Looking for Authentic Belgian Food

[rednax8]

Any recs out there?

[Mr Taster]

If gaufres (waffles) are part of what you're looking for, there's a place on melrose which just opened a few months back... (can't remember the name, but it was towards the La Brea end of Melrose). It was sort of a belgain waffle specialty place which looks primed and ready for franchising opportunities. We popped in to order a waffle shortly before they closed, and so our waffle was already prepared and had been sitting out for a while, so it was cold and chewy, though the flavor tasted pretty right. Not sure if they do them to order, but I would bet they'd be pretty tasty when prepared fresh.

Mr Taster

[RobertC]

Brussels Bistro in Laguna is great. The owner is from Brussels and I believe it is as authentic as it can get. Great atmosphere...very Euro...and worth the drive. Belgian Fries and beer are worth the trip.

[420 Reasons to eat]

Try Le Pain Quotidien. Good for Breakfast, and Lunch

[josephnl]

Love LPQ for breakfast and/or lunch as you say, and although the roots of the restaurant I think are from Belgium, I don't think anyone would consider this a Belgian restaurant. I don't believe they have any Belgian specialties on the menu...but they do have great bread, pastries, coffee, smoked salmon and other breakfast/lunch goodies!

[Diana]

LPQ is all over Belgium. It isn't an "amercian version of a Belgian chain" it is an "American Branch of an established Belgian chain"

[josephnl]

Yes, this a restaurant which is Belgian in ownership and origin, but I don't believe that they serve any typically Belgian food. When I think of the cuisine of Belgium, I think of mussels, frites, carbonnades, etc....not just good bread, pastries, sandwiches, and salads. I love LPQ for what it is, but it is not a typical Belgian restaurant which I think is what the OP wanted. Am I wrong?

[Diana]

Nope! not wrong! Except the LPQ menu from the old belgian chain (Still going strong throughout Belgium) is pretty much the same one as here, and I think of food that belgians love and eat regularly as belgian.

I guess LPQ would sort of be like our Belgian import "starbucks" only the Belgians care a little more about looking good and thus deliver a better product.

But LPQ is so amazingly popular in both countries.

[Diana]

Wow, loads of Belgian food that we can;t get in LA. A rather small menu of belgian beers that several LA beer place easily beat by a mile.

Goddamn it, why can;t the two ever be in the same place?

[JAB]

Brussels Bistro

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Brussels Bistro
222 Forest Ave, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

[bad nono]

Thanks! now I have to get there. Can you tell us how good it is?

[bad nono]

I've just looked up the menu and it looks very authentic, with a few California intrusions.
Here's the link to their site http://www.brusselsbistro.com/default...

And thanks again, you made my day.

[wutzizname]

Have been there several times. Can't speak for authenticity level, as I don't really have a point of comparison. But quality in general is fairly high all around. And folks on the board here usually only have good things to say about it. Enjoy.

[FoodieKat]

This looks like an interesting find. I am putting it on my list to try. I love Belgian beer and moules marinieres!

[MadNachos]

Not to get off-topic...but what is authentic Belgian food? I have a few ideas but have never really had it broken down by an authority on the subject. Anyone care to provide a Belgian food primer?

Sure like Belgian beer.....foods gotta be good too, right?

[bad nono]

well, there's a type of stew called "waterzooi", often with cooked endives but not always, some type of croquettes with tiny grey shrimp inside, fricadelles (not sure I know how to describe those), some stews cooked in beer (carbonnades), speculoos cookies (if you fly Delta, their "Biscoff" cookie is a large speculoos made by the Belgian company Lotus), moules frites are in fact typically Belgian, not French, and there are many ways to prepare the mussels. Endives are used in many Belgian dishes. Lots of preparations with sorrel, spinach, fish...
This answer your question partly, but not the OP. I haven't personally encountered real Belgian food in Los Angeles. You can get moules frites in many places. A less pricey option than Little Door is La Dijonnaise in Culver City. Or Monsieur Marcel.
I think someone on the board mentioned a Belgian waffle place has opened recently? Gauffres de Liege (which I always had with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream in Belgium) should be available there. Now you make me nostalgic... Food is very good in Belgium, let's hope someone is going to open a Belgian restaurant!

[Das Ubergeek]

Yes, there's a place to get Gaufres de Bruxelles and Gaufres de Liege -- it's called Eurostation and it has absolutely the worst, most God-awful service in the history of people paying to eat food prepared by others.

[glutton]

I'm not sure if the French version is very different, but the steamed mussels in broth with pommes frites at Little Next Door are very good.