We're not looking for formal dining, but we don't mind splurging a little for a fabulous meal. We also enjoy off-the-beaten-path, family run restauants. We love seafood (I'm not so sure about raw herring sandwiches), ethnic foods, fusion cuisine, brew pubs... Any recommendations?

A'dam's famous Rijstaffel meals in the Chinese-Indonesian restaurants that dot the city.

The 'rice table' is rice, of course, on which you heap things from dozens of dishes that come with the rice table - meats, veggies, etc. A filling and not usually awfully expensive meal - a favorite with Dutch, who brought the traditional Indonesian-Chinese meal here from their former colony Indonesia i guess.

This won't help much since I don't know the name but we had a marvelous meal at restaurant across a side street from the Renaissance Hotel. Building built in the 1400s - it tilts! We even had white asparagas with ice cream. Wonderful.

Also the Indonesian food in the same area was great.

Eat mussels and frites in Brugge.

In't Nieuw Museum Grill was filled with locals the evening we stumbled across it last summer (and we did pretty much stumble into the place as we were tired, hungry, thirsty, and lost). Hooistraat 42

Not for vegetarians--mainly steaks that you can watch being grilled on the wood fire. The bar service was very attentive.

I second PalenQ's Rijstaffel recommendation. There are several Rijstaffel restaurants in Amsterdam that seem to be popular with people on this board. We tried Kantjil & Tijger and absolutely loved it! I think it cost about 40 euros for the two of us. Excellent food, and a lot of it.

In Brugge, we enjoyed a place called The Flemish Pot (in Flemish, though - that's the English translation) for traditional food and another place called Mosselcalder for mussels. My favorite meal in the area was a wonderful hearty lunch we had in a restaurant in Damme, just a few minutes away from Brugge. Sorry I can't remember the name of this place off the top of my head, but I'll be happy to dig up my trip report for you if you want more details.

@ Meredith
De Vlaamsche Pot is the Flemish name. The one in Damme, could it have been Pallieter or Lamme Goedzak? Both are authentic with traditional cuisine.

Yes, that's it - thanks, Myriam! My Internet connection was acting up earlier today, so I didn't bother to look up the correct name in my trip report. As for the restaurant in Damme, I just checked my trip report for the name - it was Damse Poort. We had a to-die-for carbonnade there. So delicious!!

Thanks so much! These food posts always make me hungry. What's carbonnade?

It's a Belgian beef stew cooked in beer. Do not miss out on it!!

Oh, and don't miss out on the fries, chocolate, beer, waffles, mussels, or waterzooi either.

There are several nice little restaurants on the "other" side of tZand on Smedenstraat. We like dining there as once you cross tZand, you'll find many more locals and fewer tourists. One of the ones we like is called Bonheur and the other is just two doors down (heading away from tZand) but I forget its name, sorry. Both moderately priced, good food, good service, nice contemporary Flemish decor.
For more formal dining, big thumbs up for Den Gouden Harynck (www.dengoudenharynck.be) but I suspect it's a little dressier/more formal that what you're looking for on this trip.

In Amsterdam at the Spui is Cafe Luxembourg. Great for lunch and later for a beer and people and bicycle watching from the patio as the offices close. North on Spuistraat 100 meters or so is the Luden. Good food, service, and atmosphere.

Brew pubs? How about brown bars? That's what Amsterdam is famous for. My favorite is the Hoppe, two doors north of the Luxembourg. Go in at about 18h when the offices let out. It's an upscale crowd. I've been going there for decades.

I've lived in Holland and tried Indonesian restaurants when friends insisted on it. I can't stand the smell in those places.

If you get over to Haarlem where I lived I recommend the Dubrovnik restaurant for dinner. It's just north of the Big Church on Jans Straat. For lunch the Grand Cafe Brinkman on the Grote Markt is good, and has a great view of the square from the patio, if it is a nice day. There is a Dubrovnik restaurant in Zandvoort also if you happen to get over to the beach. These are family restaurants which have been going strong for 30 years plus.

Raw herring, <i>haring</i>, is best if eaten by itself or with a splatter of chopped onions rather than as a sandwich. Normally the monger will cut it into inch size pieces and serve it to you on a mini paper saucer with a toothpick. Show-offs take it whole, raise it by the tail, put their head back, and chomp off bites. I like to wash it down with <i>jenever</i>, &quot;Dutch gin,&quot; pronounced yen-ay-ver.

OTOH, <i>paling</i> is normally eaten as a sandwich, a <i>broodje paling</i>. <i>Paling</i> is smoked eel, delicious.

Formerly there were some good fish restaurants in Haarlem and Zandvoort. The ones I knew are gone. You might have luck in The Hague, <i>Den Haag</i>, at the Scheveningen boardwalk, <i>Strandweg</i>. There are scores of restaurants facing the water. One of the trams will take you there. Shop the menus posted outside each restaurant. Touristy.

Le Zinc was great in Amsterdam. If you have an unlimited budget, go to the amstel hotel's restaurant. In Brugge, we had a great meal in a little spot just beyond the fish market. There are several places there that are wonderful. Our most memorable meal was at a restaurant (and I can't remember the name!!!). If you go across the bridge from the Markt to the fish market, look to your right down the canal and you'll see a little terrace with tables. Its lit up at night, has incredible food, etc. The view is awesome. Somehow, I think it was named something like '77 restaurant'??

Interesting how many people can't recall the names of restaurants from their trips to Amsterdam... might it have anything to do with visits to the 'coffeeshops'? Seriously, thank you for all the recommendations! Den Gouden Harynck looks really good, and really expensive! I'm intrigued to learn what waterzooi is...

yeh everyone seems to remember the names of their favorite coffeeshops!

We ate at Den Gouden Haryk in October 2005 and I don't think it was very expensive and we were dressed fairly casual--maybe dressy casual. It was very good. I had a Flemish version of Boulliabasse with an assortment of fish. It is located near the old market and easy to find.

The restaurant we went to just beyond the fish market was den goulden carp(?);if you take a canal cruise from the bridge at the market, you'll go right by the little place we loved on the water.

cmeyer,
I checked out the website of De Gouden Karpel and I'm hungry already, even if it's only 9 am ...
http://www.dengoudenkarpel.be/index.asp?taal=eng