NYC Beer & Food Lover heading to Paris & Brussels- Itinerary Help

In this thread [Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Belgium] Better than expected I describe my meal at Korenlei Twee in Ghent, which I enjoyed, but my first choice was Publiek, at which I was turned away without a reservation.

The one advantage of going to Bruges in this weather is that it is relatively empty. I have the feeling that I would have hated it in warmer times, when the crowds return.