Having worked at Mussel Bar, I know that it is the restaurant's policy to not allow shellfish to leave the restaurant. They consider shellfish to be too fragile and do not want to risk a guest getting sick. Unfortunately this includes the mussels.
I meant to post earlier, but I had dinner at Mussel Bar with a couple of friends a few weeks back. We sat outside since it was a nice, if slightly cool night and we were out to spend time with a friend from out of town so I wanted to actually be able to hear her. Service was friendly, if a tad slow at times, but overall it was good. Food was good across the board. My friend loved her classic mussels and frites, the other reported that her salmon entree was quite good (and she's a picky eater). I ordered the mussels with chorizo, goat cheese, and cilantro, which I believe was a newer addition to the menu. The mussels were as always cooked perfectly and I liked the broth, but the chorizo itself didn't impress me in any way. Wines were good as well (I just can't bring myself to order beer at their prices).
The one bit of weirdness (because there always seems to be something) - I could see that I was getting too full to finish my food, so instead of trying to force it, I decided I'd just eat a bit more of the bread with my sauce and leave more mussels to take home. It's not something I would typically want to take home from a restaurant, but I'm on a tight budget these days and figured I could rewarm the broth and just toss the mussels in at the last minute to avoid having total rubber. So when the server came to clear our plates, I asked for a container only to be told that they're "not allowed" to package shellfish to take home. Huh? At the time, from his wording I assumed he meant it wasn't allowed legally, but in retrospect I think it must be a rule imposed by MB itself since I've read of people getting carryout from Freddy's for instance. Frankly I don't understand the reasoning and it kind of pisses me off because it's food I've paid for. It's just one more thing that makes me feel like MB is doing it's best to make me not want to return despite being served consistently good mussels.
Mussel Bar & Grille, Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda and Ballston by the Owners of Marcel's
in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining
Posted
Having worked at Mussel Bar, I know that it is the restaurant's policy to not allow shellfish to leave the restaurant. They consider shellfish to be too fragile and do not want to risk a guest getting sick. Unfortunately this includes the mussels.