As Brussels became the capital city of a new country in the 19th century, the old town was destroyed to make way for brand new ministries, palaces, schools, army barracks and office blocks all built between 1880 and 1980, approximately. That is why such a disappointingly small historic centre (one square and four adjacent streets) was preserved, and why most tourists only visit Brussels as an afterthought. Most indeed concentrate on the classic top 4 of Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Leuven.
Brussels operates as a bilingual city where both French and Dutch are official languages. Thus all the streets have two names, which can sound totally different. For example, the Main Square is called both la Grand Place and de Grote Markt. Although French is the lingua franca, the proportion of French and Dutch-speakers is different in different neigbourhoods and boroughs. English is also widely understood.
You can see what's going on in Brussels by picking up a copy of local free city rag Zone 02 (French and Dutch). Another good free listings paper is Agenda - the latter is distributed together with the dutch-language weekly Brussel Deze Week and has the notable advantage of being published in three languages (English, Dutch, French). Both of these are distributed in cafés and bars around the city. If you're looking for a good party Net Events (French and Dutch) and Brussels Sucks... might be a good place to start.
Brussels Agenda is the official cultural and entertainment agenda of the City of Brussels and the francophone Médiatheque have a concert listings page featuring the upcoming concerts in Brussels and the rest of Belgium. Be aware, however, that their listings page is quite a personal endeavor so it only features the concerts the médiatheque staff are interested in.
Eat
There is plenty of good eating to be had in Brussels.... Most people concentrate on the three classics: mussels (moules), fries (frites) and chocolate. A few more adventurous bruxellois dishes include anguilles au vert / palink in't groen (river eels in green sauce), meat balls in tomato sauce, stoemp (mashed vegetables and potatoes) and turbot waterzooi (turbot fish in cream and egg sauce). For dessert, try a Belgian waffle (gauffre), also available in a square Brussels version dusted with powdered sugar, although many prefer the round, syrup-coated version from Liège.
Budget
The matter over which establishment serves up the best frites (locally known as fritkots) remains a matter of heated debate. Some argue that the best frites in Brussels are served at the fritkot near the Barriere de Saint-Gilles, while others defend St-Josse's Martin (Place Madou) as the prime purveyor of the authentic Brussels frite just as others claim Antoine remains the king of the local french fry.
