Don’t read into the name, look for some deeper meaning, or try to find a hidden double entendre. The name—Mussels ‘N Sausages—simply delivers precisely what it implies. Excellently steamed bivalves paired with brilliantly seasoned bangers.
“We use mussels and sausages gourmet vehicles for showcasing flavors from around the world,” explains Tarcisio Costa, the restaurant’s general manager. A Portuguese chorizo is doused in grappa then ignited with a flame for tableside roasting. Indian mussels are accented with tandoori spices, garlic, shallots and cream.
The sausages are plump and delicious, almost whole meals unto themselves, each prepared in a Staub Cocotte. The owner of the restaurant is Francis Staub himself, the founder of the Alsatian company devoted to the renowned enameled cast-iron cookware. If that heritage alone doesn’t entice you, consider the menu and craft cocktails.
A delicious introduction to the mussels would be the Burgundian presentation, which actually employs red wine with shallots, mushrooms, bacon, onions, cream and olive oil. The mussels are wonderfully tender sponges for absorbing the crimson range of flavors, creating a pot of mussels you won’t typically find elsewhere. For a rich Crock-Pot full of mussels, try the Roquefort, which is studded with clusters of the strong cheese swimming in a broth of white wine and bacon.
Acknowledging that the menu caters to very specific palates, the restaurant also offers an organic sausage burger topped with aioli and Spanish onion, a grilled organic chicken breast sandwich with pesto aioli, sriracha maple-glazed wings, and several brunch offerings, along with a risotto of the day and a catch of the day.
A carefully crafted cocktail menu ranges from classics like a Sazerac to some lovingly inventive originals, like the Smoky—a blend of Mezcal, white Vermouth, yellow Chartreuse, grapefruit bitters and a grapefruit twist.
So wash your brain of any childlike suppositions. If you truly enjoy mussels and deliciously crafted sausages, you would be sorely missing out not to give this place a genuine shot.
Mussels ‘N Sausages, 35-01 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, phone: 718-606-6532
