La Moule

La Moule Restaurant Review:

What you want most when you come here is mussels. Make that a generous bowl of mussels, fresh and plump, with six sauce choices, all with vivid yet understated flavors. The Marocaine (merguez sausage, white wine, mint and cilantro) and Korean (gojuchang chile paste, miso, basil, cilantro and kimchi) may be more unusual, but we also suggest the traditional cream and garlic preparations, plus a subtle sweet-hot coconut Thai sauce. Slabs of bread arrive to soak up the juices, but order frites for the table as well. Appetizers include pork rillettes and a butter lettuce salad. Strict shellfish avoiders may order a burger, steak or short ribs. There are also waffles with chocolate sauce and whipped cream for dessert. The "bar" half of "mussel bar" holds its own, mixing a bourbon-based Backwards Bicycle that's particularly good. The mood at La Moule is lively and chatty, and while you can eat anywhere, the bar side tends to be noisier than the one that's strictly for the restaurant. Service is friendly and accommodating.