Some pretty tasty mussels Provençal served up with decent frites and a cold Leffe Blonde to wash it down. Oh yeah! Nothing like an impromptu meal discovery. So many different types of dining spots here in NYC hidden down side streets that just turning a corner sometimes exposes one to an unforseen gastronomic delight!

BXL East is a very decent Belgian gastropub located in Midtown that we found after having a few drinks at an Irish pub close by. We walked in after making reservations along the way and were seated at a large table in the back room dining area. Nice menu of food items and beer choices. Plenty of mussels options to choose from with different broths and seasonings. I love Belgian beer, and their brews usually are on the heavier side with a hint of creamy maltiness and higher ABV (alcohol content) with many varieties to choose from. Plus, you can get quite a buzz just by drinking a few!

I found the prices and service to be very acceptable here. Yet, one of my biggest pet peeves are businesses that refuse to crank up the AC when it gets warm outside. This place had me sweating within minutes and it was a good thing they did get it cooled up in here as I was devouring a hot steamy pot of mussels. Seems they read my mind and turned up the AC. I did fully enjoy the meal as the mussels were plentiful, and the pot had a mix of tomatoes, herbs and garlic broth with some veggies mixed in to scoop up at the end, along with a bunch of mussels that had dropped out of their shells. Nothing was being left at the bottom of that pot! Continue reading Come flex your mussels at BXL East in NYC! →