If I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know.
- Kansas
As I pulled up to the light at Taylorsville Rd, I realized I was practically at one of the latest foodie hot spots - Mussel and Burger Bar. For a second I thought, I'm not going there like a mindless moth to the porch light. Then my stomach growled and I fluttered over into the miraculously empty turn lane.
I saw a sign advertising the restaurant and figured it must be recent as many moths had gotten lost trying to find this particular porch. I landed and went in.
The hostess indicated the direction of the bar and I found it easily in the dimly lit room opposite the front entrance. It was a long, curved, granite thing and I didn't like it even before I sat down to find it provided hardly any leg room beneath it.
The bar tender didn't notice me right away so I looked around and saw that a few of the tables were filled. Idly I noted that I'd found more comfortable settings in airport bars as I repeatedly tried to position myself comfortably. My knees kept me from getting close enough to the bar. Not such a good start.
I didn't see any taps but I could see that the refrigerator had the Sam Adam's Tasman Red that I'd first tasted two nights ago at Varanese. That would do nicely. The bartender confirmed that there was no tap beer as she opened and place the oversized bottle in front of me. Then she walked off. Ahem, is she expecting me to drink from this bomber-size bottle? Do people do this?
She turned back to me and asked if I needed a menu. I almost said just forget it. Then my beer antennae quivered and I said ,“Yes and I'll need a glass. I pointed and said, “One of those Sam Adams glasses would be great.” She reached into the cooler and I winced as she pulled out another type of glass and started to hand it to me. “I'd really like one of those please.” I said again pointing to the glass sitting nearby on the bar. She said, “It's not frosted.” “Great!” I said. She shrugged and handed me the glass.
At this point, you are probably thinking why the hell is he making such a big deal about this. Well, I'll tell you. The bar I'm sitting at is granite and the furnishings, while not to my taste are pretty swanky. The beer just handed to me cost six dollars each at the liquor store. The type of glass designed especially to drink this beer is sitting in sight.
Why the hell do I feel like I've just sat down at the Hitchin Post and ordered a bottle of Bud Light?
I decided to invest a bit more into the situation before declaring it a lost cause. I asked my bartender her name and if she'd ever had this beer. She said no, that she hadn't even heard of half of the beers they served before she started working here. That explained a lot - inadequate training. I described the beer to her with enthusiasm and even though she said she didn't normally like IPA's she accepted my offer to try a little.
She poured a very small amount into her glass (too little I didn't say) and tasted it. She agreed that it had a surprising sweetness to it that offset the usual bitterness. I knew she wouldn't be stopping to pick some up on her way home but at least she might have some reference to describe it to other customers in the future.
We actually got along fine. She will be a good bartender but the training she has received so far is not adequate for a place of this nature in my opinion.
When asked, I ordered the Spanish Blue cooked medium. She asked me if I wanted it just as described on the menu. I said that was fine, resisting the urge to ask “Why wouldn't I?” I trust that menus are designed by experts with synergy in mind, not created by selecting items at random.
I suppose I might have asked for a different kind of bun, fries, or sauce but until I've tried it, I don't trust that my judgment is better than the chef who designed the menu. Also, I regularly watch my friends over customize their menu selections and it often turns out badly for them. Still, they never seem to learn from this and I never seem to stop enjoying their disappointment.
My food arrived quickly and it looked marvelous. As the name suggested it was covered with a spanish blue cheese. I like blue cheese and I liked this blue cheese. It's a good thing too because there was a lot of it on the burger and it completely overpowered any other taste. Though I scraped a good portion of it off, I never did taste much of anything other than that blue cheese.
I have no idea what taste the pepper crest or the fig marmalade added to the burger. Actually I have no idea what flavor the meat added as I really couldn’t taste it much either. The consistency of the burger was terrific however and even though it was undercooked, I really enjoyed eating it. I will not order this burger as suggested on the menu again. No synergy here chef.
The sweet potato fries were a surprising revelation. They were crispy outside but creamy smooth inside and tasted very much like sweet potato (not a given). The smoked pineapple dipping sauce was a delightful accompaniment and restored my faith that the chef knows how to pair tastes.
I didn't get to finish my fries though. The general manager, Jaime, came by while I was munching them and asked how everything was. I described to him my thoughts on the burger. Instead of just nodding or trying to placate me with a free desert he described to me, in detail, the thought process that went into the dish and seemed to take my opinion seriously. That's when I asked and he introduced himself and revealed his position at the restaurant.
With a little prompting he told me of his involvement with Fernando and Christina's previous ventures including the original Havana Rumba and Mojito's through to Guaca Mole and now MBBar. He talked about being a barber and helping to open Habana Blues in New Albany. Before I knew it we had been chatting for at least ten minutes.
When the bartender came by and asked if I was through, I regretfully pushed half of my cold fries towards her. Still, I'd trade such conversation for fries any time.
Even though things were not perfect on my first visit, instead of being disappointed with my experience at Mussel and Burger Bar I was very pleased. I think Jaime has a terrific manner and exhibits the same caring personality of my favorite host, Majid.
I think the quality of the food is outstanding and the price point is a bargain. I will pay more attention next time to order a burger that is dressed to complement the taste of the meat not overpower it. I had a burger at Eddie Merlots once with foie gras on it and it was a waste at a much higher price point.
I think they have some things they still need some work on. Their bar training program based on my one short visit needs to be stepped up. The bartender I met will represent very well once properly trained.
More importantly though, this is a burger bar. While I expect my burger will often be over/under cooked at a restaurant that just happens to serve burgers, the burgers here should be cooked properly each time. Mine was fully rare and if the lighting had been better I might have sent it back. That would have ruined the experience.
Finally, the bar is more suitable for a hotel check-in. I had to practically sit sideways to get close enough to the bar to eat my food. When I got to my car I noticed that I had dripped some food on my pants - fig marmalade? Nope – smoked pineapple. Darn, I wanted to taste that marmalade.
Okay, me too – flutter!
) with our party reservation- they were expecting us on Friday, not Saturday. We arrived at 6:00 to find no table and a 1 1/2 wait for a party of our size. We were bereft- the birthday girl has been in the hospital for months and this was her first evening out; there was no way she could wait. Despite the totally backed-up crowd, my mistake, and the fact that they held a table for us the previous night, the GM graciously figured out a way to accommodate us by opening up a private room and re-assigning our server- we were seated in 15 minutes ( and they apologized for the wait