THE MUSSEL POT
This West Village eatery was suggested to my east coast associate, Sheila, and me by Ivan Torres, our fabulous hair stylist at the Angelo David Salon. And The Mussel Pot lived up to his rave review!
As many of you know, I’m not a seafood eater, save for shrimp, swordfish, and wahoo. So, I was concerned about what I was going to eat here, since I figured their specialty is mussels. (Duh.) But there were many choices for me, so no worries there.
This is the only pic we got of the soup before we inhaled it! All photos by Karen Salkin.
Okay, I can’t wait till the middle of the review to tell you about the cream of broccoli soup in order—I have to just about stop the presses on this one. It’s the single most OMG dish I’ve ever had in my life!!! (Sheila also flatly declared it “the best soup” she’s “ever had.”) I told the powers-that-be over there that they have to change the name of the place to The Friggin’ Cream of Broccoli Soup Pot!!! I’m dreaming of it as I write. I loved it so much that I hated to share with Sheila, perhaps the best friend anyone ever had. That’s how delicious it was.
The beautiful waterfall, all lit up.
Okay, now back to linear thinking after that little, totally deserved, outburst. We had the good fortune of dining there on an absolutely gorgeous beginning-of-Spring evening. The feeling The Mussel Pot’s back garden evoked was one of my favorites in life; it felt like the summer nights when I was a young dancer, actress, and artist in the city, and everything was magical. I could have truly sat there all night. (And practically did!) We had to tear ourselves away because there was so much more to accomplish on that east coast trip.
The interior of the restaurant looked inviting, as well, but the intimate garden, with a waterfall to boot, was the place to be. The workers were equally pleasant, especially our waiter, Eric, and Sonja, the upbeat hostess who’s a doppelgänger for Lady Gaga, (but more entertaining, in my opinion.)
Sheila, a true beer expert, lauded the great variety of them, from all over the world. She was tempted by the Belgian beers the most, but she went with the Brooklyn East India Pale Ale as a tribute to my house she was staying in. I appreciated the thought, and she loved the brew.
Tuna tartare.
She also loved her tuna tartare appetizer that was recommended to us by Ivan. She said, “the great flavors melded together,” and that the accompanying guacamole was “delish” by itself. She mentioned the “good balance of textures,” and that’s something she taught me about from the beginning of our friendship, so I can appreciate just what a compliment that is! And even though I don’t eat this dish, I applauded the pretty presentation.
We chatted for awhile with the amiable chef, Ronnie Esposito. I was leaning towards the fried chicken and waffles as my entree, but he told me that the recipe would be better in a few weeks, (which it is now, so I’d suggest you go for it.) I went with the grilled prime rib eye steak instead, which was excellent, but I was still so bowled over by the soup that it was hard for me to change tastes after it.
The namesake mussel pot!
Sheila, on the other hand, was raring to try the namesake mussels. She grew up in New England, and loves seafood, but she said that she had “never seen a variety like this!!!,” and added, “the sauces are icing on the cake.” She said it was a really hard choice, but she decided on the pesto sauce, (which was basil, pine nuts, parmigiano reggiano, olive oil, and garlic cream,) which she described as “so rich,” “such an extravaganza,” “good enough on its own,” and…“as good as the soup!” If she lived in the area, she would try every one of their eighteen varieties!
Even though the mussels were filling enough, we ordered the sweet potato fries as a side dish. Sheila said they were “kind-of melt-in-your-mouth,” and we loved that they were crunchy on the outside while sweet on the inside.
Chocolate dessert.
Speaking of sweet, I think that they change desserts often, so they may not be offering the delicious thick chocolate ganache cake when you’re there, but I’d venture a guess that, judging by the quality of the rest of the fare, any dessert would be equally excellent.
I think Sheila summed it up best with her two declarations: “This place is unpretentious—it’s just good food,” followed by, “I think this is the most delightful dining experience of the whole trip!” Amen to that, sister!
174 Bleecker Street New York 212-260-2700 www.themusselpot.com
