Philly's best Mussels

[philadining]

Once again I feel like we've had some good discussions scattered around in a few different threads. So, when you're feeling like mussels, where do you go?

I know Professor Fenton has mentioned Marra's. Mrbig nominated Standard Tap. Despite the widely mixed reviews I've been hearing, a friend and I both agreed that we'd had good bowls of them at Ralph's. (Personally I don't think there's any beating Walt's King of Crabs, but that's not an option anymore....)

I've been on a little binge recently:

Eulogy:

Our group rated these poor-to-fair. The mussels themselves were rather large and mushy, sometimes even tough. The broth didn't have us diving in with the bread to soak it all up. This was the "Moules di Pietro" version. I'd be willing to try another version here just to see if we happened to hit a day when the mussel supply wasn't so great.

Monks:

These were great, among the best I've had anywhere. This was the "Ghent" version with bacon, leeks and bleu cheese. They were smallish, which is how I like them, cooked really well, and the broth was delicious. My only complaint is that I'd prefer a more neutrally-flavored bread to soak up the broth, the brown bread kind of dominates the flavors.

Standard Tap:

OK, I may have to throw my vote in with mrbigjas, these were my favorites so far by a significant margin. They were excellent quality, and the broth was studded with big chunks of spicy sausage that was just perfect. Every drop of that sauce got sopped up.

So, I have to get to Marra's and... where else?

Edited April 4, 2007 by philadining (log)

[cjtst11]

My wife and I are big fans of Monk's but I think you are correct, the mussels a the Standard Tap are awesome. We order them most of the time that we eat there and they are consistently very good.

[guzzirider]

One of my favorite meals in town is the duck salad at Standard Tap followed by those mussels. Every once in a while they run out of chorizo and substitute Italian sausage... and when they do, it's like finding out your best friend just died.

I'm interested in trying out the mussels at Zot. I know Andrew gave a pretty dismal review of the place over in the Belgian thread, but I'm hoping they can pull it together.

__Jason

[Andrew Fenton]

I know Professor Fenton has mentioned Marra's.

Really? I'm not sure I've ever had Marra's mussels; maybe a couple from somebody else's order, but never a full order of my own. Not that lack of direct experience has ever stopped me from sharing my opinion in the past, but I think you may be confusing me with somebody else. Perhaps this Shack attack:

My wife and I have for years always loved going to Marra's for pizza and mussels (red). It's been a wihle because we had little kids but we brought them last night (after 5 years probably) and its just like we remember. The kids were so well behaved and ate so much I think we can begin our regular visits again. My little 2 yr old was slurping the red sauce from a mussel shell - my genes, good boy

Anyway, Evan's recommendation, plus Marra's reputation for mussels suggests that it'd be worth a go; whether or not they're the best mussels per se, they've gotta be the best mussels and pizza combination in the city.

[Jeff L]

Throwing my hat in with Jas and company for Tap's mussels. I like them better than Monk''s and Monk's are really good.

[rlibkind]

Rembrandt's does a commendable job with mussels. Tomato-ey broth with a little sausage and some capers. Very sop-up-able.

[serpentine]

I've had some nice mussels at Society Hill, too.

[philadining]

[Really?  I'm not sure I've ever had Marra's mussels...

Wow, this is spooky, I have a vivid memory of you saying they were really good there. Oh and you admitting to being the second gunman. Wait, was that you? OK, official notice, don't trust my stories any more! Anyway, must go to Marra's to verify and document. Darn.

But on that general tack, there must be more noteworthy Italian-style mussels in South Philly that we're overlooking.

Thanks for the Rembrants tip, keep them coming!

[HD73]

Sansom Street Oyster House serves mussels. I had the red version last week and the mussels themselves were great, as you'd expect. The broth was interesting - it tasted like snapper soup to me for some (probably unfounded) reason - but not my favorite. I've never had the white ones.

[herbacidal]

I've had some nice mussels at Society Hill, too.

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Would that be Society Hill Hotel?

[KatieLoeb]

You know, the mussels at Monk's are like the little girl with the little curl, right in the middle of her forehead. When they're good, they're very very good, and when they're bad, they're horrid.

I've had some awesome mussels at Monk's, and I've probably had an equivalent number of experiences with really sandy mussels at Monk's. Sandy mussels make me want to instantly hurl. It's no fault of theirs, but I just can't handle gritty sandy mussels. It's like waking up face down at the beach. Just nasty.

Grey Lodge deserves a mention for their green curry mussels. Those are the bomb and there's a fantastic selection of beer to wash them down with.

Must try Zot. I've heard good things. I have no excuse - it's like crawling distance from my house.

[Rich Pawlak]

Best bowl of mussels I've had in 2 years are the RED Thai curry mussels at the Grey Lodge, and that includes bowls of mussels at Standard Tap AND Monks.

Another good bowl of flawlesss mussels can be had at Cassis Bistro in Radnor.

But the Grey Lodge's may be the best in town.

[DTBarton]

"Despite the widely mixed reviews I've been hearing, a friend and I both agreed that we'd had good bowls of them at Ralph's. (Personally I don't think there's any beating Walt's King of Crabs, but that's not an option anymore....)"

This kind of sums up my sentiment, but I don't have a lot of experience eating mussels in Philadelphia. The ones I had a couple years ago at Ralph's were excellent, clean and with a shot of heat.

Reminded me of the dearly departed Walt's, a place I enjoyed many times and still miss. I remember watching the guy get the pot ready with copious amounts of garlic and a big shot of crushed red pepper. And nice, fresh hoagie rolls to dip in the juice.

[KatieLoeb]

Best bowl of mussels I've had in 2 years are the RED Thai curry mussels at the Grey Lodge

Were there ever Green Curry Mussels? Or I am merely confused? If I misstated it's my bad. The Grey Lodge mussels remain delicious regardless of my faulty memory.

[philadining]

Now that you mention it, I stole some sort of mussel from someone else's bowl up at the Grey Lodge and it did indeed rock. Thanks for the reminder!

[Vadouvan]

Sir Phil...

Word from the Snackbarons is mussels are coming this spring, that should be an interesting twist to see what creative riff J-mac comes up with......

[rae]

You know, the mussels at Monk's are like the little girl with the little curl, right in the middle of her forehead.  When they're good, they're very very good, and when they're bad, they're horrid.

I've had some awesome mussels at Monk's, and I've probably had an equivalent number of experiences with really sandy mussels at Monk's.  Sandy mussels make me want to instantly hurl.  It's no fault of theirs, but I just can't handle gritty sandy mussels.  It's like waking up face down at the beach.  Just nasty.

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I was just going to say this! I went to Monk's once because so many people recommended it and ordered mussels (I don't remember what kind) but they were horribly gritty. A major turn off, I never went back.

Mussels, for me, are something I only order if I know and trust the place, so in the end I rarely eat mussels.

The best mussels I've had in Philly so far were at my first meal at Pif several years ago. They were pan roasted and there was a burning spring of rosemary in the pan. mmmm.

[mrbigjas]

Sir Phil...

Word from the Snackbarons is mussels are coming this spring, that should be an interesting twist to see what creative riff J-mac comes up with......

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who wants to put a ten spot on what philadining's new favorite mussels are? i got snackbar.

[Diann]

I don't go there just on a whim because it's far from the city... but given that it's within stumbling-down-drunk distance for Mr. Phil, what about Majolica in Phoenixville?

When we went there for dinner Percy got a couple of orders of mussels for the table and they were damn good. Simple preparation, some celery and carrot and broth, but so tasty. I couldn't stop sopping up the juices even though I knew we had four more courses left...

[philadining]

How could I forget?!?! Indeed, I'll say I like those at Majolica better than even the Tap...

As I think I suggested in the original post, we think there's some sort of illegal addictive drug in the broth.

[simply_perfect]

Oh boy, I’m sure I’ll hear about this one too, but what the heck. Bootsie’s offers red or white mussels as an appetizer on the regular menu or an entrée on the prix fixe menu. The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive complimenting the high quality and lack of sand, Most guests ask for extra bread to soak up every bit of the broth.

Edited April 5, 2007 by simply_perfect (log)

[philadining]

Nothing at all wrong with being informative, SP!

This is not directed at anyone in particular, but just in general, I think this thread will be most valuable if we could keep it on the track of, like, really great mussels you think might be the best in town, rather than just places you can get decent mussels.

Of course I'm always happy to be waved-off truly awful ones too...

[rlibkind]

Quite honestly, it's hard to do bad mussels, so long as they are neither under or overcooked. As for grit/sand, well, you often don't know that until you cook and taste. Now, if you get a batch of mussels where they are particularly heavy, well, maybe then you can tell in advance.

I rarely find grit a problem since virtually all the mussels we eat today are farm raised. Aquaculture of mussels is one form of aquaculture which has vastly improved the product from the consumer's point of view. Sizing is better, they're cleaner, much less grit.

Pea crabs are still a problem, and totally unavoidable and unpredictable. You don't know there's one in a mussel until you bite down on the li'l crunchy thing. Harmless but disconcerting. And it's not like if you find a pea crab in one mussel you're going to find it in the rest of the bunch.

Phil, I gotta comment on your search for the "best". I understand where you're coming from, but I find our constant seeking after the "best" (and I'm as guilty as anyone) sets artificial standards.

The "best" mussel I've ever eaten is the one that satisfies my craving for mussels then and there. You can point me to the "best" mussels, or pizza, or beer, but unless I've got the craving for that food at that point and place in time, it doesn't matter.

It's like at Sunday's Brewers' Plate, where someone asked me which beer I liked best. Silly question. I paraphrased the old Yip Harburg lyric: When I'm Not Near the Beer I Love, I Love the Beer I'm Near." Same with mussels. Or pizza. Or Chocolate. Or just about any other food.

Does that mean we shouldn't discriminate against the bad, or discuss the relative merits or one preparation over another? Of course not. But to say this one is "best" and all others merely "decent" misses the point. Enjoy the walk through the wonderful forest while you appreciate the character of the individual trees. But don't fail to behold the beauties of Arden in search of the perfect tree.

[Andrew Fenton]

It's like at Sunday's Brewers' Plate, where someone asked me which beer I liked best. Silly question. I paraphrased the old Yip Harburg lyric: When I'm Not Near the Beer I Love, I Love the Beer I'm Near." Same with mussels. Or pizza. Or Chocolate. Or just about any other food.

Whereas I'd respond with the old Hank Williams lyric: "there's a tear in my beer, 'cause I'm cryin' for you, dear." Which doesn't necessarily have much to do with the subject at hand; but hey, do you really need a reason to quote Hank? Of course not.

Anyway, of course calling one restaurant's mussels (or anything else) is artificial. I think we all understand that there's a big ol' IN MY OPINION implicit in each and every one of the posts in this thread. But given that understanding, where's the harm in ranking one's favorites? If you're explicit about the criteria you use-- which mussels have the most flavorful broth? which joint always presents a perfectly-cooked batch?, etc.-- then brother, you've got yourself a list.

[philadining]

Yeah, I don't think we're going to come up with a single, uncontested winner, I just figure that if this crowd tells us their favorites, we'll come up with an array of some of the "best" in town.

It's a fair point though, maybe we should use the term "favorite" instead.