Mussel Mania
Allow us to ruminate, instead of masticate, on mussels for a moment.
Mussels appear up and down the Atlantic coast, from North Carolina to Newfoundland, but have become a major cash crop of Prince Edward Island in the Canadian Maritime Provinces. On restaurant menus their provenance is usually announced with the term PEI, signifying to most folks anyway, a superior product.
There’s nothing wrong with PEI’s (Mytilus edulis, also known as blue or Atlantic mussels), as Eating Las Vegas finds them preferable in taste and texture to the unsightly and grainy New Zealand Green Lips that show up from time to time — but neither compares with the west coast Penn Cove mussel. Penn Coves (Mytilus trossulus) are also known as Pacific or Foolish* mussels and to our tastebuds, are the sweetest, silkiest, briniest and freshest expression of this bivalve. Increasingly, these are being farmed between Northern California and Southern Alaska, and these cold water environs contribute to their superior taste.
November is peak mussel season….and one kitchen that knows how to tantalizingly treat a trossulus is Spago. If you’re a PEI fan, there’s no better place to appreciate them than sitting on the patio of Marche Bacchus on an autumn evening, and polishing off a dozen or so whilst sipping a cool, crisp Sancerre. Both restaurants steam them according to the classic French recipe with shallots, garlic, white wine and parsley — leaving behind a nice bowl of boullion for sufficient bread sopping.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>
* Probably so named because of the large clusters they form on rocks, causing them to foolishly wash away and into the hands of predators.
The Ferry Building In San Francisco
If there’s an urban foodie mecca on the west coast of the United States, then the Ferry Building on San Francisco Bay is it. In this span of a single, long city block is a cornucopia of food sellers that represent the best that California (and by extension America) can offer. From greengrocers to fishmongers, wine sellers to chocolatiers, you’d be hard pressed to find a greater concentration of quality anywhere in the United States.
Rather than ramble on about how cool the place is…Eating Las Vegas will simply share his tasty snaps with you for your perusal and amusement. And if a quick look at these doesn’t make you hungry, and want to catch the next flight to ‘Frisco, the staff at ELV will be right over to take your pulse.