Flex Mussels, NYC - You've Gotta Go!
Marlene Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 10:47AM 
Restaurants come and go in New York City, though East 82nd Street, between Lex and Third has had more than its share of eateries that bite the dust. Good news! We finally have a keeper: Flex Mussels.
Itʼs lively, itʼs hip ,itʼs fun, with very good food and service plus an extensive and reasonably priced wine list. Bottled water, fizzy or flat, is complimentary. You gotta love a restaurant with all that going for it, plus you wonʼt eat up a weekʼs salary when the check comes.
The main attraction is mussels - 23 varieties of preparation. My fave is Fra Diablo, prepared with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil. Thai is also on my ʻdeelishʼ list, featuring coconut curry broth, mongrass, coriander, lime, garlic, and ginger. Ingredients of each dish are listed on the menu, so there are no surprises. Whether you order the Italiano, the Maine, the Spaniard, the Classic or any others, you will be served a potful of plump, gorgeous mussels, cooked exactly right, with enough sauce for dunking. Prices range from $17.50 to $20.50.
Soup, salads, crab cakes and the best oysters in town are among the starters. Non-mussels diners have a variety of other dishes from the sea to choose from, such as lobster rolls, salmon, cod, or fish and chips. And when all else fails, thereʼs always roast chicken.
Save room for dessert - pastry chef Zac Young starred on Bravo's Top Chef Just Desserts. Order the lemon meringue pie in a glass, or go for the praline or salted carmel Flex donuts. Yum, yum.
If you like quiet, go early, Otherwise itʼs mega noisy, with singles of all ages crowding the bar. Tables in the back tend to be the least noisy.
Enjoy at either one of Flex Mussels' NYC locations!
Flex 13th Street
154 W 13th St
New York 10011
P. (212) 229-0222
Flex 82nd Street
174 E 82nd St
New York 10028
P. (212) 717-7772
Marlene is a member of Priority Club® Dining.
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