Bruges, Ghent. Amsterdam, Zurich

In Amsterdam Van Kerkwijk fits your description. They don't take reservations and they fill up, so you have to get there early.

"Not touristy?" Aren't you a tourist when you travel? I am.

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
"Not touristy?" Aren't you a tourist when you travel? I am.

Yes. But I hate the noise, flash of those overpriced joints that cater to the tourist mob. Poor food, high prices. Ones that brings to mind are those joints on the side streets in Venice near St. Marks that try to grab you.

Also in these trying times, I will try to avoid the 'tourist' joints to assure ourselves of more security. Not enamoured with security in Belguim

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
"Not touristy?" Aren't you a tourist when you travel? I am.

Of course you are but when you travel don't you try to avoid the classic tourist traps especially when it comes to food? I have friends that still say they don't like the food in London. But that's because they went to the classic tourist traps around their hotel in Leicester Square. I always strive to have as much of a local experience as I can when visiting a city.

I've had some great meals in restaurants loaded with tourists- Cal Pep and Botafumeiro in Barcelona, Burehiesel in Strasbourg, La Petite Chaise in Paris, etc

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
I've had some great meals in restaurants loaded with tourists- Cal Pep and Botafumeiro in Barcelona, Burehiesel in Strasbourg, La Petite Chaise in Paris, etc

Maybe to elaborate. In Venice and other places they have these crap tourist menus. Low quality tasteless $hit. Trying to avoid the hawkers and this type of joint.

Add "Diana" at the Ritz in Barcelona!!

Aiming for Burehiesel on May 15th next year

quote:

Originally posted by FL Wino:

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
I've had some great meals in restaurants loaded with tourists- Cal Pep and Botafumeiro in Barcelona, Burehiesel in Strasbourg, La Petite Chaise in Paris, etc

Maybe to elaborate. In Venice and other places they have these crap tourist menus. Low quality tasteless $hit. Trying to avoid the hawkers and this type of joint.

Add "Diana" at the Ritz in Barcelona!!

Aiming for Burehiesel on May 15th next year

You'll love it! But be aware, there will be plenty of tourists there!

When I ate at Taillevant in Paris, there were mostly tourists there also. Everyone in the room I was in spoke English as a first language. Maybe they seat the Americans together, but anyway, it was a great meal.

Visit Van Kerkwijk when you are in Amsterdam.

quote:

Originally posted by LazarS:
Visit Van Kerkwijk when you are in Amsterdam.

Thanks

FYI what I mean re tourists. Avoid Tourists traps, poor food, poor service, high prices

I had a Margarita and a bowl of gumbo for breakfast.

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
I had a Margarita and a bowl of gumbo for breakfast.

In Bruges? Damn, that's pretty multi-cultural...

PH

Tempo doeloe is still my favorite restaurant in Amsterdam and remains the best Indonesian food I've ever had (and I've spent a few months in Indonesia).

While you can get some mild food, don't go unless you enjoy spicy food.

Lieven is thee restaurant I would highly recommend (world class by my standards), and, secondarily, De Zevende Hemel is positively fantastic for authentic, Belgian fare! I had felt like I died and went to Sonoma (heaven)!!

Cheers!
~W&FE~

We spent a few days in Ghent 3 years ago and found little fine dining but liked this place a lot - http://www.duprogres.be/ . Perfectly located for people watching on a major town square, provided you eat outside of course, and allows BYOW (though we found precious few decent wine shops there). We stayed at the Marriott, some rooms of which are in a 400 year old brothel, overlooking a canal.

Zurich is my pick as most skippable city in Europe. For a fun and inexpensive dinner, or lunch I guess, there are a bunch of restaurants including beer gardens on the pedestrian walkway one block east of the river. Seemed to be populated with locals speaking mostly German. The communal tables were fun.

quote:

Originally posted by bman:
We stayed at the Marriott, some rooms of which are in a 400 year old brothel, overlooking a canal.

The girls still there?

quote:

Originally posted by FL Wino:

quote:

Originally posted by bman:
We stayed at the Marriott, some rooms of which are in a 400 year old brothel, overlooking a canal.

The girls still there?

Well, there WERE girls there, perhaps THOSE kind of girls, but being Canadians we were too polite to inquire further.....

quote:

Originally posted by bman:

quote:

Originally posted by FL Wino:

quote:

Originally posted by bman:
We stayed at the Marriott, some rooms of which are in a 400 year old brothel, overlooking a canal.

The girls still there?

Well, there WERE girls there, perhaps THOSE kind of girls, but being Canadians we were too polite to inquire further.....

I'm not sure that a banana thrusting up and down was the emoticon that you were after here.

Or was it?

quote:

Originally posted by SD-Wineaux:

quote:

Originally posted by bman:

quote:

Originally posted by FL Wino:

quote:

Originally posted by bman:
We stayed at the Marriott, some rooms of which are in a 400 year old brothel, overlooking a canal.

The girls still there?

Well, there WERE girls there, perhaps THOSE kind of girls, but being Canadians we were too polite to inquire further.....

I'm not sure that a banana thrusting up and down was the emoticon that you were after here.

Or was it?

Perhaps you'd prefer this one?!

Bump

Anyone eat at Le Mystique in Bruges? A friend said its good, but never sure of his rec's

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
"Not touristy?" Aren't you a tourist when you travel? I am.

You can get around that by calling yourself a "traveler", and also doing less or no touristy things when you travel.

quote:

Originally posted by WinoCA:

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
"Not touristy?" Aren't you a tourist when you travel? I am.

You can get around that by calling yourself a "traveler", and also doing less or no touristy things when you travel.

We are studying art and architecture for Interior Design projects.

In Bruges, we ate at Kok au Vin - excellent little restaurant a little off the main touristy area such as we were the only English (as native language) speakers anyway there.

In Amsterdam, we had Ristofal at Tempo Doeloe as per Rob Sutherland's suggestion above with a party of 13 - was an incredible meal and truly fun.

The Foodhallen in Amsterdam was also a very interesting and cool spot.