BXL Café

A Brussels bar a block from Times Square, which is more useful than it sounds. BXL has been pouring Belgian beer on West 43rd Street for years: a long wooden bar, tin ceiling, football on the screen, and a dining room that knows exactly what it's for.

Moules-frites is the order — a black pot of mussels steamed in white wine, garlic or cream, with a cone of double-fried frites and mayonnaise for dipping. Follow with carbonnade flamande, beef braised in dark Belgian beer, or stoemp, mashed potatoes and vegetables. The beer list runs from Trappist ales to lambics. Locals know the all-you-can-eat mussels nights.