What a brilliant idea! An entire restaurant dedicated to one delicious ingredient that I love - mussels! When I received the email from Blackboard Eats I immediately hopped on it. Thankfully Ms. S was available for what turned out to be one of the best meals I've had this year. Located in Greenwich Village, The Mussel Pot is a delightful restaurant that is tastefully decorated. Their outside garden is beautiful. It's well lit and has a waterfall. Unfortunately there were people sitting there so I wasn't able to snap a quality picture. The menu is obviously filled with mussels but they also had some excellent seafood appetizers. We ordered two items. The Crispy Fried Calamari was a must have.
The calamari was good although certain parts had batter falling off. The best part of the calamari is that it was served with chipotle aioli, classic marinara and chimichurri sauce. The chipotle aioli had a smoky flavor that livened up my taste buds and finished with a slight kick. The marinara was hands down the best marinara I've tasted - especially as a calamari dip! The chimichurri was lacking so I didn't go back for too many dips. When our Seafood Ceviche arrived my jaw dropped.
The combination of shrimp, scallops and lobster served with plantain chips made my mouth water and my eyes bulge! It was incredibly tasty. The tart lime flavor went well with the seafood. The plantain chips provided the perfect balance. I was a little disappointed we only received 4. Who do you think you're feeding here?! I dealt with it though and we moved on to the mussels. The pot of Fra Diavolo was dangerously good.
The mussels were cooked with tomato, garlic, fresh herbs and spicy pepper. The spiciness definitely came through. Each mussel was amazingly delicious. I wasn't even upset when I picked up empty shells. I would scoop some sauce with the shell and slurp it up. We selected another from the Italian section. The Ciopino was fantastic.
A classic Italian broth that was both spicy and sweet. It also contained delicious surprises in the form of clams, shrimp and scallops. I was in love!
Ms. S and I tore through both pots and were pretty successful but in the end the mussels got the best of us. We only left a few but we were incredibly satisfied.
It was the first time in a long time that I turned down the dessert menu. Hurry over to the mussel pot it is an amazing restaurant dedicated to one of my favorites. The meal was spectacular from beginning to end and I definitely will return soon.
Hungry yet?
The Mussel Pot was also one of the best meals I've had this year! I read your review before I went tonight, and I was really looking forward to trying the ceviche. Unfortunately, it's no longer on the menu, but we did try some oysters and the lobster mac and cheese to start. The mac and cheese was amazing, but a little too heavy as an appetizer (even when shared between two people). As far as mussels go, I had the Provencal and my companion had the Louisiana. Both were incredible! His even had fried okra on top, and since he hates okra and I love it, it worked out well. I wholeheartedly agree with your review and can't wait to go back!
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