Since we are serious about our mussels, we could not skip Chicago's Belgian beer haven, Hopleaf in Andersonville. They had two kinds of mussels on the menu so we of course had to try both. These mussels were a little on the small side, certainly not Jean Claude Van Damme sized, the original "muscles from Brussels." The first broth was a traditional Belgian-style served in a white ale with shallots and bay leaf. To be honest, Genevieve and I both agreed that these were just "okay." Nothing to write home about (unless you have a blog on mussels). The second type, though, was a Thai curry style. The curry broth was delicious! Spicy, but not too spicy with a little jalapeno, cilantro and lime. And Hopleaf certainly did the frites right, as they were included with the mussels and a side of aioli.
If you're looking for good mussels with more traditional style broth, the consensus between Genevieve and I was that Le Bouchon in Bucktown does a better job. Les moules et ses frites...tres bien! And when you couple that with a Monday night special of half-price bottles of wine and a charming, cozy French atmosphere, I see this as Charlie Sheen-style bi-winning.
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