makes any sense) and it is a bit out of the way, but worth the trip. The people who own Waterloo also own another restaurant, I believe it is called Le Zoo(?). They do not take reservations and it is usually very packed, but I also heard that the moules frites were top notch. Wed Mar 24 13:20:08 -0800 1999 1006957 0 Alex 6 1006963 I have been to Le Zoo, a long time ago and though I cannot recall what I ate (over a year ago, at least)I do remember it being very good for what it is...a small cozy hip bistro in the west village. I e-mailed my friend about Belgo and she replied that it is the "new" favorite nabe place of her friend, who happens to have high standards. Though I usually have to trust my "chowhounds'" opinions, I am unfortunately unable to make this deternination, the dinner is, afterall, to get together for her engagement and the choice is theirs (the happy couple). I will be sure to write first thing tomorrow to give my opinion, if I am able...hahaha! At least I can get drunk on bier(sp.?)and maybe won't notice how bad it is! Only kidding, if I am going I will go with an open mind! Til tomorrow morning... Wed Mar 24 16:27:44 -0800 1999 1006959 0 Michele Fuchs 7 1006965 I went during the first few weeks that it opened, so maybe this has something to do with the horrible service and mediocre food. Everyone that I have spoken with has agreed that the quality of the mussels are good, it is just that the execution is not. The sauces are poorly seasoned, have the wrong consistency, etc. I would also advise to stick to the mussels for an entree. Hopefully, Belgo has finally hit its stride. I also live in the neighborhood, and I was very disappointed that the restaurant did not live up to my expectations because I would love to have a fabulous place for moules frites in the 'hood. So please report back on your experience. Wed Mar 24 18:39:27 -0800 1999 1006963 0 Alex 1 1006960 The stand on Second Avenue and 7th Street does the fries very well. Make sure you pile mayo and red onions on them! Wed Mar 24 13:38:28 -0800 1999 1006936 0 Maria