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| Basket o'fries with dipping sauce Credit: aroundthemainline.com |
We ate in the "Next Door Bar" part of the establishment, which was packed full of diners and drinkers, the latter of whom were extremely loud. It took a few minutes for us to be seated; why do I seem to be getting ignored by hostesses everywhere I go? Once we were seated, however, we were supplied with a friendly and attentive waiter.
The drink menu was literally a book. Their selection is downright intimidating. We sampled a few beers and ales, and I settled for a glass of the Chamay White, while Dee partook in a brown English ale whose name escapes me.
We both ordered mussels: hers of the drunken variety, mine of the provincial. Mine arrived swimming in white wine, butter and herbs. Dee's bowl included a broth of dark beer as well as chorizo sausage and shallots. Both our meals were served with a large basket of fries and a chunk of crusty bread. We could have shared the fries, honestly. The mussels were plentiful and tender, the broth savory and filling. At $14 a bowl, this was a pretty good value for such a filling meal. My only complaint about the food would be that I'd like to have been served a larger piece of bread, the better to soak up the remaining broth. Also, our waiter took ages to bring us the check, though he may have expected us to partake in more than one beer.
Though we spent most of the meal shouting over the drunken party at the next table, all in all we had an enjoyable meal. I'd really like to go back sometime to try the cheese platters. All meat or cheese platters include bread or fruit, which make them a pretty good value. Plus all of the descriptions of the cheeses are clever, which endeared that page of the menu to me greatly. An example: Stink, stank, stunk, this is the funk. Better hope your date eats this too
Obviously I'm going to have to try that one. If you're in the area, this little place has a lot to offer!
Happy birthday, Dee!
